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Column: Tony La Russa is 1 win from tying John McGraw for 2nd place on the all-time managerial win list. A look at how it all began for the Chicago White Sox skipper.

As he embarked on a major-league managing career in the summer of 1979, 34-year-old Tony La Russa knew he would have to alter his style a bit to conform to his job.

“One of the things I’m going to have to do is learn to control my temper,” La Russa said. “I’ve made moves in anger that I might not have made otherwise. You lose your temper, and you lose your good sense.”

That was on Aug. 3, 1979, when La Russa took over the Chicago White Sox starting with a trip to Toronto. The Sox beat the Blue Jays 8-5 to end a seven-game losing streak, as Kevin Bell, Jim Morrison, and Lamar Johnson homered.