Crede recognized by adoring Sox fans

01/29/2006
CHICAGO -- Josh Fields did not attend this past weekend's sold-out SoxFest at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago.
But if the Minor League phenom joined the 25,000 people celebrating the White Sox first World Series title since 1917 at some point during the three days, he probably would have joined with the fans presenting the numerous standing ovations to playoff hero/baseball rock star Joe Crede. It's a bit ironic that Fields, the franchise's first-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, has nothing but the highest admiration for the man he eventually could replace at third base.
"He was great, not just hitting, but he always has a great glove," said Fields, in a recent interview with MLB.com, when questioned specifically about Crede's postseason contributions. "He made some unbelievable plays and saved a lot of runs.
"It was exciting to watch him play, and Joe set the standards higher for White Sox third basemen. It extends to me to live up to that standard."
When the White Sox open Cactus League action on March 1 against Colorado in Tucson Electric Park, Crede will be the team's starting third baseman. When Chicago hosts its American League Central rival from Cleveland to open the 2006 regular season on the night of April 2, Crede will be holding down the hot corner at U.S. Cellular Field.
And when the White Sox receive their World Series rings two days later, prior to the first afternoon affair of the 2006 campaign, the ovation for Crede will be one of the loudest of the ceremony. Crede has earned every round of applause and ever moment of praise heaped upon him.
Without Crede's production during the final six weeks of the season, the White Sox might not be celebrating the momentous event capped off by Orlando Palmeiro's pinch-hit grounder up the middle in Houston. He staved off Cleveland's miraculous momentum to capture the AL Central with a walk-off home run against the Indians' David Riske on Sept. 20, and won the second game of the American League Championship Series with a walk-off double.
Crede, who turns 28 on April 26, hit .289 with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs during 12 postseason games, arguably making him the team's Most Valuable Player during that run. The celebratory reactions heaped upon Crede due to that particular success can be a little overwhelming for the low-key Missouri native with the sardonic wit. On Saturday afternoon at SoxFest, prior to a question-and-answer session with the fans to talk about World Series memories, Crede poked his head out from behind the curtain before Paul Konerko or Jon Garland stepped forward to the stage.
The crowd responded with an immediate standing ovation. Crede smiled and stepped back behind the stage. As a .252 hitter in 2005, and as the owner of a .255 career mark, Crede also has seen the wrath of the passionate White Sox faithful.
His late-inning heroics have become legendary in just three full Major League seasons. Consistency now is the word Crede will be searching for in 2006.
"It was an up and down year," said Crede of his 22-home run, 62-RBI production in 2005, which also included flawless defense, battling through three herniated discs in his lower back and a trip to the disabled list from Aug. 26 to Sept. 10 with a fracture in the tip of his right middle finger. Crede hit .379 once he returned for the season's final month.
"When I was on the disabled list, I sat back and worked on my swing," Crede added. "We changed a few things, and it helped me relax at the plate and it showed on the field. I'm going to take the same approach going into this year, but my confidence is that much higher after ending on a strong note."
There were times in the past when a slump would send Crede into a silent funk, with the struggles becoming as much mental as they were mechanical. Push forward to 2006, when Crede joined with Aaron Rowand and A.J. Pierzynski as part of the "Three Stooges," as dubbed by hitting coach Greg Walker. The nickname is self-explanatory.
Fields, 23, is learning that same mental toughness as he develops. The third baseman completed his first full season of baseball with Double-A Birmingham in 2005, by posting a .252 average with 16 home runs and 79 RBIs. The former All-Big 12 quarterback for Oklahoma State needs to work on his plate discipline after striking out 142 times in 477 at-bats. But learning to handle slumps and work his way free of them was Fields' biggest accomplishment.
"When you are playing that many games, you can't get down on yourself," said Fields, who also battled a right knee problem in 2005. "There is so much more than just playing, and I really learned a lot this year.
"You want to give 100 percent every day, but some days you just won't be feeling good. After a 16-hour bus ride, it's hard to go out there, but you still have to give it all you can on that day. If you think back and get mad at yourself, it starts to carry over to the next at-bat or next game."
When position players report to Spring Training on Feb. 22, Fields will be making his second straight appearance as a non-roster invitee. He won't make the White Sox in 2006 and probably not in 2007 either. Instead, he will work on learning more about baseball and his individual game, while studying one of the best defensive third baseman in all of baseball.
Crede, who avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $2.675 million deal, and is under White Sox control through 2008, simply will try to build on last year's amazing finish. There are no plans to look back to see who is gaining on him, as he races full speed ahead. At this point, his only uncertainty is whether that finish line remains on the South Side of Chicago.
"Baseball is a funny game, and you never know what will happen with trades and stuff," said Crede, who describes his recent contract negotiations as "very harmless and painless." "But I'm not going to look back and see who is behind me.
"I'm a guy who is going to look ahead. I'll look to the future and play my game. I won't play to not get beat out of a position. I'm going to play my game, relax and help this team win ballgames and hopefully another championship."

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/