Aching to play

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Aching to play

Thomas' goal: In Sox's lineup by mid-April

By Mark Gonzales

Tribune staff reporter

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A leaner Frank Thomas is aiming toward returning to the White Sox's lineup by mid-April.

 

"I'm not sure if that's the doctor's goal," Thomas said Monday after swinging a bat for the first time since suffering a stress fracture in his left ankle last July. "But we're supposed to get back at some point."

 

The 6-foot-5-inch, 275-pound Thomas said he lost about 15 pounds in an attempt to take stress off his left leg. But his left calf had atrophied noticeably from a tedious layoff during which Thomas had to use crutches for seven months.

 

Trainer Herm Schneider said he was "pleasantly surprised" by Thomas' condition when he reported to Tucson Electric Park. But Schneider stressed it would take two to three weeks for Thomas to gain enough strength just to start taking live batting practice.

 

"His ankle looks decent," Schneider said of Thomas, 36, who has 436 career home runs in 15 seasons with the Sox. "His leg strength on his left side is still subpar. He needs more work on that."

 

Regaining full strength on the left side is essential to Thomas because he puts added weight on his front foot at the plate.

 

Thomas, who would like to drop a few more pounds, admitted he originally believed his injury might be career-threatening but seemed invigorated by his recovery and appreciation for baseball.

 

"I heard all the horror stories about refracturing it [by returning] too soon," Thomas said. "I've worked hard and watched my diet. Losing weight was something I had to do."

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen was impressed with Thomas' frame.

 

"I had never seen Frank in that good of shape since 1991 when he joined the big leagues," he said. "He's amazing. I don't know how he got into shape when he couldn't do anything."

 

There's a lot at stake for Thomas, who will earn $8 million this season in the last year of his contract. The Sox hold a $10 million option for 2006, but have yet to extend first baseman Paul Konerko.

 

The Sox could try to re-sign Konerko while exercising a $3.5 million buyout on Thomas.

 

But Thomas spoke of playing for another four or five years—"I want to max out"—and finishing his career with the Sox.

 

"I think if I have my year, I'm sure I'll be here," said Thomas, who hit 18 homers and drove in 49 runs in 74 games before suffering his foot injury last season.

 

"But players move. I'm happy to still be here. ... You never know how things work out. When I'm healthy, I've always put up some scary numbers. If I'm healthy, I'm going to do my thing, and I feel good about it. ... I'd love to retire a White Sox.

 

If not, "it would be bizarre because I've been here for so long."

 

Thomas went on a strict fish diet to take stress off his leg, particularly his left foot.

 

"I'm staying away from baked potatoes and all the carbs I put into my diet," he said. "It was tough to do. Having a steak with spinach and broccoli is something, or eating fish with spinach and broccoli has been great."

 

Dr. Richard Ferkel, who operated on Thomas' ankle last October and cleared him last week to rejoin his teammates, stressed the weight loss to Thomas.

 

"I have to listen to what the doctor says," Thomas said. "If I get on [the ankle] too quickly, it will snap. He wants it to be healed fully for six months."

 

The six-month postsurgery date is April 6—the second game of the regular season. That date has been targeted by Thomas to perform all work without any limitations.

 

But Schneider stressed Thomas' strength, not his optimism, will dictate his rate of recovery.

 

"I can't let the tail wag the dog," Schneider said. "We have to do what's best for him. He wants to get out there. We want to let him get out there when the time is right."

 

Teammates raved about Thomas' condition when they arrived, and several joked with him in the batting cages.

 

Thomas' ankle was taped and he was fitted with orthodic insoles that will be replaced with a more tailored pair on Wednesday.

 

Working out in a T-shirt, shorts and cleats, Thomas hit off a tee with his left hand for five minutes, followed by full cuts off a tee for another five minutes.

 

He threw a ball against a wall from about 30 feet for five minutes, then performed some light jogging at a distance of about 100 feet four times.

 

All work was performed under the supervision of Schneider.

 

"Sometimes you might not get all your size back, but you may get your strength back," Schneider said. "So he may not be symmetrical, but that doesn't mean he's not strong enough to do it."

 

Thomas' eagerness to rejoin his teammates stems from a retooled pitching staff that accompanies an emphasis on speed and defense.

 

"I really like this pitching staff now," he said. "I really feel this team has a better chance. We have guys who are scrappy and will get on base a lot more."

 

At the same time, Thomas lamented the losses of fellow sluggers Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee.

 

"[Ordonez] wanted a contract to come back here, but he got what he wanted," Thomas said. "He's happy in Detroit."

 

Thomas did express his surprise at the trade of Lee to Milwaukee.

 

"I didn't understand Carlos going to the National League because I see Carlos like me, a designated hitter," he said. "Both guys are happy. They miss us. We miss them."

[WilliamTell]

Hope you get back soon Frank, but don't rush it.

[greasywheels121]

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Bones of contention

As broken ankle heals, Thomas' career merits fresh look in light of steroid revelations

By Dan McGrath

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Frank Thomas' disposition was as sunny as the Arizona sky Monday as he joined the White Sox on a postcard-perfect morning.

 

"I'm feeling great, and I'm really happy to be back out here," Thomas announced. "I was idle for seven months, on crutches, couldn't do anything. That changes your life. My mind is clear, and I'm ready to go."

 

Much has transpired with Thomas, with the White Sox and with baseball since they last were together.

 

Thomas underwent surgery to repair the navicular bone in his left ankle he is believed to have broken diving for a ball in a rare first-base appearance against the Florida Marlins last June. The Sox have undergone an extensive makeover, discarding the big bats of Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee and shifting their emphasis to pitching, speed and defense. And the game finds itself defending the legitimacy of its recent power surge amid widespread allegations that the slugging was chemically enhanced.

 

Thomas, should he choose to, could offer a knowing "I told you so." He has hit 436 home runs in his 15 seasons despite losing the better part of two seasons to injury and one to a players' strike. He hit 40 or more homers five times while coming to be viewed as one of the game's most feared sluggers, as befitting a two-time MVP.

 

But he couldn't help shaking his head and muttering that something was up over the last few years as formerly puny middle infielders started matching his power numbers and brawny outfielders and first basemen almost doubled them.

 

"I don't feel vindicated," Thomas said, even though his suggestion was dismissed in some quarters as the sour-grapes grumbling of a cranky malcontent. "It's been sad. I said a couple of years ago it was going to be embarrassing, but it's sad."

 

It irks Thomas still that his 2000 season for the division-winning Sox—.328 average, 43 homers, 143 RBIs—failed to bring him a third MVP award, which might have caught the eye of those Hall of Fame voters who ignore fellow two-time winner Dale Murphy. The trophy went to Jason Giambi ... the same Jason Giambi who told a federal grand jury he was as much into steroids and human-growth hormone as George Foreman is into cheeseburgers.

 

"I'm not mad," Thomas said. "Jason's a friend of mine. We live in the same town now and I see him all the time. Some guys are going to do what they have to do to take care of their families. I've never seen anyone do steroids, so I'm no whistle-blower. The bottom line is, there was no steroid testing back then. There is now. So let's move on."

 

That's precisely what the Sox are endeavoring to do in changing the dynamic of their team. General manager Ken Williams set out to assemble a roster full of "grinders," in his words, "guys who will leave it on the field every day and don't care about personal statistics.

 

"I can live with the losses if I'm getting that," Williams said. "It didn't work the other way, so let's try this. The makeover isn't that radical. I'm telling people we'll have a National League emphasis at the top and bottom of the order and an American League look in the middle—we've still got seven guys capable of hitting 20 home runs. And I think we'll be a more appealing team.

 

"I get letters from people ... 'I'm a 50-year Sox fan, my dad was a Sox fan before me ...' those people die with the losses as much as I do. I'd like nothing better than to play a role in giving them a winning team they can get excited about."

 

But is there a place for Thomas? He's not only the embodiment of the slow-footed thumper-type the Sox have moved away from, he has a sabremetrician's view of his place in baseball history. In one sense, so does Williams, who sees a tiny upside to the steroid controversy.

 

"I'm happy for one person: Frank Thomas," he said. "Because of the inflated numbers of recent years, some of his achievements have been overlooked. Maybe now he'll get the credit he's due."

 

Thomas looks good, having dieted away 15 pounds after getting up to 290 in the off-season. He said he feels good, too, but he won't rush anything.

 

"My job is to get healthy and be the player I'm capable of being," he said.

 

The Sox are prepared to wait.

 

"By the time Frank joins us, whether it's May or June or whenever, it will be like the midseason acquisition of a Hall of Famer," Williams said.

 

Beyond this season is anybody's guess. Thomas is due to make $10 million next year, when he will turn 37. It's going to take some hefty numbers to justify that figure to a team whose budget is a consideration in every personnel decision.

 

"If I'm healthy, I put up superstar numbers," Thomas said. "I've got a good 4-5 years left, and I want to max those out. I plan to be here—I'd like to retire with the White Sox, and it would be bizarre to be somewhere else because I've been here so long.

 

"But they're making some moves, and I understand. That's the way the game is. If it's time for my career here to end, I don't have a problem with that."

[TLAK]

He threw a ball against a wall from about 30 feet for five minutes, then performed some light jogging at a distance of about 100 feet four times.

 

Maybe the injury has a silver lining, he couldn't hit the wall before.