The White Sox hardly seem off to a great start after last year's debacle. Danny Richar is in the doghouse instead of in camp, Mark Buehrle's shoulder is barking and Ken Williams is already ticked off at his biggest acquisition, Nick Swisher.
Says the Sun-Times:
After Nick Swisher led off (Monday's intrasquad game) with a single, Williams yelled down to his new player, ''We run hard to first base in Chicago!''
Williams then paused, turned to the coaching staff and said, ''Make sure he [bleeping] hears what I said.''
A) It's an intrasquad game.
B) Jerry Owens did hustle. And he ended up leaving with a "tweaked" groin.
C) Swisher typically plays pretty hard. It's one of the reasons the White Sox gave up their farm system to get him. I don't recall anyone ever taking issue with his effort.
D) Yelling at him? Telling the coaching staff to yell at him? Is that the best way to handle anything? Especially from a GM. If only they had a manager with some fire.
E) It's an intrasquad game.
I dislike seeing players jog to first as much as the next guy, but the false hustle doesn't do anyone any good. If Swisher loafs during a regular-season game, by all means, tell him to grab some pine. But it's not to anyone's benefit that he risks an injury on Feb. 25.
