Okay, it’s almost the end of the week, and my last post about Hawk got a lot of love, so I figured why not do an article about someone whose business is on the field, as opposed to being in the broadcast booth?

There’s still plenty of baseball left to be played this year, but I figured I should make another tribute to a man who has become a Chicago legend, and will always be remembered by White Sox fans everywhere. I’m talking of course of none other than the great, Paul Konerko.

This is probably gonna be the hardest article I have to write, for more than one reason. One being, where do I begin? Where do I start with the great Paul Konerko? A whole career of almost entirely White Sox baseball, so many memories, so many emotions. Another reason being just that, this is going to get emotional. I grew up on the White Sox, which means I grew up on guys like Frank, Magglio, Paulie (Sorry Paulie, Frank is still my favorite). Some of my very first memories revolve around the late 90’s, early 2000’s group of guys on this team. You can even make an argument that these guys are the reason I am writing this right now. They are some of my main sources of inspiration. Which is just one of many reasons Konerko will always be one of my favorite Sox players.

So let’s move on to the man, Mr. Konerko. Let me start by saying it’s absolutely classic Konerko to be retiring the same year as Derek Jeter. This man it feels like has had his whole career overshadowed, in classic Paulie fashion. Although, it kind of fits his personality. Laid back, and just goes with the flow of things. Took his whole career in stride, and now, slowly but surely, he has become a White Sox legend. He’s been a first basemen almost his whole career, and he’s always been a pretty respectable man in the field, with an exceptional ability to scoop the ball better than anyone I’ve ever seen. Not to mention his hitting, but I don’t have to tell anybody that. With the exception of a few seasons, he’s been a great hitter that always had a solid approach at the plate.

Even though he isn’t really back this year for everyday playing time, it’s still nice to see him give it one last go. He’s really here for a veteran presence, and to show Abreu the ropes, basically. I’m mainly glad at how well Williams/Hahn have treated Konerko, knowing this will be his last year, giving him one final goodbye, might I add for a decent price for one of this franchise’s best players. It wasn’t really about the money though for Paulie. Just being here seems to be enough for him, and everything seems to be going very smoothly so far.

So, where does this leave Paulie? As badly as a lot of Sox fans want it, unfortunately I don’t see the Hall of Fame being an option. Hell, I’d be surprised if he gets half the amount of gifts Jeter receives by the end of the year. But that’s what makes Paulie who he is. He doesn’t do it for the spotlight, or the awards, the publicity, or any of that. He does what he does for the Sox, and the city of Chicago, and all of the fans. So while most will be celebrating Jeter leaving and he will have the spotlight and most of the love, I will be reminiscing about seeing Paulie go.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am taking nothing away from Jeter. The man is a legend. But seeing him and Paulie leave together this year is very similar to seeing Mariano Rivera and Todd Helton leave the game last year. I’m sure Helton was well respected with a final goodbye in Colorado, but Mariano got almost all of the spotlight. Of course he deserves it, it’s just unfortunate for guys like Paulie and Helton. But, what can ya’ do?

I should probably start wrapping this up because I can truly go on about Konerko all day. I can sit here and present you all of his stats right now, and show you all of his career numbers, but I’m not gonna do that. I don’t need to make an argument about how great of a player he was, or has been his whole career. The name alone speaks for itself. In the end, Paulie was one of the greats for this team. It might not be enough to get him into Cooperstown, but it certainly was enough to get him a place in all of our hearts. Thank you for everything you have done Paulie, and know you are forever in the hearts of all your fans.