#Tony La Russa charged with DUI one day before White Sox hiring

Baseball Hall of Famer Tony La Russa was charged with DUI one day before the White Sox shockingly hired him as manager last month, according to ESPN.

In February the 76-year-old La Russa allegedly ran his car into a curb while driving in the Phoenix area, the outlet reported.

He told police he had been at dinner with friends from the Angels, for whom he was working as a special adviser.

The White Sox said they were aware of La Russa’s drunk-driving arrest before hiring him, but did not comment further due to the ongoing case.

The filing of the charge was likely delayed because of the court system being slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic, Arizona law enforcement told ESPN.

This was not La Russa’s first run-in with the law. In 2007 he pled guilty to misdemeanor DUI in Florida during his managing stint with the Cardinals.

Despite not managing since his final season with St. Louis in 2011, La Russa was hired by the White Sox in October.

Earlier in the offseason Chicago surprisingly parted ways with Rick Renteria, who was later named a finalist for AL manager of the year after leading the young and talented White Sox to their first postseason appearance in more than a decade.

Some baseball pundits have speculated the hiring of La Russa was White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s way of paying back his former manager whom he fired in 1986.

Reinsdorf denied that to be the case.

After being fired by the White Sox, La Russa went on to win one World Series with the Athletics and two more with the Cardinals.

But there are doubts La Russa, who is now the oldest manager in MLB, will be able to connect with a new generation of players.