LISTEN: Ventura Live In Studio
(WSCR) A day after his official introductory press conference, new White Sox manager Robin Ventura joined The Mully and Hanley Show live in studio to discuss the upcoming season.
Here' what Ventura had to say:
On the excitement of being a new manager:
"In taking the job, you go through the 'OK, I get to make that call.' That's the exciting part for me -- that you actually get to run the game. The things that you thought of as a player, believe me, I know these guys in the dugout, they won't show it, but in their mind, every once in a while there is a move where they go, 'Hmm, I don't know how I feel about this matchup.' But that's the exciting part."
LISTEN: Robin Ventura on The Mully and Hanley Show
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On putting together the right coaching staff:
"It's putting together a staff that you can bounce things off of, ask questions. I'm the guy that's going to make the final decisions, but I want input from everyone -- that's why they're there. I want smart people around me, and get as much information as I can.
"I'm definitely going to lean on (pitching coach Don Cooper) for some of the pitching stuff because he's been around these guys for so long, but again, I'm going to be the one that decides when it's time."
On managing player personalities:
"You don't treat everybody equal, but you treat everybody fairly. Paul Konerko has earned the right to do some other things, maybe have his own program when he's doing something hitting-wise. Other guys might not have. That's something we're going to work through that I know I can handle as far as treating guys fairly. If they can't handle that, then that'll be an issue, but I don't see that happening."
On the mix of young and veteran players:
"I'm excited about the young guys that they have. Granted, it's going to be a mix of having older guys, and you hope that they come back to form of what you expect them to do. When you infuse that with young guys, that's a fun way to play.
