Paul Konerko will put off retirement decision for a month
By Daryl Van Schouwen Staff Reporter September 29, 2013 9:03PM
Kansas City Royals v Chicago White Sox
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Updated: September 29, 2013 9:43PM
Paul Konerko isn’t good at farewells or farewell maybes. The uncertainty of it all always keeps him subdued.
Next year, “look out. I might do a lap around the field because then I’ll know and it will be for real,’’ he joked Sunday.
The Sox season ended Sunday with Konerko fouling out in his only at-bat before coming off the field during the second inning to his standing ovation of the day. A tight back prompted the short appearance in what could have been his last one in uniform.
After the Sox’ 4-1 loss to the Royals, Konerko thanked the fans for their support, talked to media and started home for Scottsdale, Ariz., where he expects to take about a month to decide whether he wants to play another year or retire.
A sit-down with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who has a home there, should help him sort things out.
“My guess is we will probably have lunch some time whenever he’s in town,’’ Konerko said. “I know [GM] Rick Hahn is coming in I think in November. See where they are at.
“It’s not just me about all this. They have a lot of other stuff to figure out. They have their hands full with a lot of issues. I’m just one of them.’’
Konerko batted .244 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in 126 games, significantly below his career norms. After the game, he grabbed a microphone and thanked the fans for supporting him and the team through a trying season.
“In a year like this they treated me better than probably I deserved, really the whole team [63-99 for the fifth time in history with 98 losses or more], when you think about it,’’ Konerko said.
This and that
Jose Quintana (9-7, 3.51 ERA) pitched seven innings to reach 200 for the season.
◆ Season attendance was 1,768,544, down from 1,965,955 last year. It marked the club’s seventh consecutive drop since 2007.
