Buehrle stands by his comments about Vick

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Under the glare of multiple camera lights, Mark Buehrle was perspiring Thursday morning in the White Sox’ spring clubhouse at Camelback Ranch.

Entering the final season of his four-year, $56 million contract, the Sox’ veteran left-handed starter isn’t sweating too much over his future at the moment.

A much hotter topic was Buehrle’s recent comments about Eagles quarterback Michael Vick’s involvement with dogfighting.

Buehrle told mlb.com that at times, he wished Vick had gotten injured playing football last season.

Looking to keep any and all controversy outside the clubhouse this season, Buehrle addressed the topic on the first day of training camp.

“I said it,” Buehrle said. “It’s an old story. Again, we are not bringing drama inside and past history stuff. So, I said it, meant it. It’s over and we’ll move on.”

An avid dog lover, Buehrle is also a hunter. He thinks there is a big difference between tracking down deer and pitting two dogs in a fight.

“Hunting is a sport,” Buehrle said. “There are hunting stores out there. If that’s illegal, shame on my dad and my grandpa and his grandpa. It’s kind of been brought up throughout the history of America. The last time I knew dogfighting was a sport was never. Again, that’s all we need to comment on that. We’ll concentrate on baseball.”

That’s just fine with Sox general manager Kenny Williams.

“None of my business,” Williams said of the Vick flap. “I’m putting that in the no drama for Kenny zone. It is my business in the sense that (Buehrle) is a Chicago White Sox player, but it was the off-season and he’s his own man.

“He’s got some very strong opinions about animal rights and I support those. I wish that it would have been handled differently but it wasn’t and that’s as much as I’m going to say on it. No drama.”