CHICAGO -- The White Sox knew they had a tough fight with Jake Peavy in the American League portion of the 2012 Final Vote competition. It was difficult only because Texas' Yu Darvish, the eventual winner, also was on the ballot and not because Peavy didn't deserve it. <\/p>\n
So, in this uphill battle, the White Sox had some creative fun with the TakeJake campaign. The video that stands out a little bit brighter among all of the high-quality productions was second baseman Gordon Beckham's impersonation of Peavy during a mock interview. Beckham had the mannerisms and buzz words down perfectly, in a concept developed by first baseman Paul Konerko. <\/p>\n
It was also great entertainment for the entire team. <\/p>\n
\"Everybody thought it was funny,\" Beckham said. \"The thing about it is that's a caricature of him. It's like when those people draw those little pictures of somebody and they blow it up out of proportion. We were trying to mess around and come up with the ultimate Jake Peavy. <\/p>\n
\"I can't believe it all came in one take and it just happened to work out. I think he thought it was hilarious and that's the most important thing. In no way, shape or form were we trying to make fun of him. I always do a good impression of Jake, so Paul decided he wanted me to do this. We thought it could help out.\" <\/p>\n
This video also illustrates the camaraderie running throughout this tight-knit clubhouse. <\/p>\n
\"If there's sensitivity issues there, that probably wouldn't have happened,\" Beckham said. \"Jake knows we were joking. <\/p>\n
\"Everybody in here could have the same thing done to him. He took it all in stride. It was fun.\" <\/p>\n
CHICAGO -- When White Sox left-hander Chris Sale presented his return to the rotation case to Ken Williams back in early May, he argued with the same fire and conviction that he takes into each start. <\/p>\n
The White Sox general manager responded to the 23-year-old's confidence and bravado, and the team decided that Sale's bullpen hiatus would only last from May 4-12. Since that discussion about the southpaw's normal elbow pain, Sale has posted a 7-1 record and enters the All-Star break with a 10-2 mark, a 2.19 ERA, 98 strikeouts over 102 2\/3 innings and a .198 opponents' average against. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nTakeJake clips part of club's chemistry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"