"To say new White Sox reliever J.J. Putz took a long, winding road on his way to Chicago is more than a metaphor.

Putz and Sox lefty Matt Thornton, friends since their days in the Mariners minor league system, enjoy spending offseason days together off-road where they ride side-by-side utility vehicles along the trails behind their Peoria, Ariz., homes. For hours at a time, the late-inning relievers bond by navigating up mountains and down valleys, taking the kind of wild ride that has nothing to do with walking the bases loaded.

"We're all-enclosed and in harnesses so it's safe and relaxing for us,'' said Thornton, a big reason Putz signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Sox. "It's fun to hang out with someone you trust. There are trails galore. We'll just cruise around or some days we'll build fires.''

Apparently Putz can take the heat as well as he can bring it.

He's practically flame-tested after an injury-plagued disaster of a season in New York. It was bad enough for the Mets to decline a $9.1 million option for 2010 one year after swinging an 11-player deal to acquire the former closer."