'He's on our side': White Sox feel at ease with Sizemore at helm

CHICAGO -- The White Sox sported a different look during batting practice prior to their 5-2 loss to the Tigers Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, marking the start of a 10-game homestand.

None of them featured bedazzled jumpsuits or long sideburns in celebration of the traditional, and very popular, Elvis Night at the ballpark. The sideburns didn’t really pop up until Chuck Garfien and Ozzie Guillen brought them out during their entertaining postgame show while an Elvis impersonator sang “My Way” and fireworks went off in the distance.

Instead, the players wore T-shirts with a picture of interim manager Grady Sizemore from his successful playing days in Cleveland.

“It was a nice surprise,” said a smiling Sizemore before the team’s 15th loss in 16 home games. “I had no idea. I was just walking out and I saw a couple guys with it. I didn't know what was going on. But it definitely got a good laugh out of me.”

“You gotta have a little bit of fun,” said White Sox catcher Korey Lee, who followed up his game-winning, ninth-inning single Wednesday in San Francisco with three hits and an RBI. “I was surprised by the shirts also. It was a good surprise. But obviously we are all playing for one another and he’s on our side of the boat.”

Nobody really laid claim to the Sizemore shirt idea origin. But in this finishing kick of a miserable 31-98 season, the White Sox continue to play with a different sort of energy under his guidance.

That topic has been written about numerous times since Sizemore moved into the manager’s top spot on Aug. 8. They aren’t winning any more than before, dropping to 3-9 in his 12 games, but there’s still a different feel.

“One of the things Grady does so well is the ease he has just with people in general,” said White Sox general manager Chris Getz during his media session Friday. “He’s one that can take what many would make a complex issue and simplify it. Speaks to his confidence, his ability to communicate in an effective manner. I knew he had that talent in him, but to see him go to work with it has been enjoyable.”

“We want to see wins, but we also want to see these guys competing and being in every game. Guys are doing that,” Sizemore said. “We're still going to make mistakes and some of these young guys are still learning. We're not playing our best ball but we're trying to get to that point where we're playing our best ball."

Since the White Sox went on a three-game winning streak from June 27-29, including a 1-0 victory over Atlanta’s Chris Sale, they have not put together back-to-back wins and have a 7-37 record. The White Sox also dropped the 19th straight Chris Flexen start, which sets a single-season Major League record and ties a Major League overall record dubiously set by the Brewers' Chris Capuano (May 13, 2007-June 3, 2010).

Flexen, who allowed two runs over six innings with five strikeouts in a quality start, has a 2-23 team record in a starting role this season.

“Continue to battle, that’s all you can do. Strive to get better,” Flexen said. “Each week, [I] try to work on stuff. Try not to think about that in the long run, put up some quality starts and give us a chance to win. Try to be competitive every time out.”

Getz spoke of building criteria for what they are looking for in a full-time manager, with names coming in “left and right” from various people throughout the organization. They want to make sure to have a set list of attributes for that future manager before targeting those individuals, with interviews possibly taking place in September.

“We’re still building the process,” Getz said. “And look forward to getting into it more in September and October.”

Sizemore might make his way to that permanent list, but it won’t be solely based on results as the White Sox try to avoid the 120-loss record set by the 1962 Mets. He’s been a presence in the clubhouse even before the interim tag.

“He’s been talking to us, he’s been open to coaching us. He’s been open to telling us from his experiences,” Lee said. “He was an All-Star three straight years. It would be almost dumb if you didn’t listen to him. We are all taking what we can from him and digesting it and putting it into our game.”