Single-game tickets go on sale today, so I figured it would be a good time to restart Friday White Sox blogging.
Let’s start with this article in the Post-Dispatch sent in by an alert reader about our star pitching.
But this article about our new DH is very heartening.
As this past offseason progressed, it became increasingly tougher for Kenny Williams to talk with Jim Thome.
It wasn’t that the general manager regretted trading for the native son from downstate Peoria, even though popular “grinder” and defensive whiz Aaron Rowand was sent to Philadelphia as part of the deal for the prolific slugger. And it wasn’t that Thome’s rehabilitation from right elbow and back problems was coming along slower than expected.
If anything, the White Sox had to slow down Thome because he was experiencing such great results during his workouts. Instead, Williams simply needed a break from Thome’s endless supply of intensity and enthusiasm. It was a rough offseason for Williams, who battled painful kidney stones during much of November and December, and he truly needed some time away from the game to get ready for the grind of the 2006 effort to repeat.
“I just got out of bed from all the issues I was having, so I’m not ready for Spring Training yet,” said Williams with a smile, speaking with the media during SoxFest.
“So, I try and stay away from Jim Thome as much as possible,” Williams added. “Seriously, he gets me so fired up and ready to go, and I needed those extra couple of weeks.”
And the accolades keep coming.
“We did a good job getting Jim, there’s no secret,” said Konerko, who led the White Sox with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs in 2005. “We won a lot of low-scoring games where we didn’t hit the ball well.
“You try to shore up that area and score some more runs. You always try to better your weakness, and we got better offensively. With Jim, it’s a guy not only with potential on the field, but he’s also one more guy in the clubhouse with a voice of reason.”
If Konerko’s happy, I’m happy.
Go Sox.