Hallowed names caromed off the walls of the coaches' room one recent morning at the Chicago White Sox’ camp in Glendale, Ariz. The former slugger Jim Thome was in town, and as coaches prepared the day’s schedule, Thome rattled off a list of the greatest players ever managed by a fellow Hall of Famer, Tony La Russa.
Thome is a special assistant for the White Sox now, but La Russa is much more than an adviser. At 76 years old, he is back as manager of the team that fired him in 1986, before any players on the current 40-man roster were born.