Frank Thomas never wanted to leave the White Sox. Kenny Williams did. Both Williams and Thomas exchanged words before Thomas left for Oakland. After he signed with the A’s, Thomas said that he didn’t liked the way his 16-year run with the White Sox ended, saying that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf never told him that he wasn’t coming back. Williams and Thomas didn’t see eye-to-eye after Williams became the White Sox GM following the 2000 season. During that time, Thomas was unhappy that he had a diminished skills clause in his contract. He said the White Sox should have traded him after the playoffs that season. He also said that if he had known that the team wasn’t going to bring him back, he wouldn’t have participated in a couple of ceremonial functions during the postseason. He was injured during the White Sox 2005 World Series run, but he would throw out a first pitch during the playoffs. He was also given the opportunity to address the crowd at the end of the White Sox’s victory parade. Thomas said “I’ve got a lot of respect for Jerry Reinsdorf, I do. But I really thought, the relationship we had over the last 16 years, he would have picked up the phone to say, `Big guy, we’re moving forward. We’re going somewhere different. We don’t know your situation or what’s going to happen.’ I can live with that, I really can,” Thomas said. “But treating me like some passing-by-player. I’ve got no respect for that.” Thomas said he wasn’t bitter or angry and had joined the A’s with an open mind. Williams would fire back at Thomas saying “He’s an idiot. He’s selfish. That’s why we don’t miss him.” He also added “Jerry has done everything over the course of 16 years to protect that man, to make accommodations for him, concessions for him. He loaned him money, at times, when he needed money,” “If he was any kind of a man, he would quit talking about things in the paper and return a phone call or come knock on someone’s door. If I had the kind of problems evidently he had with me, I would go knock on his door.” Thomas would be bothered by foot and ankle problems during his last 2 seasons with the White Sox. He hit .219 with 12 homers in 105 at-bats last season. He missed the first two months while recovering from surgery on his left ankle and then broke the ankle in July, ending his season. Ken Williams had more stuff to say about Thomas. I’m a general manager and I’m supposed to be above these things. But again, when is enough? He brought us to this point. So, OK, you want to play this game? You’ve got it. You got it. He’s the Oakland A’s problem right now. … He better stay out of our business. He better stay out of White Sox business. ” Thomas and Williams have made amends with each other but what happened between those 2 will hurt for a long time and it’s something White Sox fans won’t forget.

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