The State of Tony LaRussa

As I sort out all the rumors that are coming out about LaRussa, its hard to find what might be true. So far this is what I have seen. LaRussa will announce his retirement.......With Ozzie Guillen gone Tony will become the Whitesox coach, and Tony would join the Whitesox club as an advisor.

As of today LaRusaa had told media that he will not talk about his future due to not wanting this as a distraction while in contention for Wild Card team. He also did not deny the Whitesox rumor. So what is really going on?

Chicago Tribune Reporter Phil Rogers chimes in on the LaRussa;

Most people in St. Louis believe that La Russa will be back for 2012 regardless of what happens with free agent Albert Pujols. General Manager John Mozeliak recently signed Chris Carpenter and Lance Berkman to new deals, signaling ownership’s commitment to both Pujols and La Russa.

But just as the Florida Marlins tempted Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox offer an intriguing option for La Russa. Reinsdorf has said his one regret in pro sports is firing La Russa after the Sox got off to a slow start in 1986 -– a decision that sent La Russa to Oakland, where he established a powerhouse that went to three consecutive World Series -– and he’s long been fascinated with the idea of a reunion.

This isn’t exactly a new storyline.

In an interview at the Cardinals’ camp before the 2010 season, La Russa was open about his affinity for Reinsdorf and a desire to work for him again after he left St. Louis. He insisted he wouldn’t manage anywhere one he takes off a Cardinals uniform, saying he’d like to be part of the management team without a GM’s responsibilities, but few have ever had his passion for running games from a perch at the end of the dugout. It’s hard to believe he can walk away from that job.

So when the Marlins fired Fredi Gonzalez in June, 2010 and didn’t name a permanent replacement, I wrote about a scenario in which Gonzalez would go to Atlanta to replace Bobby Cox, Guillen would go to Florida to open the Marlins’ new stadium and La Russa would return to the White Sox, where he started his managerial career in 1979.

There’s one shoe left to drop.

Don’t be surprised if it does.

2. Some believe that Dave Duncan is a potential deal-killer for La Russa with the White Sox, as Reinsdorf swears allegiance to Don Cooper, an organization guy who served as pitching coach for Guillen and Jerry Manuel. I don’t see it that way. I do think the Sox want to hang onto Cooper (who like the rest of Guillen’s coaches will be without a contract after the season), but I’m not sure that Duncan would automatically follow La Russa if he left St. Louis. Unlike La Russa, he is signed in St. Louis through 2012, a situation he sought out knowing that La Russa’s deal would run only through this season. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it’s not there by accident. Maybe Duncan would take over the Cardinals as manager, scratching an itch that bothered him when he was younger. And maybe Duncan (a former catcher) would come to Chicago as La Russa’s bench coach, with Cooper still the pitching coach. La Russa’s teams have always shown how much of the game is about pitching. Can you have too much knowledge in one dugout?

3. You can’t tell it by the way his tenure with the White Sox ended, but Guillen is as close to being a genius as you can find in baseball. He has the ability to be in an animated conversation in one part of a stadium or clubhouse and know everything going on around him -- like the kid who never seems to be paying attention to the teacher but gets A's without studying. He’s that kid. That’s what I’ll miss the most -- how he catches everything. The man is pretty much a mind reader. His instincts are off the charts. He didn’t go onto the field in Houston to celebrate the White Sox clinching the 2005 World Series. He stayed in the dugout, with his coaches, leaving the moment to guys like Bobby Jenks, Juan Uribe, Paul Konerko and Buehrle. It was easy to love that guy.