February finally has arrived, meaning the annual Frank Thomas spring training brouhaha may be only weeks away.
Silent for the last several months as he attempts to return to form after tearing a triceps last April, Thomas is expected to give a progress report at this weekend’s SoxFest at the downtown Hyatt Regency.
While Thomas has been mum of late, some of his White Sox teammates already have been talking the talk. Pitchers Jim Parque and Mark Buehrle are among those who already have declared the Sox the team to beat in the AL Central Division. They finished third last year, eight games behind Cleveland.
The inference is Cleveland will plunge after casting off Roberto Alomar and Juan Gonzalez to shed payroll, contraction magnet Minnesota is unlikely to repeat its remarkable success of 2001 and the Sox should return to form with the return of Thomas and the rest of the injured masses.
Some might consider such talk cocky. Others might conclude it’s nothing but more hot air during hot-stove season. But on the eve of SoxFest 2002, manager Jerry Manuel said the preseason posturing is fine . . . as long as they’re ready to back it up.
“That stuff really doesn’t matter to me,” Manuel said. “That’s OK. All that means to me is that when you talk in that tone you have come prepared. If you’re going to talk, you have no choice. The preparation comes before the talking. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird . . . they were all talkers too. But they prepared themselves first and talked later. Now that some [players] are talking, that gives me an opening to be sure they’re prepared.”
With the start of spring training two weeks away, Manuel soon will get an opportunity to see if his players indeed are prepared. The unofficial start of the season begins at 5 p.m. Friday, when the players and coaching staff will be introduced at the Hyatt, kicking off the annual three-day fan fest.
The Sox made only one major acquisition this off-season–Pittsburgh right-hander Todd Ritchie–so few of the players actually will need an introduction. Among those scheduled to attend are Thomas, Ritchie, Buehrle, Parque, Ray Durham, Keith Foulke, Paul Konerko, Jose Valentin, Sandy Alomar Jr., Jon Garland, Josh Paul and Joe Borchard.
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the ’72 Sox as well as the 25th anniversary of the ’77 South Side Hit Men, former players Oscar Gamble, Bill Melton, Carlos May, Jorge Orta, Eric Soderholm and Wilbur Wood also will be on hand. Harold Baines, who still is seeking a major-league job as a designated hitter/pinch-hitter, rounds out the guest list.
Fans will get their chance to ask their own questions of Manuel and general manager Ken Williams during panel discussions Saturday and Sunday.
It was during one of last year’s sessions that Manuel revealed Parque had a shoulder problem when he was removed from Game 1 of the 2000 playoffs. Parque eventually had to undergo surgery for a torn left labrum in May, missing the majority of the season.
