Uribe thrives amid adversity
NEW YORK - Juan Uribe could have demanded a trade. He could have sat at his locker and pouted. He could have just mailed in the rest of the season.
It's been a rocky season for the White Sox' 29-year-old infielder, but Uribe has not only survived, he's thrived.
"Before, when I wasn't playing, I didn't feel bad," Uribe said. "(Orlando) Cabrera is here, and he's a good player. Alexei (Ramirez) and Joe (Crede) are good players, too. So I just waited for my chance to help the team."
Uribe lost his starting job at shortstop during the off-season when Cabrera was acquired in a trade from the Angels for starting pitcher Jon Garland.
Opening the season as the Sox' starting second baseman, Uribe lost that job to Ramirez in mid-May after going on the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
When Joe Crede went down with another back injury in late July, Uribe took over at third base.
"I love it, because he never complained, and this kid waited for his time and when his time came, he handled it really well," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "The only thing we needed with this lineup was someone to catch the ball. Uribe can do that. He can play second, short and third base with the best."
Uribe is one of the streakier hitters in baseball, and he's been riding a good one lately.
Before going 0-for-3 against the Yankees Wednesday night, Uribe had a seven-game hitting streak and was batting .393 over that stretch.
"He's put stretches together the last four or five years where he's carried our team," said hitting coach Greg Walker. "He can get himself in trouble by swinging at pitches out of the zone, but when he gets focused he's a very good hitter."
Looking ahead: The White Sox announced their tentative 2009 schedule Wednesday.
The Sox open the season at home for the fourth time in five years with an April 6 day game against the Kansas City Royals.
The White Sox and Cubs play home-and-home interleague series, with the Sox traveling to Wrigley Field June 16-18 and the Cubs visiting U.S. Cellular Field June 26-28.
The Sox' other interleague home games are against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, and they play road games at Milwaukee for the first time since 2001 and at Cincinnati.
First things first: The Sox play a big three-game series against the Twins in Minnesota next week, but Ozzie Guillen isn't looking that far ahead.
"A lot of people worry about the Minnesota series, but we've got three against Kansas City and they play well against us," Guillen said. "We've got to worry about Kansas City. When we get to Minnesota, we'll see what happens."