Sox Fans Infatuation With Paulie Finally Makes Sense

As anyone who reads this site knows, I'm a north sider through and through. I don't hate the Sox, I just think of them as some sort of small market team that somehow weaseled its way into my city. That being said, I have never felt strongly about Paul Konerko. Until this year, I generally liked to call him "half-man, half-a-season" for his tendency to have one great half season every year. He always seemed like a good enough guy personally, and someone who works hard. As my friend Andrew would say, "he's a ballplayer" (a player that goes out everyday and gives 100% no matter the situation, sort of like a grinder). Regardless of all that, I never understood south siders' patience with the guy until he got hurt:

"If this happened in April or May, you might wait until there was no pain," Konerko said Wednesday after an MRI confirmed a sprain of the medial collateral ligament of his right knee. "But I'll just wait until it can function. And if there's some pain, that's fine. It's that time of year when you have to get back in there. We're fighting for a spot in the playoffs. But it has to be able to function."

Love that Theriot-esque spirit. Good luck Paulie.