Report: Tony La Russa To Make Announcement On His Future

The future of ailing 78-year-old Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa will finally be decided on Monday, when, according to multiple reports, he will announce his retirement -- this time, for good. 

La Russa was pulled out of the dugout of the terribly disappointing White Sox team back in August, when his doctors called to tell him to "leave the ballpark immediately," according to Bob Nightengale. He would then undergo a procedure to repair his pacemaker. 

 Perhaps doctors were alarmed when they saw him falling asleep in the dugout:

In mid-September he appeared in a private box to watch a couple of White Sox games, but after that, doctors told him that his managing days were over. 

Really, White Sox fans (and all baseball observers) could have told him that a long time ago. The beleaguered La Russa had been making puzzling and bizarre moves for two seasons, like publicly throwing his star rookie under the bus for hitting a grand slam on a 3-0 count (resulting in said rookie, Yermin Mercedes, going into a season-long funk and ending up out of the majors); like intentionally walking batters who already had two strikes on them... multiple times; like leaving an obviously-injured pitcher in to start a game (and then having Michael Kopech implode and exacerbate his injury).

Even well-respected MLB reporters have trashed La Russa, on multiple occasions.  

The White Sox were expected to run away with the weak AL Central division this season, but instead have wallowed around in mediocrity all season, and will finish the year more than 10 games out of the playoffs. 

The bizarre and doomed-to-failure Tony La Russa Experiment is finally over.  

Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports