Manuel riveted on the big rivalry

[greasywheels121]

Interesante....

 

Manuel riveted on the big rivalry

By Teddy Greenstein

 

Jerry Manuel's players always knew when the Cubs series was creeping up on their schedule.

 

And if they didn't, the former White Sox manager would remind them.

 

"He would mention it two or three weeks out," Paul Konerko recalled. "If you weren't swinging the bat well, he'd say, 'We have to get you right for the Cubs series.' Or if a guy was swinging the bat well, he'd say, 'Get through the Cubs series swinging like this.'"

 

His message to Konerko was a little different. Manuel played up the fact that the designated hitter didn't exist in games at Wrigley Field.

 

"With me it was, 'You better start swinging it well or you won't play,'" Konerko said.

 

It has been nearly nine months since Konerko has had any contact with his former manager. Manuel's name hasn't even come up in conversations with teammates, not even with the first of two back-to-back Cubs-Sox weekend series beginning Friday.

 

"The only thing I ever heard was that he interviewed for the Cincinnati job [in November]," Konerko said, referring to the managerial vacancy that went to interim skipper Dave Miley.

 

Given that Manuel was generally low-key during his six years on the South Side, Konerko figures he's enjoying his time away from the game, spending it with his family or on the golf course.

 

"Jerry was always pretty grounded in that he knew it wasn't the end of the world if he wasn't managing," Konerko said. "I think he knew that not many managers get to walk out on their own terms. He knew he was at the mercy of the players, and we didn't play well for him the last couple of years. But he was no better or worse a manager than [when the Sox won the American League Central] in 2000.

 

"He knows there's a lot more out there than just this game, so I'm sure he's doing fine."

 

A civil war

 

Long before a Sox television ad trumpeted the differences between "Us" and "Them," Manuel celebrated the rivalry rather than trying to pretend it didn't exist.

 

"There's no doubt that Jerry always focused on the Cubs series," Konerko said. "Jerry was all about trying to win those games. And we did."

 

Not at first. Manuel's 1998 team got swept at Wrigley in the teams' only three meetings that season. And Manuel, living in south suburban Orland Park, heard about it all winter.

 

"At first he didn't realize how much the Cubs series meant," said Sox bullpen coach Art Kusnyer. "The next year he wasn't going to go in there with empty guns blazing."

 

Manuel took that to extremes, some would say, even calling pitching coach Nardi Contreras in January to set up their rotation for the Cubs series in June 1999.

 

"When I told Nardi, he said, 'What about all the other games?'" Manuel said after the series. "I said, 'Yeah, they count, too. But I live here.'"

 

Manuel wanted to take on the Cubs with his two left-handers—Mike Sirotka and Jim Parque—and his hottest right-hander, who turned out to be Jaime Navarro.

 

It was an odd strategy considering the Cubs entered the series 15-5 against lefties. But Manuel correctly figured Cubs manager Jim Riggleman would counter with a lineup geared toward offense.

 

Riggleman used shortstop Manny Alexander at second rather than the left-handed-hitting Mickey Morandini, moved shortstop Jeff Blauser to third and started Sammy Sosa in center field.

 

The results were ugly. Alexander misplayed Chris Singleton's two-out grounder, leading to Greg Norton's two-out homer. Blauser fielded a grounder and threw to first rather than trying to nail Magglio Ordonez at the plate, and Sosa couldn't run down a catchable Ordonez drive.

 

The Sox swept the series, outscoring the Cubs 19-9. The Sox rode the momentum to wins in three of their next four games but couldn't sustain it, finishing 75-86 and 21½ games out.

 

Manuel continued to emphasize the Cubs in his final year at the helm.

 

In a game that clinched a season series victory over the North Siders, Manuel celebrated D'Angelo Jimenez's game-winning hit by flapping his arms to rile up the home crowd.

 

That drew a mild rebuke from Manuel's friend and counterpart, Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who said: "I didn't get mad at him, but I was a little bewildered by it. That's my homey. If we beat him, I wouldn't do that."

 

Manuel, whom critics often accused of appearing lifeless in the dugout, responded in jest. Asked if he would show similar emotion in the future, he replied: "Man, I might run around the bases, slide, do the moonwalk. … Nah, it was nothing. I would never do anything to humiliate a person or embarrass anyone at the cost of me being exalted. That's not my nature."

 

Gone but not forgotten

 

Catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., who gets along with everyone, hasn't spoken to Manuel since September. But he recently told former Sox hitting coach Gary Ward to pass along his regards.

 

"I don't have his number," Alomar said of Manuel. "I'm sure in the future I'll call him and say hello."

 

Pitching coach Don Cooper also hasn't been in touch.

 

"In baseball, sometimes you're with someone for a little while and then you separate and you might not have contact with them until you see them down the road," he said. "But I think 'Cave' spoke to him."

 

Cave is Kusnyer's nickname. The Sox's longtime coach called Manuel recently.

 

"He's fine," Kusnyer said. "He sounds in good spirits. I know he wants to get back in [the game]. I think he's just waiting to see what happens at the end of this year. But we didn't get into too much detail about baseball. He wanted me to tell everyone good luck and that he's wishing everyone the best."

 

Efforts to reach Manuel, who has moved back to his hometown of Sacramento, were unsuccessful.

 

Although Kusnyer knows Manuel has interests away from the diamond, he expects to see him back in the dugout.

 

"I know a lot of guys when they get out of the game, they say, 'I'll retire.' Then a year or two later, they're calling to get a job," he said. "[Former pitcher Jim] Bouton said it the best: 'You thought you had a grip on the ball, but it had a grip on you.' It's tough to walk away."

[cwsox]

Manuel said after the series. "I said, 'Yeah, they [other games] count, too. But [as far as winning the cuibs series] I live here.'"

 

 

 

good thoughts towards JM, a good guy

 

regardless of making a change, JM is always a good person who wanted to see us beat the cubs, and he did

[Pastime]

It has been nearly nine months since Konerko has had any contact with his former manager.

 

From what I've seen lately, it seems like it's been nine months since Konerko has had any contact with a baseball, too.

[YASNY]

It has been nearly nine months since Konerko has had any contact with his former manager.

 

From what I've seen lately, it seems like it's been nine months since Konerko has had any contact with a baseball, too.

WTF?

[Pastime]

It's a backhanded shot at Konerko bashers, Yas.

 

The only thing I've ever bashed is how S-L-O-W he runs. I've seen stoves with more mobility.

[YASNY]

It's a backhanded shot at Konerko bashers, Yas. 

 

The only thing I've ever bashed is how S-L-O-W he runs.  I've seen stoves with more mobility.

I couldn't agree, more. But there has always been lumbering oxen in the big leagues and there always will be. We happen to have one that's a pretty good hitter.

 

Carry on with the backhanded shots.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

It has been nearly nine months since Konerko has had any contact with his former manager.

 

From what I've seen lately, it seems like it's been nine months since Konerko has had any contact with a baseball, too.

Last night nonwithstanding........

[Texsox]

College coach rivalry mentality. Do what ever you want but beat Ohio State, Oklahoma, Boston College, etc.

 

I like that

[Queen Prawn]

Last night nonwithstanding........

Heck if there is any chance that insulting him here means a few homers a game, insult a way!

[CWSHarris1]

thats too bad for konerko.

Just cubs