CSF

On-the-edge Cliff likes to have fun March 23, 2006 BY JOE COWLEY Staff Reporter Advertisement TUCSON, Ariz. -- Neal Cotts had to see it for himself. So the next day, the White Sox reliever went into the visiting dugout area at Comerica Park in Detroit and found the training table that Cliff Politte had turned into a blocking sled less than 24 hours earlier. "I tried picking that table up,'' Cotts recalled. "It was huge. He not only lifted it up, but he put it through a door. I don't know how he did that.'' Politte's battle with that table during the 2004 season has reached folklore status among the Sox pitchers. But by no means was it his last meltdown after a bad performance, just his most memorable one. "It's been something that I've had against myself for a long time,'' Politte said. "Even growing up, I felt I had more talent than I was out there showing. I've always been tough on myself. I always felt that even if I did something good, I could still do it better.'' When those meltdowns would happen in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Toronto, as in many clubhouses, his teammates would stay away. Not in Chicago. Making fun of each other has been common practice on the Sox since manager Ozzie Guillen took over, and it has been open season on Politte. Whether they're ripping on his height -- he's listed at an exaggerated 5-10 -- or teasing him about copying the hanging scene from "An Officer and a Gentleman'' after a bad outing, Politte is rarely safe. He wouldn't want it any other way. "The whole team does that,'' Politte said. "When I have a bad one on the road and my hotel-room phone is ringing, it's a teammate saying he wants to come up and borrow my shoelaces and belt. "By no means has it ever been to that point, but they like to have fun a little bit. To be honest, that has made it easier for me to deal with.'' Before signing with the Sox as a free agent, the hard-throwing right-hander was coming off a rough 2003 season in Toronto. Not only did he go 1-5 with a 5.66 ERA, but he also let the pressure of being thrust into the closer role eat at him until he finally lost the job. In his first year with the Sox, that unwillingness to want to pitch late in games still weighed on Politte -- enough so that Guillen said he tried to avoid using Politte past the seventh inning. "When Toronto made me the closer, that was something I had to learn to do,'' Politte said. "The pressure was a factor. I didn't realize until after the fact that it was about winning the game and getting the save any way you could.'' Politte credits his emergence in 2005 to several factors. Having a wife and son who would hug him after every game last year topped that list, but not too far down was having teammates who could turn his anger into laughter. "With him we do joke around about it to try and pick him up,'' Cotts said. "It gets your mind off of it so you'll be ready the next day, and I think it helps him out.'' Coming off a career year in which he went 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA, Politte's role is as big as ever this season. He and Cotts will be the bridge guys who get the ball to closer Bobby Jenks. There's even a chance that Politte will have to close some games if need be. "If something were to come up, yeah, I would be fine with it,'' Politte said of that scenario. "I want to do whatever I can to help the club.'' The team wants to do the same for him. That's why, when Politte showed up in the clubhouse last week, the seat in front of his locker had been replaced with a high chair. "I'm used to it,'' Politte said with a smile. [email protected] This is still by far, one of my all time favorite pics:

QUOTE(Drew @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 02:45 AM) I remember a lyric from The Chronic, the song escapes me, where Dre said "I got my chrome to the right of this White Sox hat." I always thought that was cool. Dre Day is the song.

Boers and Bernstein are interviewing Greg Gumbel right now and he said he grew up a Sox fan. I always thought he was a Cubs fan like his brother. At least the Sox got the rational Gumbel.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/base...card/index.html Mr. Personality Guillen happy to do all the talking for White Sox Posted: Tuesday March 7, 2006 3:27PM By Peter King, SI.com Ozzie Guillen is everything they said he is. Conversing with him is like talking to a cross between comedian Lewis Black and SI writer Paul Zimmerman, if both were from Caracas. Guillen swears a lot. A lot. We'll keep those out of this family postcard. But he was talking about Melvin Mora's decision to not play for the Venezuelan team in the World Baseball Classic and how that would play in his home country. "I feel for him, because he has to do what is best for him,'' Guillen said, standing on the field at the White Sox training complex here before a morning workout Monday. "But you have to understand what baseball is like in my country. People are going to go up to him back home, long after this is over, and they're going to walk right up to him and say, "Hey, [bleep] you! Why didn't you want to play for your country?' It's like if you're an American, you're at war, you get drafted to fight and you don't go. That is what baseball is in Venezuela.'' Sounds like there's a lot of pressure in Venezuela for people who get to make a living in baseball. "When I went home after we won the World Series,'' he said, "women, children, old people, businessmen, they all say: 'Thank you, Ozzie! Thank you! Gracias! People are crying, tears coming down their faces. They are so happy one of their own won the World Series. There are 25 million people in Venezuela who want my spot. They all want my job.''' Must be never a dull moment covering this guy. Player I Saw Whom I Really Liked You can tell Brian Anderson, the successor to Aaron Rowand in center field, really likes himself. Blond kid. Confident. Handsome. He's 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, 23 years old. And this morning, on a back field, he was in a hitting group with Jim Thome and Paul Konerko. This is the greatest tribute I can give Anderson: He belonged. He hit two moonshots 40 feet over the left-field fence in succession and there was some oohing and aahing coming from the vets. In case you don't recall -- and I didn't -- he had a cup of coffee with the Sox last summer and hit two homers off Felix Hernandez (King Felix). From the looks of things this morning, there's more where that came from. Team's Biggest Strengths Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Freddie Garcia, Jon Garland, Javier Vazquez. I mean, come on. The fifth starter here would be the ace on the staff of two division rivals -- Detroit and Kansas City. Team's Biggest Weakness I searched. I hired three private detectives, working 12-hour shifts for three days each. Sorry. We couldn't find a weakness. Wait. Here's one: a second lefty in the bullpen. No kidding. That's the big problem here. They've got Neal Cotts (4-0, 1.94 ERA in 60 innings) and then, after that, they're searching. Imagine opening the season with Brandon McCarthy (130 strikeouts in 119 Triple-A innings last year) as your long man, with Cliff Politte and Dustin Hermanson (combined 35 saves with a 2.02 ERA) your set-up guys for new closer Bobby Jenks. Nice weakness to have. I bet every team east of Anaheim would like to have that weakness. Clubhouse Confidential Jim Thome is not only swinging the bat like Jim Thome, showing no ill effect from his August elbow surgery, but he's bonded like Krazy Glue with Paul Konerko. Instant team leader. ... "Great chemistry on this team,'' Konerko told me. "Jim just adds to it. We've got such a great clubhouse, totally low-maintenance guys.'' ... No one in here says much about repeating. ... For a championship team, this team is about as accommodating as it can be. A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle were born to talk. ... Jose Contreras seems so at ease here, as opposed to last year, when he was still trying to prove he belonged in the moneyed stratosphere of big-league baseball. ... Carlos Lee is here. You thought Carlos Lee was traded? He was, to Milwaukee, before last season. But Carlos Lee's brother, Carlos Lee, is a minor-league catcher. Played for the Winston-Salem Warthogs last year.

I'd take any of these 3 (all pitchers): Johan Santana Felix Hernandez Carlos Zambrano

One of the greatest players to play this game. He will truly be missed. Godspeed Puck.

My condolences go out to his entire family.

At least I'm pretty sure I did. Something like 3 yrs/$15million. If so, good times, good times.

The greatest player to wear the silver and black......ever. Thanks 35.

Sade.

Follow me! Follow me to Freedom! Other Sportscenter commercials

Next question.

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 11, 2005 -> 09:07 PM) And why is ESPN all of the sudden pushing Steve Phillips as their main baseball insider? What happened to Peter Gammons, whose role this year with BBT and SC was muss less than in years past. Sure Gammons was biased at times and had some stupid opinions of his own, but he's still one of the best writers in the bussiness. Phillips is just horrible, all the way around. 'Cause Gammons will leave to finally fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming VP of Baseball Operations for the Yankees or Red Sox.

At least Rooney left the South Side in style. Anyone else find it ironic that Rooney's replacing a guy he used to work with? Remember, Hagin was the color commentator a year before Ed Farmer joined the broadcast.

Expected Street, but I really thought Francoeur would get it in the NL. Either way, both were deserving.

Man, you just don't get years like this one. Sox win it all. Illini come within 1 minute of being Natl Champs. Notre Dame football is back to dominance. The Bulls were back in the playoffs this year! The Bears are leading the NFC North with a legit shot at the playoffs this year. I've been on about a 12 month high. With that being said, I want another championship on the South Side next year.

Congrats, SnB.

What about the clown who registered under the name "I HATE CREDE". Yep. Because everybody hates a winner.

Mission accomplished.

Greatest.Website.Ever. Soxtalk.com.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 06:29 PM) Rowland? Are you new to the team? Pants Rowland! The manager of the last White Sox World Series Champion! Way to reference past glory! Soxtalk.com: Bridging the past with your future.

QUOTE(bmags @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 04:15 PM) is this incredible naive of me to not know but... is anderson on the playoff roster? he's fully dressed You can be in uniform and not be on the roster. Anderson, Borchard, BMac, & Frank are all in the dugout in uniform.

QUOTE(sec159row2 @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 11:52 AM) Obama?? what do you know about him? how much $$$ did he waste as a lawyer remapping the wards in chicago? only to have the voters elect a white alderman in a 90% black ward... the man's a racist.. I don't want him as a senator or sox fan... :headshake

QUOTE(knightni @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 12:10 AM) Remember when Bagwell toured with ZZTop?