Chicago White Sox are awesome. Bobby Jenks concentrates on teaching as the Windy City Thunderbolts manager.
Crestwood, Illinois (CBS) – The Windy City Thunderbolts, a minor league baseball team, has a new manager who is well-known to Chicago baseball fans.
Bobby Jenks pitched in some of the most significant occasions in White Sox history. He’s currently transitioning into his next profession as a manager, which has taken him back to the Chicago region to lead the Windy City Thunderbolts in Crestwood. He’s also brought along another excellent MLB mind to assist him.
Jenks has instant credibility when it comes to managing guys that want to make it to the major leagues.
“He’s got the last out in the World Series,” stated Thunderbolts pitcher Justin Miller. “You simply want to know everything about it, since that is where we want to be. We’re basically all trying to get to that point.”
The manager has gained such respect, even though most of the Thunderbolts’ players were probably not great baseball fans when Jenks was pitching for the White Sox.
“These guys probably weren’t even alive yet,” Jenks remarked. “There might’ve been a couple here that were alive but definitely not watching.”
Jenks stated that even while playing, he was considering a career in management. He arrives to Windy City having previously worked as a pitching instructor in the minors before winning Manager of the Year in the Pioneer League with the Grand Junction Rockies. He mentioned he has a straightforward style.
“I think I’m pretty easy to get along with,” Jenks explained. “As long as the guys are doing their job first, I’m pretty relaxed on how much fun they’d like to have.”
If Jenks’ pitching acumen wasn’t enough, he has another guy on his staff who knows a thing or two about high-level baseball pitching. Longtime MLB and Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild is serving as a pitching consultant.
“It’s nice to be able to teach again, which is what I’m interested in, so it’s been fun,” Rothschild added. “You know, I am closer to home. Just the whole setup here, with Bobby overseeing the field crew, has been a lot of fun.”
Jenks stated that despite Rothschild’s extensive expertise, he hasn’t spent much time with the Thunderbolts pitchers because, “I know what we have down there and I don’t need to worry about anything that’s going on, and it’s fantastic.” He stated that the squad was “lucky and blessed” to have Rothschild.
“It’s incredible, just the wealth of knowledge they have and just being able to pick both of their brains every day is insane,” Miller said.
Jenks stated that for the time being, he is not considering any future management objectives. Rather, he is focused on coaching the team and does not see the job as a return to the bottom after achieving the pinnacle of his playing career.
“Oh, I love it here,” Jenks remarked. “I don’t think it’s the bottom one bit. This is wonderful, given where I am emotionally and where the game is. I genuinely enjoy working with these men because they are all striving for the same goal. It’s just a tremendous level of baseball to be able to teach them what you know and apply it to the next stage of their career.”
