Tim Anderson Has a Change Of Heart About Tony LaRussa

White Sox star shortstop Tim Anderson stopped by the White Sox Talk Podcast to discuss his relationship with newly hired manager Tony La Russa. At first, he was skeptical about the hire, but now he claims he's "open minded." So what changed?

Anderson and La Russa likely put their political differences to the side and realized they have more in common than they thought. Tim Anderson also bat flips his homers to the moon, and La Russa HATES that.

Tony La Russa spoke out against Colin Kaepernick unapologetically and that bothered some black baseball players. In today's political climate, we're taught that we shouldn't associate with people who disagree with us. We might have a few things in common, but we're fundamentally too good to be friends with people like them. At least that's what the media implies.

Now that Anderson and La Russa have been a part of the same organization for months, they probably sat down for a drink like adults and established a working relationship that will help them meet their common goal.

Anderson was asked about his thoughts on La Russa as they stand today:

“When it first happened, I was definitely not open,” Anderson said to Chuck Garfien. "I was locked in on what I already knew, because everything had already been built and everything was already there. I felt like the relationships were already where they needed to be. And I felt the bonds were so tight, that I wasn’t open for anything new."

"Moving forward, I’m open. I get it. I understand it. Our ultimate goal is to win a championship, and I’m all aboard for that. … He’s been around baseball for a while, and he’s been successful for a while. So it goes back to: Why wouldn’t you want to learn from a guy who’s been successful for a while?"

Anderson caps the discussion off with a key point:

"We are trying to win a championship, and he’s going to be a part of it."

Differences aside, we should all operate as one

Tim Anderson and Tony La Russa will probably be fine in the locker room as both of them can help the franchise towards their ultimate goal. So, why can't Americans seem to grasp this same concept?

Like Anderson, we often have preconceived notions about others without ever speaking with them face-to-face. Anderson didn't care for La Russa before he even got a chance to know him. He found out quickly that La Russa may not be as bad as he's been described. Maybe we can all learn from this?

The Chicago White Sox are expected to make a run in the American League Central this year, and the only things stopping them are chemistry and health. Anderson and La Russa putting their differences aside is a huge step towards establishing team chemistry that will help them win ball games.