Jerry_Manuel
04-16-2002, 01:10 PM
From the Daily SouthTown:
White Sox general manager Ken Williams is tired of hearing about starter Jim Parque, who currently is pitching for Triple-A Charlotte.
Williams says he's tired of reading about Parque and he's tired of hearing him on local radio.
Parque has been saying he is ready to pitch for the big-league club, a stance he has maintained since being optioned to Charlotte during the last week of spring training to work on increasing his velocity.
"He needs to get his head in his (bleep) in the same city," Williams said Monday. "If you want to hear about Jim Parque, all you have to do is pick up a newspaper every day and read about it.
"Not only am I tired of hearing about it, but his teammates are tired of hearing about it. They have a good thing going on in (the clubhouse), and they're tired of hearing about what's been coming from Charlotte."
Parque, a 26-year-old southpaw, had season-ending shoulder surgery last May and spent the offseason rehabbing in hopes of being ready to open the season at the major league level.
"All winter long, I talked about Jim Parque being our No. 3 starter," Williams said.
But that ended shortly after Cactus League games began, as Parque was soon relegated to pitching in minor league "B" games, despite his having made two decent starts in major league games (1-0, 3.60 ERA).
The reason given was that Parque's fastball had dropped to 85 mph, whereas he was throwing 88-89 mph before he was injured.
When asked about which pitchers would break camp, Williams had said, "Ultimately, it's about getting people out."
Parque suggested that he was getting people out. But now that Parque's velocity is up to 87-88 mph, the results he's getting in Charlotte have been less than stellar. On Sunday, Parque allowed one run through five innings but gave up three straight home runs in the sixth, and his record fell to 0-2 with a 7.02 ERA.
"This is about him not being ready yet," Williams said. "We were talking about bringing him up April 10, but a rainout moved things around, besides the fact that he's been ineffective in Triple-A.
"If you're not going to succeed in the (Triple-A) International League, what makes you think you're going to succeed in the American League?"
Of Sox players who were interviewed, none said they were tired of hearing about Parque. But Parque, told of Williams' assessment of the situation, promised to be less of a distraction from now on.
"If I'm really being a distraction for my teammates and they're tired of hearing from me, then I'll just lie in the weeds and say nothing more about it," Parque said. "I don't want to do anything to take the focus from my teammates and what they're trying to do."
White Sox general manager Ken Williams is tired of hearing about starter Jim Parque, who currently is pitching for Triple-A Charlotte.
Williams says he's tired of reading about Parque and he's tired of hearing him on local radio.
Parque has been saying he is ready to pitch for the big-league club, a stance he has maintained since being optioned to Charlotte during the last week of spring training to work on increasing his velocity.
"He needs to get his head in his (bleep) in the same city," Williams said Monday. "If you want to hear about Jim Parque, all you have to do is pick up a newspaper every day and read about it.
"Not only am I tired of hearing about it, but his teammates are tired of hearing about it. They have a good thing going on in (the clubhouse), and they're tired of hearing about what's been coming from Charlotte."
Parque, a 26-year-old southpaw, had season-ending shoulder surgery last May and spent the offseason rehabbing in hopes of being ready to open the season at the major league level.
"All winter long, I talked about Jim Parque being our No. 3 starter," Williams said.
But that ended shortly after Cactus League games began, as Parque was soon relegated to pitching in minor league "B" games, despite his having made two decent starts in major league games (1-0, 3.60 ERA).
The reason given was that Parque's fastball had dropped to 85 mph, whereas he was throwing 88-89 mph before he was injured.
When asked about which pitchers would break camp, Williams had said, "Ultimately, it's about getting people out."
Parque suggested that he was getting people out. But now that Parque's velocity is up to 87-88 mph, the results he's getting in Charlotte have been less than stellar. On Sunday, Parque allowed one run through five innings but gave up three straight home runs in the sixth, and his record fell to 0-2 with a 7.02 ERA.
"This is about him not being ready yet," Williams said. "We were talking about bringing him up April 10, but a rainout moved things around, besides the fact that he's been ineffective in Triple-A.
"If you're not going to succeed in the (Triple-A) International League, what makes you think you're going to succeed in the American League?"
Of Sox players who were interviewed, none said they were tired of hearing about Parque. But Parque, told of Williams' assessment of the situation, promised to be less of a distraction from now on.
"If I'm really being a distraction for my teammates and they're tired of hearing from me, then I'll just lie in the weeds and say nothing more about it," Parque said. "I don't want to do anything to take the focus from my teammates and what they're trying to do."