Paul's Back (and Paul's back)

I’m one of those Luddites who rarely carries his cell phone, so Clare had to call home three times before getting me.  Did I hear?  What?  “Paulie’s coming back.”

By that she meant Paul Konerko will return for a 16^th season with the White Sox, not bad for a guy who was traded twice by the time he was 22.  Of all the ballplayers she could model herself after, Clare’s picked a good one.  Konerko never complains, never makes excuses, never says he’s underpaid and underappreciated.  He also works like a crazy person on his hitting.

Once upon a time, teams and players were synonymous: Giants-Mays, Red Sox-Williams, Braves-Aaron.  That world ended with the advent of free agency, where only big-market teams have the luxury of keeping a player for long, e.g., Derek Jeter, 19 years and counting for the Yankees.  Without a core of identifiable players, most teams have turned to “branding” the franchise, which basically means turning the ballpark into an amusement zone.  At least in the old days, fans and players were both wage slaves. 

And in Chicago, we had such teams to follow, first the Go-Go White Sox of Minoso/Fox/Pierece (with Aparicio coming a little later) followed by the star-crossed ’69 Cubs of Banks/Santo/Williams/Jenkins.  But try recalling names from any of the division winners for either team, outside of the 2005 White Sox.  We’re basically talking players stopping by for a few years, Ryne Sandberg and Frank Thomas excepted.  If the franchise doesn’t have a face (other than Sammy Sosa), you’re basically stuck selling the ballpark experience, and at some point that inevitably leads to drunken fans relieving themselves in parking lots and alleys after the game.  Thanks but no thanks.

Clare particularly enjoyed Paulie talking about the adjustment he's going to have to make as a part-time player, because “I’ve had the same role since I was 10-years old—go out and drive in runs and hit homeruns and be a number-four hole hitter and be that big guy in the middle of the lineup.”  Guess who’s looked at her own career the same way?

            Now, all we have to do is hope the Captain’s back holds up.