Vaughn’s Comments Expose How Poorly Run The White Sox Are
On the outside, looking in, it is baffling how the Chicago White Sox are as mediocre as they are.
Before the season, PECOTA projected the White Sox at 95 wins. This is two more than last season and a substantial total considering PECOTA’s history of being conservative with their predictions. Entering Wednesday’s game against the Royals, the White Sox are 63-66 and on a five-game losing skid.
But when you pull back the curtain on the White Sox organization’s dysfunction, it is easy to see why they are an underachieving mess.
Hours before Tuesday’s game, the White Sox announced on Twitter that Tony La Russa would miss the game due to medical concerns.
The news not only blindsided fans but the players as well. According to Andrew Vaughn, the organization didn’t even notify the players beforehand that they would be without their skipper. Vaughn found out about the news by checking social media.
“I found out on Twitter, Vaughn told reporters. “I saw that the White Sox posted something, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness. This is crazy.’ And then we had to just go play.”
Vaughn: ""I found out on Twitter. I saw that the White Sox posted something and I was like 'Oh my goodness. This is crazy.' And then we had to just go play."
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) August 31, 2022
The White Sox posted the news at 6:15pm, meaning Vaughn and his teammates found out less than an hour before the first pitch. With the team struggling, it would have been nice for someone inside the White Sox organization to notify the players before the news went public. Or they would provide the team with as much information as possible to ease any concerns or answer any questions.
The White Sox Twitter message said:
“At the direction of his doctors, Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa will miss tonight’s game vs. Kansas City. La Russa is scheduled to undergo further medical testing tomorrow in Chicago.”
This message leaves a lot to the imagination. For a 77-year-old like La Russa, it’s natural for the mind to immediately jump to a worst-case scenario when you read “at the direction of his doctors.”
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 30, 2022
As a result, the nine guys in the lineup were left worrying about the manager without the same amount of information as the fans sitting in the stands. Of course this is surprising to nobody who has followed this team. The White Sox sent the wrong autograph on a press release for Tony La Russa’s hiring, misspelled the name on one of their players on the score board, and failed to make any impactful moves in a year that was supposed to be their contention window.
Miguel Cairo served as the acting manager on Tuesday, and the White Sox lost 9-7. In moments like this, you realize how poorly the Chicago White Sox are run.