Konerko receives grand prize at retirement ceremony
The White Sox wanted to make sure they sent Paul Konerko into retirement with some proper parting gifts, and they presented the 38-year-old captain with a painting of his swing progression, a No. 14 display of baseballs signed by his 2005 World Series teammates, two guitars and a bench made out of baseball bats, balls and bases.
There was also the statue unveiled on the left-field concourse, and the Sox also tracked down the ball from Konerko's grand slam in Game 2 of the World Series.
Chris Claeys, a film editor from the Sauganash neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, caught the historic home run ball in left field and he gave it to Konerko during Saturday's pregame ceremony.
Claeys said for the first three months after the grand slam, the ball was valued between $50,000 and $100,000. He never sold it.
Instead, Claeys loaned the ball to Harry Caray's restaurant, where it has been on display for most of the past nine years.
White Sox sales and marketing director Brooks Boyer called him three weeks ago and Claeys agreed to give the ball to Konerko. In exchange, he received a skybox for 20 family members and friends Saturday night, and he also took part in the ceremony and had his picture taken with Konerko.
#8220;I just totally agreed with the concept of Paul getting this ball,#8221; Claeys said. #8220;I think Paul is a class guy. There was no money passed. The Sox just gave me perks.#8221;
Quite a send-off:
Several of Paul Konerko's former White Sox teammates, including Jim Thome, Greg Norton, Sean Lowe and Brian Anderson, were on hand for Saturday's retirement ceremony.
Joe Crede, Scott Podsednik and Mark Kotsay were planning to attend but their flights were canceled due to Friday's damage at the FAA's air traffic control facility in Aurora.
Crede and Podsednik were among the many former teammates and opponents that appeared on video messages for Konerko.
James Hetfield, the lead singer for one of Konerko's favorite bands, Metallica, got the video tributes rolling, and Derrick Rose and Jonathan Toews also wished him well in retirement.
So did former Sox shortstop manager/shortstop Ozzie Guillen #8212; who received big applause from the sold-out crowd #8212; Jermaine Dye, Juan Uribe, Derek Jeter, Mark Buehrle and A.J. Pierzynski.
When Konerko joined the White Sox in 1999, he became good friends with Norton.
#8220;We just hit it off early, lived together in spring training those first three years and lived in the same building here in Chicago,#8221; Norton said. #8220;He was just a guy that really wanted to be the best. He worked hard, studied guys, he was a good guy to mess around with but was serious on the field.
#8220;I remember when he was 23 years old in 1999. That's impressive. To have this kind of career and have the ability to play in a great sports town like Chicago, that's awesome. I'm jealous. I wish I played better and stayed here because I absolutely loved playing in Chicago. It's a beautiful place, the fans love sports and I think the moment he stepped on the field and with the whole Paulie thing and doing it on and off the field, I knew he would become a fan favorite and stay here for a long time.#8221;