Levine: Konerko Wants To Play Regardless Of Broken Hand
By Bruce Levine--
(CBS) -- The fate of Paul Konerko's last at-bats as a major league player has been the topic of great debate since a hairline fracture in his hand was discovered a week ago.
Konerko has vowed to play again for the home fans before the season ends on Sept. 28. The thought of trying it out this weekend sometime remains a current goal.
"The plan is in two days pick up a bat and take a few swings," he said. "I will see what that feels like. If that feels good and there is not anything sticking out as far as too much pain, we will move on from there."
Normally, any fracture takes a month for the bone to heal and to get the area of impact back into playing condition. Konerko has had multiple hand injuries to deal with during his 18-year professional career, so he has some expertise with handling pain in his hands and still playing.
The last season of his career has gone pretty much as the White Sox and the veteran first baseman thought it might. Taking a role as mentor and teacher was supposed to be a good portion of Konerko's swan song to his Chicago career, and it has been.
The .220 batting average, five home runs and 22 RBIs have been less production than was anticipated by the fan base and media who have watched his 16-year Sox career unfold on the South Side since 1999.
"To me, there is no bad ending here," Konerko said. "It would have been better to be playing on a team going to the playoffs. In the grand scheme of things, it is not a big deal. I will get back out there, hopefully this weekend, but on the schedule I am on, it is more realistic to play on the road trip. Hopefully it will be for a couple starts at least for some pinch hits. We will have to see how I am doing, there is a little fracture in there. The swelling is kind of gone, but we know a bone does not heal in a few days. There will be some discomfort , we are just trying to make sure we don't reset the injury and set me back anymore."
The final career totals of Konerko are short of Hall of Fame credentials, but certainly not by much. The 38-year-old four-time All-Star has been the second-most productive offensive player in franchise history. His 432 home runs are second to Frank Thomas's total of 448 as a White Sox player. He's second in RBIs and games played. Konerko is the all-time Sox leader in total bases, having surpassed Thomas early in the season.
Stepping aside for young players hasn't been an easy task for some veterans on the White Sox. In the case of Konerko, he knew his role from the time he agreed to come back last November. Going out on a bad club isn't ideal for the iconic White Sox player who will have to deal with the team's worst back-to-back seasons in 25 years.
"I would have liked to see us push into September and being in it a little more," Konerko said. "Everyyone knew that this year would be a learning curve with a lot of younger guys in there. Where we are at in the records and standings, it might not look good. We know that this teams in in a way better spot than we were a year ago. The record doesn't always indicate where a team is at. This team has made a lot of good changes and is in a much better spot. Knowing that, selfishly, it makes it much easier to walk away. I think the trend is good. I believe when it gets good here, it will be good for a long cycle of time."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.