Chicago White Sox lefthander Mark Buehrle grew up in St. Charles and still lives there in the offseason. He went to Francis Howell North High and Jefferson College in Hillsboro, where he was 16-4 in two seasons. The White Sox drafted Buehrle in the 38th round in 1998 and by the middle of 2000 he was pitching in the major leagues.

 

Buehrle, 26, has become one of the top starters in the American League and is known as a workhorse.

 

Last season he led the league in innings pitched and finished with a 16-10 record and 3.89 earned-run average. That included a two-hit 14-0 victory over Cleveland on July 21 in which he faced the minimum 27 batters, striking out four and walking none.

 

This season he's a big reason the White Sox have a comfortable lead in the AL Central Division. He's 7-1 with a 3.33 ERA and again is among the league leaders in innings pitched.

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The personable down-home Buehrle (pronounced BURR-lee) is signed with the White Sox through the 2006 season with an option for 2007. He agreed to answer five questions for the Post-Dispatch on Friday afternoon when the White Sox opened an interleague series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

 

 

Q: Did you grow up a Cardinal fan?

 

A: "Yes. Big time. I still follow them but not as much as I did. When I watch 'SportsCenter' or look at the paper . . . I pretty much look at every team . . . but when the Cardinals are playing, I still pretty much root for them to win."

 

 

Q: When you were growing up, did you dream of playing someday for the Cardinals?

 

A: "Yeah, but obviously you don't think it's going to happen. I always wanted to play there. I got in trouble a couple of times for saying that. I'm here with the White Sox right now. I'll be here as long as I can. If it comes down to White Sox don't want me or trade me and something happens where I can go the last couple of years of my career, it would be an honor to go there."

 

 

Q: Would it be fun to pitch in the National League where you could get to St. Louis more often and pitch there?

 

A: "Yeah, I'd like to go back and visit. As far as pitching, I don't know if I'd like it that much because you don't get to go as long in games (in the National League). That aspect wouldn't be any fun, but I would like to go back and visit a couple of times."

 

 

Q: Did you have a favorite Cardinal growing up?

 

A: "It's kind of weird. Todd Worrell. I don't know why. I had (Worrell's) No. 38 all the way through high school and college, until I got to the minor leagues and switched numbers.

 

"Everybody wonders why, with him being a hard-throwing righthander and me being a lefthander. I just don't know, it just seemed like every time I went to a Cardinal game or watched on television he was pitching. For some reason I liked Todd Worrell."

 

 

Q: What would you think about a World Series in St. Louis, Cardinals against White Sox?

 

A: "We'll see, I don't know. Right now it looks like a possibility. We have a chance. It would be a lot of fun.

 

"Ultimately, when it comes down to that, I hope the fans don't think I'm rooting for the Cardinals. Obviously, I hope they're smart enough to know if we're playing them, I want (the White Sox) to win. But if we're not playing them, then I want the Cardinals to win."

The Cardinals are like that boy in high school that's always talking to your girlfriend.

 

God, blow off St. Louis, Buehrle is ours.

The Cardinals are like that boy in high school that's always talking to your girlfriend.

 

Yeah, as someone else (not here) said, whenever Buehrle does anything to help the Sox win, the Post-Dispatch (St. Louis Paper) make him the headline for the MLB section, so he feels 'at home'.

He's not going anywhere, I expect another long term deal after 2007.

Mark B is pure class.

The answers to those questions were as if he had time to email the answers to the reporter rather than give the comments off the top of his head.

Perfect answers.

He wants his boyhood team to win except when playing his current team and he sounds mighty happy to be a Sox.

Say one of you became stud pitchers for the Cards. You'd obviously want both teams to do well.