Leading by painful example
Paul Konerko is having a monster season, but that's just one of the reasons why the White Sox are already being pressured to re-sign their captain and soon-to-be free agent.
The 34-year-old first baseman has been the Sox' clubhouse leader for years, and Konerko knows how to keep his teammates loose and accountable.
He's also a tough-minded performer, and Konerko took that trait to the extreme during Thursday night's loss to the Twins.
Hit in the face by a pitch from Minnesota starter Carl Pavano in the first inning, Konerko not only stayed in the game, he hit a home run on the first pitch of his next at-bat.
"You just go back up there hacking and I'm sure (Pavano) kind of knew I would be and he challenged me," Konerko said. "Not much else to it."
Konerko didn't play in Friday's series opener against the Tigers, but he expects to be back in the lineup today.
Outside of a swollen lower lip, the White Sox' MVP candidate came out of Thursday's scare in relatively good shape.
"Feel OK, just a fat lip, obviously, and my nose is sore," Konerko said. "Other than that, not much. It looks a lot worse than what it is."
Pavano sent over a note of apology after the game, not that Konerko thought one was necessary.
"I think he was just trying to come in," Konerko said. "The pitch got up, I was looking down over the middle and that combination ... that doesn't cross my mind. You can tell when a guy releases a pitch whether it's with a purpose or it got away, and that got away.
"It was more scary than anything. I got hit in the face once in Triple-A and you're lucky if you get out of there without any eye damage. Everything else can be fixed or replaced."
Accidental or not, Sox hitters have been getting drilled on a regular basis by opposing pitchers this season.
When Minnesota's Michael Cuddyer came to the plate leading off the second inning, White Sox starter Mark Buehrle hit him in the back of the left shoulder with his first pitch.
"I don't need to see Mark do that to know he protects his guys," Konerko said. "He's the one guy over the years that not only will go out and do it, but gets it done. I think everybody handled it right. Mike Cuddyer was perfect. He knows the game. Everybody involved in that little situation last night handled it perfectly. Unfortunately, you don't see that too much nowadays."
You don't see too many players like Konerko anymore, either.
"When you look at what happened to P.K. (Thursday) night, a lot of people could take off and not play," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He went out and played the game right and showed people how to handle baseball and how tough you have to be. Coming from him, it doesn't surprise me at all. I've had him for seven years and know what kind of player and person he is.
"He showed players in his group and players watching the game who want to be players to take care of yourself and be tough in this game. That's what he has been showing for a lot of years."
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