Crede Gets Last Laugh In Return To Chicago

Joe Crede is only four games into his new life as a Minnesota Twin so he probably hasn't been away from Chicago long enough to miss the city, but on Friday night he made his return to the city where he grew up and helped win a World Series championship in 2005.  Before the game started White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen talked about how he was going to harass Crede from the dugout all night, and the team was going to rib him with their choice of music everytime Crede came to the plate.

All of the hijinks were in good fun and meant to get a quick laugh out of the former south side hero, but in the end, it was only Crede and his new teammates who were laughing.

Though Crede got a laugh out of the Sox decision to play Air Supply's "All Out Of Love" as he came to bat in the second inning, and he appreciated the standing ovation he received, he did everything in his power to put an end to the adulation.  Much like Frank Thomas before him when he returned to Chicago in an Oakland uniform, Crede hit a home run in his very first at bat back at The Cell.  It was Crede's first home run and RBI as a member of the Twins as he came into the game with only three hits in his first sixteen at bats.

The home run would be Joe's only hit on the night, though he did draw two walks -- lack of control was the story of the night for White Sox pitching -- and score two runs.  The Twins didn't need any more hits out of Crede, though, as everybody else picked up the slack for him.

The Twins won the game 12-5 after scoring seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to blow the game wide open.  In fact, the Twins had nine men come to the plate and scored five runs in the inning before the Sox were even able to record an out.

The Sox still have two more games left against the Twins this weekend, and Crede probably shouldn't be expecting as warm of a reception as the one he got on Friday night.

Along with writing for NBCCHICAGO.com, Tom Fornelli can also be found contributing at FanHouse, SPORTSbyBROOKS, and his own Chicago sports blog Foul Balls.  His Joe Crede jersey hangs in his closet, quietly mocking him.