Newest starter to the Chicago White Sox rotation, Jake Peavy, turned down the opportunity to start Opening Day for the White Sox stating that this is "Mark's team," referring to starting pitcher Mark Buehrle.
''He didn't want anything to do with what he felt was getting in the way of the team, and he didn't want anything that he felt was remotely looked at as controversial or self-serving," White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said.
"He called me up two or three days after SoxFest and said, 'Dude, I don't want to start. This is (Mark) Buehrle's team.' "
Peavy is currently saying all the right things and with the dedication of Alex Rios in question, GM Kenny Williams at least knows half of his huge investment has his head screwed on the right way.
He also said, "'Well, if Buehrle doesn't do well, I got to pick him up the next day, that's what leaders do,' " Cooper added.
Peavy really can do no wrong while opening his mouth whether with its his jokes about the White Sox being full of rednecks; how much he wants to be part of that World Series dogpile like the team had in 2005; or his references to this season as a championship or bust season.
Who starts Opening Day is not necessarily who will be the ace of a team, but is rather a tip of the cap to a team leader. Where you fall in a pitching rotation is generally meaningless except for the fact agents use this to get their clients more money stating, "He is a number one starter," and so on.
Being the No. 1 starter for the Washington Nationals or the Pittsburgh Pirates should not get you more money, but this is just another way agents make pitchers seem more valuable than they really are, just as they do when putting a closer or setup man label on them.
The most important rotation is in October.
"After he told me about it being Buehrle's team,'' Cooper said, ''he did then say, 'Listen, when we get into the playoffs, if I'm not getting the first game then, I'd be (ticked off), but right now...'"
We will see if Peavy's words match his performance, but for a guy who has only made three starts in a White Sox uniform, he's talking like an ace.
Side note: Buehrle's Opening Day start will be his eighth in a White Sox uniform, beating the franchise record to go along with a no-hitter, perfect game, a World Series save and win cementing himself in White Sox folklore.
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