The "C" was bring forward on his c...

The "C" was bring forward on his chest for a reason.

It was accepted reluctantly according to White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko however it was accepted.

And while it's not in Konerko's makeup to be a rah-rah fright or call meetings to state the obvious, the Sox' captain believes now is as serviceable a time as any to address his teammates.

While Konerko still isn't exactly positive how or when he wants to finish his message across, considering the Sox have squandered 12 of their last 15 games and no longer steady lead the wild-card race, it will be delivered before they stair on the field tonight in Baltimore.

"Looking at it, it's not a bad time right now, if it be not that you look around this clubhouse and there are a haphazard of good teammates in here that know in what manner to play the game," Konerko said. "You hear worthy things come out of everyone's orifice as far as where we are. Everyone is saying and thinking the right things, still we're not just executing forward the field. So it would appear to be almost like overkill to walk and say it over a loudspeaker."

If the Sox' point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds were about players not being forward the same page or having a "who cares?" attitude, Konerko was adamant those vexed questions would have been rectified right away.

What makes it difficult for Konerko is the Sox have a core assemblage that has made sure the clubhouse has been pulling in the same direction.

"We have upright people on this team with veterans like Jermaine [Dye] Jim [Thome] Sandy [Alomar] -- population that are keeping the same approach and not slacking off" he said. "If we had race not taking the right approach or not playing the game with integrity, something would have already been said and said quickly. further that's just not happening.

"Everyone is going at it the right way. That's probably the thing that is the principally frustrating is that our approach is the same from when we were rattling along 15 or 20 [wins] or whatever it was."

Konerko was able to offer his finger on at least single in kind thing he wants to address.

"The main thing right now is we're carrying the baggage of the last brace weeks into the next game," he said. "We ne to carve loose of it and start anew.

"That's what wants to be said in the nearest few days, on a bus ride or something like that. Putting that disclosed there. That's my feeling."

Now it's Konerko's responsibility to make his feelings known. That's what manager Ozzie Guillen wanted when he named him captain in the spring. It's also what former Sox outfielder Carl Everett doubted Konerko would be able to shake off.

"You don't have any voices in there to say, `Hey, let's finish this going,"' Everett said during spring training when asked about existing clubhouse leadership.

When Konerko's name was brought up to Everett -- who was designated for assignment on the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday -- Everett didn't think Konerko was the answer.

"No, he's not vocal," Everett said at the time. "That captain elemental part is overrated. I would not pick one guy as a captain. I wouldn't want that constraining force on me. You see dowdys are wearing that thing reluctantly. That should stay in hockey"

Now is Konerko's chance to demonstrate Everett wrong -- and more important, help inflect around a season before it acquires out of reach.

jcowley@suntimes.com

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