"With Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle gone, White Sox veteran Paul Konerko — whether he likes it or not — becomes the face of the franchise.

"Captain" means more than it ever did if only because it may be used more than ever with first-year manager Robin Ventura running things.

"I'm not going to take (the title) away from him, I'll tell you that," Ventura said. "He deserves that, not only as a player but within the clubhouse as a guy who goes about it the right way."

In other words, Konerko becomes the modern-day version of Ventura, a presence in the clubhouse who doesn't speak loudly but carries a big stick of influence."