KSBY Sports continues its countdown of the top 11 local sports stories of 2011. Our second nominee is the Chicago White Sox decision to hire Arroyo Grande resident Robin Ventura as its 39th manager in club history.

The news broke on October 5 and culminated with an introduction in the Windy City on the 11th. The Righetti High graduate returned to a White Sox uniform, sporting number 23 like he did for the first ten seasons of his 16 year Major League career. Tuesday, the 44 year old officially the 39th manager in franchise history. “Being where I was and being able to do this for a franchise that I love and for people that are in the organization that I love, I’m confident and I’m excited about being able to do this,” said Ventura. “Obviously I’m overjoyed about the opportunity to wear a White Sox uniform and to be the manager is an honor and I’m humbled to be able to do it.”

The press conference came barely four months after Robin was hired as a special advisor to the team that ended his six year absence from the major leagues. Ventura spent that time with his family living in Arroyo Grande. Robin sees his break as a strength because he is able to look at the game from the outside. “I’ve lived life and I’ve enjoyed it. But I’ve also enjoyed baseball and I think that helps me to be able to see beyond whether a guy got a hit or not,” added Ventura.

White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams said Robin was always at the top of his list because of his integrity, character and knowledge for the game. Despite this being Ventura’s first managerial job, the six-time gold glove third baseman is confident he can go from the hot corner to the hot seat.

Ventura is the 17th former White Sox player to become the team’s manager. The White Sox went 79-83 last season and are six years removed from a World Series title.

The White Sox open the 2012 season April 6 at the home of the Texas Rangers.

KSBY will unveil one story every day. Once all eleven nominees are announced, the public will be allowed to vote on the top local sports story of 2011.

TOP 11 STORIES OF 2011
- Meteoric rise to the Major Leagues by 22 year old Lompoc native Danny Duffy
- Chicago White Sox hiring of Central Coast resident Robin Ventura as team’s manager

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura is set to take the stage during a performance of “A Christmas Carol” at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.

The White Sox hired Ventura in October to replace Ozzie Guillen. Ventura will appear in the show on Wednesday evening with 9-year-old Emily Beazley of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The pair will wear costumes specially made for them. They will appear in select scenes throughout the production.

Ventura says he’s honored to participate.

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Online: http://www.goodmantheatre.org

Read More: John Danks (P – CWS), Chicago White Sox

White Sox lefthander John Danks’ name has come up a lot in various trade rumors this offseason as general manager Ken Williams is actively shopping a number of players on his roster in an effort to remake the team. But Danks hasn’t been sent anywhere yet, and he told the Sun-Times‘ Joe Cowley in an interview that he’s “not losing an ounce of sleep” over the situation. He’s also heard about the king’s ransom Williams has been asking teams in return for Danks:

“More than anything, this is the business of baseball,’’ Danks said. “I don’t blame Kenny for trying to get as much as he can. I took that as him being early in the process. I took it as him throwing feelers out there.’’

It’s still possible for Danks to stay in Chicago for the long term, though he says the White Sox have yet to get serious about a contract extension.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago White Sox be sure to visit South Side Sox. Visit Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the league, and check out MLB Daily Dish for off-season rumors and reports.

Qualifiers: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one. They must also have at least two seasons as the team’s primary starter at the position.

Eddie Collins:

One of the greatest offensive second basemen in Major League history, Hall of Famer Eddie Collins starred for the Chicago White Sox from 1915 to 1930. Collins demonstrated phenomenal contact skills, plate patience and speed en route to career totals of 3,315 hits, 741 stolen bases, 1,821 runs scored and 1,499 walks in 25 Major League seasons. He remains one of three White Sox position players with more than 60 WAR (wins above replacement) and totaled 126.7 WAR in his career, the tenth highest of all-time. Collins, who led the White Sox to the 1917 World Series Championship and won two others with the Philadelphia Athletics, ranks second in both batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.426) in White Sox history.

Nellie Fox:

Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox was an elite contact hitter and defensive great for the White Sox from 1950 to 1963. Fox stepped to the plate more than 10,000 times in his career and struck out only 216 times; he owns the sixth lowest strikeout rate in MLB history with just one in every 42.7 at-bats. He sits second in White Sox history with 2,470 hits, shares the team record with 104 triples and ranks fourth with 42.7 WAR. Fox won the 1959 AL MVP while leading the White Sox to the World Series. He went to a dozen All-Star Games and earned three Gold Gloves.

Ray Durham:

Two-time All-Star Ray Durham gave the White Sox great production from the leadoff spot for eight years. After his 1995 rookie season, Durham batted .280 with a .356 OBP, 105 OPS+ (league average is 100) and averages of 15 homers and 30 steals per year for the White Sox. He racked up 1,246 hits with the Sox and 2,054 in his 14-year career. His impressive output from a typically light-hitting position netted him an average of 3.2 offensive WAR per year in Chicago.

Jorge Orta:

Former All-Star second baseman Jorge Orta spent the first-half of his career in Chicago’s infield in the 1970s. Orta was an above-average all-around hitter for 990 games with the White Sox. He batted .281 with a .338 OBP, .418 slugging percentage and 112 OPS+. His bat averaged 2.5 WAR per year and peaked at 4.2 in 1974. Orta twice batted over .300 and totaled 1,002 hits over eight seasons in Chicago.

Jackie Hayes:

Jackie Hayes played out the prime of his career in the White Sox’s infield in the 1930s. Hayes was a well regarded defensive player at second and a pure contact hitter with little pop. He batted as high as .312 in 1936 and regularly walked more than he struck out, drawing 266 walks against only 188 strikeouts in 809 games. He maintained a .264 average and .324 OBP in Chicago.

Sources:

Chicago White Sox Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

More from this contributor:

Chicago White Sox top five first basemen

Chicago White Sox top five catchers

Chicago Cubs top five second basemen

Boston Red Sox top five second basemen

Baltimore Orioles top five first basemen

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