Paul Konerko was taking a few grounders at third base after practice Tuesday when X-rays of Brooks Fordyce’s foot revealed a major break.
Konerko had played catcher early in his professional career and because he already was re-learning one position, why not…?
“No catching,” Konerko said. “N-O. I’m going to have to draw the line there.”
Konerko already has enough on his plate as it is, going back to school at third base after playing only one game there last year and 31 games there with the Dodgers and Reds in ’98. Konerko’s most glaring weakness, he readily admits, is that he is, to say the least, mobility challenged.
“The whole part of playing third is having quick feet,” Konerko said. “My feet are not quick over there right now. But I feel I should be able to get back to where I was when I was playing third every day, at least by the end of spring.”
Konerko took some fungoes at third, but it was only one very small step in the process.
“I caught most of the balls and threw them well to first, but I was a little sluggish by design,” he said. “It was just easy fungoes but it seemed like game speed. That’s usually when you know you’re a little rusty. Last year I took them late in the season–August and September–and I actually felt pretty good. Now I feel rusty.
“I think I just need the repetition in practice. I need to see a ton of balls off the bat. In practice, you should be making the plays pretty easily. It’s in the game that it gets tough. Sometimes you can do too much. I don’t want to do too much where I hurt my arm right off the bat. It has been a while since I’ve thrown a lot, so I don’t want to do anything stupid.”
Rust never sleeps: Konerko isn’t the only one feeling rusty.
Shortstop Jose Valentin booted a routine grounder in the intrasquad game, matching Mike Caruso, who made one Monday. Frank Thomas had a very difficult time at first during pregame throwing drills. Until proven otherwise, the Sox defense remains suspect.
TWIB note: “This Week in Baseball,” the popular weekly baseball highlights show, will return to the air this year after a one-year hiatus. “TWIB” had its cameras in Sox camp Tuesday to interview Manuel for its opening show in April.
The show had been on the air for two decades before Major League Baseball decided to go with a new and “more modern” highlights package show last year. The replacement never clicked with viewers, prompting the return of TWIB.
Unfortunately, rumor has it that the classic orchestral theme song that has accompanied the show since its inception may be on its way out. Baseball marketing people apparently are looking for a “hipper” image and thus a new soundtrack. As late TWIB announcer Mel Allen might have said: “How about that?”
Out of the box: In their first two exhibitions games, Sox hitters will get to face Randy Johnson’s fastball, Todd Stottlemyre’s fastball, Jon Lieber’s slider and Ismael Valdes’ curve. Tanyon Sturtze, who started the final game of the ’99 season, will be the starter against Arizona in Thursday’s Cactus League opener and go two innings.
