Paul Konerko told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he's prepared to move on from the White Sox after the season and willing to listen if the team wants to discuss an extension."I've enjoyed my time here," Konerko said. "They might call tomorrow. They might call in the middle of the season. They might never call."
Could it be, a new first baseman on the South Side 2011? The current direction of the White Sox causes one to believe so. The Sox are going for younger more athletic and versatile players. During last years offseason the Sox acquired Brent Lillibridge, Jayson Nix, Mark Kotsay (not looking youth, just versatility in the Kotsay trade) all these players are guys who will play multiple positions for you, most of them are gonna be bench guys. This year Kenny Williams took it a step further in trading for the multi-positional Mark Teahen, a player who can play multiple positions with a track record of successfully playing different positions. A change from aquiring the usual utility bench player, but now a utility starter. Also, Gordon Beckham, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin (to a lesser extent) can be used in different positions on the field. Is this a glimpse into the future?
Back to Konerko, It appears that his days are numbered in the White Sox organization. His numbers have been on a slow decline since 2005; Home Runs '05 -'09 40, 35, 31, 22, 28; Batting Avg .283, .313, .259, .240, .277; RBI's '05-'09 100, 113, 90, 62, 88. I love Pauly just as much as the next fan. But, we as Sox fans tend to be sentimental towards OUR players but we need to look realistically. Case in point, Look at Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye, two guys who have meant tons to the Sox and they have parted ways with them without "batting an eye". Thome hit his 500th Homer as a White Sox and Dye was the 2005 World Series MVP. But, their numbers have been on the decline over the past few years. The youth movement is now in full effect at 35 and Shields and I welcome it.
-Rich
Could it be, a new first baseman on the South Side 2011? The current direction of the White Sox causes one to believe so. The Sox are going for younger more athletic and versatile players. During last years offseason the Sox acquired Brent Lillibridge, Jayson Nix, Mark Kotsay (not looking youth, just versatility in the Kotsay trade) all these players are guys who will play multiple positions for you, most of them are gonna be bench guys. This year Kenny Williams took it a step further in trading for the multi-positional Mark Teahen, a player who can play multiple positions with a track record of successfully playing different positions. A change from aquiring the usual utility bench player, but now a utility starter. Also, Gordon Beckham, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin (to a lesser extent) can be used in different positions on the field. Is this a glimpse into the future?
Back to Konerko, It appears that his days are numbered in the White Sox organization. His numbers have been on a slow decline since 2005; Home Runs '05 -'09 40, 35, 31, 22, 28; Batting Avg .283, .313, .259, .240, .277; RBI's '05-'09 100, 113, 90, 62, 88. I love Pauly just as much as the next fan. But, we as Sox fans tend to be sentimental towards OUR players but we need to look realistically. Case in point, Look at Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye, two guys who have meant tons to the Sox and they have parted ways with them without "batting an eye". Thome hit his 500th Homer as a White Sox and Dye was the 2005 World Series MVP. But, their numbers have been on the decline over the past few years. The youth movement is now in full effect at 35 and Shields and I welcome it.
-Rich
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