Ventura can get the job done

I’ve known Robin Ventura for nearly two decades and am apparently one of the few people that think he is ready to manage the White Sox despite a complete lack of experience.

Trust me, the former standout third baseman is as smart and calculating as they come.

If Ventura didn’t think he could handle the job, he would have said no and probably followed with one of his patented shrugs.

He would have stayed home in California and continued living a life largely void of stress and second-guessers.

That being said, I’m starting to wonder if Ventura knows what he’s in for.

Let’s start with an angry fan base that has grown tired of all the off-field drama and on-field disappointment over the past six seasons.

Let’s continue with the roster itself.

It’s pretty safe to assume free-agent starter Mark Buehrle is gone, and left fielder Juan Pierre is also headed to another team.

Carlos Quentin seems to be a likely trade candidate, and you have to wonder about starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd.

Then there are veteran holdovers Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy, who are scheduled to make a combined $43 million next season. That is $2 million more than Tampa Bay’s entire roster this year, and the Rays were the American League’s wild-card team.

An immensely popular player for the White Sox from 1989-98, Ventura should give even the bitterest Sox fan something to cheer for.

But Ventura is going to need some help, and veteran first baseman Paul Konerko is already in his corner.

“I don’t think managing people is going to be tough for him,” Konerko said Friday on a conference call. “I think he’s one of those guys who can really get along with everybody and talk to everybody. He’s one of those guys who make you feel comfortable.”

There was a report in USA Today earlier this week that Konerko was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks but a deal was never reached.

I seriously doubt such a trade was ever discussed in earnest because the Sox have to realize Konerko’s departure would have major ramifications at the ticket window.

With general manager Kenny Williams unable to make any splashy player moves this winter due to a lack of funds, the White Sox are likely to enter the 2012 season picked third or lower in the AL Central.

That’s just fine with Konerko.

“The one time I won the World Series (2005), we were picked to finish third,” Konerko said. “Going into the season with a team that is supposed to win really hasn’t done much for us in Chicago. So I’m not too scared about playing with a team that they say, ‘Hey, we’re going young and we’re going to rebuild’ or whatever that might be.”