Robin Ventura: White Sox Go the Safe Route in Hiring Ventura as Manager

The last time the Chicago White Sox hired one of their former players to manage the team, he delivered two AL Central titles and a World Series Championship.

Shoot, with results like those, the White Sox had every reason to go back to the well in their latest search for a new manager.

And they did. Per a report from ESPNChicago.com, the White Sox have hired Robin Ventura to succeed Ozzie Guillen as the club's manager. Ventura signed a multi-year deal with the White Sox earlier on Thursday.

Here's how White Sox GM Kenny Williams explained Ventura's hiring:

"

I wanted someone who met very specific criteria centered around his leadership abilities. Robin Ventura was that man. His baseball knowledge and expertise, his professionalism, his familiarity with the White Sox and Chicago and his outstanding character make him absolutely the right person to lead our clubhouse and this organization into the seasons ahead.

"

All of this despite the fact Ventura has absolutely zero managing experience. That makes him an odd choice when you consider the fact that the White Sox were rumored to be interested in Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Dave Martinez. In addition, there were many that suggested former Red Sox manager Terry Francona as a good fit for the job.

The bright side is that, as Williams points out, Ventura does have plenty of familiarity with the White Sox organization. He played for the White Sox for 10 seasons during his playing career, and he signed on as a special advisor this past season. Instead of hiring from without, Williams chose to hire from within.

You could argue that Ventura is a risky hiring. Truth be told, that's what I thought when I first heard the news. Just because Ventura is a White Sox man doesn't mean he'll be a good manager.

But I can see why Williams settled on Ventura as his new manager. As the Ozzie Guillen era came to a close in the South Side, it was clear that the White Sox needed a change of pace. Guillen definitely had a style of his own, but it was much easier for Williams and the White Sox brass to put up with it when the team was winning.

And that's just the thing. The White Sox didn't do a whole lot of winning in the last three seasons, so it's no surprise that reports (see The Chicago Sun-Times) started coming out about there being a rift between Guillen and Williams. Next thing you knew, Guillen was rambling on about a new contract and the White Sox let him go.

After putting up with Guillen for so many years, Williams clearly decided to make it easy on himself. Whether or not Ventura can manage is as unknown to Williams as it is to any of us, but at least Williams knows that Ventura is going to be much easier to deal with than Ozzie was.

At least until Ventura starts wondering just who the hell is bringing in guys like Adam Dunn and Alex Rios.