A work colleague of mine, upon hearing that the Chicago White Sox were considering bringing back Cardinals Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as their next manager at age 76, offered, “La Russa is too damn old to manage.”
Maybe yes, maybe no. But the numbers — and not just 76 — would be against him. No manager older than 72 has won a World Series, and that’s probably what the White Sox have in mind after ending their playoff drought this year at 11 seasons. La Russa, who managed the Cardinals to two World Series titles, in 2006 and 2011, also has managed Oakland to one, and he skippered the White Sox to a division crown, although that was 37 years ago when he was just starting out.