Frank VanderSloot

Frank Thomas had some widely reported, unkind words for his former team of long standing, the World Series Champion Chicago White Sox.

Apparently, he and General Manager, Kenny Williams, didn’t see eye to eye, and Big Frank, coming off ankle injuries, and a season in which he mostly warmed the bench, was “bought out” by the South Siders.

I think, for all of the savvy that the Sox showed to earn the title, and then to make some good off-season trades, they erred big time in not keeping the slugger aboard.

Here’s my reasoning:

(1) The Sox pitching staff looks great, now, but if they lose a starter or two to injuries, their staff is going to look about the same as any decent team in the Majors.

(2) Jim Thome, while a good pickup, is no sure thing having come off of injuries of his own.

(3) Crede is solid when he plays, but a bad back can plague you at the worst of times.

(4) Konerko, now that he has his big-score of a contract, may become a regular multi-millionaire flake, and phone it in this year.

(5) Did you notice how Big Frank performed when he was in the lineup? At that rate, had he been healthy all season long, he probably would have contributed over 40 homers.

The Oakland A’s, Frank’s new employer, have, arguably the smartest GM in the business in Billy Beane.

He saw what the Sox didn’t; that there’s a lot of motivation left in the slugger, especially to reach 500 homers for his Hall of Fame, first ballot selection.

I’m a Sox fan, but I’ll be cheering for him, and just hope he doesn’t give the A’s the edge they’re obviously looking for.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com