As a White Sox fan of 37 years, I find it interesting that there isn’t one sportswriter in this town who can cite a specific time when Frank Thomas was “bad news.” All the pouting stories and his craving for his own stats? A lot of circumstantial evidence in my book; we all have bad days at work.
This guy put up numbers rivaled by only a handful of greats over his first five to six years, yet never got his props. Meanwhile, the great Sammy Sosa was put on a pedestal by the media, and flocks of fans followed. . . . Now there’s a bad guy who thankfully was found out in the end. And the great Barry Bonds? Another fraud.
Thomas was such a cancer in the clubhouse, yet the Sox somehow won this year with him around. And if Rick Morrissey (Tribune, Dec. 2) thinks Thomas had nothing to do with the amazing run this year, then he is slanting toward clueless. Thomas’ stretch, albeit a short one, was nothing short of amazing, especially given his medical condition. He murdered the ball on one leg and hustled more than a lot of players do on two good ones. The White Sox kept winning when Thomas was around, in large part because of him.
Here is a guy who never had an off-field problem with the law or run-ins with fans, has undeniable Hall of Fame numbers, will sign autographs for the fans who pay his salary and has never once wanted to leave for the almighty dollar. Any other town would have made this guy an icon.
I love Paul Konerko and his approach to the game, but his numbers will pale in comparison to what Thomas has done, as will those of most every other player who breezes through town in the future. Remember, Konerko was the outspoken one who told Thomas to “man up” and insinuated he was exaggerating his foot injury. Who gained the most by having Thomas out of the picture?
The saddest part for me is that Thomas now will be denied a chance to do what he wanted to all along: play his entire career for one team.
