It appears that the Chicago White Sox decision to convert 21-year old Chris Sale into a starting pitcher will be contingent on the health of veteran Jake Peavy entering Spring Training of the 2011 season.

If the decision were up to pitching coach Don Cooper, however, Sale would remain in the White Sox bullpen, where he is best suited to significantly help the team.

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It should come as no surprise that Mark Buehrle was awarded his second consecutive American League Gold Glove Award on Tuesday afternoon.  No, I’m not just saying that because his wife let the cat out of the bag with her congratulatory message on Facebook.  Rather, Buehrle was unequivocally the best defensive pitcher in the American League in 2010, just as he was when he won the same award in 2009.

Oh yeah, and there was also that spectacular play on Opening Day.

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• White Sox have picked up Matt Thornton‘s $2.25 million option for 2010…..Thornton says he’s only getting better with age and believes that he deserves an opportunity to close…..he’s prepared for anything that Kenny Williams throws his way….. [Scott Merkin/MLB.com]

• Ozzie Guillen plans to debut his new website[OzzieGuillen.com] by SoxFest on Jan. 21-23…..site will allow fans to “communicate” with the White Sox manager…..his sons will be running it and all content will be pre-approved by Major League Baseball……[Chicago Breaking Sports]

• Aaron Rowand and Juan Uribe won another World Series ring, this time as members of San Francisco Giants…..Rowand even got the feel-good start in Game 5…..Juan Uribe is still the same old Juan Uribe….. [Sox Machine]

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According to the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales, Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle could be leaning towards retirement when his contract expires after the 2011 season.

“But when next year gets here and knowing you’re going to walking away from the game, knowing if I have something left or not, I have to hope that first of all, I’m healthy,” Buehrle said Wednesday. “And second, someone wants to sign me. Obviously, it’s a plus if that is. And obviously it’s going to be harder to make a decision.

“As I sit here now, I’d love to just go home and be with the family and kids and go from there. But when next year gets here, at this time, it could be a tough decision, knowing this is all you’ve known for 15 years of your life and constantly having to be somewhere, to go somewhere. And all of a sudden you have nothing to do. It’s going to be a tough decision.”

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“You play for your teammates’ and your staff’s respect.  I definitely care about the guys inside this clubhouse, what they think. Not too much beyond that. It’s nice, I guess, if people have that, but at the same time I think I know who’s important to me and hopefully I gain those people. If not, you work to get that.” – Paul Konerko

It is the statements like the one above that have made Paul Konerko such a vastly respected player, teammate and individual throughout his 13-year career in Major League Baseball.  It seems that there cannot be enough great things said about the Chicago White Sox first baseman who, in an era rich with egotistical baseball players, has remained admirably humble.

To highlight Konerko’s influence on both his organization and the game itself, here are a collection of quotes from his coaches, teammates and other players around the league.

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