White Sox manager Robin Ventura planned to leave soon after Sunday's game for his California home and the four-day All-Star break. He leaves with a positive feeling about his first months as a major league manager.
``You're happy with it,'' he said of the first place White Sox. ``The effort the guys bring every day, the young guys and what they've brought--it's not always a negative to bring in young guys who infuse energy for the veterans.''
Ventura always defects credit for the team's first-half performance, saying his coaching staff--Mark Parent, Joe McEwing, Jeff Manto, Don Cooper, Harold Baines and Juan Nieves--have been keys.
Asked what his toughest decisions of the first half were, he cited pitching changes--but not just for taking someone out.
``That's always the hardest because you never know what the effect is on the guy when you take him out or leave him in. That's part of the story.''