Konerko's postseason plaudits well-deserved

[IlliniKrush]

A great article. I sure hope he's still with us next year.

 

Konerko's postseason plaudits well-deserved

 

October 19, 2005

 

The pity is that Paul Konerko hasn't gotten his proper due until now. We've taken him for granted around here, the way we take good pizza, free band concerts and City Hall investigations for granted.

 

You would think a guy who has averaged 29 home runs and 95 RBIs in seven seasons with the White Sox would be an icon in Chicago. You'd think a guy with 81 homers and 217 RBIs the last two seasons would own this town. Until the last two weeks, I wasn't sure if Konerko could preside over a cul-de-sac.

 

If he hit 40 home runs in a season, people griped that he was a three-toed sloth as a baserunner.

 

If he had one bad year, people treated him as if he had a contagious disease.

 

If there was the slightest hint of a slump after that one bad year, he had to listen to people suggest it might be better if he took his bat and glove elsewhere.

 

It took the American League Championship Series to raise him to the level of respect he has deserved all along.

 

Before the playoffs began, the Sox insisted they were ready for the klieg lights, and maybe they were. But when your best player comes up big in the playoffs, it gives the entire team confidence. That's what Konerko did in the ALCS, hitting killer first-inning homers in Games 3 and 4. After that, believing got a whole lot easier. And now the Sox believe they can win the World Series.

 

I believe they're right.

 

This was a huge series for Konerko, and not just for the obvious reasons of team success and financial reward. This is a guy who is wound as tightly as the insides of a baseball. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, sometimes to the point of suffocating his game. Anyone who has paid attention to his career wondered whether he would be his own worst enemy in the playoffs.

 

He turned out to be the Sox's best friend. He defeated the worst part of his nature. Huge.

 

I can't tell you how many times in the last week I have heard sportswriters say of the soon-to-be free agent, "He has made himself a lot of money this postseason." Well, what about the regular season? What about the last seven regular seasons? What did they count for?

 

His numbers in the ALCS: .286 average, those two big home runs, seven RBIs. About what you'd expect from your best player. Now, almost suddenly, we hear the list of teams interested in Konerko includes the Yankees, the Angels, the Diamondbacks, the Red Sox, the Dodgers and the Tigers. Oh, yeah, and the White Sox.

 

"This kid is my leader," said Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who would refer to Dick Clark as a kid if given the opportunity. "This kid just does everything in his power for us to be what we are, on the field and off the field. I will do anything and [general manager] Ken Williams will do anything to keep Konerko here."

 

I just hope we don't see him in another uniform next season while we regret we never gave him the appreciation he deserved.

 

Aside from the chants of "Paul-ie, Paul-ie" at the Cell, I don't remember a huge outpouring of love for him this season. When Guillen tried to push him as a most valuable player candidate in the regular season, it looked like a manager dutifully speaking up for his guy. Many of us smiled.

 

But then the playoffs arrived, and Konerko outplayed the two leading MVP candidates, the Red Sox's David Ortiz and the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. And we smiled for a different reason.

 

The best thing about Konerko is that he shows up and plays hard, the way ballplayers used to. He talks about the importance of putting in his work, no matter how he's feeling, no matter what the circumstances are. You can see he believes with all his heart that this is the secret to his success.

 

He's probably right, but few people are blessed with the ability to put a bat on a ball the way he is. He has taken that ability and worked it and molded it and hammered it into something resembling art.

 

He takes time to thoughtfully answer questions. You sometimes get the feeling he would rather study the municipal tax code than deal with the media, but he thinks it's part of his job. He's a pro that way.

 

I suppose I could go back and find all the bad things that were said or written about Konerko when he was going through hard times, but, really, that's not necessary. If you lived here, you remember.

 

Over the years, the scrutiny on athletes has become more intense. A ballplayer exhales, and five cameramen immediately offer him a breath mint. Then talk-show hosts rip him for breathing.

 

Go ahead and give Konerko his due. He deserves it. But he deserved it before the playoffs began.

 

[email protected]

Edited October 19, 2005 by IlliniKrush

[SouthSideScraper]

Now for all of the Paulie haters on this site.

 

For the record, I have not posted on this site for months as a result of some of the opinions expressed here. Not that anyone isn't entitled to their own opinion, but some of them are just plain stupid. Of course there are more good than bad but I digress.

 

I'm sure I'll get the inevitable smartass reply that I should not post again. Expected and tasteless.

 

I have been preaching Paulie since I joined this site and there have been supporters and many a nay-sayer. Well nay-sayers, kiss Paulie's slow moving, home run hitting, league envied ass!

 

Big teams want him and will pay big to get him. Here's where Paulie's loyalty comes into play. And as the article said, you pointed out all of his negativities and short-comings out but now probably don't. When it comes time to re-sign or have him leave the nay-sayers will be at it again. Instead of praising him you burn him down. I can't wait to see those stat monkey's posting his OPS compared to other 1st basemen and their current salaries.

 

A player is worth more than his stats. It's what he accomplishes for his team. In this case, leading them to a series.

 

He deserves a big contract and more time with the Sox. More he deserves respect. He wants to stay so let him. He's done a ton for this team.....Many of you were against me wanting to wrap him up. It's all on Frank Thomas and Magglio you said.

 

I laugh.

[bmags]

Now for all of the Paulie haters on this site. 

 

For the record, I have not posted on this site for months as a result of some of the opinions expressed here.  Not that anyone isn't entitled to their own opinion, but some of them are just plain stupid.  Of course there are more good than bad but I digress.

 

I'm sure I'll get the inevitable smartass reply that I should not post again.  Expected and tasteless.

 

I have been preaching Paulie since I joined this site and there have been supporters and many a nay-sayer.  Well nay-sayers, kiss Paulie's slow moving, home run hitting, league envied ass!

 

Big teams want him and will pay big to get him.  Here's where Paulie's loyalty comes into play. And as the article said, you pointed out all of his negativities and short-comings out but now probably don't.  When it comes time to re-sign or have him leave the nay-sayers will be at it again.  Instead of praising him you burn him down.  I can't wait to see those stat monkey's posting his OPS compared to other 1st basemen and their current salaries.

 

A player is worth more than his stats.  It's what he accomplishes for his team.  In this case, leading them to a series.

 

He deserves a big contract and more time with the Sox.  More he deserves respect.  He wants to stay so let him.  He's done a ton for this team.....Many of you were against me wanting to wrap him up.  It's all on Frank Thomas and Magglio you said. 

 

I laugh.

 

how righteous...congrats!

[RockRaines]

Great article,

 

but I wish I had the 5 min back I spent reading the next post.

[Steff]

Great article,

 

but I wish I had the 5 min back I spent reading the next post.

 

 

Ditto.

[Milkman delivers]

Great article,

 

but I wish I had the 5 min back I spent reading the next post.

 

 

I ripped PK apart in the first half of the season, but I'd say it was pretty justified. He was truly awful and was clearly selfishly swinging for homers all of the time. Besides that, I also said I wouldn't mind re-signing him had we reached or won the WS. Well, we got there, so now we have more money to put into him.

[BuehrleTheAce]

I've been in Paulie's corner every day since he's been with the White Sox and I too have seen and felt the wrath of the nay-sayers and Konerko bashers. I suck it up and deal with it because like you said SSS, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However I think your holier-than-thou attitude will bring out the more vocal and/or militant nay-sayers instead of those who would intelligently debate the merits of Paul Konerko. It almost seems you want to start an arguement with your post than to laud Konerko for stepping up when it counted.

 

Remember it's not always what you say, but how you say it.

[southsider2k5]

Great article,

 

but I wish I had the 5 min back I spent reading the next post.

 

You read the whole thing? I made it about a paragraph...

[Steff]

You read the whole thing?  I made it about a paragraph...

 

I needed a good laugh.

[tonyho7476]

Boy, he is so smart. I envy him. Did that need to be in green?

[Chisoxrd5]

how righteous...congrats!

 

I wouldn't categorize the "the world is against me, but I was right all along" as righteous... :rolly

 

Played out...sounds like something I would rant about, and that is NOT a good thing