PROOF POSITIVE : Jeff Torborg Avoids Negativism to Help the Chicago White Sox Mount a Surprising Challengeto the Oakland Athletics in the American League West

Jeff Torborg emerged from his office in the Chicago White Sox clubhouse to find a group of reporters waiting. He surveyed the crowd, scowled and returned to his office, slamming the door behind him.

In other years--1989 for example--this might have been construed as a hostile act; a manager retreating to his bunker to avoid unwanted questions.

But not in 1990. Not with this Chicago White Sox team and not with Jeff Torborg.

A moment after going into hiding, Torborg reappeared, this time laughing. He led the group of reporters out to the dugout, where the day’s round of interviews began.

There are many questions around 80-year-old Comiskey Park these days. In the waning days of the stadium’s existence--the “new” Comiskey Park is scheduled to open in time for the 1991 season--most people want to know, “What’s gotten into the Sox?”

The White Sox, who have had only six winning seasons in the last 22 and have not finished above .500 since 1985, own the fourth-best record in baseball.

They lead the league in stolen bases and are second in earned-run average. They have had excellent relief pitching and have come from behind to win 10 times from the seventh inning on, tops in the league.

They are also the youngest team in baseball, averaging 27 years. So all looks bright for the future, which sits across 35th Street and casts a shadow on “old” Comiskey Park.

At the center of this rejuvenation is Torborg, who in his second year with the White Sox has gone from being a manager with little experience and questionable ability to the field genius of one of the hottest and most-talked-about teams this season.

“There is no mystique to managing,” he said. “If your players perform well on the field, if they execute properly, then you’re a good manager.”

After finishing last in the American League West in 1989, they are challenging the powerful Oakland Athletics.

Torborg, 48, has had a lot to do with the resurgence on the South Side, according to his players.

“A lot of managers are really aloof and you can’t approach them,” said rookie Scott Radinsky, one of the cornerstones of a bullpen that is second in the league in saves. “Jeff’s not like that. His door is always open.”

And for a young team, that can mean a lot.

The White Sox have been only a step behind the A’s all season and are showing no signs of collapse, winning six of their last 10 games.

No one has gone out on a limb and predicted a division championship. Few give the White Sox--or any other team--a chance of toppling the defending champion A’s.

Last week, Tom Kelly, manager of the Minnesota Twins, said it would take a miracle for any team to dethrone Oakland.

“He’s right, it will take a miracle,” Torborg said. “But I believe in miracles.”

Many say that Torborg and Larry Himes, the team’s senior vice president and general manager, already have accomplished the impossible.

Last season, Chicago had lost 56 games by the All-Star break and finished 29 1/2 games behind the A’s. The White Sox made 151 errors and had a 4.32 ERA.

“The first half last season was a nightmare,” Torborg said. “We were the worst defensive team I have ever seen. We couldn’t win at home; we couldn’t win on the road; we couldn’t win.”

The second half was much better, at least by comparison. The White Sox won their first eight games after the All-Star break and finished 37-36.

“One game over .500 may not sound like much, but after being 24 games under .500 in the first half, it sure seemed like a lot,” Torborg said.

The team’s success has carried over to this season. The White Sox were 31-19 through their first 50 games, compared to 18-32 in 1989.

“Last year, we went out and hoped to win,” said shortstop Ozzie Guillen. “This year, we expect to win.”

The turnaround has been a result of shrewd moves by Himes, who has rebuilt the organization since coming to the White Sox in 1986. Of the 25 players on this year’s roster, nine were acquired in trades.

Four of the traded players--Floyd Bannister, Dave LaPoint, Jerry Royster and Ken Williams--brought the White Sox the core of their pitching staff: Melido Perez, Eric King, Barry Jones, Greg Hibbard and Ken Patterson. That group, along with veteran stopper Bobby Thigpen and Radinsky, have been responsible for a staff ERA (3.17) second only to that of the A’s.

It’s also a pitching staff with an average age of 25.

“A lot of teams sign free agents or trade for veteran players to get a quick fix,” said Himes, who spent 14 years in the Angel organization. “I was concerned with the entire organization, not just the major league club.”

Thus far, the plan has worked. Three of the White Sox’s farm teams won league championships in 1989, something only two other organizations have accomplished in the last 20 years--the Dodgers (1970) and the New York Yankees (1980 and 1982.).

After Jim Fregosi resigned as White Sox manager in 1988, Himes wanted to find the perfect manager to get the most out of the young talent. He interviewed seven candidates, three of whom currently manage major league teams.

Jim Lefebvre (Seattle Mariners), Art Howe (Houston Astros) and Bud Harrelson (New York Mets) were brought to Sarasota, Fla., to meet with Himes. Bucky Dent, who recently was fired by the Yankees, also was interviewed.

“The first thing I did was take the interview process out of Chicago, (to) where the media wouldn’t be watching over us,” Himes said. “I talked with each candidate for several hours about what they felt their role would be. We didn’t get into philosophies of the game or strategies. I wanted to know how he viewed the role of the general manager, and what role he felt the manager should take.

“I’ve seen managers who had too much control. They were only concerned about the major league club winning. We wanted someone who cared about the entire organization.”

Enter Torborg, whose only managing experience had been a dismal 2 1/2-year stretch with the Cleveland Indians (1977-79), compiling a 157-201 record and finishing no higher than fifth.

Torborg also spent 10 years as a coach with the Yankees, the last as the bullpen coach.

“I really learned everything about managing in Cleveland,” said Torborg, who was a catcher for the Dodgers and Angels for 10 years until retiring in 1974.

“I had never even filled out a lineup card before. It was on-the-job training at the big league level.

“With the Yankees, I was able to watch things through the eyes of an ex-manager instead of as a former player. I learned a lot.”

And he had a lot of tutors in New York. The Yankees went through 11 managers during his 10 years with the team.

Still, Torborg speaks fondly of his years in New York. He was even offered the general manager position in 1982, but turned it down to remain on the field.

“I really enjoyed New York, but I was just a coach,” Torborg said. “It was a lot tougher on the manager. Dick Howser would get more gray hairs, and Billy (Martin) would start losing weight until he looked ragged. I learned a lot from all of the managers and have incorporated it into my style.”

Torborg’s hiring wasn’t popular in Chicago.

“I took a lot of heat for hiring Jeff,” Himes said. “Everyone kept asking why we were hiring a bullpen catcher. But Jeff impressed me. He had the patience I felt we needed with a young team.”

Nothing proved that more than 1989. Although the White Sox played pathetically, Torborg remained calm.

“He kept everything positive,” said outfielder Lance Johnson, who was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals and hit .300 after being called up in July. “He tried to build everyone up instead of coming down hard on us for the mistakes.”

With the pitching in place, Himes went out to improve the defense. Last July, he traded veteran Harold Baines, a four-time All-Star, to Texas for second baseman Scott Fletcher, right fielder Sammy Sosa and pitcher Wilson Alvarez.

It was a controversial move and, again, Himes was criticized.

But not now. Fletcher and Sosa have solidified the right side of the defense. And Sosa has hit about .260 and has 11 of the White Sox’s league-leading 56 stolen bases.

Baines is hitting about .230 for the Rangers.

“To me, that trade was the turning point,” Torborg said. “We got two guys who gave us defense. With Sosa and Johnson in the lineup, we had defense and speed--two of the constants you need to bring to the dance.”

The White Sox committed 33 errors in their first 50 games this season and are among the league leaders in fielding percentage.

Chicago is hitting .256, but three regulars--Fletcher, infielder Carlos Martinez and third baseman Robin Ventura--are hitting about .200.

The bullpen has 22 saves, second to Oakland. Thigpen has 19. Middle relievers Jones (7-0, 1.35 ERA) and Radinsky (5-0, 1.80 ERA) also have been effective.

Perez (5-4) and King (5-1) have been the team’s top starters.

“Our pitching has been amazing. We had no idea it would come along this fast,” Torborg said. “But they’re young. We’re going to have some rough times ahead. We’ll see how our character holds up.”

The White Sox already have had some tests. But Torborg has handled the young team with the patience that Himes was seeking.

Last Tuesday, the White Sox lost to the Seattle Mariners, 10-6, one of the few times that their pitching and defense have faltered. Ivan Calderon made a crucial error and the club gave up 10 runs in five innings.

The next day, Torborg held a team meeting.

“He started out by saying that we had to look ahead, we couldn’t let past mistakes affect us,” Guillen said. “I was sure he was going to come down on us. But he’s kept everything positive.”

Torborg has had a lot of experience working with young players. His three sons, Doug (25), Greg (22) and Dale (18) all played baseball.

He has applied that home-front knowledge to the clubhouse.

“I treat the players the same way I would want someone to treat my sons,” Torborg said. “Sometimes my sons do things that I don’t like and I let them know it. But that doesn’t mean I love them less.”

“He treats us with respect,” Johnson said. “I think he remembers how it was when he was a young player.”

As well as the team is playing, it is doubtful there will be a 1990 pennant flying at the new park next season. Still, there will be a team with a bright future.

“The easiest thing about managing is running the game,” Torborg said. “That’s simple. What’s hard is dealing with the media and the 25 diverse personalities that make up a team.”

For those problems, Torborg keeps his door open.

CAREER STATISTICS AS A MANAGER

Year Team Record 1977 Indians 45-59 1978 Indians 69-90 1979 Indians 43-52 1989 White Sox 69-92 1990 White Sox 33-19

AS A PLAYER

Year Team Avg. 1964 Dodgers .233 1965 Dodgers .240 1966 Dodgers .225 1967 Dodgers .214 1968 Dodgers .161 1969 Dodgers .185 1970 Dodgers .231 1971 Angels .203 1972 Angels .209 1973 Angels .220