White Sox manager Tony La Russa to plead guilty to reduced charge, report says

White Sox manager Tony La Russa will plead guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving stemming from his arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol last February near Phoenix, according to a report by James Fegan of The Athletic.

The plea deal stipulates that La Russa be required to serve a day in jail, but the state of Arizona said it is not opposed to reducing that sentence to a work release or home detention, if a judge approves.

La Russa, who is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 21, will also be required to pay $1,383 in fines and perform 20 hours of community service, according to The Athletic.

The general reaction to all this is that La Russa is getting off easy, given that this was his second drunken driving arrest. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI charges in Jupiter, Fla., in 2007, when he was manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's probably a break for La Russa that this arrest comes 13 years later in a different part of the country. It also probably helps him that he's a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Those who are rich, well-known and able to afford good legal representation often seem to fare better than the average person when dealing with the criminal justice system.

Neither the Sox nor La Russa have issued any comment on these reports.

Tony La Russa charged with DUI, and the White Sox knew this was coming when they hired him

Tony La Russa

New (old) White Sox manager Tony La Russa was charged with DUI on Oct. 28 by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in Arizona.

According to an ESPN report, La Russa allegedly ran his car into a curb in February, leaving it smoking on the side of the road in the Phoenix area.

The arresting officer reportedly said La Russa was incoherent during the incident, and the veteran manager repeatedly referenced his credentials as a baseball Hall of Famer in an attempt to escape the trouble. 

This is the second drunken driving arrest for LaRussa. He pleaded guilty in 2007 to misdemeanor DUI in Jupiter, Fla.

I think the timeline of this arrest is a little strange. This incident occurred in February, and the charges weren't filed until eight months later. 

Definitely odd, but here's what is known: The charges were filed Oct. 28, but the Sox hired La Russa to be manager one day later anyway. 

Yuck. The Sox are taking a beating in the national media right now, and rightfully so. First off, at least one prominent free agent says he won't play for La Russa for any amount of money.

Secondly, one drunken driving arrest is one thing -- people make mistakes -- but two such incidents is a trend, and that's not somebody you want running your baseball team. That's somebody who has a problem.

And third, this again highlights what a flawed process the Sox used to hire La Russa. It wasn't a legitimate search, with interviews of multiple qualified candidates, with the best man earning an offer.

No, it was a crony hire by one man, owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He regrets firing La Russa 34 years ago, and he's trying to make amends for it, even if he has to undercut his baseball operations department to do it, and even if he brings shame and national disgrace to a proud fan base and every other person who works for the Sox.

Of course, there's still time to do the right thing. La Russa hasn't even hired a coaching staff yet. (What is he waiting for?) So cut ties with La Russa, start over and conduct a search the right way. Allow Ken Williams and Rick Hahn to hire a manager, not Reinsdorf. 

Will that actually happen? Don't bet on it. Oh, and Rick Renteria finished second in the AL Manager of the Year voting today. He has to be among the chorus of people laughing at the Sox right now.