Could the White Sox look to '05 champs for next manager?

CHICAGO -- There was a distinct 2005 feel for the White Sox during a two-game weekend set against the Cubs, which the North Siders swept by virtue of a 3-1 victory Saturday night before 38,341 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the World Series champions, expertly went through his live pregame and postgame work Friday on NBCSports Chicago. A.J. Pierzynski, the durable and talented ‘05 catcher, served as the FOX analyst for Saturday’s broadcast, while Freddy Garcia, the starting pitcher for the deciding Game 4 in a sweep of Houston, was in attendance Friday.

Willie Harris was also there, manning his usual post as Cubs third-base coach. It was Harris who aggressively sent home Cody Bellinger from first on Isaac Paredes’ two-out double in the fifth, leading to the game-tying run against a 1-0 deficit.

Harris scored the winning run in Game 4 back in 2005 for one of the more dominant Major League Baseball championships in the past 20 years. Harris has a good job across town, but with the White Sox manager’s position open after Pedro Grifol was dismissed Thursday, he is also thinking about his future.

“I’m grateful to be where I am and I’m happy. Things are going well,” Harris told MLB.com before a 7-6 victory for the Cubs on Friday. “But yeah, I would love to be the manager for the Chicago White Sox. I think it has a ring to it.

“I would absolutely love it if they showed interest in me being the leader of this organization, this team. But I also understand how it goes. It’s a waiting process. If they call, great, I’ll be ready. I’ll be prepared. If they don’t, I’m in a pretty good spot where I am right now.”

White Sox general manager Chris Getz and Harris had a discussion near the home-plate cage during Cubs batting practice Saturday, but that figured to be two former opponents, two friends catching up. Getz also spoke to Pierzynski for a short period of time during White Sox batting practice, although with Getz looking for an individual from another team, in uniform, to fill the managerial vacancy, the knowledgeable Pierzynski would not seem to be a fit.

But Harris would. Although he was hired by the Cubs on Dec. 8, 2020, he still has a connection to the South Side.

“Sometimes I get, ‘The game winning run. Willie Harris!’ Sometimes I get ‘Hey Willie, keep sending them,’” Harris said. “ I don’t know how I got this reputation of just sending everybody. I just try to make the best decision for the team in that moment.

“I’ll always be connected to the Chicago White Sox no matter where I’m working, coaching, it doesn’t matter. I was on the ‘05 championship team. I scored a big run to help this organization bring a championship.”

Saturday’s win moved the Cubs (59-60) within one game of .500. The White Sox, meanwhile, fell to 28-91, 0-4 against the Cubs, and 1-20 since the All-Star break. They need to finish 15-28 to avoid matching the 1962 Mets’ record for futility at 120 losses.

There’s an extremely rare day off Sunday for the team, giving White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore a chance to breathe since taking over leadership Thursday.

“A day off will be too much time with my own thoughts. I would rather get back out there,” Sizemore said. “But these guys need a rest. It will be a nice day off, a Sunday day off for these guys. Everyone will spend time with the family, regroup and come back Monday ready to go.

“It’s been like a dream. A lot of it doesn’t feel real. It’s been fun. I’m really proud of the way these guys have played and gone about their work and the way they competed in those games. It’s been different in the dugout. I just want to build off of that. Just keep going, keep fighting and keep playing like that. And I think good things will happen.”

Sizemore most likely won’t be on that list of White Sox managerial candidates, but is clearly a valued member of the organization. Harris hopes to get that interview and maybe get that opportunity.

“I know I would be a good manager,” Harris said. “With the help of the front office, with the right people around me helping me, I think I would be really, really good at it. I understand the nuances of the game. I learned how to deal with the numbers. I think I’m ready.”