CHICAGO -- By the time Mark Teahen's run comes to an end on the South Side of Chicago, the left-handed hitting third baseman hopes the most famous part of his White Sox stint isn't his talking dog.
Make that Tweeting dog.
ESPY Teahen has an extremely popular Twitter account with 3,229 followers as of Tuesday afternoon, featuring Tweets done from the dog's point of view, but getting a little help from Teahen. That total increased once Teahen was traded from Kansas City for Chris Getz and Josh Fields just two days after the conclusion of the 2009 World Series.
If Teahen blends in nicely as part of the White Sox attack, ESPY's words of wisdom might gain even greater support among the White Sox fans.
"It's scary what can happen when you relax and don't have the pressure as the face of the franchise," said White Sox reliever J.J. Putz, who had faced Teahen three times previously in their respective careers before becoming teammates in 2010.
"He's not a fun guy to face," Putz said. "Teahen is a grinder. He's a baseball player, a gamer, that's what he is. He's also a very versatile guy."
That Teahen versatility probably won't come into play too frequently as part of the White Sox. During his five-year-career, Teahen has played 363 games at third base and 261 games in right field, while also seeing time in center field, left field and at first and second base.
When the White Sox locked up Teahen via a three-year, $14 million deal during the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, avoiding arbitration, the team did so with the idea of establishing their third baseman in the present and the future. Teahen's job will be to man the hot corner, a spot where he committed 20 errors in 2005, 14 in 2006 and 11 over 107 games in 2009.
Knowing he will be the everyday starter at third will help Teahen's consistency with the glove. It's one of the many changes figuring to aid Teahen's overall game, starting with his move back to being just one of the guys and not the guy.
"I had a good year in my second season and was voted Player of the Year for the Royals," said Teahen, who hit .290 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs in that 2006 campaign with Kansas City. "From then on, I was treated almost like a veteran guy, and I just finished up my fifth year in the Majors.
"Being traded here, it's interesting because I get to go back to being one of the young guys, where I was asked to be one of the older guys before my time in Kansas City. I'm excited to do my part here, and I'm excited in knowing that doing my part is enough to help the team win."
The unsung part of Teahen's skill set just might be his work with the bat. Teahen has never driven in 70 runs and never hit 20 home runs, making some White Sox fans wonder why the team would give up their most successful 2009 basestealer in Getz for the 28-year-old.
But with less pressure upon his shoulders and a home ballpark conducive to his opposite-field power stroke, Teahen might just thrive at U.S. Cellular Field. It doesn't hurt having Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski around him, and Juan Pierre igniting the offense.
"That was a good move, because I think we are catching Teahen on the upswing," Konerko said. "I think Teahen, he's coming into his prime."
"I've had good success here," said Teahen of his eight career home runs and 11 doubles at U.S. Cellular, the highest totals for him at a visiting ballpark. "I drive the ball the other way, but U.S. Cellular allows you to drive the ball the other way and still have the ability to hit it out of the park. I'm going to stay with my approach and try to enjoy it."
Of course, playing for a White Sox team that figures to be in strong American League Central title contention after August 1, unlike his past employers, also should buoy Teahen's efforts. And to find out about Teahen's thoughts in regard to Chicago and the White Sox, fans need to look no further than the most eloquent dog since Snoopy or Brian Griffin from The Family Guy.
During this past offseason, ESPY has addressed topics from Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner's retirement to the new Chicago home found by the Teahens. He also was very active with Tweets during SoxFest.
One recent Tweet, in particular, should earn Teahen great respect in Chicago, if he doesn't have it already. The Tweet dealt with the Pro Bowl.
"How come the Pro Bowl doesn't decide who gets home-field advantage for the Super Bowl?.... Probably because no All-Star game should," ESPY's Tweet read.
Another follower quickly asked ESPY since when did he worry about home-field advantage for the World Series. Here's the response from Teahen, or Teahen's dog.
"Since about three months ago."
"There were times we started off so well in Kansas City and then it would go south or we would hit a bad stretch and we couldn't find a way out of it," Teahen said. "I loved my time in Kansas City, and they gave me an opportunity earlier than other places.
"I'm also ready for the next step. The atmosphere is different. It's nice to come to events like (SoxFest) and people are already talking about the World Series, where in KC, they were talking about trying to compete. It's nice to be in an atmosphere where expectations are a lot higher."
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