By Bruce Levine–
CHICAGO (CBS) — The Ichabod Crane body type walked into a conference room Monday with the same swagger he took to the mound for seven seasons with Chicago.
There is no hiding 6-foot-6 of gangly baseball talent as it enters a room. Chris Sale returned to his former baseball home for the first time since being traded last December.
You do not get your own press conference unless there have been great accomplishments that preceded your return.
“It is all very weird,” Said Sale as he addressed a media contingent of 50. “I had never been in the visitors clubhouse here. It was strange trying to get my bearings but it was good to be back. I just think of all the games, all the memories, all the fun times, really. I had a lot of fun here and a lot of good friends in that clubhouse.
“I stopped in to say hey to a few guys. I did not want to bother them but I wanted to let them know I missed them. I spent seven years here. It was fun walking back in here and thinking about those years.”
Sale is at the top of his game once again in 2017. He struck out 10 or more batters in nine consecutive games this season, tying a record with Pedro Martinez.
That the White Sox parted company with him for more than just baseball personnel reasons can be argued. Knowing there was a disconnect between the pitcher and upper management can not be disputed.
I asked the Boston pitcher if he has put those differences behind him.
“There are no hard feelings,” Sale said about is fractured dealings with the White Sox upper management. “I know there were a couple of blips on the radar compared to a lot of good times. More so than anything, I just want people to know I appreciated my time here. More times than not it was really good times. I always had really good teammates. I always had great coaching staffs. I am appreciative of that. I do not want to lose sight of that.”
Mistakes, of course, included a near team mutiny in spring training of 2016 over Adam LaRoche abruptly retiring because the team would not allow his 14-year-old son, Drake, be a mainstay in the clubhouse. There was day last July where he cut up the entire team’s throwback uniforms, which he was supposed to wear on the day of a start. He once attempted to break into the Kansas City Royals locker room to fight each player.
Twice was Sale sent home by manager Robin Ventura to cool off. These are all some of the glitches Sale could itemize as reasons he was traded away.
“Like I said, there is no hard feelings,” Sale reiterated. “You know, coming into this, everything is a possible. Being traded, free agency, it just came to a time it needed to happen. It is very rare when you see one guy stay on the same team from start to finish. I just come in here with a smile on my face ready to see some old friends.”
Sale is looking forward with a small amount of trepidation to pitching against his former club. He will match up against new White Sox ace Jose Quintana in a highly anticipated pitchers duel. It will be different, but his competitive fire will be the same.
“It will be hard not to crack a few smiles out there,” Sale said about facing the White Sox on Tuesday evening. “I spent a lot of times with these guys. Some were teammates of mine for a number of years. We had some good times together.
“I am still going to compete against them. They are my friends, but I am not going to give them anything.”
Fans got to pay tribute to Sale in the bottom of the first inning on Monday, as the organization put together a video tribute for its former ace. Sale tipped his hat to the crowd and got a warm welcome.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2s7Bwbe
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