The cost-conscious White Sox can’t afford a sure thing.
So on Wednesday they completed their one-year deal for Cliff Politte, an unaccomplished right-hander whom Sox scouts say has vast potential.
Politte (pronounced Po-LEET) will be paid $800,000. The Sox hold an option in 2005 worth $1.3 million. The hard-throwing Politte missed a month last season with inflammation in his right shoulder.
General manager Ken Williams said a minor mechanical issue also has held him back. Politte is 13-17 lifetime with a 4.52 ERA.
“There’s no denying this guy has the stuff to excel,” Williams said.
Elsewhere: Roberto Alomar’s agent said the former White Sox second baseman turned down five offers that were more lucrative than the guaranteed $1 million from Arizona. “He wanted to sign where he would be happy,” Jaime Torres said.
– Former White Sox player Brian Daubach agreed to a minor-league contract with the Red Sox.
– The Toronto Blue Jays signed right-handed reliever Terry Adams ($1.7 million) and shortstop Chris Gomez ($750,000) to one-year contracts.
HALL OF FAME FORGIVENESS: Paul Molitor has gotten over his bitter divorce with the Milwaukee Brewers, who allowed him to leave via free agency after the 1992 season.
Although Molitor won a World Series with Toronto in 1993 and later played for his hometown Minnesota Twins, he decided to go into the Hall of Fame with a Brewers cap on his plaque.
BCS TINKERING: College coaches want polls to carry more weight during the selection process for the Bowl Championship Series, hoping to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment created by a split national championship.
The American Football Coaches Association, which represents the 117 coaches of Division I-A teams, also wants better access to the high-paying BCS bowls for teams that don’t compete in power conferences.
STENSON CASE: Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for two men accused of killing Cincinnati Reds outfielder Dernell Stenson.
BULLPEN PLEAS: Former Yankees Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia and a Fenway Park groundskeeper pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges they brawled in New York’s bullpen during the AL Championship Series.
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Edited by Phillip Thompson (plthompson@tribune.com) and Michael Morgan (mnmorgan@tribune.com)
