There should be no question about the respect this organization has for Frank and all that he has helped us accomplish, including a World Series championship. He is the greatest hitter in White Sox history. At the same time, it is my responsibility to make the best decisions I can on behalf of the organization. Our plan is to continue to speak with Frank and his representatives over the coming months as more information is known about his health. |
There's going to be a lot of shuffling, so grab a scorecard. |
These guys have always done what needed to be done, ... I cannot say enough about the players. They played so hard. They earned this. |
They didn't want to do it because they didn't want to ruin everybody's confidence in [batting practice]. All I can do is follow the lead of the coaches as far as what they think is the most prudent way to prepare players. I threw out an idea, and they threw it back. |
This is the last time you hear about it from me. |
This was not about our desire not to have him as part of our organization for a long, long time, |
Uh, no. Because I was dealing with all of the information I had at the time, that information told me that if I were to put him out there with that particular injury, I would have put Frank's career and future at risk. He may not see it that way, but I'll go to sleep at night knowing I did what was best for him and his career -- and that was giving him the opportunity to play this season. |
Understand that a lot of people, generations, have come and gone and not seen their team win the World Series, |
We are pleased to have been able to work this extension out with Jose. We have said over and over again that pitching is the priority when it comes to building our club. To have five All-Star caliber staring pitchers all under contract gives us an outstanding core to our club this year and into the future. |
We certainly like the feel of the champagne dripping off our clothes. We all are competitors. I said years ago that we not only wanted to win one, but we wanted to have sustained success. We wanted to build a brand. We took a major step forward with winning the World Series, but to cement ourselves in the Chicago market and the national market, we have to keep pushing. |
We had a number in mind, we had a term and it was basically whether or not Jose and his agent were going to understand our position enough to want to come back at those numbers. |
We have all seen the truth of the past year, from the tornadoes this past weekend to the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, that even in the best-case scenario, we have to be prepared to take care of ourselves. |
We have said over and over again that pitching is the priority when it comes to building our club. |
We stay together because we get along pretty well. |
We think we're insulated against a lot of things. |