April 08--John Danks is a native Texan, and he doesn't enjoy cold weather.
But when the left-hander takes the mound for the White Sox home opener against the Indians on Friday at U.S. Cellular Field, he wants it to be "as cold as possible."
"I feel like it's more of an advantage for the pitcher the colder it is," Danks said. "I'm not real concerned about the cold to be honest. I hope it's 20 degrees and sleeting."
The Sox have played in mild weather consistently from the start of spring training through their exhibitions in San Diego and their four-game series in Oakland. So it might be a shock for some players to arrive in Chicago, where the forecast is for about 40 degrees for the 3:10 p.m. start.
"There are times I'll go in the clubhouse and stand in front of the heater," Danks said. "But for me in my experience, once I'm out on the field your focus is on everything but the cold. You really don't even notice it. Plus I'm able to still work up a lather. By the time I'm on the field, I'm not worried about the cold."
This will be the first time Danks has started a home opener, though he pitched the season opener in 2012 at Texas.
"I feel fortunate I've pitched in front of atmospheres like that, so hopefully I won't be too jazzed up," Danks said. "But I'm excited about it."
Danks, who posted a 5.40 ERA this spring, left Oakland for Chicago before the rest of the Sox so he could rest up better for the start. The Sox have a quick turnaround from their flight after Thursday's game until the Friday afternoon opener.
"It's not ideal but we're going to have to deal with it," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "It's going to be cold. That's probably more of an issue than anything. When we go back that's the first thing we're going to feel when we get off the plane.
"I wish we had a day to go home and get acclimated to it. It's a little odd when you have so many guys coming in not knowing where to go, where their locker is at, the routine they would set for themselves. It's a bit different, but we'll be fine."
