Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa called Yermin Mercedes’ decision to swing on 3-0 last night against the Minnesota Twins, an endeavor that resulted in a 429 foot home run, “a mistake.”
Actually, the real mistake was made in the offseason when Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf decided to bring La Russa back. When most people in the Chicago sports media heard about the White Sox interviewing Tony La Russa for the vacant managerial position, there was a prevailing sentiment of denial. When he was hired, the emotion converted to anger, and this is exactly why.
The Yerminator made history as this was the slowest pitch to ever be taken yard since Major League Baseball began tracking the data. It was tossed by Twins catcher Willians Astudio, who was only on the mound because his team was down 15-4. The White Sox have the best record in the American League and the Twins are in last place. Check out BetQL for their picks all the games on tonight’s and tomorrow’s slate of MLB action. As you might expect the Sox are favored to win.
La Russa was upset, and the manner in which he expressed his malcontent was nothing short of Michael Corleone. “He made a mistake. There will be a consequence he has to endure here within our family,” he said.
Okay, what does that mean? We’re only into the second month of the season, and already La Russa is strongly validating all the concern and anger that surrounded his reappointment.
The “unwritten rules” bit? Are you serious?
Especially today, when MLB is overtly taking strides to make the game clip along faster? Do you want us to all go watch college baseball instead, where swinging at the first pitch is extemely commonplace? Hey, there are aluminum bats, and that ping sound is cool.
As I wrote at the time of his hire “How is a bat flip from 2019 AL batting champion Tim Anderson going to sit with La Russa?” I guess we got our answer today. I was far from the only one expressing such concerns, as this was all entirely way too predictable.
Yermin Mercedes is one of the breakthrough stars of this 2021 season, and among the most exciting young players in the game so far this term.
So there’s going to be consequences for him? Really, what consequences were there for La Russa after his multiple DUIs? All he did was fail back upward.
All LaRussa accomplished here, with this archaic comment, is making the fans feel more conflicted about the team they support, because their manager is a dinosaur. The most exciting team in all of baseball, but it comes with a price- you’re stuck with this guy leading you. A man who seems to have forgotten who the White Sox main rival is. If you’re going to ease up, it’s certainly not going to be against the Twinkies.
As we wrote soon after the LaRussa hire was announced: “What’s not cool is a Glenn Beck and Tea Party supporting 76-year-old Caucasian leading a very multicultural and diverse team, one that is overwhelmingly Latino.”
Thanks Tony, for making us prophetic. Not that it was difficult, because just about everybody else paying attention at the time said the same thing.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.