Crede's back, and feeling just grand
Joe Crede struggled in the Cactus League, batting just .172 while gradually getting his surgically repaired back into playing shape.
In retrospect, Crede's bad spring turned out to be a good thing for the White Sox.
Had the veteran third baseman showed from the start he was back to his old form, he would have likely been traded. Such a move would have created an opening for the Sox' supposed third baseman of the future -- Josh Fields.
More Coverage Links Home opener about more than baseball
As it turned out, interested teams such as the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers offered little or nothing for Crede, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.
Rather than let Crede go, though, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams stuck with his win-now mind-set. Williams dreaded telling Fields he was being optioned to Class AAA Charlotte at the end of spring training, but he was tickled to have a player with Crede's skills for the upcoming season.
"Sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don't make," Williams said. "Again, I never set out to do something that wasn't in the best interest of the club.
"I'm happy for him No. 1 and his family and the whole Crede clan because he's back on the field and healthy. His wife is happier that she doesn't have to put up with him on a daily basis at home, so it's all good."
As far as Monday's home opener was concerned, it was all very good, for Crede and the White Sox.
Overcoming a sluggish start against the Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field, the red-hot Sox came back from a 3-1 deficit when Jermaine Dye's RBI single in the seventh inning made it a 1-run game.
Three batters later, Crede launched a broken-bat grand slam off reliever Pat Neshek while lifting the White Sox to a 7-4 victory, their fifth straight.
Last June's back surgery sidelined Crede for most of the season, but the procedure appears to have had no effect on his ability to hit in the clutch.
"Joe is money," first baseman Paul Konerko said. "His pulse never changes. He just has a knack for it. There are times when he hasn't gotten it done, but he doesn't let it get in his head."
On a personal level, Crede's fifth career slam, which ties him for sixth-most in franchise history, might have been the most memorable.
Not only did the bases-loaded shot seal the win, it also came in front of an adoring sellout crowd in the home opener.
"Being that this is the only organization I've known, coming up through the minors with the White Sox and having my first hit, first big-league home run, you know, there's a lot of emotions here," Crede said. "This is definitely a place #8230; I've been to every city in the league and I've not found a better city to play in, a better stadium with some of the best fans in the game.
"It's a great feeling to be here on Opening Day. It was great to have the ovation I got, and everybody else got, with the (starting) lineups today. It's a great feeling to be here and hopefully I'm still here in years to come."
That would be just fine with manager Ozzie Guillen.
"Joe Crede is ice," said Guillen, who had to watch Crede's home run on a clubhouse TV after being ejected in the third inning. "Joe always seems that when the game is on the line, he's Mr. Clutch. He's a guy you want out there when the game is on the line because he's done it before; he's been through it.
"One thing about when you're going to hit in the clutch, you don't panic. He's a cold-blooded player and always seems to come through when the game is on the line."
Considering he's represented by Scott Boras, who has a cold relationship with the White Sox (and vice versa), how many more games is Crede going to play on the South Side?
It has been a constant question since the first day of spring training, but Crede sure sounds like he wants to stay put.
"Playing the game of baseball is hard enough and worrisome enough, let alone to have to worry about stuff off the field that's out of your control," he said. "I'm blocking everything out of my mind, but at the same time I'm trying to stress the point that I want to be here.
"I love this city and I want to play here in years to come because of how great these fans are and how great this city has been to me."
White Sox 7, Twins 4
At the plate: Joe Crede's grand slam in the seventh inning carried the Sox to their fifth straight win. Jermaine Dye (2-for-4, 1 RBI) extended his hitting streak to 10 games, dating to last season. Carlos Quentin made his fifth straight start in left field and went 1-for-3.
On the mound: Javier Vazquez overcame a sluggish beginning and earned the win after pitching 7 innings and allowing 3 runs on 7 hits. Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth and picked up his fourth save.
-- Scot Gregor