Having spent the past 9 springs with the Sox, even I was skeptical after Robin Ventura was hired to manage the team. Ventura was a great player, but he had never managed, or coached, even on the little league level, so it was hard to gauge how he would do taking over a team that underperformed in 2011.

In February, once everyone saw what he was about, opinions changed, with most starting to realize that the Sox may be on to something. No, Ventura wasn’t as quotable as Ozzie Guillen, but his relaxed demeanor was exactly what this South Siders needed.

Flash forward 6 months, and all doubts are gone. Now everyone knows that Ventura has just as strong a grasp of the game from the bench, as he did from the field when he played.

MLB Network and Alanna Rizzo put together a nice piece on Ventura, who explains what he told GM Ken Williams when first approached about the job. It also goes in-depth on his job to date, with some nice quotes from A.J. Pierzynski. This is a must watch for Ventura and Chicago White Sox fans.

Liked it, huh?

I know the season still has about 6 weeks left, but how confident was I that the Sox would do well under Ventura? I put money on them to win the division in February. I don’t bet much..ever! However, as of August 22nd, things are looking good.