Levine: Jerry Reinsdorf Still In It To Win This Season
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When I bumped into White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf on Tuesday evening, he took the occasion to mention my recent story on how the White Sox might consider doing a reversal and trade off some veterans.
The premise I set forward was based on if the team, as constituted right now, lags behind the division at the All-Star break. My theory asked if it would make sense to be sellers rather than buyers?
As for the speculation in my story, Reinsdorf told me in his own instructive way that he had no plans for anything but a full-out attack on helping his front office find a way to win now. The meeting was brief and friendly. Knowing Reinsdorf for many years, I knew he was suggesting that although I wasn't hurting anyone with my "panning for gold" speculation, rebooting and selling off wasn't in the organization's plans.
Entering play Wednesday, the White Sox (32-33) were in fourth in the AL Central, 3.5 games behind the division-leading Indians. What appears to be in the plans is to keep attacking and adding players who can help get the club into the playoffs. The support system reaches down to the manager and players from the chairman himself.
"He is always trying to do that," manager Robin Ventura said about Reinsdorf's proactive nature.
"He is always looking for ways to help us improve. That has always been there, whether it's roster stuff or observations on what he sees."
After all, it was Reinsdorf who asked valued confidants Kenny Williams and Dennis Gilbert to write down on a sheet of paper the top picks to replace Ozzie Guillen as manager in 2011. Both had Ventura, who had never managed or coached, as their choice.
"You would expect his enthusiastic ways to wane in owning teams this long ," Ventura said. "But what I see is that he is still passionate about them."
The players who have been around the chairman of the White Sox seem to appreciate his desire to get better and win.
"You see all the guys we picked up this year and I am one of them," third baseman Todd Frazier said.
"He wants to win, no doubt. He said to me he wasn't getting any younger, and so why not keep battling? We have the team to do it. We have the team to get into the playoffs. We have a team that can do some damage.
Outfielders Adam Eaton and Avisail Garcia have the longest tenure on this team of new and old brought together to win in Chicago.
"We see Jerry every now and again in the clubhouse or on the field," Eaton said. "He seems to have a very large passion to win. He definitely wants to put a successful team on the field.
"Jerry wants to win, and he wants to win now."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
