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by GEORGE CASTLE
Times Correspondent | Friday, March 24, 2006 | (No comments posted.)
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL | WHITE SOX SPRING TRAINING
TUCSON, Ariz. | The fire-red model truck zig-zagged throughout the far-end of the White Sox clubhouse, its direction uncertain.
But the fancy toy was not careening wildly, about to run over someone's cleats. Its "driver" was off in the corner, fiddling with a remote-control gizmo. Parked next to the guy's locker was an even bigger model dune buggy.
"This can go 60 mph on flat ground," said Bobby Jenks, the man-child at the controls.
Ever think about bringing the dune buggy to the U.S. Cellular Field bullpen during the season, putting a pair of eyeglasses on the vehicle and piloting it out to the nearest umpire?
"Maybe when I'm in the majors 10 years" Jenks said.
The White Sox closer won't have to log a decade's service to feel comfortable in the corner with his toys and holding court with Neal Cotts, Cliff Politte and other bullpen mates.
"Actually you got less room," Jenks said of his clubhouse perch. "You got two guys in the corner sharing one chair. So it's no difference."
But that's the only hint of discomfort for Jenks in his digs. He's now entrenched as the Sox go-to guy after a wondrous ride in the second half and postseason of 2005. And the Sox will lean on Jenks' strapping frame and fastball clocked up to 100 mph even more not that Dustin Hermanson is uncertain for this year due to recurring back problems.
"There's no reason to change anything," he said. "I'm going to work just as hard as last year and the years before. Only thing is, I now have a role. I don't have to wonder whether I'll be in Double-A or Triple-A. I know what my role is and I stay focused on that. If I start changing something, it's going to make me different.
Jenks was always supremely confident, sometimes bordering on the defiant. He had to shake off reports he was a serious disciplinary problem in the Angels' farm system.
Moments after the Sox won the World Series in Houston, he proclaimed that those who doubted him could "kiss my (butt)." And Jenks is miffed if he's questioned too aggressively about his weight or off-season conditioning.
But Jenks at 25 is hardly a finished product. He'll add command and control to his repertoire and maturity to his personality as the years progress.
"The biggest thing this year is staying healthy and consistent," Jenks said. "If I can put together a full year where I'm not on the disabled list or change something in the middle of the year, that's going to be the most important thing. I can build off that. I learned how to have a short memory."
That short memory helped in his 32-game, six-save performance in the regular season. Earning four saves in the postseason fast-forwarded the esteem his teammates feel for him. The 270-pounder didn't have to pay rookie dues for long.
"We all give him trouble about how big he is," Politte said. "But he's a lot bigger than anybody in this clubhouse. You got to watch what you say, you don't want to get him ticked off."
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