Sweep can't move Konerko, Sox off message
White Sox fans have a solid understanding of the drought.
Well, both droughts, actually.
So they responded to thunder from the skies in the eighth inning nearly as they did to the thunder from Kevin Youkilis' bat in the sixth, one giving a drink of water to the thirsty foliage, the other giving hope that a parched fan base can really believe in the 2012 White Sox.
Energized by the opportunity to play, and rejuvenated by the chance to work for Robin Ventura — the antithetical manager from which he fled in Boston — Youkilis is on a tear and has added a potent bat to the Sox' lineup.
His solo shot Thursday made a winner of Jose Quintana (4-1), who was brilliant again, and a loser of Texas all-star Matt Harrison (11-4), the AL pitcher of the month for June who hadn't allowed a home run in five weeks.
The Rangers (50-33) came into the series with the best record in baseball and a sweep by the Sox (45-37) is certainly going to garner some attention around the baseball world.
But you're not likely to hear the Sox talk about any victory — or any series — as though it matters more than another unless, or until, they're playing in October.
“The tone set by the staff in spring training was we take it one game at a time, and that's all we continue to do,” said Paul Konerko. “Robin and the coaches spent so much extra time working with the young guys, and even on days when we don't win you can see them making progress.
“It's nice when you win because it gives us a chance to validate that, but we're halfway through the season. I mean, it's ridiculous to even talk about anything except today.
“You control what you can control and you can't control games you haven't played in July or August or September.”
Konerko is a tough nut to crack when it comes to this subject and he does not give in to a line of questioning that suggests it's fun for Sox players to dream about the month after those he mentioned.
Perhaps the closest Konerko came was to say, “You have big things in the back of your mind that there's a reward there at the end of the season, but every day there's a focus on today until it's time to focus on tomorrow.
“The staff has done a great job of making sure no one looks ahead and so far we've done it the right way.”
Lest you think Konerko doesn't understand fans' excitement with a series sweep and a first-place standing, he absolutely does.
“There's a ton of positives and if I were a fan of the team I'd be very pumped about how we've played so far,” Konerko said. “It's not just the attitude that's been great, but we're also getting a lot of answers to questions.
“Considering where we were last season, there's been a lot of good stuff this year. It would be nice to win, but even if we don't, it doesn't mean a lot of good things haven't happened this year.”
It would be very easy to misinterpret Konerko's words if you were so inclined, or twist them with a purpose.
There is no intention here to do that.
Simply put, Konerko is a realist. He's also a 15-year veteran who has been through enough good starts, bad starts, pennant races and disastrous seasons to know that half a season of baseball means only that his team has played half a season of baseball.
Nothing more.
The Sox played their 82nd game Thursday, the beginning of the mathematical second half. They have played some very good stretches and some not so much.
They have 10 rookies on their roster, or 40 percent of the clubhouse. They have eight rookie pitchers, or 66 percent of the staff.
A reasonable person could easily conclude that those numbers do not add up to a playoff team, and Konerko is a very reasonable person.
Yet, he does not say the Sox can't make the playoffs, nor does he say that a certain number of rookies would preclude a postseason berth.
He merely says that the games off the schedule are games off the schedule, and the ones remaining have to be played before anyone is handed extra games.
“We got to this point taking it one game at a time, and we will keep taking that approach,” Konerko said. “Things can change fast, and in 72 hours you can be out of first place.
“So you don't talk about playoffs. You talk about winning today. We won today. That's good. Now, we talk about winning tomorrow. After 162 games, we'll see who has the most wins.
“It's only going to get more difficult and there will be more distractions. It's going to be a test, but we have the talent to go where want to go.
“I'm excited because of how we're approaching the games, and how we're playing games. But I don't want to play the ‘ifs' game. There are so many ifs. Let's just play tomorrow and try to win tomorrow.”
If you want to believe the White Sox are playoff bound, Konerko doesn't begrudge you that pleasure. He's only certain there will be a game tomorrow and another the day after that.
Those two philosophies are not mutually exclusive, but that's not how Ventura and Konerko operate.
Certainly not, at least, in the first week of July.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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