CHICAGO — Paul Konerko’s first reaction upon hearing Robin Ventura would be his new manager with the White Sox was the same as most everybody else’s.
“I was kind of surprised, more at not that we hired him but because I didn’t know that was something he’d want to do,” Konerko, the team’s star first baseman, said Friday, the day after Ventura was hired to replace Ozzie Guillen.
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 kind 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.”
Judge sides with MLB
DOVER, Del. — Major League Baseball will not have to give the Dodgers evidence on how the league has dealt with other teams as lawyers prepare for a court showdown that will determine the Dodgers’ fate.
Attorneys for the team argued they need information about the league’s treatment of other teams to show that commissioner Bud Selig has not dealt with the Dodgers fairly.
But a Delaware judge stood by his earlier decision restricting an upcoming court fight to the league’s relationship with the Dodgers.
