Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa is expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving under the terms of a four-page plea agreement obtained Sunday by the Chicago Sun-Times.
A so-called change-of-plea hearing has been set for Dec. 21 in La Russa’s driving-under-the-influence case in Maricopa County, Arizona. La Russa has asked to appear by telephone.
The case began when a witness called police Feb. 24 to report a vehicle “swerving across all lanes” of a highway in Arizona. The witness said the vehicle had hit a curb and had begun to smoke before coming to a stop, according to public records. An officer found the vehicle, a gray Lexus RX350, and identified the driver as La Russa.
La Russa told the officer he had been “coming from a dinner with my friends with the California Angels baseball team,” had a tire blow out and was calling AAA, records show. But the officer smelled alcohol. And tests allegedly showed La Russa’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.095 — above the legal limit of 0.08.
While speaking with the officer, La Russa allegedly said, “Do you see my ring?” And he complained, “I’m a Hall of Famer baseball person … I’m legit.
“I’m a Hall of Famer, brother. You’re trying to embarrass me.”
A Sox spokesman said a comment from the club can be expected “when this all becomes official on Dec. 21.”
