Chicago’s Two New Managers Have Not Started Off on Cordial Terms

OAKLAND —  The recent firing of Tony LaRussa and Jim Frey by the White Sox and Cubs, respectively, marked only the second time in Chicago’s baseball history that the teams have fired managers in the same season.

It first happened in 1979 when LaRussa replaced Don Kessinger with the White Sox and Joe Amalfitano replaced Herman Franks with the Cubs.

The new managers--Jim Fregosi of the White Sox and Gene Michael of the Cubs--haven’t gotten off to the most cordial beginning. Michael was quoted as saying the White Sox hadn’t given LaRussa “a fair chance.”

Fregosi didn’t like it. “I’m not going to try and run the Cubs,” he said. “He (Michael) is going to have enough troubles doing that. I’ll run the White Sox.”