White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore didn't see himself managing, but brings plenty to hapless White Sox

CHICAGO - When Grady Sizemore followed Josh Barfield to the Chicago White Sox, managing a MLB team was never something that made his list of goals.

On Thursday, however, that was added to his plate.

"I didn't really know what I wanted to do," Sizemore said. "I just knew I wanted to make an impact on players' lives, on their game, and just try to be a resource and, and help out any way I could."

Ready or not, interim manager Grady Sizemore took the spotlight Friday with his debut coming against the Chicago Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field just a day after the Sox fired Pedro Grifol after a year and a half on the job. 

Sizemore's journey to become a manager is a meteoric one. He was an intern for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year for $15 an hour before following Josh Barfield from Arizona to Chicago.

Now, Sizemore is leading a MLB team that's in desperate need of positivity following a 21-game losing streak and on pace to be the worst team in MLB history.

Sizemore has never managed before. In fact, he's going to find out what kind of manager he's going to be at the same time as everyone else on Friday. 

But, Sizemore has played in the major leagues. He's been in the player's shoes and he'd know what he'd want in an interim manager.

"Just to be himself," Sizemore said. "I think you want a guy that's going to be honest with you and you want a guy that's going to just put you in a position to succeed. 

This comes from his experience, having played for Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. Sizemore was a three-time All-Star in Cleveland, and was a player that consistently tantalized the White Sox.

That experience put him around different kinds of managers.

"I've had tons of managers and everyone does it their own way," Sizemore said. "I think the guys that are themselves and the most authentic usually get the most respect and are the funnest to play for."

That experience was also something that was evident when White Sox general manager Chris Getz met Sizemore this offseason.

Getz could have tabbed one of Grifol's assistants to provide a new voice, but instead Getz went with someone with a brand-new perspective. 

That perspective endeared Sizemore to the White Sox players. That led Getz to tab Sizemore as someone who can give a breath of fresh air to a limping franchise.

"It has to do with Grady," Getz said. "Whether it be the first time we spoke in the off season, the spring training, and he starts getting around the players and the staff and the amount of respect that almost seemed instantaneous."

That connection to the players leads to a message that Getz wants to instill within the team's clubhouse. 

Whether that's avoiding the Mets' record for the worst MLB team of all time or just finishing strong, Sizemore is the person Getz chose.

"There's always something to play for in this game, and Grady and I have talked about that at length," Getz said. "We want our players to play for something greater than themselves."

That led to Friday, where Sizemore, understandably, was left to balance the emotions.

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Sizemore said. "Just too excited, too anxious, just still doesn't feel real."

Now, Sizemore is tasked with lifting the White Sox out of the team's worst season in franchise history.

It's not an easy task, especially since Getz traded away plenty of the skill players that had major league talents. But, Sizemore's elevation is a sign the franchise is willing to something – anything – to avoid being the worst in league history.

Sizemore isn't thinking that far ahead. He's thinking about Friday night first.

What the front office sees, however, is something that brings a different point of view to the team. 

For the White Sox, and White Sox fans, that brings plenty of hope to a team that had none under Grifol.

"We're going to try to improve every day and just go out there and play baseball the way we know how to play," Sizemore said. "I said just do our best."