New White Sox third base coach Jeff Cox
had the reputation of expressing unbridled joy about his position. Sox players got their first hit of it
during baserunning hour Sunday, the Daily Herald's Scot Gregor writes:
"One thing about Jeff Cox, he knows about the game, and
he has a lot of passion for this game,'' Guillen said. "When you see a
guy show up every day with the same enthusiasm, I think we kind of
missed that last year without (former bullpen coach) Man Soo Lee, a guy
who brings some energy and a positive way.
"He's funny and he keeps guys loose. But in the
meanwhile he teaches the right way, and we need that. Baseball needs
that. I just want him to be him. I want him to stay the way he is.''
Meanwhile, Scott Merkin reports that
Jerry Owens wants to exponentially improve his bunting game. Cox wasn't specifically mentioned in that segment of the story, but he figures to have a major impact in whether Owens can be dangerous without getting the ball out of the infield.
Cox is one of three strong personalities Guillen and Kenny Williams added to the clubhouse this offseason. We have heard plenty about
Nick Swisher and his swagger, and the other is Orlando Cabrera, who is
widely credited with an ability to hold teammates accountable:
"We need a player like him, to take charge,'' said White Sox manager
Ozzie Guillen. "That was something we were missing last year. You are
going to see a tremendous ballplayer. He will help us a lot, I
guarantee it.''
Gregor also adds that
Cabrera and Guillen had a long talk about how to whip the middle infield into shape.
From here, we naturally segue to
Joe Cowley's story about Paul Konerko's difficult year wearing the "C." Some of Konerko's more interesting quotes:
- "There were some instances early on that I definitely think I dropped
the ball. I could have said something or did something that, who knows,
maybe it would have changed the direction."
- "The clubhouse, especially after you play so many games, it can get
into a rut where come 6 p.m. or 6:30, guys aren't focused on the game,
and everybody is included in that. Set the ground rules that when the
clock strikes this time, 'OK, all that stuff is over, let's get going.'"
- ''It's just a matter of each guy saying, 'I know what I have to do
to get ready. I have to do what I can and not have someone else tell
me.' But with some of the other stuff -- playing cards, doing some
other stuff -- we need some ground rules, and we need to stick to them."
Konerko vows to be more vocal this year, which is all well and good, but it seems like there will be less of a need for it than ever before. Cabrera has adopted the title of "field general" three days into camp, Swish-a-licious almost enjoys answering questions a little too much, and Cox will be to the Chicago beat writers what
Rich Donnelly is to Jayson Stark.
On top of that, Ozzie won't be just Ozzie, but
Ozzie to the Maxxx (the extra x's are for extra x-pletives)! Factor in the airtime these guys will consume, and it's hard to see how there will be any silence or space in print for Konerko to get words in edgewise.
Not that this is a bad thing. Konerko didn't exactly clamor for the captaincy to begin with, because he's naturally more of an Eeyore than a leader. It's worked for him thus far in his career, so it's not a knock -- it's just an attitude that doesn't transfer well.
It'll be interesting to monitor the team dynamic throughout the season and see what kind of verbal impact Paulie makes. It's not as easy to change when the impetus is gone, so while he may want to force himself to speak up, he may find he doesn't have to anymore.