Hemond earns honor

GLENDALE, Ariz. — What kind of person is Roland Hemond?

At SoxFest in January, Hemond was escorting the widow of former pitcher David Shotkoski through the lobby of the Palmer House Hilton.

He was on his way to see White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to help Mrs. Shotkoski discuss a possible By mployment opportunity.

While playing for the Atlanta Braves’ replacement team in 1996, Shotkoski was shot to death in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Hemond always seems to be lending a helping hand to people involved with major-league baseball, and that’s the main reason he was selected to be the second recipient of the John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to an individual for extraordinary efforts to enhance baseball’s positive impact on society.

Hemond, 81, was the Sox’ general manager from 1970-85.

“It couldn’t go to a better guy,” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, whom Hemond acquired in a 1984 trade from the Padres. “This guy does so much for baseball and it’s a great, great honor. I think Roland is a tremendous baseball man. When you talk about front-office people and people doing a lot of good things in the game, that name’s going to come up very high.

“I’m very happy because he’s a big part of the White Sox organization. He’s the one who brought me here. He’s the one that took the chance and brought me here and gave me the opportunity to make me who I am.”

Same old Carlos?

Just like last spring, Carlos Quentin reported to training camp on Tuesday with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face.

It probably won’t last once the regular season begins, but that’s OK with manager Ozzie Guillen.

“People have to let Carlos be Carlos,” Guillen said. “We’ve tried different ways, different approaches. Just let him be himself. No matter what you do, talk, don’t talk, smile, don’t smile, just play the game.”

He’s back:

Paul Konerko also reported to camp Tuesday with a new three-year, $37.5 million contract.

“It feels like I never left, because I didn’t,” Konerko said. “It was a lot of unknowns and uncertainty with myself and the team a year ago. Now that I’m here, it feels like just another normal year and there have been a lot of them in a row here. It feels like home, but yeah, it got a little dicey in the off-season.”

For openers?

While no official announcement has been made yet, Mark Buehrle is a near lock to start the season opener at Cleveland.

It would be the left-hander’s ninth straight start on Opening Day, even though Buehrle believes John Danks would be a better choice.

“We face Cleveland and he’s always pitched good against Cleveland early in the season, so I don’t’ see why not,” Ozzie Guillen said of Buehrle pitching the first game. “I’ll save that news for when we’re boring and nobody is talking about the White Sox, then I’ll say Buehrle is my starter.”