The White Sox kept it in the family Saturday as they named longtime outfielder/designated hitter Harold Baines their new bench coach, becoming the fifth former Sox player on manager Ozzie Guillen’s coaching staff.
Baines has served as the Sox’s special assignment instructor the past two seasons, working with minor-league teams and also with Sox scouting and player development staffs in 2002. Baines, whose No. 3 was retired by the team in 1989, played 22 seasons–three stints with the White Sox in addition to time with Texas, Oakland, Baltimore and Cleveland. He was named to six All-Star teams.
“He was making easy money with the White Sox for the last four years,” Guillen joked. “Now he will have to earn that money.”
Baines replaces Joe Nossek, who stepped down Friday from the job of chief in-game adviser for health reasons. Baines and Guillen played seven seasons together in Chicago and were both with the Orioles in 1998. Baines retired after the 2001 season.
“All of us have to work together,” Baines said. “We’re a pretty good [coaching] group, so it’s not going to be like just me and Ozzie communicating. It’s going to be all of us communicating together.”
Baines said the decision to accept the 162-game grind wasn’t difficult at all.
“I was fortunate enough to play for an organization that gave me the opportunity and brought me back two more times as a player in the organization,” Baines said. “They treated me like more than a player. They treated me like part of the family.” . . .
There have been times when it seemed otherwise, whether he wanted to be in Chicago or even whether the Sox wanted him. But Saturday morning Frank Thomas left little doubt about his feelings:
“My goal is to retire here,” the first baseman/DH said.
Contract squabbles seem a distant memory. Thomas, who put on a brief home run derby show that brought Texas Rangers players to the dugout railing Saturday to watch a string of blasts of 400 feet and beyond, has hit safely in six straight games (8-for-15). Coming off a 43-homer season that matched his career high, Thomas’ thoughts are well past contract concerns.
“You can’t worry about those things,” he said. “I keep going out there and shining, things will work out for themselves. I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m not going to take things out around the team. These guys need me and I need them around.” . . .
Shingo Takatsu, struggling of late especially against left-handed batters, pitched two innings Saturday in a minor-league game, allowing two hits and one run on a home run.
White Sox recap
SCORE: White Sox 14, Rangers 5.
SPRING RECORD: 8-9.
AT THE PLATE: Willie Harris had a leadoff single to go with a walk, but was caught stealing for the third time in nine attempts. Sandy Alomar, who has one triple since 2000, drove in two runs with a triple in the second inning as the Sox batted 10 and scored four. Sox pounded out 16 hits.
ON THE MOUND: Mark Buehrle was touched for six hits in four innings, including a home run. But he finished with a strong six innings overall, allowing only two earned runs.
IN THE FIELD: Juan Uribe went in at shortstop for the second straight day, struck out twice and let in a run with an error on a routine grounder.
FOR SECONDS: Alomar collected three hits and Joe Crede, Ross Gload and Magglio Ordonez two apiece.
NEXT UP: Vs. Seattle at 2:05 p.m. in Peoria, Ariz. Jason Grilli vs. Jamie Moyer as Grilli tries to advance his case to be the Sox’s No. 5 starter.
