Hang it Up, Tony
Tony La Russa pretty much has to retire after intentionally walking Trea Turner on two strikes leading to a Max Muncy three-run bomb
We’re not ageist. Come one, come all. Do your thing. Life is too short to be tapping out in your 50s. But there comes a time for everyone when they shouldn’t be doing whatever it is they’re doing, whether due to safety or effectiveness or the fact skinny jeans are simply a young-man's game. Thursday was that day for Tony La Russa.
That’s when, in the top of the sixth inning, in a two-run ballgame, La Russa intentionally walked Trea Turner on a 1-2 count with one runner on second, bringing up Max Muncy. Muncy didn’t like that one bit and proceeded to crack a three-bomb that would prove to be the winning runs for the Dodgers. Needless to say, the entire South Side was perplexed, including the White Sox broadcast, who practically bit right through their tongues as La Russa made the call.
Hilarious scenes, especially the fan shouting “HE HAS TWO STRIKES, TONY!” Muncy, however, didn’t find it quite so funny. In fact, he took it as an insult, shouting “You f—ing walk him with two strikes. F—k you b—tch!” in the direction of the surefire hall-of-famer as he pulled into home.
Sheesh. Take this man behind the woodshed and put him out of his misery already. Eyebrows were raised when the White Sox, who had seemingly built a contender under Rick Renteria, fired him after the 2020 season and brought in the then-75-year-old La Russa. Since then, La Russa has been at the center of one head-scratching cock-up after the next, with some wondering if he’s actually trying to get fired at this point, a la Costanza with the Yankees.
Before La Russa’s latest La Gaffe, the White Sox were two games under .500, lagging behind the supposedly tanking Cleveland Guardians in the god-awful AL Central. They’re one of the most disappointing teams in baseball and the writing is on the wall. La Russa, despite off-the-field issues that will ultimately tarnish his legacy, is one of the great managers of the modern era, but it’s time. If getting dunked on Max Muncy isn’t a sign the only clubhouse you belong in is down at the country club, then perhaps nothing is.