Mark Buehrle lets the tide slide as 2011 season approaches
Major League Baseball brings a lot of players together, under one household name. The game, like any other, is a match not only for people, who love to play but for those, who like to see others play.
The fans have been making their concerns known this season as the spring training session is creeping close to the timetable. With less than a month left on the calendar, clubs are making their final preparation for the regular season and it seems the Chicago
White Sox are not making time work for them.
The club has been actively making tactical and strategic changes in its line up and administration. But the prospect of having new players coming in seems bleak.
Nevertheless, there are players, who are not making any decisions right now. Take Mark Buehrle for example. The White Sox pitcher is entering the last year on his $56 million deal. With the contract expiring at the end of the season, there is a consideration
towards retiring.
The veteran has been vital for the White Sox and history depicts him as a man to make 30 appearances for the team, playing in well over 200 innings.
Last year paid testament to his ability as he scratched 13 wins and 13 losses in 33 starts. The ace was vocal about his future and he shared his take on the situation.
"If I have a good year, and something happens and there's an opportunity out there to sign, I'm open for it", Buehrle said. "I talked with the wife (Jamie) about playing for a couple more years possibly, so we'll see. It's a long year, so if I decide to
retire at the end, I'll retire. If not, I'll sign somewhere".
Paul Konerko, who has been a White Sox player like Mark, went through a contract negotiation in December, before signing on for more years. He talked about Buehrle’s situation and expressed his view on the veteran’s situation.
"I'm glad he's going through it", Konerko said with a laugh.
"Now that I'm away from it and on the other side of going through that situation, it's one of those things that as long as Mark is healthy and throwing the ball, and if that's the case, he's going to get people out. That's just him. So much of that stuff
is personal when you have family, kids. All kinds of factors appear that were not there when you were younger. There are so many moving parts to it. No decision he could make ever would affect what I think of him as far as going somewhere else. It would be
funny to see him somewhere else".
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