Sox can't escape Twins talk – or scores

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Despite the fact that the White Sox left the Twin Cities late Thursday night, they still can't escape the specter that is the Minnesota Twins.

During Friday's rain delay, the game of choice on the huge scoreboard of Kauffman Stadium? Twins-Angels. Hours before Saturday's grueling doubleheader with Kansas City, the game on one of the clubhouse TVs? Twins-Angels.

Forget just scoreboard watching. The Sox are scoreboard staring, and Ozzie Guillen doesn't expect that to change over the final six weeks of the season. Or at least until someone tells the manager that the division race between the two is over with.

"I do look at the scoreboard, I do,'' Guillen admitted. "First of all, I can say 'Come on please. Beat them.' [But] we had our chance and didn't. Why do I have to be somebody else to do the stuff we have to do?

"Of course. Every time you look up there I say 'Man, I hope they …' I was watching the game [Friday] during the rain delay and they were up 7-1. I was like, 'Come on, please.' If you really feel for this you're concerned. Not that you pull against them but you can't control that, you can't. I always say to worry about one thing and that's your team. Because if you worry about another team, that's two problems.''

Because the Sox lost two-of-three to the Twins this week, they do have two problems. That series left the Sox four games back with three games left head-to-head. So they do need some help, as well as taking care of their own business.

One lingering cloud that was cleared up on Saturday was the idea that bullpen coach Juan Nieves somehow riled up the Twins players before the series started by what he said during an appearance on WSCR's "Coaches at the Cork'' last weekend.

The Twins and Sox have played their share of dodgeball this season, with pitchers from each team taking target practice on batters. It's a game the Twins were winning, considering Sox players had been hit with a lot more frequency.

Nieves was asked about that on the show and said, "I've even thought of telling guys, 'Hey [Matt] Thornton, smoke [Joe] Mauer, see if you can start a fight.' We're not afraid of anybody.''

That was made into a big deal before the Sox arrived into town, and was still being discussed up there. Before the doubleheader with the Royals, Nieves told his side of the story.

"A guy calls in and says, 'You guys are afraid of the Minnesota Twins.' I said, 'What are you saying? We're not afraid of anybody.' I told him if we have to retaliate, I'm sure Ozzie and Coop would take care of it. If we have to hit someone to protect our players, I'm sure I will. If Thornton has to hit Mauer … and then they took it to the next level. That's all. I was just reacting to a caller.''

Nieves wasn't surprised by the reaction, and said that the fan bases of both team will be on high alert for anything that could be deemed controversial until the race is decided.

"Of course fans are sensitive right now,'' Nieves added. "You've got two good teams, so that happens. Like Coop says, and I'm a firm believer in, the only way you beat a team is by pitching better and playing better defense and hitting more than them. I just don't see [we're afraid of them].

"But I was just reacting to a question from a caller, and letting him know we will protect our players.''

As for Guillen, now managing a team that is the hunter after spending 33 days in first place and being the hunted, he admitted to having a new morning routine for the time being.

"I always wake up and say Minnesota is going to win today,'' Guillen said. "Every morning I say Minnesota will win today. Why? Because they do. My mind is ready for that. Minnesota might win today but it's more important that the White Sox win today. That's more important. It doesn't matter if they win or lose. If we don't win, we don't get anywhere. But of course. When you're in the pennant race you watch.

"We have to. In the meanwhile, what is the difference if they lose and we lose? We have to win. We're the chasers. We have to win every game we can and keep it close when we face them again. That's all we have to think about.''