The Chicago White Sox officially introduced Central Coast native Robin Ventura on Tuesday as the team’s new manager. The Arroyo Grande resident said he was humbled and honored with the position, and vowed to be himself.

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. “I think later in my career it was something that was evident I felt that I could do it. And I still feel confident that I can do it.”

Ventura played for a list of managers that includes Bobby Valentine, Jim Tracy and Joe Torre. He plans to use his experiences with them in his new role. He said he received plenty of congratulatory calls from former teammates and veterans over the last few days. “The best piece of advice is be yourself and that’s going to be pretty simple for me because I don’t plan on changing a whole lot.”

One could say it is the start of the next chapter in Ventura’s South Side Story.

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.

 

Konerko joined the White Sox in 1999, after Ventura finished a 10-year run as Chicago’s third baseman in 1998. Though they just missed being teammates, Konerko said he’s gotten to know Ventura a bit over the years at team functions.

And he’s convinced that Ventura’s lack of managerial experience won’t be a hindrance once he gets rolling.

“As far as how a clubhouse runs and all that kinds of stuff, I don’t think there is any concern,” konerko said. “Robin Ventura has been in a clubhouse most of his whole life. I think most of the older players are looking forward to it as far as conversing with him and picking his brain at what he thinks makes a good team.”

And, if Ventura needs help during the game, he’ll be able to delegate, especially with veteran pitching coach Don Cooper returning with a multiyear extension, as well as first base coach Harold Baines.

Ventura’s style, once it develops, will almost certainly be different than that of Guillen, the outspoken — often outrageous — skipper who led the team to its first World Series in 88 years in 2005.

Guillen, who had his request for an extension denied, was released from the final year on his contract after eight seasons and will be running the Marlins next season. Guillen also had no managerial experience when he was hired after serving as Florida’s third base coach during its World Series championship run in 2003.

Ventura has not been a major league coach, although he was hired in June to be an advisor to player development director Buddy Bell.

Ventura was a popular player with the White Sox before completing his career with the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. He’s returning to the organization that drafted him in the first round in 1988.

Konerko characterized the 44-year-old Ventura as an easy person to talk to but added that, from stories he’s heard over the years, the new White Sox manager is not afraid to stand up or confront someone. After all, he did charge the mound against Nolan Ryan in 1993.

And he doesn’t expect Ventura to be shy about expressing what he feels — even if it’s not as in the same outlandish manner as Guillen.

“Just in talking to people who played with him and all that, I think he’ll be the kind of guy, like Ozzie, who will call you out on a carpet in front of people and be a little bit more abrasive than everybody thinks,” Konerko said.

It’s still not clear whether the White Sox with change its approach with Ventura as manager and try to slice payroll and use more young players after last year’s 79-83 disappointment.

The 35-year-old Konerko, who batted .300 last season with 31 homers and 105 RBIs, has two more seasons left on a three-year, $37.5 million deal. He said he understands if the team decided to go in that direction, adding that Ventura could perhaps help some of the younger players develop.

He also expects Ventura, who was a little apprehensive when first approached about the job by general manager Ken Williams, to have a plan mapped out by spring training.

“Robin is close to the organization. He’s been closer the last few months and been involved a little bit more doing some stuff,” Konerko said. “I think he knows what he’s getting himself into and I think he knows what is going on. … He’s not coming into this blind.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams “has a preferred candidate to replace” Ozzie Guillen, who left the team with two games remaining Monday and was introduced as the new manager of the Florida Marlins Wednesday.

The White Sox don’t plan to go through a long process that goes through the start of the offseason trying to find a manager. The next manager could be named before the World Series gets underway, Williams said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

A leading candidate is “thought to be” Cleveland Indians first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., who had three different stints with the team during his playing days, the paper reports. Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Dave Martinez is also a possibility and a major-league source tells the paper that Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona is being considered as well.

The Sun-Times notes that Francona’s contract is up this year and the Red Sox have options to sign him next season for $4.25 million and $4.5 million in 2013. After the historic collapse the Red Sox just went through, Boston may let Francona loose.

Let the rumors come to you. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Related: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays

The Chicago White Sox are looking ahead to 2012. Adam Dunn(notes) would surely like
to forget this year.

Dunn and the White Sox try to conclude a difficult season on a positive note
Wednesday, when they look to sweep a three-game home series from the Toronto
Blue Jays for the first time in 16 years.

Chicago (79-82) is finishing with a losing record for the third time in five
seasons, and will undergo a managerial search after releasing Ozzie Guillen from
his contract Monday. Guillen is expected to take the helm of the Florida
Marlins.

The White Sox won their first game without Guillen on Tuesday, beating
Toronto 2-1 in what might be ace Mark Buehrle’s(notes) last game with Chicago. He can
become a free agent after the season.

“They have a lot of decisions to make, a lot of pieces they can trade, a lot
of guys they can get back,” Buehrle said.

Chicago has a chance to sweep three games from the Blue Jays at home for the
first time since winning three contests Sept. 1-3, 1995.

Dunn hasn’t done much to help the White Sox achieve that feat, striking out
in all five of his at-bats in this series.

The designated hitter is in an 0-for-22 slump as the worst season of his
career comes to an end. Despite going 2 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs in his
White Sox debut on opening day, Dunn has a .159 average with 11 homers and 42
RBIs.

His 177 strikeouts broke a team record that had stood since 1963. He is
unlikely to eclipse Rob Deer’s record .179 average in 1991 as the worst
qualifying batting average, as he needs six plate appearances.

Dunn, who vowed last week to “never talk about it again” after this season
is over, doesn’t appear to have a good chance to raise his average in the
finale. He is 1 for 19 with 13 strikeouts against Toronto (80-81).

Phillip Humber (9-9, 3.86 ERA) has been enduring his own issues of late,
going 1-5 with a 6.15 ERA in his last 10 starts. The right-hander is 0-1 with a
9.00 ERA in his most recent two outings.

“It’s frustrating,” Humber told the team’s official website. “It’s probably
a good lesson for me learning to deal with adversity. I obviously want to finish
the season strong, but at the same time, I can’t try too hard.”

Humber allowed one run in 7 2-3 innings but didn’t get the decision in a 3-1
win over the Blue Jays on May 26, his only career start versus Toronto.

The Blue Jays’ Brandon Morrow(notes) (11-11, 4.78) will try to continue his longest
shutout streak as a starter. The right-hander has won back-to-back starts while
tossing 15 scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out 17.

The dazzling stretch has followed a dismal five games in which he went 0-4
with a 9.47 ERA.

Morrow held Tampa Bay to two hits and struck out nine in seven innings of a
5-1 road victory Friday.

“I’m trying to finish strong,” Morrow told the team’s official website.
“It’s a little frustrating to come to it now, but like I said, when you go
through that (rough) stretch all you can do is learn from it. That’s what I
tried to do and I think I came to the realization that that’s the approach I’m
going to take.”

Morrow is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts against the White Sox. He
opposed Humber in May and yielded one run in seven innings, not getting a
decision.

Updated Aug 26, 2011 1:00 AM ET

Twins designated hitter Jim Thome was claimed on waivers by the Indians and has accepted a trade to Cleveland.

Meanwhile, outfielder Jason Kubel was claimed by the Chicago White Sox, according to major-league sources.

A claim does not mean that a player will change teams. The Twins still can keep Kubel.

Thome spent 12 seasons with Cleveland from 1991 to 2002, hitting a team-record 334 homers and helping the Indians get to two World Series. He hit 52 in his final season before signing as a free agent with Philadelphia, a decision that angered many Indians fans who will have to welcome him back.

”He’s excited,” Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. ”He’s fired up to come back and join the team. I am hopeful and confident that fans will embrace him wearing an Indians uniform again. He’s not only an exceptional player but a person as well. Even if he wasn’t a person that hit 600 home runs, he’s just a great person.”

Thome holds a full no-trade clause and could have rejected any deal. He prefered the Phillies to the Indians, one source said, but it’s doubtful he could circumvent the waiver process to land with Philadelphia.

Kubel, meanwhile, is unlikely to be traded, sources said. The Twins likely would offer him arbitration in an attempt to re-sign him, and would want the equivalent of at least a high draft pick in return. The Twins must decide on Kubel by 1 p.m. ET Friday.

The Indians are six games out in the AL Central, the White Sox 6 1/2 out. Thome may fit well in Cleveland. The Indians are without designated hitter Travis Hafner, who is on the disabled list with a strained right foot.

”We will have to manage his playing time,” Antonetti said. ”He’s certainly not an everyday player at this point. We’ll work with Jim on this. We’d like to have him out there to impact the team as often as we can. Every game for the team is meaningful. We are trying to win as many games as possible and we’ll see where that takes us.”

The White Sox are missing right fielder Carlos Quentin, who is battling a shoulder problem.

The only way for Thome could have gotten to the Phillies would be if the Twins pulled him off trade waivers and placed him on release waivers. Thome could then have rejected every team that claimed him but the Phillies.

Such a ploy, however, would have required Thome to forfeit the rest of his salary, about $500,000. It also would have required the cooperation of the Twins, who would receive nothing in return for their popular slugger.

Rival clubs almost certainly would have protested such a manipulation of the waiver process. Thome, who recently hit his 600th home run, might even have suffered a hit to his image.

”There’s no question it’s a bittersweet deal,” Twins GM Bill Smith said. ”But there’s also no question this is the right thing to do for Jim Thome.

”He is all the superlative things that we knew we were getting when he came here two years ago. At this point in his Hall-of-Fame career, this is the right thing for him.”

Kubel, who is owed about $900,000, has talked with the Twins about a possible contract extension. Both he and Thome are eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.