Sox Tear Down Comiskey Crepe

When the White Sox last saw Comiskey Park, it was a funeral.Today, it should be just fun. "This will be special because the last time we played there welost," outfielder Tim Raines said. "I know this game won't have thesame significance as that one, but Opening Day is always kind ofspecial. Not so much for the players, but for the fans. The playersknow this one game isn't going to win a pennant for us."

The last one lost a pennant for the White Sox as the Blue Jaysbrought boos from the fans by winning the American League title.

This one brings in the Boston Red Sox (1:35 p.m., Ch. 9,670-AM). Boston also has title hopes and is backing it up with a 3-0record, compared to a 1-2 mark for the White Sox.

Opening Day at Comiskey hasn't always been joyous. Rememberthe first game in this park when the Tigers belted around JackMcDowell in a 16-0 victory in 1991? And last season the Yankeesclubbed the Sox 11-6 despite Bo Jackson's dramatic homer.

This year Jason Bere will go against Boston's Aaron Sele andmanager Gene Lamont isn't taking it lightly even though each team hasthree games under its belt.

"I personally think the home opener is just like the opener,"Lamont said. "There's just something about Opening Day, it's hard toexplain the feeling you have. It's always good to get home, see thestadium and the fans. To me, when you come home, it's just likeOpening Day."

Bere won't be taking this game lightly either. The Red Sox werehis boyhood heroes while growing up in Massachusetts, although he didface them last year.

"I know everyone at home will be watching, but other than that,it's no big deal," Bere said. "It's no big deal to me, it's thefourth game of the year."

But the game is a big deal to the White Sox, who started withsuccessive losses at Toronto's SkyDome before winning the last game9-2 with five home runs.

"We were too laid back (in the first games)," Frank Thomas said."We were back in that playoff mode. We didn't have much intensityand we were facing the same two pitchers we saw in the playoffs.

"They (Juan Guzman and Dave Stewart) dominated us and we don'tknow how they did it. But that last game is the kind of team you'regoing to see."

It might not be much easier against the Red Sox, who follow Selewith Roger Clemens and Frank Viola. The White Sox follow Bere withJack McDowell and Alex Fernandez, who lost the games in Toronto.

But that should be forgotten this weekend, especially after thegood feeling created by that last game in Toronto.

"We really saw signs that this team is going to have an excitingseason," said Raines, who doesn't have such good memories of lastseason's Comiskey opener when he tore thumb ligaments and missed sixweeks.

The White Sox come home healthy, even though Lance Johnson satout Thursday's exhibition game against the Cubs as a precautionarymeasure.

The Sox were a little sore about having to play at windy WrigleyField Thursday. It could have been an off-day for them to getacclimated to their summer homes.

NOTES: Donnie Osmond will sing the national anthem and formerWhite Sox manager Al Lopez will throw out the first pitch. Sox players will wear what is being called a "motivational whitepatch" with the No. 31 enclosed, remembering reliever Scott Radinsky,who is battling Hodgkin's disease.