From the Locker Room: Pito at Peace
José Abreu is as straightforward a superstar as they come, and as such, his media session before the first playoff game of his career didn't reveal a whole lot of new information about the MVP favorite.
I tried to crack the private shell Abreu keeps by asking right off how it feels to finally be in the playoffs, a moment he might have dreamed about as a child or a young player in Cuba.
"Honestly, I didn’t dream about this when I was a kid."
José did run through many of his usual talking points: Appreciation for the White Sox organization, the fact that the team's slump at the end of year ultimately makes it stronger, and his basic approach of keeping things simple and at peace.
Abreu did return to his personal emotions when asked about what he'll be thinking of before the game, as the anthem plays.
"My biggest emotion will be what my mother thinks of me," Abreu said. "I know she’ll be watching the game, and will be very happy and proud. Having that thought will be the feeling I can have on the field."
---
José Abreu footage courtesy of the Chicago White Sox.
Actor (final credit: murdered by Albert Einstein in "Carnage Hall"), musician (Ethnocentric Republicans), and Nerf hoops champion, Wiffleball aficionado and onetime bilingual kindergarten teacher, Brett Ballantini also writes about baseball, basketball and sometimes hockey, for the NBA, MLB, NHL, and Slam, Hoop, Sporting News, the Athletic, SB Nation and others. He was CSN Chicago’s Blackhawks beat writer when their 49-year Stanley Cup drought ended in 2009-10, and took over the White Sox beat after that. He currently is the editor-in-chief of South Side Hit Pen and beat writer for Inside the Rays. He also wrote a book about Ozzie Guillén but is running out of space, so follow him on Twitter @BrettBallantini and he'll probably tell you even more about himself than you ever wanted to know.