White Sox will deliver Paul Konerko’s locker to his Arizona home

With spring training opening in a little less than two weeks, baseball’s most underrated tradition is already underway in several different MLB cities.

Of course, we’re talking about “Truck Day,” which is baseball’s fancy way of saying it’s time to pack up the essential equipment, load it into giant trailers and send it on its way to their spring training facilities in Arizona or Florida.

On Friday, the first batch of trucks started their trek south as the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies and Oakland A’s all celebrated the unofficial beginning of baseball season. However, there’s a unique twist to the tradition for the White Sox this year. In addition to the usual baseball necessities, such as bats, helmets and sunflower seeds, the White Sox are also sending a big piece of U.S. Cellular Field to Paul Konerko’s home in Arizona. 

Konerko’s locker–on its way to Arizona pic.twitter.com/H3B7hhSS60

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) February 6, 2015

Konerko’s personal work space for the past 16 years was removed intact as part of a larger renovation project at U.S. Cellular Field. Now it’s on a truck heading to Arizona, where eventually it will be delivered to his home in Scottsdale. 

Here’s more from MLB.com’s Scott Merkin:  

This locker request was made by Konerko before he left Chicago. Clubhouse manager Vince Fresso anticipated the request.

“He came up with it and I knew about it. It was going to be a surprise at the end of his playing time,” said Fresso, as he supervised the truck loading Friday with visiting clubhouse manager Gabe Morrell. “I said, ‘You already got it.’ [White Sox chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] approved it, so off it goes.”

Konerko’s locker became easier to move because of the extensive construction upgrades currently being done in the home clubhouse. The tradesmen were pulling out all the lockers as part of the work.

It’s the latest in a string of notable honors and mementos sent Konerko’s way by his former ballclub. At his retirement ceremony last season, the team unveiled a brand new statue that will be visible at U.S. Celluar Field. The team has also announced his No 14 jersey will be retired on May 23. The locker takes the cake though, because of the effort it required, and because of its unique nature. Seriously, how many people bring their office home after retiring? 

Granted, it’s always said you should never bring work home with you, but we’re pretty sure that doesn’t apply here. The locker is a symbol of Konerko’s remarkable legacy in MLB, and it’s likely to find some prime real estate.  

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813