Thomas plays his part as cheerleader for White Sox

CHICAGO -- Everyone knows Frank Thomas can hit. Turns out, he's a pretty good cheerleader, too.

The best slugger in Chicago White Sox history is missing the team's first World Series appearance since 1959 because of a broken left foot. But he was smiling Friday as he watched his teammates work out, insisting he's happy just to see the White Sox in the World Series.

"I tell people that honestly," Thomas said. "Getting to the World Series, I've been watching it year in and year out. I'm just going to take it all in and really help do my part in the clubhouse.

"If I didn't play this year, it'd be different," he added. "But I played this year, I had an impact. I was able to help the team win some games. I helped do my part."

Thomas has spent his entire career with the White Sox, and the two-time American League MVP was the only thing the team had going during some lean years. Even at 37, he hit 10 homers in his first 69 at-bats this year.

He played in the postseason only twice. The White Sox were beaten by Toronto 4-2 in the 1993 AL Championship Series, a loss Thomas said Friday was the "most bitter feeling" he's ever had. Chicago also was swept by Seattle in the first round of the 2000 playoffs.

"It's a little empty. I fought so hard my whole career to get here, and the year I'm not able to play, we're here," Thomas said. "I'm just really happy for the team, though."

Thomas hasn't played since July.

"I'm just going to take it all in and really help do my part in the clubhouse," he said. "I'm happy I'm still available and in this organization and in the World Series."

Six-for-one trade?

Now that his White Sox are in the World Series, owner Jerry Reinsdorf has rethought the remark he once made that he would trade the six NBA titles won by his Chicago Bulls for one World Series ring.

"I should never have made that statement," he said Friday. "The reason I made that statement at that time was because the Sox weren't doing particularly well, the Bulls were on top of the world, people were sending me letters saying, 'You're not paying attention to the White Sox; you're spending too much time on the Bulls.' So I figured one way to put it to rest it is to make a stupid statement like that, and so I did, and now it's been haunting me."

But was there a kernel of truth?

"It's like which of your children do you like better? But there's no question baseball to me, ever since I was a child, was a religion. To me it's bigger than basketball, but I sure wouldn't trade six for one. Maybe one for one."

Lefty matchup

Andy Pettitte, a seasoned veteran of the postseason and the World Series during his career with the Yankees, will pitch tonight's Game 2 against Chicago lefty Mark Buehrle.

Pettitte is 14-9 in the postseason in his career, including 3-4 in the World Series. Buehrle is 10-2 at home this year.