Quick Shots: What Happens Next With White Sox Staff
- I fully expect the White Sox to hire former player Tony Pena as Robin Ventura's bench coach. Pena is an experienced manager who has led teams at both the major and minor league level, but more importantly, he's Hispanic. The Sox have several key members of the team who are Hispanic and Pena would bridge the gap in communication between them and the manager. In addition, he could use his experience to school Ventura. Don Cooper will do the same on the pitching side of things.
- I do not expect Frank Thomas to be named Sox hitting coach. Kenny Williams has pretty much eluded to that in his comments, saying he'd like someone who knows the younger players to serve in this role. Look for Tim Laker or Jeff Manto to get the nod.
- Third base coach could be wide open. Jeff Cox may be a possibility, but he's an Ozzie guy. Strange how Ozzie didn't take him to Florida with him. I don't know if this position will be filled by a minor league guy, one of Robin's buddies or used as a promotion for some loyal organizational guy, the way Don Cooper was elevated in 2002.
- My assumption is that Ventura will work with the infielders, Harold Baines with the outfielders and Pena, if hired, with the catchers (probably more with Tyler Flowers.) The third base coach most likely will be a former infielder who can help Ventura with that group.
- Speaking of Coop, Joe Cowley's latest hatchet job seems to suggest that Cooper sold Ozzie out to win an extension. I think the truth may be somewhere in between, in that Cooper may have seen the ship starting to take on water and went to Kenny Williams looking for a life raft. That's common place human behavior. Also, Cowley's assertion that the White Sox pitching staff "quit" is offensive to the team and to Cooper. Cowley has been reduced to the role of Ozzie's stooge and it is clearly obvious in everything he writes.
- It's a good thing Mark Tehen was traded. Ventura won't have to buy his number back.
- It makes you wonder who is picking the field manager these days: Kenny Williams or Marketing Wonk Brooks Boyer.
Posted by Chip Ramsey at 10/7/2011 9:17 AM 
Categories: Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen, Baseball
Tags: Rockin Robin Kenny Williams
Categories: Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen, Baseball
Tags: Rockin Robin Kenny Williams
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