Security is the name of the game in Comiskey Park`s last week. The White Sox have begun removing items before fans can.
In the hallway outside the skybox suites, framed photos of past Sox teams have been removed, leaving only bare pegs in the wall. A section of seats in the upper deck also has been removed, reportedly to make room for security officers.
Meanwhile, Sox Vice President Howard Pizer said the move to new offices across 35th Street is proceeding, despite reports that electrical hookups are a month late because of blackouts in other parts of the city.
”That`s a story, but I don`t know if it`s true,” Pizer said. ”We`re right on schedule. We`re just waiting to make sure we have all the t`s crossed and i`s dotted. There`s no hurry.”
On the job: Oakland superscout Ron Schueler has been among the rumored candidates for the vacant general manager`s job, but he won`t be available for interviews until the end of the National League playoffs.
On Tuesday, though, Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf indicated the playoffs won`t delay his search. ”I don`t think that`s going to be a problem,” he said.
The comment added to speculation that Reinsdorf plans to hire from within the organization, even though he said Tuesday he`s putting together a list of candidates from the outside.
Eight is enough: The Sox have eight players with at least 50 runs batted in for the first time since 1977, when the South Side Hitmen had nine.
No minor feat: Baseball America named Frank Thomas its Minor League Player of the Year. He joins a list that includes Ron Kittle, Jose Canseco, Dwight Gooden and Mike Bielecki. ”It`s a great feeling,” said Thomas, who hit 18 homers in 109 games at Double-A Birmingham. ”But it doesn`t mean anything because I have to prove myself at the major-league level.”
Encore: For the second year in a row, Alex Fernandez is a finalist for the Nov. 14 Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the nation`s outstanding amateur player as chosen by the United States Baseball Federation. The Sox rookie was at Miami-Dade South this year after a freshman year at Miami.