Ken “Hawk” Harrelson made more than one questionable decision during his one year as White Sox GM in 1986.
The announcer-turned-general manager famously fired Tony La Russa and Dave Dombrowski and traded rookie Bobby Bonilla (a six-time All-Star) to Pittsburgh for pitcher José DeLeón.
Taking this all into consideration, it’s no surprise that Harrelson called GM “the worst job in baseball.”
Speaking at Sox Fest 2016, Harrelson – currently a TV broadcaster for the White Sox – said he went through a carton of cigarettes a day during his breif stint as general manager.
Chicago finished the season 72-90 and wouldn’t reach the postseason again until 1993.
Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf told CSN Chicago that allowing Harrelson to fire La Russa, a future Hall of Famer, was the worst decision of his career.
