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Sports

Column: Tony La Russa and David Ross are trying to change the script during Chicago’s summer of discontent

It hasn’t exactly been the best of times for Tony La Russa and David Ross, the two baseball managers in a baseball town.Neither is a particularly good loser, yet losing has defined both of their 2022 seasons in the first three months.AdvertisementLa Russa’s Chicago White Sox were expected to be World Series contenders. It’s a team custom-built for a veteran manager to get it over the hump, which is why La Russa came out of retirement in 2020 to take the reins.But the Sox began their West Coast trip Monday in Anaheim with a losing record amid plenty of discord over whether La Russa carries most of the blame.AdvertisementOn the flip side, not much was expected from Ross’ Cubs after a 91-loss season and only two significant free-agent signings in Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki.But the Cubs, being the Cubs, still have managed to play below those low expectations. They’ll take the fifth-worst record in the majors (28-45) into Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series with the bottom-feeding Cincinnati Reds.The collective angst among Chicago baseball fans is at near-historic levels, perhaps not seen since the summer of 2002, when the Cubs lost 95 games under Don Baylor, Rene Lachemann and Bruce Kimm and the Sox finished .500 under Jerry Manuel.No one is happy, except perhaps the beer cup stackers not watching the games at Wrigley Field and the gambling sites accepting wagers from the dwindling number of Sox fans who still believe they’ll make a run.White Sox manager Tony La Russa stands in the dugout during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 20, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)La Russa, 77, and Ross, 45, are quite different in age and personality. But they do share a few similarities, including a testiness on occasion after difficult losses. Both have been tested in 2022.La Russa has been confrontational with reporters, and Ross once walked out on a reporter’s question, which he later apologized for. Neither has spewed volcanic ash despite the minor eruptions.Unfortunately, the days of managers of losing teams venting at the main culprits — the players they manage — are seemingly part of a bygone era. As long as the effort is there, La Russa and Ross are OK, and as far as they’re concerned, the effort has been there all season.“It doesn’t benefit any manager, coach, even player to rant publicly,” Ross said Sunday morning at Busch Stadium. “There are things that happen in house that you have to take care of and you have to have a little bit of teeth every once in a while.Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] ‘Hot as a pistol’: 3 standout numbers that led to prospect Lenyn Sosa’s promotion to the White Sox ]“The key to that is understanding why you have those conversations, what those intentions are and the expectations for a manager, a coach, an organization that will never go away. When you keep those standards high and don’t waver, it’s really important.”Ross said he shows “emotions,” but flipping the food spread in the postgame clubhouse to show how you feel no longer is a viable way to send a message, unlike the days of Billy Martin and his peers.“When I got to A-ball, the spread was on a little bitty picnic table,” Ross recalled. “That thing’s easy to flip. Now it’s a buffet line. That would piss me off — I would probably be hungry in 30 minutes, right? “I played for some of those guys and you understand where they’re coming from. But I think now the conversations — and being able to hold in those emotions and be direct with the wording — is going to get you farther than (showing) emotion.”Cubs manager David Ross looks out from the dugout in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field on June 15, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Legend has it that Martin once flipped the clubhouse spread after a tough loss to the White Sox at old Comiskey Park, oblivious to a New York Yankees player sitting at the table munching on a sandwich.Those were the days when managers had much more control over players’ careers. That ended with the beginnings of free agency, the ubiquity of multiyear contracts going into eight and then nine figures and finally the intrusion of front offices into everyday decisions from lineups to bullpen usage.AdvertisementEven Lou Piniella conceded when he arrived in Chicago to manage the Cubs in 2007 that it was now a “player’s game.” Piniella was one of the last of the old-school managers, confident enough in his job security to call Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley a “piece of (expletive).” But his biggest confrontation in town wasn’t with a player but with Steve Stone after the Sox broadcaster criticized him in 2010 for not playing prospect Tyler Colvin.[ [Don’t miss] Column: Cubs aren’t the same as a decade ago — but they keep trotting out the same old narrative to fans ]“I think that means that Lou doesn’t have a great grasp on what to do with young players,” Stone told Comcast SportsNet, now NBC Chicago Sports.“What job has he had in baseball besides talking on television or radio?” Piniella fumed. “What has he done? Why isn’t he a farm director and bring some kids around? Why isn’t he a general manager? Why hasn’t he ever put the uniform on and (become) a pitching coach? Why hasn’t he been a field manager?“There are 30 teams out there that could use a guy’s expertise like that. I’m tired of some of these guys, I really am. That’s it. Let’s go to baseball.”Stone found himself in another free-for-all over the weekend when he trolled Sox fans for whining above and beyond the call of duty about La Russa and the struggling team. He seemed to endorse the idea of complaining fans jumping off the Sox bandwagon.We seem to have hit a nexus. I call it thinning out the herd. For those of you heading for the exits, adios. For those of you who want the coaches fired, the manager gone, the players traded and the owner replaced. That’s not practical. Welcome to a less bitter world all others— Steve Stone (@stevestone) June 25, 2022

“We seem to have hit a nexus,” Stone tweeted. “I call it thinning out the herd. For those of you heading for the exits, adios. For those of you who want the coaches fired, the manager gone, the players traded and the owner replaced. That’s not practical. Welcome to a less bitter world all others.”AdvertisementLa Russa, meanwhile, has been nothing but complimentary toward ticked-off Sox fans, repeating that they have the right to be upset about a team that has underachieved. He said he was OK with fans booing him rather than the players,“I’ve said it 100 times, man, I like that they’re here and they care,” La Russa said last week. “And if they’re displeased and it’s with me, I’d rather them be here and care than not care and not be here.”That was before the Sox lost three of four to the Baltimore Orioles, which simply added to the angst.So here were are again, potentially facing a long, hot summer without a winning baseball team on either side of town.The two embattled managers are trying to keep their heads, while all around them, everyone is losing theirs.

Sports

Artūras Karnišovas ‘confident’ in Chicago Bulls’ chances of re-signing Zach LaVine: ‘We hope that Zach is here for a long time’

There’s only been one question in Chicago about this summer’s NBA free agency — will Zach LaVine be on the Bulls next season?That decision could be made by the end of this week as the NBA trade window opens at 5 p.m. Thursday night, at which point teams can begin negotiating deals with free agents.AdvertisementExecutive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas didn’t tip his hand on whether the Bulls will dish out a maximum deal to LaVine — which tops out close to $215 million with a five-year commitment — but he remained bullish on the team’s ability to return the All-Star to Chicago.[ [Don’t miss] Dalen Terry, the No. 18 pick, arrives ready to get to work for the Chicago Bulls: ‘I breathe, sleep, cry basketball’ ]“We’ve been very open that we hope that Zach is here for a long time,” Karnišovas said. “Nothing has changed. … I’m confident.”AdvertisementIf the Bulls are successful in keeping LaVine, their next concern quickly moves to his left knee. LaVine underwent a scope surgery in May to clean up a nagging injury that dampened his performance through the final third of the regular season.“I think he’s going to be healthy and he’s now progressing great,” Karnišovas said.General manager Marc Eversley echoed optimism about the health of both LaVine and starting point guard Lonzo Ball, who will also spend the offseason recovering from knee surgery following a season-ending injury and surgery in January.[ [Don’t miss] Zach LaVine enters free agency ‘open-eyed’ as the Chicago Bulls chase continuity: ‘My time here has been great’ ]The front office has plenty to do to improve on a winning record and short-lived playoffs run last season, but the most important is also the most elusive — keeping their stars healthy. Ball and LaVine are cornerstones for the Bulls, but both are also injury prone, a vulnerability highlighted by their absences last season.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.For the Bulls, another key for maintaining success comes down to the margins, especially with injury concerns still looming. New additions like No. 18 draft pick Dalen Terry will be one part of that plan, adding wing depth and defensive energy.Karnišovas said the Bulls have yet to make roster decisions on rotational players like Tony Bradley, Tyler Cook and Malcolm Hill, who stepped up for considerable minutes during the Bulls’ COVID-19 outbreak last winter. Although the Bulls are still open to new additions, Karnišovas continued to emphasize “continuity” as the focus for the roster.Artūras Karnišovas, executive vice president of basketball operations, speaks as the Bulls introduce first-round pick Dalen Terry on June 27, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)“You can build your rosters three ways — through the trades, free agency and the draft — and I think we’re tapping into all three of them,” he said. “This group has been here almost since October, so we’re still trying to get used to how to play with each other.”The development of Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu — the youngest players on the roster — also remains a focus. Although Williams and Dosunmu will not travel to Las Vegas to play in NBA summer league games, the pair will train in Chicago in July to prepare for training camp.AdvertisementIt was a split season for the two youngsters — Dosunmu started 40 games as a rookie, but Williams spent most of the year on the sidelines recovering from a wrist injury. Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls are “very, very confident” Dosunmu can contribute as a point guard for the 2022-23 season, although he will likely move back to the bench when Ball returns as the starting ballhandler.As the Bulls approach a new season, the improvement of these rotational players will determine the team’s competitiveness in a building Eastern Conference.“It’s important to get a good mix,” Karnišovas said. “For young guys, it’s important also to develop. Even with last year’s roster, there’s a lot of vets, there’s a lot of in-between and the young guys got a lot of experience when emphasis was put on winning. We got 46 wins which is great. We got playoff experience. But we need to build on that and it’s not going to be easy next year to come back and do the same.”

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