Subscribe To Our Site!

Hot Topics:

Main Menu

Home

About

Features

Submit

Facebook

MySpace

Friends

NSR

Contact

Mad-Libs

Archives

Gallery

Sponsors

Advertise

Subscribe

Jobs

SCNN

Twitter!

Live NFL odds and daily football picks. Get your free $100 sports bet with this book maker bonus code

MyTicketIn.com is offering Houston Texans Tickets like Dallas Cowboys Tickets, New York Giants Tickets, New Orleans Saints Tickets, Chicago Bears Tickets, Indianapolis Colts Tickets, New England Patriots Tickets, Minnesota Vikings Tickets, at discounted prices.

Get free NFL picks from PicksNFL.com Wunderdog Sports is your source for football picks Get free football picks at TopTenCappers.com. A check out this site when you Bet on Sports!

Football tickets
Arsenal football tickets
Chelsea tickets
Liverpool tickets
FA Cup tickets
Champions League Tickets
Manchester United Tickets
Spurs tickets
Take that tickets

  All Sports Rumors & News >

Konerko hoping to shed nickname

  • Digg
  • Google
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Technorati
  • Furl
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Fark

OAKLAND, CA — Chicago White Sox All-Star first baseman Paul Konerko is used to pressure situations and coming up with big hits. He can handle the crowd noise and the flashing lights before a pitch but there is one thing the slugger admit’s he “can’t stand.”

“I really hate it when the crowd at U.S. Cellular starts to shout ‘Paulie, Paulie,’” said a disgruntled Konerko before Monday night’s game in Oakland. “When it first started, I figured it would be a one time thing. Then Hawk [Ken Harrelson] decided to keep saying it during TV broadcasts and now I’m stuck with it.”

While Konerko’s frustration may initially come as a shock to White Sox fans, the history behind his hatred for the nickname is understandable.

“When I was a kid, all I ever heard was ‘Paulie want a cracker?’ from the other kids. It got so bad that my parents had to take me out of school. I was home schooled for years thanks to that stupid name,” Konerko said. “I’ve tried to bring this up before, but with Ozzie always taking the spotlight away from the team, we [the players] can hardly get a word in edgewise. When Jerry [Manuel] was the manager I talked to him about going to the press, but he threatened to put a Buddha curse on me if I did. I guess he thought it would be a bad vibe for the team if I went public.”

When asked what he would rather have the fans shout, Konerko requested “simple applause. Why do I need a nickname? Am I some sort of sideshow act?”

While the media will attempt to oblige Konerko and spread the word among White Sox fans, not all fans seemed willing to honor his request. A self-described “typical sox fan” and lifetime Chicagoan – Bill Grabowski, 52 – is among those not willing to part with the popular chant.

“Ya know what? Dat bum Konerko don’t know nuttin’ about what it’s like to be a blue-collar worker in dis city. If I wanna shout his name after he does sumthin for da Sox, you bet yer ass I’m gonna,” Grabowski barked. “Matter o’ fact, the first thing I’m gonna do tomorrow morning on the way to work is call the Mike North show and let him know how us true Sox fans really feel about PAULIE!”

If Grabowski really represents the majority of Sox fans, it seems the only thing Konerko can do to stop the repetition of his dreaded nickname is to stop making big plays on the diamond. Then, and only then, will Paul Konerko be able to put his troubled childhood behind him forever.

Labels: , , , , ,

Posted on April 12th, 2007

Subscribe To Our Site!

Got a headline idea? Click here to submit it... and be sure to visit our Facebook page!


Be the first to leave a comment on this story below...

You must be logged in to post a comment.



Search Our Site

  

Subscribe to SSNN's Newsletter

Enter your Email


Check Out These Classics

Multimedia News

Vertical Soccer


It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!

View Multimedia Archives...

Photo Gallery

Get the Flash Player to see the slideshow.

Visit our Gallery for a full listing of images...

Featured News

News In Brief