Athletics’ Thomas ready for his return to Chicago

Frank Thomas received his World Series ring weeks ago, and now he will do his best to treat his initial return to Chicago like any other road trip.
Yet, he knows that will be hard after spending his first 16 seasons with the White Sox.
The Big Hurt left the city’s South Side with hurt feelings — not to mention frustration, disappointment and even a tad bit of anger. Now, Thomas and the Oakland Athletics will open a three-game series against the reigning World Series champions tonight.
"It’s always good to go home. That’s been my adopted home for the last 16 years," Thomas said. "It’ll be good to get back. My kids are there and I haven’t seen them for a while, a month and a half. I’m sure it’s going to be heartfelt.
"I spent my whole career there for 16 years. So, yeah, it’s going to touch me to be back."
Thomas heads "home" looking to find his stroke, too. He wasn’t in the starting lineup as designated hitter for the A’s on Sunday in their interleague series finale against the San Francisco Giants.
Thomas, who turns 38 on Saturday, is batting .178 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs and is hitless in his last seven at-bats. Six of his seven homers have been solo shots, and he sits at 455 home runs and would like to get to 500 before calling it a career. Though that’s beginning to seem like a long shot.
"He’s not swinging it like we had hoped," A’s manager Ken Macha said. "Hopefully we can get him there."
Thomas is yet to show that powerful right-handed bat the A’s had been so desperately seeking for the middle of their lineup. Perhaps, he said, being back in Chicago could help matters.
"I still have to do my job and come out and play," Thomas said. "Hopefully it will get me going. That’s what I need."
Thomas’ parting with the only team he’d ever known turned bitter last winter, though everybody involved anticipated him being greeted with a warm ovation.
"I hope the fans in Chicago are smart enough to treat him the way he should be treated," White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen said. "I expect the fans to appreciate what Frank Thomas did for Chicago. They should appreciate the way he played the game. I want Chicago fans to show the Oakland A’s how good they are, how loyal they are, how appreciative they are."
Thomas claimed he never received a courtesy call from team officials to tell him he was no longer in their plans after 16 years. No end-of-the-season physical to evaluate his health, either.
Thomas began last season on the disabled list following ankle surgery, played for the first time on May 31, then went back on the DL on July 21 with another left ankle fracture. He did not play again and could only watch as the White Sox swept Houston to win the World Series for the first time since 1917.
Still, he batted .219 with 12 homers and 26 RBIs in 34 games in 2005.
The White Sox declined to offer Thomas salary arbitration in December, then Thomas signed an incentive-laden $500,000 US, one-year contract with the A’s in January.
In spring training a month later, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams called Thomas "an idiot" and "selfish" after reading about how the slugger was disgusted with how the organization handled his departure.
Both sides appear eager to move forward, though all of this will undoubtedly come up again in the coming days.
"It’s going to be good for the fans. They treated me right forever," Thomas said. "I’ve got no problem with the fans. What happened to me with the GM at the end of spring training, that was very unfortunate all the stuff that came out.
"That’s gone. I just don’t think our relationship will ever be repaired. That’s just the way it is. It’s really unfortunate because I didn’t feel that way until all that happened."