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MLB.com: Let's continue with one of our holiday traditions, in which you pick out gifts for other teammates or members of the White Sox organization. What would you get for catcher A.J. Pierzynski? Beckham: I would give him a muzzle, for reasons undisclosed. MLB.com: How about manager Ozzie Guillen? Beckham: That's a tough one. I would give Ozzie some English-speaking lessons, really some enunciation lessons. I would buy them online, at some Web site. ... MLB.com: And the last question serves as our traditional ending. Please spell Chanukah. Beckham: OK. It's H-A-N-A-U-K-U-H.

White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham was named The Sporting News' 2009 American League rookie of the year. The honor has special significance, since a panel of 338 major league players selected the winners. Philadelphia pitcher J.A. Happ won the National League's rookie honors. Beckham batted .270 with 28 doubles, 14 home runs and 63 RBIs despite not being promoted to the Sox until June 4. Beckham played in 103 games for the Sox and made the adjustment to third base despite playing shortstop for his entire baseball career. The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce its rookie of the year and other awards next month after the conclusion of the World Series.

By Mark Gonzales PHOENIX - The White Sox optioned 2008 first-round pick Gordon Beckham to Double-A Birmingham [sic - players not on the 40 man roster are not "optioned", they are assigned, in this case to minor league camp]. "I had a lot of fun," Beckham said. "I think I've shown what I can do when I'm playing well. It was a blast." Beckham will play shortstop for the Barrons [sic - seriously, Mark, they're the Barons and they're Double-A; I'm beginning to think you do this stuff on purpose; bad experience in Alabama?]. [edit: Additional cuts are Adam Russell and Ehren Wassermann to Charlotte and Ben Broussard, Eider Torres, and Aaron Poreda to minor league camp. Spring roster now at 33.]

"Since when have we followed a mainstream course?" Williams asked defiantly one day last week. "Definitely [Beckham] could play in the big leagues right now." ... "I would rather [groom young] starting pitchers by first giving them a taste of the [major-league] bullpen," Williams said. "Three-inning stints in the bullpen as opposed to right out-of-the box responsibility for six innings."

For as good as he’s been this spring, Beckham only has 14 minor-league games under his belt, all with Class A Kannapolis. If he follows the lead of Longoria and Co., look for Beckham to open the 2009 season with Class AA Birmingham, end it with AAA Charlotte and make a much more serious bid to stick with the White Sox next spring.