Headlines of September 27, 2014 “Reinsdorf, Williams extol Konerko’s virtues” …Scott Merkin, WhiteSox.com “Noesi’s early trouble mars final start” …Scott Merkin, WhiteSox.com “Konerko’s presence will be felt long after last out” …Scott Merkin, WhiteSox.com “Royals fighting for positioning, Konerko to be honored’ …Daniel Kramer, MLB.com “Castrovince: Jeter, Konerko embody what it means to be captain” …Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com “Mike Cameron believes he was traded for Hall of Famer in Paul Konerko” …Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune “Paul Konerko and Derek Jeter similar in character” …Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune “Boring: Major League Baseball’s non-descript 2014” …Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune “Derek Jeter and Paul Konerko: 2 class actS” …Chicago Tribune “Friday’s recap: Royals 3, White Sox 1” …Fred Mitchell, Chicago Tribune “White Sox VP Ken Williams says team headed in right direction” …Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun-Times “Jerry Reinsdorf: White Sox will retire Paul Konerko’s No. 14” …Toni Ginnetti, Chicago Sun-Times “Reinsdorf tips his cap to Konerko” …Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Royals beat Sox, wrap up first playoff berth since 1985” …Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Royals beat White Sox; end 28-year playoff drought” …Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Jeremy Guthrie leads Royals past White Sox, to postseason berth” …Associated Press “Rapid Reaction: Royals 3, White Sox 1” …Doug Padilla, ESPNChicago.com “Paul Konerko’s No. 14 to be retired” …Doug Padilla, ESPNChicago.com “Nate Jones targets July 2015 return” …Doug Padilla, ESPNChicago.com “With only two games to go, Paul Konerko plays final weekend” …Associated Press “Reinsdorf: ‘Of course’ Paul Konerko’s number will be retired” …Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Joe McEwing reportedly top candidate for D-backs managerial opening” …Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “White Sox Nate Jones hopes to return by end of next July” …Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Levine: White Sox Will Reire Konerko’s No. 14, Erect Statue, Reinsdorf Confirms” …Bruce Levince, CBS Chicago “An (attempted) proper farewell to the retiring Paul Konerko” …Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com

Reinsdorf, Williams extol Konerko's virtues

Retiring captain formed rare bond with organization, fans

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- There are countless great Paul Konerko memories for Jerry Reinsdorf to consider as his favorite over the 16 years the White Sox chairman has spent with the White Sox captain.

Of course one memory involving the two men stands out among all others.

"You could probably guess couldn't you?" a smiling Reinsdorf said, speaking to the media prior to Friday night's contest against the Royals.

Reinsdorf was referring, of course, to Konerko handing him the baseball from the last out of the 2005 World Series championship on the dais during the celebratory parade in downtown Chicago, one of the true moving surprises of Reinsdorf's life.

Konerko, Reinsdorf said, reminded him of Pee Wee Reese -- one of Reinsdorf's all-time favorite players -- in that he was a quiet leader who led by example. Executive vice president Ken Williams truly appreciated Konerko's leadership quality at the helm of teams he constructed as general manager.

"I tried to bridge the gap between management and players, and oftentimes some of the more veteran players, when we're contemplating either mid-season additions or offseason additions, I'd pull veteran players aside," Williams said. "And he was part of that group, where I'd ask his opinion: 'Who do you think are the championship players on your team?' And, 'We're considering this particular guy or that particular guy on another team. What do you know about him? Is that guy a championship player? What kind of guy is he? Does he fit in the clubhouse?'

"So, those peripheral things that I think, if I didn't say it here today, none of you would know and no one else would know. Those are just as valuable for a guy like me and for the management team as they are for the on-field team."

On Thursday, Konerko said if the phone rang and it was Reinsdorf, he would always answer and ask what he could do to help. Reinsdorf echoed the same sentiment toward Konerko on Friday, mentioning that they would see each other in Arizona in the offseason and maybe even go to a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game.

"It's very open door, very you can walk in there, anybody can walk in there and sit down in his office and chat with him if you want," said Konerko of Reinsdorf. "It's not some big grand thing. I've always felt comfortable with that, the way he's treated people.

"You guys don't even know how he's handled people that used to play here, used to work here, all that stuff. You just see that and then you have your own dealings with him. I'm very lucky to have that type of thing."

With a space in the retired numbers between Luis Aparicio's No. 11 and Ted Lyons' No. 16, it's widely assumed that Konerko's No. 14 will be retired during the ceremony to honor him on Saturday. Reinsdorf definitively stated that Konerko's number will be retired and that he also is worthy of a statue, although he didn't give a time frame for either.

The toughest part, for Reinsdorf, will be when Konerko is not around next year at Spring Training. Baseball certainly will feel the departure of class acts such as Konerko and Derek Jeter.

"We need more Jeters, we need more Konerkos, we need more people like that. Because whether they want to be role models or not, they are role models," Reinsdorf said. "People like Paulie and Derek set a great example for the kids and we need to get more kids interested in the game. One of our problems is the average age of our fans is getting older. We've got to attract the kids and teenagers. Guys who play with class and don't get into trouble bring people like that to the game.

"Actually, I was thinking the other day about [Konerko's] popularity, in a way, is a tribute to the intelligence of our fans. In my 35 years, who were the two most popular [White Sox] players? Harold [Baines] and Paulie. Neither one of whom said very much. But yet the fans loved both of the guys. It's really a tribute to our fans that they were able to sense what good guys they were even without them being out there and being characters."

Noesi's early trouble mars final start

Right-hander allows three first-inning runs; Konerko goes hitless

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- While the Kansas City Royals celebrated their first playoff appearance since 1985 with a 3-1 victory over the White Sox before 27,416 at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday night, Paul Konerko came to an important realization.

Even in his third-to-last game before retirement, which would check in as Game No. 2,347 of his illustrious career, even with standing ovations accompanying his every move, hitting the ball hard twice and getting nothing to show for it remains no fun.

"What I've noticed is you think after all these years you have some sort of idea on how to process those, but they just flat out [stink]," said Konerko, sitting in front of his locker after the White Sox fell to 1-7 at home against the Royals this season. "It still [stinks] when you hit a ball hard right at somebody. There's no other way to describe it."

Konerko struck out on three pitches leading off the second against Jeremy Guthrie (13-11) and then hit a check-swing grounder back to Guthrie to end the fourth. Guthrie jumped ahead at 0-2 on Konerko in the seventh, but the White Sox captain worked the count full. He then lined a fastball to Jarrod Dyson in fairly deep center field, which the crowd tried to will into a gap or over the fence.

There was one more at-bat for Konerko opening the ninth, this time against closer Greg Holland (46th save). Once again he fell behind 0-2, worked the count even and then hit a line shot to left that Alex Gordon grabbed.

For those who believe that the always analytical Konerko would be taking it easy over these final three starts, think again. The veteran changed his stance three times during Friday's contest.

"First at-bat, second at-bat and then three and four were the same," said Konerko of his stance changes. "As long as you're playing, which I am still, I've still got a few at-bats here, it's just not in me to just hope for the best. I got better as the night went."

"I wish that last one would have got in there to get something going, but it didn't happen," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "Everything that's going on when he comes to the plate is nice to see. It's well deserved."

With their magic number at one to clinch an American League Wild Card, the Royals (88-72) wasted little time getting going against White Sox starter Hector Noesi (8-12). Alcides Escobar singled, Nori Aoki tripled and Lorenzo Cain singled for a 2-0 lead within three batters of the game's first pitch. After Cain swiped second, Billy Butler singled home a third run to complete the first-inning uprising.

Kansas City's early output was all the support needed by Guthrie, who fanned six, walked one and allowed four hits over seven scoreless innings. Noesi departed after six innings, yielding the three runs on six hits with five strikeouts during his 15th quality start.

Another bright spot for the White Sox was reliever Maikel Cleto, who replaced Noesi and struck out Salvador Perez on three pitches, fanned Omar Infante on three pitches and then did the same to Mike Moustakas on five. Cleto, who hit 99 on a fastball to Infante, has 12 strikeouts over his last 6 1/3 innings. That strong inning didn't stop the Royals, who unleashed their postseason celebration in front of numerous fans who made the trip when Michael Taylor popped out to Perez in foul territory.

"This is unbelievable," Butler said. "You picture clinching it at home. It didn't work out for us, but this feels like home for us."

"That team has a lot of the same makeup of the team that we won the World Series with, with their pitching and timely hitting," Konerko said. "I feel like they have a real good shot to go a long ways."

An AL Central title remains on target for the Royals, who trail the Tigers by one game. The final two games for the White Sox (72-88) center on celebrating Konerko's 16 years in Chicago.

"I'm kind of looking forward to getting on the other side of it," Konerko said. "But I'm trying to soak every last bit of it in while I'm doing it, so it's kind of that balance."

Konerko's presence will be felt long after last out

White Sox veteran led by example with his focus on the game, professionalism

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- The locker occupied by Paul Konerko sits in the front corner of the U.S. Cellular Field home clubhouse, occupied previously by the likes of Frank Thomas and Jim Thome. It's situated next to the player mailboxes where countless baseball cards to sign and letters of appreciation have been sent to Konerko over the past 16 years.

Chris Sale takes a look across the clubhouse in Konerko's direction when asked about the retiring captain, and a mischievous look comes over the face of the White Sox ace.

"I'm just glad he's leaving finally," said Sale with a broad smile. "I'm already setting up my stuff over there."

Sale might very well be moving locker neighborhoods when the 2015 season begins, but he knows as well as anyone in the organization that Konerko won't be replaced. It was Konerko who showed Sale around the clubhouse and the ballpark on his first trip to Chicago after agreeing to terms with the White Sox as their top pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

This place belonged to Konerko in a way. He was the captain, named by then-manager Ozzie Guillen before the 2006 season. He was the leader. He was the man who hit the grand slam heard around the city in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series and gave the ball from the last out of the World Series

championship to chairman Jerry Reinsdorf at the ensuing victory parade before two million of the White Sox closest friends.

He did it his way, without need for fame or adulation.

"Certainly the position-player face of a very successful period of White Sox baseball," said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn of Konerko, listing Mark Buehrle as the pitching face for the same era. "Paulie is always going to be remembered fondly for what he accomplished on and off the field in this uniform and held up as a role model for the type of player we want to have around here."

"I don't think there's anything I can say that anyone hasn't already said in terms of the professionalism, the consistency, the leadership," Sale said.

Statistics alone don't define Konerko's Major League tenure. But those statistics heading into his last series are pretty darn impressive when you look at 439 homers, 1,412 RBIs, an .841 OPS, a .279 average, 2,340 hits and 9-for-13 in stolen base attempts.

"Every single hit went to the outfield," said Konerko's friend and former teammate Brian Anderson, with a jab at Konerko's lack of speed. "The last time P.K. got an infield hit was 2000 and never."

Anderson refers to Konerko as a mentor after the two played together from 2005-09. He tables the sarcasm about Konerko's wheels to make a point about the first baseman's Hall-of-Fame stature: His numbers, accrued the right way, should make Konerko a candidate for enshrinement.

Of course, Konerko would be the first person to argue against that Hall of Fame point. Individual accomplishments were never Konerko's target. He never once asked "Why not me?" or "Where are my accolades?" It sounds cliché, but there was no "I" in team for Konerko, and there was no purpose each day other than doing all he could to make the White Sox better.

"It's just having a clear-cut idea on what is really important," Konerko said. "The other stuff is fun and you kind of dive into it here and there, but it's all about just doing the job. It doesn't matter how well you do or if you make All-Star Games. The job description is the same right now as it was, well maybe not right now, but as it was for most of your career. I never really saw how anything should change. Just be the same.

"There are a lot of distractions that can make you think that something is important. But if it didn't play into me getting ready for the game that night or was going to help me on the field that night, then again, it could be something you enjoy in a certain setting or a different time. But it's not meaningful. It's all about the games in between the lines, doing whatever you can to be good in those situations.

"Unfortunately, it's probably become too common of all these different outlets, how people can see what allegedly is important," Konerko said. "I just try to be who I am and I don't really think … . A lot of stuff just doesn't interest me."

Konerko quipped that for the amount of time he has been in the game, he has the least amount of "notable" friends imaginable stored in his phone. Eddie Vedder, John Cusack and Chris Chelios have been known to frequent Konerko's suite at U.S. Cellular Field, but those are his true friends who just happen to be famous.

When the captain takes a final bow on Sunday, he might not be around baseball for quite a while. But his memories live on, through the plays he made and the players he influenced, all in the name of the White Sox.

"I love the game," said Konerko during his Thursday media session."It's great, but everything else that kind of goes with it, I don't need. I don't need people to know who I am, to see me somewhere that's 'so and so.' That's just not me."

Royals fighting for positioning; Konerko to be honored

KC alive for AL Central title; pregame ceremony to honor captain

By Daniel Kramer / MLB.com

KC@CWS: Konerko reflects on career before homestand

The Royals are headed to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 1985, but they aren't letting off the gas over their final two games against the White Sox.

Kansas City trails Detroit by one game with two games remaining. A pair of wins over the White Sox coupled by two Tigers losses to the Twins would secure the division. Two Royals wins and a split by the Tigers would force a tiebreaker Monday in Detroit.

With a win on Saturday, the Royals can clinch home-field advantage in the American League Wild Card Game. The A's currently trail by one game, and the Royals hold the tiebreaker.

"It is worth that much," manager Ned Yost said of securing home field in the Wild Card Game. "We want to play in front of our fans. It's been a long, long time [since] our fans have had an opportunity to watch a playoff game, and we want to do it in our home park. We're going to work hard through this series to see if we can make that happen."

Royals lefty Danny Duffy will look to build on six shutout innings against the Indians on Monday after missing two starts with a shoulder injury. In Duffy's one start against the White Sox this season, he allowed no runs, five hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over seven innings on June 14.

"It's a very secure spot in the postseason, but there's more to be had," Duffy said during Friday's postgame celebration. "So, what we're trying to do is get the most out of these last two. We're going to have some fun tonight. I'm going to go home to the hotel and be in bed by 11, but there's more celebrations to be had. We've got to keep working towards that."

White Sox lefty John Danks will make the final start to what's been a troublesome second half. In 12 outings since the All-Star break, Danks has allowed 81 hits and 47 earned runs over 67 innings. The White Sox are 12-19 in games Danks has started this year.

White Sox: Konerko to be honored Saturday is "Paul Konerko Day" at U.S. Cellular Field. The team will honor the retiring team captain of 16 years with a pregame tribute that will feature special guests. The ceremony will be streamed live on MLB.com

"It'll be emotional," Konerko said. "There are a lot of people that you connect with and so many behind-the-scenes people. You keep those relationships after you're gone. Those don't end, the playing ends. And you know you're going to see them again."

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Konerko's number will be retired.

"How could it not be retired? Of course it will be retired," Reinsdorf said.

"He was the face of the franchise and always conducted himself with class. Just a steady guy, not flamboyant. Not spectacular. He came to work every day."

Royals: KC headed to playoffs Only a dozen players on the Royals' expanded roster were born when the team went to the playoffs in 1985.

"Way too long, way too long," said Friday's winning pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, one of the 12.

The visitors' clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field was drenched in champagne Friday, and could be again Sunday with a pair of Royals wins and Tigers losses.

"Hopefully this isn't the first time," Duffy said of celebrating. "It feels great though. A lot of losing seasons I've been a part of and not being able to experience this, so I'm going to enjoy it."

Worth noting • Konerko is expected to start at first base for the White Sox in his final two games.

• The White Sox are 1-7 versus the Royals this season at U.S. Cellular Field.

• The Royals are 46-33 away from Kauffman Stadium, tied for second best in the Majors.

• White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia, who left Thursday's contest in the third with a stiff lower back, was out of Friday's lineup. White Sox manager Robin Ventura believes Garcia will play in one or both of the season's final two games.

Jeter, Konerko embody what it means to be captain

Rare designation near extinction in baseball

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

This weekend, it's not "Aye, aye, Captain," but "Goodbye, Captain." It's a salute to two stars and an acknowledgement that a relic of a role in Major League clubhouses and dugouts has almost been put out to pasture.

Derek Jeter and Paul Konerko aren't just great players, but great leaders. They have been representatives of an idea bigger than themselves and their stats. They have been captains -- a status that was honorary but not hollow, intangible yet important. Still, it's a status that's essentially endangered in these transient times.

When the infield dirt settles this weekend, when the Fenway jeers have hit Jeter's ears a final time and Konerko has performed his last tip-of-the-cap to his South Side supporters, Major League Baseball will have but one remaining captain. That's David Wright, in Queens, on a Mets team that bestowed that status upon him a few months after he signed an eight-year, $138 million extension before the 2013 season.

Now that more and more ballclubs from all market sizes are doing a better job of locking up their young talent for the long-term, perhaps we'll eventually see a new cavalcade of captains. Or maybe the established likes of Andrew McCutchen (Pirates), Buster Posey (Giants), Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox), Joe Mauer (Twins) or Yadier Molina (Cardinals) will be recognized in such a way.

Those guys are all already the embodiment of what the title of captain represents, so an argument can be made that we might as well make it official.

The idea of captaincy, though, simply doesn't seem to resonate in baseball the way it once did.

In the NBA, every team has at least one captain, often several. NFL teams name up to six captains, with many of those spots appointed weekly. But as is the case in baseball, the designations are basically ceremonial, and the fact that many of those "captains" are guys new to the club or soon to depart is fairly laughable.

Among the four major American sports, only the NHL (where the "C" is, by rule, required to be displayed conspicuously on the front of the jersey, as is the "A" for alternate captain) gives its captains an official purpose. They are the only ones authorized to speak to game officials regarding rule interpretations while on the ice.

Baseball, of course, has no coin toss for a captain to attend, no official function for him to perform. The duties initially associated with the role in the early days of big league ball -- filling out lineup cards or making strategic decisions -- have long since been handed to members of the manager's coaching staff. The only reference to captains in the rule book is an antiquated one. An explanatory comment within Rule 4.01 calls for errors in the batting order to be brought to the attention of the manager or captain before the game starts.

Pretty sure the umps will just go to the skippers on that one, thanks.

It says something about the state of today's captains that Jeter, Konerko and Wright don't even wear a "C." If anything, in a baseball culture that usually (perhaps too often) demands that its players conform to the norms of whatever clubhouse they inhabit, the idea of a captain calling attention to himself with such a patch would run counter to the ideals that made him a captain in the first place.

"A uniform," Wright said on the day he was named captain, "is a uniform for a reason."

The captain, in theory, stands out in situations inaccessible by the average fan. Ideally, he's the one who would go to the manager in the event of clubhouse turmoil. Or he'd be the one always available to lend an ear or offer an opinion to a teammate, young or old, in need of guidance. Mostly, he just leads by example, as former Yankees captain Don Mattingly did when Jeter was but a young pup.

"Once in Spring Training, back in the old Fort Lauderdale Stadium, we were working on a back field when the team was on a trip, and there was nobody in the stadium," Jeter said the day he became captain. "We finished up at about the same time and I was about to walk across the main field, and [Mattingly]

said, 'You'd better run. You never know who's watching.' Here he was, the captain of the Yankees, with no one in the stadium, and he's running. That always stayed with me."

That's a great story and all, but it is the intent of every Major League club to have multiple players who engender such respect with their work habits. And the vocal leaders -- the guys who would call a players-only meeting in the midst of a long losing streak to air concerns -- don't need a "captain" designation to be identifiable as a clubhouse asset.

If anything, in this day and age, the title within a team that has more actual function and, therefore more meaning, is that of Players' Association representative, as that player usually speaks on his teammates' behalf in union discussions or the resolution of issues at the club level.

So, no, we didn't need the idea of captaincy to appreciate everything Jeter and Konerko have meant to their teams and to this game lo these many years. We don't need to see a "C" to know they're worthy of all the attention and applause they'll be receiving this weekend.

As for the captaincy itself, who knows? But when we eventually bid Wright goodbye one day down the road, it might also be "C ya later" to that particular role.

Mike Cameron believes he was traded for Hall of Famer in Paul Konerko

By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune

When Paul Konerko was acquired from the Reds for Mike Cameron 16 years ago, the Tribune called it a swap of "potential All-Stars."

As it turned out, Konerko became the face of the White Sox for 16 years, while Cameron enjoyed a productive, 17-year career with several teams.

"It worked out good for both (sides)," Cameron said. "I got a chance to go to Cincinnati and then Seattle, and Paulie, he should wind up in the Hall of Fame. What a career. And a good dude."

The Nov. 10, 1998 trade didn't create big headlines at the time.

The 22-year-old Konerko had been the 1997 Minor League Player of the Year while playing in the Dodgers organization. But he hit just .217 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in '98 with the Dodgers and Reds, who acquired him in July. Cameron was a promising 25-year-old speedster but had hit .210 in his second season with the Sox and lost his center-field job to Jeff Abbott.

"We feel strongly Konerko is a player who can solidify our lineup for years," Sox general manager Ron Schueler said.

It may have been the best deal Schueler made, even though Cameron turned out to be a very good player and the clubhouse leader on the 2001 Mariners who tied the 1906 Cubs' record of 116 victories.

Cameron retired before the 2012 season and hopes to get into broadcasting. He dabbles as an analyst on MLB Network Radio but spends most of his time at his Atlanta-area home watching his kids grow up, as Konerko plans to do upon his retirement.

Cameron's son, Dazmon, is a top high school baseball player who is likely to go high in next year's amateur draft. Earlier this month, the two were in La Paz, Mexico, where Dazmon played for the U.S. team in the Pan American Youth Baseball Championship Games, before Hurricane Odile ended the tournament early, knocking out power at their hotel and forcing the cancellation of flights back home.

Cameron said the team was stranded until Derek Jeter sent his personal plane down to get the team out.

"It worked out well," he said. "It was starting to get crazy."

Cameron remains an admirer of Konerko's, though he has no love lost for the Sox organization, which drafted him in 18th round in 1991 and brought him up in '95. He wound up with three Gold Glove awards, hit 278 home runs with a career OPS of .782 and stole 297 bases, and said the trade to the Reds fueled him.

"That was a bad deal," he said, referring to the circumstances, not the deal itself. "I found out in winter ball in the Dominican, and I never got a call from anybody in that office. I never heard from anybody. I found out when I saw my name go across the screen on CNN, and my agent called and told me I had been traded.

"I resented it for a while. I grew out of it after a little bit, but I tried to make my case every time I played against the White Sox. And I did a lot of damage against them. Of any team I faced in my career, I think I did the most damage against the White Sox. Every time I showed up at that place …"

Cameron hit .303 with 10 home runs in 43 career games against the Sox, including a four-home run game at U.S. Cellular Field on May 2, 2002, while playing for the Mariners. That tied a major league record, putting his name alongside Hall of Famers Ed Delahanty, Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein, Mike Schmidt and Willie Mays and 10 others.

"It worked out good for both (sides). I got a chance to go to Cincinnati and then Seattle, and Paulie, he should wind up in the Hall of Fame. What a career. And a good dude. - Mike Cameron

"I felt like no matter who you get (to play center), there's going to be no one better than I was going to be," he said. "First (Brian) Simmons was supposed to be the guy. Chris (Singleton) was supposed to be the guy. Aaron Rowand was supposed to be the guy, and actually, Aaron had some pretty good years there. But I kept trying to show them every single time."

Cameron also was involved in a memorable moment at the Cell in Game 1 of the Mariners' sweep of the 2000 Division Series when Mariners manager Lou Piniella came out to talk to him at first base in the 10th inning of a tie game.

Piniella said after the game he told Cameron to "buy Cisco" stock, but later admitted he wanted to freeze closer Keith Foulke, who threw a pitchout before Edgar Martinez cranked a two-run, game-winning home run.

Konerko went 0-for-9 in his first playoff series, but made up for it big time in 2005. Whether he’s a Hall of Famer is debatable with 439 home runs and 1,412 RBIs, though Cameron scoffed when it was suggested he’s a borderline candidate, pointing to the era he played in.

"What? Those numbers are great," he said. "C'mon, man. If you take out 20 of those (PED tainted) guys ahead of him (in career home runs), you have a Hall of Fame-type of player."

Which 20?

"No thanks," he said with a laugh.

We'll just have to guess.

Paul Konerko and Derek Jeter similar in fine character

By Fred Mitchell / Chicago Tribune

With Paul Konerko and Derek Jeter retiring, who will fill roles as MLB ambassadors?

Paul Konerko and Derek Jeter, who have been two of baseball's classy ambassadors, are picking up their parting gifts as they retire as players this weekend and will leave a void the game sorely will need to fill.

Hours before the Royals clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 1985 with a 3-1 victory over the White Sox on Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field, Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, executive vice president Kenny Williams and manager Robin Ventura discussed the importance of having more players of the character and quality of Konerko and Jeter represent their sport.

"You have to walk the walk and talk the talk. For (Jeter) he does both of them," Ventura said. "There was never a time, ever, when you're playing with him that he's not up for the game, into the game, would rather be somewhere else, take a pitch off. That was never there. To also have the talent he has and to play the way he has and do what he has … he accepts that responsibility."

Konerko, who will be honored during a pregame ceremony Saturday, does not have the slam-dunk Hall of Fame numbers that Jeter has, but the Sox captain has been no slouch with his 439 home runs.

"They are similar but playing-wise they're just different players," Ventura said. "If you take that away with the respect they have and how they go about their business, they're very similar."

Konerko has no bigger fan than Reinsdorf, who said the slugger's No. 14 will be retired and that he's worthy of having a statue depicting him at the ballpark.

"(Konerko) reminded me a lot of my favorite all-time player, (Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame shortstop) Pee Wee Reese, who was a quiet leader, who led by example rather than a rah guy," Reinsdorf said. "Not many players can be leaders through their personality … but when a great player outworks everybody else and comes to work early and plays hard and gives it his all, that's the best way a player can lead. Certainly that's the way Paulie has led."

Williams, who was the Sox general manager from 2000-2012, added that he often relied on the sage advice of Konerko when it came to making some player personnel moves.

"One of the untold secrets around here is I tried to bridge the gap between management and players, and often times some of the more veteran players, when we're contemplating either midseason additions or offseason additions, you know, I'd pull veteran players aside," Williams said.

"And (Konerko) was part of that group. Those peripheral things … are just as valuable for a guy like me and for the management team as those players' (on-field contributions)."

Nice signing: Williams is more than pleased to see Jose Abreu have a fantastic rookie season after telling Reinsdorf he was "100 percent" confident the rookie first baseman would succeed immediately.

"He's pretty good. He's pretty good. Thank goodness for me," Williams said with a laugh.

"Jerry walked by me a couple of months ago and patted me on the back and said, 'You know, this Abreu thing might work out.' I said, 'Really, you think so?'

"He said, 'Yeah, it's a good thing for you.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'You put your entire reputation on the line.' I said, 'My entire reputation? For all these years, it all came down to one thing?' He said, 'Yeah, you said 100 percent, so yeah.' And then he walked away and it's one of those things where … have you ever had someone walk away from you and you're not quite sure, 'Are they kidding or are they serious?' I still don't know if he was kidding or not."

Boring: Major League Baseball's non-descript 2014

By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune

More than six months after it began with a splash in Australia, baseball's 2014 regular-season grind comes to a close Sunday.

Barring a spectacular October, it wasn't a particularly memorable year by any stretch of the imagination.

Strikeouts continued to rise, and complete games continued to become an anachronism. Two division titles were up for grabs in the final weekend, but the losers virtually were assured of wild-card spots, and Derek Jeter's retirement took center stage anyway.

The Nationals, Orioles and Angels all had their divisions practically wrapped up by August, while the Brewers' collapse was just a summer rerun everyone outside Wisconsin saw coming.

No players made any runs at any of baseball's hallowed records. Managers reached new heights in boredom with postgame blather about "grinding," "skill set" and "the process," and the only true moronic acts were limited to Manny Machado and Jonathan Papelbon.

Commissioner Bud Selig's replacement was named. New rules were changed or tweaked in midseason. And the games continued to drag on and on, as fans bailed in the late innings and viewers' thumbs got a workout on their remote controls.

Here are a few things we learned in 2014:

Attention-deficit syndrome: Major League Baseball finally got the message that young fans were tuning out on 31/2-hour games, and Selig set up a committee to look for solutions to improve the pace of games. Unfortunately, the committee includes Sandy Alderson and Joe Torre, two executives on the committee that gave us Rule 7.13, aka "the Posey Rule," which led to some runners being ruled safe after being out by 20 feet.

Bronx tale: Jeter had the best ballpark sendoff since Ted Williams' farewell home run in his last at-bat at Fenway Park, knocking out a walk-off single Thursday night in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium. A

million tweets about Jeter still couldn't match John Updike's classic description of Williams' last game, headlined "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu."

Much ado: Remember the "epidemic" of Tommy John injuries, when 17 major league pitchers had to undergo elbow-reconstruction surgery from the start of spring training in mid-February through April? It's still a concern, but only seven major league pitchers and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters have undergone elbow surgery since June. Players are seemingly more susceptible to elbow injuries after resting their arms during the offseason, calling for increased monitoring of throwing programs.

Crashing and burning: Choking away a division lead became commonplace in 2014. The Giants blew a 10-game lead in the National League West to the Dodgers, to whom USA Today referred June 7 as "a dead team walking." The Tigers blew a 71/2-game lead in the American League Central but took it back. The Brewers had a 61/2-game lead in the NL Central but didn't even make the playoffs. Ditto the Blue Jays, who had a six-game lead in the AL East but entered the final weekend 14 games behind the Orioles. The A's had a six-game lead in the AL West and were 12 behind the Angels.

Ricky ball: Cubs manager Rick Renteria led the majors entering the final weekend with 56 replay challenges, and he seemingly jogged out of the dugout after every close play to stall for his replay team to give him the thumbs up or thumbs down. Fifty-five percent of his challenges were not overturned. Heading into the final weekend, 48 percent of all challenges were overturned.

Jinx me: Sports Illustrated just can't help itself. The magazine ran a fictional article about a 2017 World Series between the Astros and Cubs, who have ranked first and third, respectively, in total losses since 2011. Ten years ago SI predicted the Cubs would be 2004 World Series champions with the headline "Hell Freezes Over."

Baseball fever? Not with these guys. Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero said baseball is "kind of a slow game. I think it's boring." Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon said he preferred the History Channel to any baseball game: "I don't watch baseball — it's too long and boring." Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle said he doesn't like "sitting on the bench for a four-hour game" when he's not pitching "when you're sitting there in between your starts, looking at the scoreboard, looking at the clock, saying, 'Holy (expletive), this is ridiculous.' "

Polyurethane Pam: Mascots reared their ugly heads again. The Cubs introduced their first mascot and sued a fake mascot who punched a fan in a Wrigleyville bar. The town of Whiting, Ind., was planning to build a home for the Mascot Hall of Fame. And a former Mr. Met wrote a tell-all book with the following passage: "I'm not sure why that inanimate piece of polyurethane still holds such power over me, and yet it does."

Ex-Cubs factor: A's general manager Billy Beane never read Mike Royko or he would have known about the ex-Cub factor, a theory that states any team with three or more former Cubs on its roster can't win the World Series. The A's added former Cubs Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel, Sam Fuld and Geovany Soto to a club with the best record in baseball. Poof!

Re-gifting: The Cardinals may be the best franchise in baseball, but they still will receive an extra draft pick after the first round because of their small market size and MLB's Competitive Balance Lottery. After pointing out the Cardinals' overall greatness, Cubs President Theo Epstein said July 24 they're "probably the last organization in baseball that needs that kind of annual gift."

It's the thought that counts: There's no piling on in baseball, but on Aug. 30, the manager of the best franchise in baseball went out to the first base umpire to question a close play. There were two outs

in the top of the ninth and the Cardinals had an 11-run lead over the Cubs. Un-Sportsman of the Year candidate Mike Matheny opted not to challenge.

It's not how you start … Pirates utilityman Josh Harrison had only 23 at-bats on May 1 and was hitting .217. Harrison went on to make the All-Star team and could wind up as the NL batting champ. The Angels were swept by the Mariners and outscored 26-8 in their opening series but had 98 victories wins and a plus-148 run differential heading into the final weekend.

Self-fulfilling prophecy: The Cubs' Twitter feed send out a tweet saying they'd lost to the Rays before the Cubs went to hit in the bottom of the ninth. Of course, they lost.

Derek Jeter and Paul Konerko: 2 class acts

If you want to fix in your mind some timeless images of dignity and class in professional sports, this weekend offers a chance that won't come again. That's because it brings to an end the major league baseball careers of Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox and Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, whose names have never been preceded by adjectives like "controversial."

These two players have been known for high performance year after year. They are both identified with a single franchise. They played through the infamous steroid era without suspicion. They are disciplined, low-key guys who offer drama only on the field.

Jeter did that in spades Thursday night in a scene that would have been too hokey for Hollywood. In his last at-bat at Yankee Stadium, the veteran shortstop came to the plate against the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on second and the score tied. Naturally, he smacked the first pitch into right field to win the game.

The outcome was inconsequential, since the Orioles had clinched the division title and the Yankees had been eliminated. But Jeter has made big contributions in plenty of games that mattered.

He has five World Series rings, and in 158 postseason appearances, he hit 20 home runs and batted .308. If you've forgotten his jaw-dropping defensive gem in the 2001 American League Division Series, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Jeter is sixth on the career hit list, far ahead of any other Yankee. He's one of only two players to ever compile 3,000 hits, 250 home runs, 300 stolen bases and 1,200 RBIs. The other: Willie Mays.

In 20 years, another number is particularly revealing: zero. That's how many times Jeter was ejected. In a city known for big personalities, he was not larger than life: He was exactly life-sized.

You won't find much footage of Paul Konerko arguing with umpires, either. But the highlight reel includes one of the premier moments in Chicago sports history: his grand slam at the Cell in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, which the Sox went on to win in a sweep for the team's first championship since 1917. Fittingly, he squeezed the final out of the series in his mitt.

In his 16 years with the South Siders (after short stints with the Dodgers and the Reds), Konerko hit 432 home runs. In that category as well as RBIs, he's second on the Sox all-time list to Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. Only Luke Appling made more appearances in a Sox uniform. He's first in total bases.

His numbers may not put Konerko in Cooperstown, but if there were a wing reserved for Good Guys, he'd be a lock. Sportswriters loved him because he was always gentlemanly and helpful. "I covered his dreadful 2003 season (.234 average, 18 homers)," the Tribune's Teddy Greenstein wrote in 2012, "and he did not snap at the media once."

Had he played in New York, he would be a household name. Even in Chicago, he got less attention than he deserved, partly because the Sox have a smaller following than the Cubs and partly because of his unassuming style. But the Rhode Island native's diligent professionalism was a perfect expression of Midwestern values.

The other day, he put out a video thanking Sox fans for the memories. Watch it only if you don't mind getting a big lump in your throat.

Over the past two decades, there have not been many better players than Konerko and Jeter. Few, if any, did so much to make fans feel good about the game.

Friday's recap: Royals 3, White Sox 1

By Fred Mitchell / Chicago Tribune

The summary

The Royals earned their first postseason appearance since 1985 Friday night with a 3-1 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. The Royals scored all three runs in the first inning as the first three batters got hits off Hector Noesi

On the mound

Jeremy Guthrie (13-11) threw seven scoreless innings and Greg Holland earned his 46th save with a perfect ninth.

Noesi went six innings, giving up only two hits after allowing four in the first.

At the plate

Nori Aoki's triple drove in the Royals first run.

The quote I

"It never gets too old to do all this," Royals hitting coach and former Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of making the playoffs. "I have been fortunate to do it a few times and it never gets old, especially being around a bunch of guys who work their butts off all spring training and we get here … 29 years (since the last Royals postseason appearance). … Iit has been a long time for the fans. I have only been here one year, but I am so happy for the city of Kansas City."

The quote II

Jerry Reinsdorf talking about Paul Konerko: "I was thinking the other day about his popularity. … In a way it is a tribute to the intelligence of our fans. In my 35 years, who were the two most popular players? Harold (Baines) and Paulie, neither one of whom said very much. Harold (said), 'Yes, no and evidently.' Yet the fans loved both of the guys. It's really a tribute to our fans that they were able to sense what good guys they were even without them being out there and being characters."

Up next

All the action from U.S. Cellular Field.

Royals (Duffy 9-11, 2.32) at Sox (Danks (10-11, 4.82), 6:10 p.m., Saturday, CSN.

White Sox VP Ken Williams says team headed in right direction

BY TONI GINNETTI / Chicago Sun-Times

The White Sox’ 2015 season is going to be a celebration, if not on the field at least off it as the team marks the 10-year anniversary of its World Series title.

The season will commemorate 2005 and its protagonists, starting with SoxFest in January and continuing through the year.

But the party will be more meaningful if there’s something to applaud on the field, and the hierarchy knows it.

‘‘[General manager Rick Hahn] has been pretty good at being able to accomplish the things we’re all trying to do,’’ manager Robin Ventura said Friday before the Kansas City Royals celebrated their playoff-clinching 3-1 victory and first postseason trip since 1985.

‘‘Right now, you’re still playing the games, but you can’t sit here and look at that same group and think every single one of them will be here. Baseball just doesn’t work that way.’’

The Sox already know some who won’t be back, Paul Konerko being the most significant.

But the offense has a newfound power in Jose Abreu, and a healthy Avisail Garcia for a full season would bring more offensive punch.

The hope is that reliever Nate Jones, who was targeted to be the next closer before injuring his back early in the season, then undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, can be back to help the bullpen.

Jones was a clubhouse visitor Friday, greeting his teammates as he came for Konerko’s farewell Saturday. He repeated that his goal is to be ready in 2015.

‘‘We have to shore up the bullpen, and another right-handed starter wouldn’t be a bad thing to have,’’ Sox vice president Ken Williams said of the pitching.

So would an improved defense.

‘‘It really surprises me that we’re not better defensively,’’ Williams said. ‘‘We’ve had a lot of lapses this year, particularly isolated lapses over smaller stretches. I know the coaching staff works every day on getting these guys better.

‘‘It’s concentration, and let’s face it — the one thing I’m absolutely sure of is when you are competitive and you have that edge to you and the support of a fan base that is acknowledging you are playing good baseball, you have that extra incentive to show people what you can do. There are fewer lapses when you’re a good team and you’re playing for something.

‘‘Some of that will evolve once we get completely healthy and we get some necessary pieces.’’

Williams, who remains involved in shaping the team, gave an emphatic ‘‘Hell, no’’ answer to whether this was a successful season.

‘‘But it is going in the right direction,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re a lot closer than the record indicates. I’m confident in the direction Rick is setting out and the things he’s done. We’re a lot closer to being competitive again — and not just competitive but being a special club. We have some holes to fill, but they’re not as many as people might assume given the record [72-88].’’

NOTES: Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed Friday that the team will retire Paul Konerko’s No.   14 and likely will erect a statue of him in the future. ‘‘How could it not be retired?’’ he said. ‘‘He’s worthy of a statue.’’

◆ Chris Sale declined to further elaborate on Wednesday’s incident in Detroit when he hit Victor Martinez.

◆ Avisail Garcia didn’t play because of a stiff back but is expected to return Saturday.

Jerry Reinsdorf: White Sox will retire Paul Konerko’s No. 14

BY TONI GINNETTI / Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago White Sox's Paul Konerko watches his solo home run during the second inning of an inter league baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Chicago, Sunday, June 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

WHITE SOX RETIRED NUMBERS

2: Nellie Fox

3: Harold Baines

4: Luke Appling

9: Minnie Minoso

11: Luis Aparicio

16: Ted Lyons

19: Billy Pierce

35: Frank Thomas

72: Carlton Fisk

The White Sox will say goodbye to Paul Konerko on Saturday with a celebration capped by the retirement of his No. 14.

Team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed Friday what had been expected: The team will honor its longtime captain and 2005 World Series hero by making his number the 10th to be retired by the franchise.

“How could it not be retired?” Reinsdorf said. “Of course it will be retired.”

Reinsdorf added that a statue of Konerko likely will be erected in the future in the outfield concourse.

“Oh, he’s worthy of a statue,” he said.

Reinsdorf tips his cap to Konerko

Scot Gregor / Daily Herald

Paul Konerko is going to have his final say to White Sox fans Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

In a pregame ceremony scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and run 30 minutes or so, Konerko will wrap up the festivities by grabbing a microphone and saying so long to Sox backers that have been chanting "Paul-ie, Paul-ie" for the past 16 seasons.

And following Sunday afternoon's game against the Royals, Konerko is heading into retirement.

Before the 38-year-old captain calls it a career, he is expected to have his No. 14 retired. That could be part of the Saturday ceremony.

"How could it not be retired?" White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf asked Friday. "Of course it will be retired."

Reinsdorf also said Konerko, who ranks first in franchise history with 4,010 total bases and second with 432 home runs, 1,383 RBI and 2,266 games played, is eventually going to be honored with a statue on the outfield concourse.

The chairman and captain have always had a close bond, and it was permanently sealed when Konerko presented Reinsdorf with the baseball from the final out of the Sox' 2005 World Series championship.

"Certainly, my dealings with him have been great," said Konerko, who was 0-for-4 in Friday night's 3-1 loss to the Royals at U.S. Cellular Field. "It's a very open door. You can walk in there, anybody can walk in there and sit down in his office and chat with him if you want. It's not some big grand thing. I've always felt comfortable with that, the way he's treated people."

Reinsdorf, who said Konerko "is probably on the cusp" of being a Hall of Famer, is going to miss him on and off the field.

"He was the face of the franchise and always conducted himself with class," Reinsdorf said. "Just a steady guy, not flamboyant. Not spectacular. He came to work every day. Actually, I was thinking the other day about his popularity in a way that is a tribute to the intelligence of our fans. In my 35 years, who were the two most popular players? Harold (Baines) and Paulie, neither one of whom said very much.

"Harold, yes, no and evidently. Paulie didn't have a lot to say, but yet the fans loved both of the guys. It's really a tribute to our fans that they were able to sense what good guys they were even without them being out there and being characters."

Reinsdorf has been involved in professional sports long enough to know it's not wise to get too attached to players who are inevitably going to leave, but Konerko is a special case.

"I think where it's really going to be tough is next year when he's not here," Reinsdorf said. "I don't know if it'll sink in when he has his last at-bat here, but I know in the spring not seeing him is going to be a funny feeling."

Konerko said Reinsdorf can give him a call whenever he wants.

"I'm always going to pick up and say, 'What can I do for you?' " Konerko said. "There will never be a time that didn't happen."

Royals beat Sox, wrap up first playoff berth since 1985

Scot Gregor / Daily Herald

Many in the crowd of 27,416 at U.S. Cellular Field Friday night came out to say so long to White Sox captain Paul Konerko, who is retiring after Sunday's final game of the regular season.

But there was a large throng of Kansas City fans, and they were jubliant after the Royals' 3-1 win over the Sox.

Not only did Kansas City clinch its first playoff berth since 1985 with the victory, the Royals are only 1 game behind the first-place Tigers with 2 to play.

"I don't have to give messages this time of year," K.C. manager Ned Yost said. "These guys are on fire knowing what's going on. They're going to be ready to go. I've been really pleased when they come in that clubhouse door, with the amount of laughter and looseness in that locker room, and the confidence that comes with that."

The Royals scored all 3 of their runs in the first inning off White Sox starter Hector Noesi, with Norichika Aoki hitting an RBI triple and Lorenzo Cain and Billy Butler following with run-scoring singles.

The Sox scored their lone run in the eighth inning when Adam Eaton tripled and Alexei Ramirez singled.

Check back later for more on the Royals ending their playoff drought and Konerko's final days with the White Sox.

Royals beat White Sox; end 28-year playoff drought

Scot Gregor / Daily Herald

Before Friday night's game, executive vice president Kenny Williams insisted the White Sox aren't as far away from contending as most skeptical fans might think.

With any luck, maybe the 2015 Sox will be as good as … the 2014 Royals?

Considering Kansas City hasn't been to the playoffs since 1985, when it won the World Series, the Royals hardly rate as a measuring stick.

But K.C. is heading back to October baseball after beating the White Sox 3-1 at U.S. Cellular Field and clinching a wild-card berth.

With 2 more games to play in the regular season, the Royals are only 1 game behind the first-place Tigers in the AL Central.

After 28 straight seasons sitting at home in October, Kansas City is back in the big game.

"They didn't care," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the postseason drought. "That wasn't important to them. What was important to them was getting to the playoffs. It didn't matter. They didn't go to bed saying, 'It's been 28 years since we've been in the playoffs.' They just said, 'Let's go to the playoffs.'

"They are a group that has won championships together in the minor leagues and they wanted to come up here and win a championship together in the big leagues."

Former Royals star George Brett, now the club's VP of operations, was at the Cell Friday night and he was holding a bottle of champagne in the raucous postgame clubhouse.

While he said the clinching process was "pretty cool," Brett snapped when asked about the lengthy wait.

"I get tired of people criticizing the players on this team because they hadn't won a World Series since 1985," Brett said. "Ninety-five percent of these (bleeping) guys weren't even born in '85. It's not their fault. These guys played their (butts) off all year."

This was supposed to be Paul Konerko's farewell weekend at the Cell, but the Royals stole quite a bit of the spotlight Friday night. As usual, Konerko had no problem sharing.

"It's special for them," said Konerko, who played first base and was 0-for-4 Friday. "They are the first team in a long time that has made the playoffs for them, so they should be proud of it. This has kind of been a few years in the making with that group over there. Just congratulations to them.

"We always want to win ourselves and have it on this side of town. But there is some camaraderie in your own division. So hopefully they go represent the division well."

Road to recovery:

Nate Jones was back with the White Sox Friday, and the injured relief pitcher is looking forward to 2015 after a string of injures this year capped by Tommy John surgery in late July.

Jones, who was positioned to be the Sox' closer this season, hopes to start throwing the week before Thanksgiving and be back in the bullpen next July.

"They (doctors) told me, I think the percent they gave me was an 85 percent chance of coming back just as strong, if not stronger," Jones said. "That gives hope, along with working toward your goal of that year mark. A lot of motivation."

Jeremy Guthrie leads Royals past White Sox, to postseason berth

ESPN.com news services

CHICAGO -- The mob arrived as soon as Salvador Perez squeezed that final foul popup, officially bringing Kansas City's playoff drought to an end.

Yes, the Royals are going back to the postseason.

Kansas City clinched a playoff spot Friday night for the first time in 29 years, beating the Chicago White Sox 3-1 behind seven scoreless innings from Jeremy Guthrie.

Kansas City secured at least a wild card spot and ended the longest active postseason drought among the major North American sports leagues. The last time the Royals made it to the playoffs, George Brett led Kansas City to a World Series victory over St. Louis in 1985.

"It feels better than expected," said Billy Butler, a 2004 draft pick and eight-year veteran. "It's a great thing. I'm proud to bring this organization something they envisioned when they drafted me."

Small-market Kansas City endured more than its share of losing in recent years. But it contended into September last season and kicked down the playoff door on Friday.

The Royals crowded around Perez near the plate after he caught Michael Taylor's foulout.

A large contingent of Kansas City fans crowded near the visitors dugout, watching the party, and players tossed black and white playoff caps to them before walking off the field.

The clubhouse was as chaotic as expected, with players dousing each other with bubbly and snapping pictures, whooping it up as the franchise's years of losing gave way to pure joy.

As the scene unfolded, Brett stood nearby with a bottle in one hand and a cup in the other, doing his best not to get drenched.

"I got tired of the people criticizing the players on this team because they hadn't won a World Series since 1985," he said. "Ninety-five percent of these ... guys weren't even born in '85. It's not their fault. These guys played their [butts] off all year."

The Drought Is Over

The Royals clinched a playoff spot for the first time in 29 years on Friday. With the win, Kansas City no longer holds the longest active streak without a playoff appearance in the four major North American sports.

Team Seasons Last App

Blue Jays 21 1993

Bills 14 1999

Mariners 12 2001

--ESPN Stats & Information

And look where they are now.

With Detroit losing to Minnesota, Kansas City trails the Tigers by a game in the AL Central with two to play. If they are tied after Sunday, the teams will play game No. 163 at Detroit on Monday to determine the division winner.

Kansas City also maintained a one-game lead in the wild-card standings over Oakland, which won 6-2 at Texas.

The postgame celebration eventually returned to the field, where there was more spraying alcohol, more jumping up and down and more pictures, all to the delight of their supporters. Fans chanted "Let's go Royals!" and some derogatory comments toward Detroit.

They held up signs that read "My playoff beard starts growing today," and "Finally."

That probably summed it up best for Kansas City. Yes, finally, the Royals are back.

"We know it's been emotional, not only for us but for the city itself, which has supported us all along the way," closer Greg Holland said.

Guthrie (13-11) could not have been much better, pitching four-hit ball while winning his third straight start. He struck out six and walked one. After the game, Guthrie tweeted this celebratory photo:

The White Sox scored in the eighth against Wade Davis. Adam Eaton tripled with one out and came around on Alexei Ramirez's single. But Jose Abreu and Conor Gillaspie struck out to end the inning.

Holland worked the ninth for his 46th save in 48 chances.

Alcides Escobar had two hits, including a leadoff single in Kansas City's three-run first against Hector Noesi, and the Royals won for the fifth time in six games.

Noesi (8-12) allowed six hits in six innings after it looked as if he might get knocked out early.

The first three batters each got a hit, starting with Escobar's single. Nori AokiNori Aoki lined a run-scoring triple to right, and Lorenzo Cain had an RBI single for his 14th hit in 30 at-bats. Cain came around from second on Butler's one-out single to make it 3-0.

Chicago's Paul Konerko began his farewell weekend by going 0-for-4. The retiring slugger, back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday's game, received loud cheers every time he stepped to the plate, starting with a standing ovation in the second inning.

In the Royals, Konerko sees some similarities to Chicago's 2005 championship team, with its pitching and timely hitting.

"I think they have a real good shot to go a long ways," he said. "Good for them. Enjoy it. I'm happy for those guys."

TRAINER'S ROOM:

Royals: There was no further update on INF Christian Colon, who is recovering from a broken middle finger on his right hand. It's not clear if he will be on the postseason roster.

White Sox: Reliever Nate Jones is confident he will make a full recovery after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in July. Jones expects to start throwing a week before Thanksgiving. Jones also had back surgery in May. ... The White Sox held OF Avisail Garcia out of the lineup for precautionary reasons after he left Thursday's game because of a stiff lower back. Manager Robin Ventura expects him to be ready to play Saturday.

UP NEXT:

LHP Danny Duffy (9-11, 2.32 ERA) starts Saturday for Kansas City, with LHP John Danks (10-11, 4.82 ERA) pitching for Chicago.

Rapid Reaction: Royals 3, White Sox 1

By Doug Padilla / ESPNChicago.com CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox fell 3-1 on Friday as the Kansas City Royals wrapped up their first postseason berth since winning the 1985 World Series. How it happened: The Royals got off to a quick start with three first-inning runs and made it stand up behind starter Jeremy Guthrie. White Sox starter Hector Noesi settled down, giving up just those three runs in six innings of work and allowing just three more hits the rest of the way. The White Sox were held to six hits. Guthrie gave up just four hits over his seven scoreless innings. Greg Holland closed it out with an 11-pitch ninth. What it means: The victory sent the Royals to the playoffs for the first time in 29 seasons, ending the longest playoff drought in baseball. The Royals clinched a wild-card spot and moved to within a game of the Detroit Tigers' lead in the American League Central with two games to play. The Royals are also on top of the wild-card standings, a game up on the Oakland Athletics.

Outside the box: Paul Konerko, who is retiring after Sunday’s season finale, went 0-for-4 Friday while starting at first base. The veteran received standing ovations before each at-bat. He struck out in the second inning, hit a comebacker in the fourth, flied out to the edge of the warning track in the seventh and lined out to left in the ninth. Off beat: White Sox reliever Maikel Cleto hasn’t had a season to remember, but he has been closing with a flourish. The right-hander struck out all three Royals batters he faced in the seventh inning, on 11 pitches. He has not only struck out the side in his past two outings, he now has 12 strikeouts over his past 6⅓ innings. Up next: The White Sox will send left-hander John Danks (10-11, 4.82 ERA) to the mound Saturday in the third game of the four-game series. The Royals will counter with left-hander Danny Duffy (9-11, 2.32) in the 6:40 p.m. CT start from U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox will have an on-field ceremony to celebrate Konerko’s career at 6 p.m.

Paul Konerko's No. 14 to be retired

By Doug Padilla | ESPNChicago.com

CHICAGO -- White Sox captain Paul Konerko hasn't even played his last game yet, and already he has been promised that nobody will wear his No. 14 again, while a bronze statue one day will bear his likeness inside the stadium.

"How could it not be retired? Of course it will be retired," chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said with a chuckle when asked whether Konerko's number would be taken out of circulation.

CELEBRATING PAUL KONERKO

the White Sox currently have nine numbers retired, all of which are painted on the facing of the upper deck behind home plate. Perhaps not coincidentally, there is a significant blank space between Luis Aparicio's No. 11 and Ted Lyons' No. 16.

The White Sox also immortalize their top players with statues on the concourse in the outfield, the last being of Frank Thomas.

"Oh he's worthy of a statue," Reinsdorf said of Konerko.

Konerko, whose 432 home runs and 1,383 RBIs in a White Sox uniform are second in franchise history behind Thomas, will retire once the season ends Sunday. He has played 18 seasons in the major leagues, 16 with the White Sox, and was a six-time All-Star.

Asked for his favorite Konerko moment, Reinsdorf picked one off the field. During the team's championship parade in 2005, Konerko produced the ball used to record the last out and handed it to the team's majority owner.

The gesture brought Reinsdorf to tears.

"He reminded me a lot of my favorite all-time player, Pee Wee Reese, who was a quiet leader, who led by example rather than a rah-rah guy," said Reinsdorf, a Brooklyn native. "Not many players can be leaders through their personality, but when a great player outworks everybody else and comes to work

early and plays hard and gives it his all, that's the best way a player can lead. Certainly that's the way Paulie has led."

Nate Jones targets July 2015 return

By Doug Padilla / ESPNChicago.com CHICAGO -- Making his first appearance in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse since undergoing Tommy John surgery, reliever Nate Jones said Friday he is targeting a comeback for late July of next season. Jones has gone through a trying 2014, starting spring training with what was finally diagnosed as a back issue that required minor surgery. While on the road to recovery from that issue, he blew out his elbow. Considering that Jones was a candidate to take over the closer's role when the season started, it should have been a devastating time for the right-hander. He refuses to see it that way, though. "I don't wonder 'Why me?' or anything like that," Jones said. "I roll with the punches. It happens to everybody at some point or another. I've just got to deal with it, put it behind me and come back next year healthy." Typically, players avoid putting target dates on returns that are so far in the future to avoid the appearance of a setback if it doesn't happen, but Jones was thinking positively. "I'm going to set a date of the year mark [from the procedure]," said Jones, whose surgery was announced by the team July 30. "The average is about a year, so I'm going to try to do that. It's always good to have a goal, so I'm going to work toward that goal and see what happens." Depending on his effectiveness, the 28-year-old could essentially be the equivalent of a late-July trade deadline acquisition when he returns. He has no doubt he will be effective, saying he is no longer having issues with his back. "I think the percent they gave me was an 85 percent chance of coming back just as strong, if not stronger," Jones said. "That gives hope, too, along with working towards your goal of that year mark. It’s a lot of motivation." Because he never felt sorry for himself, the hardest part of his year -- which consisted of two April appearances in which he failed to record an out -- was seeing the bullpen struggle while not being able to help. "It was tough because, obviously, if I was healthy, I could've been out there maybe helping, or maybe contributing to the bad stuff. I don't know," he said. "I always want to be in the action. I always want to play, so it was tough to watch. But guys got it straightened out, got everything figured out and they're doing good now."

With only two games to go, Paul Konerko plays final weekend

Associated Press

(AP) -- While the Kansas City Royals try to track down an AL Central crown, Chicago White Sox fans will be focused on the man that made three such titles and a World Series possible.

A day after securing at least a wild-card spot, Kansas City will try to make gains in the division race Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field as Chicago recognizes the retiring Paul Konerko's place in franchise history.

Kansas City (88-72), winner of five of six, clinched its first postseason berth since its 1985 championship season with Friday's 3-1 win in Chicago, ending baseball's longest postseason drought. It is now a game back of Detroit for the division lead and a game ahead of Oakland for the top wild card with two to play.

"It feels better than expected," said Billy Butler, who has spent his eight-year career with the Royals. "It's a great thing. I'm proud to bring this organization something they envisioned when they drafted me."

Lorenzo Cain is batting .424 over an eight-game hitting streak while Alcides Escobar is at the same clip in seven games.

Before the Royals get to work on potentially squaring up the division entering the final day of the regular season, they'll watch as Chicago (72-88) honors Konerko in a pregame ceremony while aiming to end a four-game skid.

Konerko, a six-time All-Star who has played 16 seasons with the White Sox, ranks second on the franchise home run list (432) and third in hits (2,292). The 2005 ALCS MVP's 2014 contributions have been limited and underwhelming in a parallel White Sox season, but his status as a franchise great was long before established with seven 30-home run seasons and six with 100 RBIs.

[MORE: Jerry Reinsdorf: 'Of course' Paul Konerko's number will be retired]

"It's like you don't want it to end, you want it to keep going," Konerko said. "But at the same time it is uncomfortable to play games underneath where everything on the (scoreboard) is about you, and everything going on is about you. So I'm kind of looking forward getting on the other side of it, but I'm trying to soak every last bit of it in while I'm doing it. So it's kind of that balance."

John Danks, the longest tenured White Sox pitcher, wasn't on the 2005 team but joined the Chicago rotation two seasons later and makes for a fitting mound presence to send off the slugger. In addition to being in Konerko's clubhouse for eight seasons, Danks (10-11, 4.82 ERA) has never lost to the Royals.

He enters his longtime teammate's big day in fine recent form, going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and four hits allowed in 12 innings over his last two starts.

One of those came against the Royals as the left-hander limited them to two hits in six scoreless innings of a 4-3 loss on Sept. 15. Danks is 6-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 15 career starts against Kansas City.

Escobar (0 for 15), Cain (0 for 8), Mike Moustakas (1 for 13), Alex Gordon (5 for 32), Salvador Perez (2 for 11), Butler (7 for 35) and Omar Infante (4 for 19) have all struggled against him.

Danny Duffy takes the ball for the Royals.

Duffy (9-11, 2.32) returned from a three-start absence due to a shoulder injury in Monday's 2-0 win in Cleveland. The left-hander held the Indians to six hits in six innings for his first victory in five starts, but he was critical of his performance.

"It was probably the worst stuff I've had all year," Duffy said.

His numbers were similar in a victory over Chicago on June 14 as Duffy allowed five hits with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings to improve to 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three career starts versus the White Sox.

Konerko is 2 for 5 off Duffy.

Jerry Reinsdorf: 'Of course' Paul Konerko's number will be retired By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago

While Jerry Reinsdorf isn’t sure Paul Konerko wants to manage he has no doubt the slugger’s No. 14 will be retired by the White Sox.

The only question seems to be when.

The club’s chairman said Friday he knows how fortunate the White Sox are to have had Konerko on the roster for the past 16 seasons when he could have received a bigger payday elsewhere. He also said Konerko would be honored with a statue in the future.

“How could it not be retired? Of course it will be retired,” Reinsdorf said. “He’s worthy of a statue.

“In this day and age, when people move around for an extra dollar, it’s quite a tribute to him and a blessing to us that he could be in one place for 16 years. He virtually played his entire career here, very little time with the Dodgers or Reds. It’s gratifying.”

[MORE KONERKO: Slugger at peace with retirement, but kids still need convincing]

Konerko said Thursday he’s most proud of his two decisions to remain with the White Sox. After both the 2005 and 2010 seasons, Konerko was offered more money but elected to stay with the White Sox. Between those two deals, which combined for eight years, Konerko received $97.5 million, according to baseballprospectus.com. Reinsdorf believes Konerko has been worth every penny.

“I haven’t given him any money, he’s earned every dollar that he got and he could have got more money some place else,” Reinsdorf said. “We got our money’s worth.”

Reinsdorf’s favorite Konerko memory is an easy one to guess -- the longtime owner said its when the team captain presented him with the ball from the final out of the 2005 World Series on stage during the parade. Reinsdorf also mentioned Konerko’s grand slam in Game 2 of the Fall classic.

[ALSO: Konerko thanks fans with video tribute]

But it’s clear that how Konerko has conducted himself with the White Sox means as much — if not more — to Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf hopes Major League Baseball can find more Konerkos and Derek Jeters to attract young fans to the game.

“He was the face of the franchise and always conducted himself with class,” Reinsdorf said. “Just a steady guy, not flamboyant. Not spectacular. He came to work every day.

“We need more Jeters, we need more Konerkos, we need more people like that because whether they want to be role models or not they are role models. People like Paulie and Derek set a great example for the kids and we need to get more kids interested in the game. One of our problems is the average age of our fans is getting older. We’ve got to attract the kids and teenagers. Guys who play with class and don’t get into trouble bring people like that to the game.”

Joe McEwing reportedly top candidate for D-backs managerial opening By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago

Would White Sox third-base coach Joe McEwing consider a managerial role if one was offered? Yes.

But, McEwing, who is reportedly one of the top candidates for the now-vacant Arizona Diamondbacks manager’s job, said he’s focused on the White Sox. He expects to return to the White Sox next season though he would consider a change were the right fit available. The Diamondbacks fired manager Kirk Gibson on Friday and the Arizona Republic listed that McEwing would be one of the top candidates along with Terry Steinbach and Jay Bell.

“I’m not outwardly looking for a position from the White Sox,” McEwing said. “This is my home and my organization. I focus on the things I can control and that’s helping us try to win a ballgame tonight.

[MORE: Nate Jones hopes to return by late July]

“If it presented itself, have the conversation and see where it is,” McEwing said. “But I’m focused on right here and I’ve always worried about things in my control and not exterior distractions. Whether it be in baseball or everyday life, that’s how I try to be with things.”

McEwing is considered a strong candidate because of his relationship with Tony La Russa, who was hired in May as the team’s chief baseball officer. McEwing played for La Russa in St. Louis in 1998 and 1999.

On Friday, Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart said he wanted the team to have a strong background in its use of analytics. McEwing has used analytics to employ more defensive shifts this season than any time in the club’s recent history.

White Sox Nate Jones hopes to return by end of next July By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago

Nate Jones expects to start throwing around Thanksgiving and has his sights set at pitching again one year after reconstructive elbow surgery.

The right-handed reliever returned to the White Sox on Friday for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery on July 29.

Jones appeared in two games this season but didn’t record an out before he went on the disabled list with a hip issue that led to back surgery in early May. Jones, who is arbitration eligible after the season,

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“You can guess the obvious No. 1 highlight for me was when he gave me the ball,” Reinsdorf said about the gift that Konerko gave his boss at the rally for the team in Grant Park. “That, of course, was my favorite moment. His (Game 2) grand slam has to be right up there.”

Konerko has been the favorite of ownership, teammates, fan base and media alike. It’s a rarity to see a player being exalted in every area of work and communications by the masses.

“He reminded me a lot of Pee Wee Reese (of the Brooklyn Dodgers), who was my favorite all time player,” Reinsdorf said. “He was a quiet leader and led by example, rather than a rah-rah guy. There are not many players that can be a leader by just their personality. When a great leader outworks everyone else and comes to work early and plays hard and really gives it his all, that is really leadership. That is the way Paulie led.”

Konerko made $130 million in his White Sox career and left an extra $5 million on the table after the 2005 season by returning to the White Sox over the higher bid from the Baltimore Orioles. He signed a five-year, $65 million deal back then.

“I have not given Paulie any money,” Reinsdorf said “He earned every dollar he got. He could have gotten more money someplace else. We got our money’s worth.”

The chairman confirmed a statue and number retirement is waiting for Konerko in the future.

“It is a tribute to him and a blessing to us that he could be in one place 16 years,” Reinsdorf said. “It is gratifying. We need more (Derek) Jeters, we need more Konerkos, because like it or not, they are role models and we need more like them.”

An (attempted) proper farewell to the retiring Paul Konerko

By Matt Snyder | CBSSports.com

The White Sox are staging Paul Konerko Day on Saturday, as one of the franchise's all-time great players heads off into retirement after this weekend. And though Konerko has been overshadowed by someone who shall remain nameless in this article, he deserves a nice sendoff as well.

Konerko has even gotten a bit of a farewell tour of his own, including parting gifts from the Twins (photo via USATSI):

And the Tigers, too, among others (photo via USATSI):

The 38-year-old Konerko heads off into retirement with six trips to the All-Star Game, five seasons in which he gathered MVP votes -- finishing fifth in 2010 and sixth in 2005 -- and a World Series ring.

Konerko sports a career line of .279/.354/.487 (118 OPS+) with 2340 hits, 410 doubles, 439 homers, 1412 RBI and 1162 runs. He's 79th in career total bases, 42nd in doubles and 71st in RBI.

A quick glance at baseball-reference.com's top 10 career statistical similar players to Konerko shows three Hall of Famers (Orlando Cepeda, Willie Stargell and Jim Rice) along with fellow "Hall of the Very Good" types in Andres Galarraga, Jason Giambi, Carlos Delgado, Andruw Jones and Fred McGriff. There's also David Ortiz, who may end up in the Hall of Fame. (And, really, McGriff and Jones still have an outside shot at going to the actual Hall, though I'd bet against it).

Basically, in the scope of Konerko's career, he does fall short of the Hall of Fame, but not by a large margin. He's on the next echelon for sure, and will be long remembered as a very good baseball player -- and a great power hitter for a long time.

In White Sox history, Konerko's all over the record books. Only Hall of Famer Luke Appling played more games with the South Siders. Konerko ranks second in both homers and RBI to Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, but is first in total bases. He's also third in hits, fourth in runs, third in doubles, fourth in walks, fifth in stolen bases (KIDDING!), second in extra-base hits, third in times on base and second in sac flies.

I joke about Konerko's lack of speed because I know first-hand he's OK with it. Allow me a quick personal anecdote to illustrate.

At All-Star media day in 2012 (in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium -- yes, media day was held in the football venue, not Kauffman Stadium), I was asking players about possible skills competitions for All-Star Monday instead of just the Home Run Derby. I mentioned something measuring speed and Adam Dunn says, "well, I know who [the winner] would not be. Konerko." Dunn then points directly to Konerko. Konerko looks over and Dunn simply says, "I just said you're the slowest person here." Konerko laughed and it wasn't one those "oh, I'm being fake, but just wait until later" looks. He was legitimately nonchalant about it. He really couldn't have cared less because he was comfortable in his own skin with his shortcomings.

And that's "Paulie." This is a common theme among teammates, and Konerko never worries about it. Just Friday, the following quote was posted on whitesox.com:

"Every single hit went to the outfield," said Konerko's friend and former teammate Brian Anderson, with a jab at Konerko's lack of speed. "The last time P.K. got an infield hit was 2000 and never."

It's the type of thing that takes on a life of its own at some point, and it did. No, it has. Ask nearly any former or present Konerko teammate, and he'll sing the praises of Konerko's professionalism while also telling you how much he loves him ... and then, at the very end, said teammate will throw in a crack about "Paulie" being slow.

Along these lines, it's funny to mention that Konerko went seven full seasons without a triple, but then -- in his early-to-mid 30s -- he had exactly one triple each in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He even managed a career-high two stolen bases in two attempts in 2008. So that was his late-career prime for speed, evidently. Dunn, Anderson and scores of other past and present teammates should be proud.

On a serious note, Konerko's career is all about the power. He had seven 30-homer seasons and six 100-RBI seasons as well.

You want a defining moment? It could be argued no player in White Sox history has as great a defining moment as Konerko. Roll the footage!

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Just look at the background shots of the crowd. Madhouse. And for good reason.

If not for that grand slam, the White Sox could well have lost that game. It was 4-2 Astros in the seventh, after all, and there's no way to prove that the White Sox go on to win Games 3 and 4 if they lose Game 2. That was the series-defining play, in my mind. And that series was the White Sox first World Series victory since 1917, erasing the so-called curse of the Black Sox scandal. Konerko was the ALCS MVP that season, too. He was the backbone of the offense and could have been considered a leader of the championship team.

There were, of course, so many other moments. Perhaps one of the best, because it shows the blue-collar, workmanlike toughness of Konerko, is this one:

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Yes, Konerko was hit in the face with a pitch and stayed in the game. He didn't throw a temper tantrum or try to go start a fight to prove his manhood. He actually did prove his "manhood" by instantly putting his helmet back on and insisting that he keep doing his job. That's how you prove real, actual toughness, not with some faux-macho posturing.

Speaking of which, let's play a game.

Quick: Name a Paul Konerko controversy or scandal.

I'll wait.

Still waiting ...

Still waiting ...

Yeah, we'll just move on.

Konerko has, however, done numerous charitable ventures in the Chicago area throughout his White Sox career. Earlier this season, the White Sox honored Konerko with a bobblehead and proceeds benefited Children's Home and Aid Bring Me Home Campaign, which was started in 2006 by Konerko and Jim Thome. The following quote was offered up in a press release by the White Sox:

"Paul has been a tremendous supporter of White Sox Charities throughout his career with the White Sox," said Christine O'Reilly, executive director of Chicago White Sox Charities. "We are thankful for his efforts both on and off the field, and this commemorative bobblehead will allow fans to show their support for Paul, while also giving back to a great cause."

All of the above has contributed to Konerko being wildly popular among White Sox fans, but they aren't alone. He's theirs, but almost every baseball fan respects his work. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Konerko is this: As a lifelong Cubs fan, there are very few players from his generation I respect and admire as much as I do Konerko.

Congrats on an excellent career, Paulie. You'll be missed by true baseball fans everywhere. Yes, especially in Chicago -- specifically on the South Side -- but everyone has an appreciation for what you've done. Enjoy a well-earned retirement.