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White Sox retire Paul Konerko's No. 14

Jerry Lai / USA TODAY Sports

Paul Konerko was the center of attention one last time at U.S. Cellular Field, as the Chicago White Sox retired his No. 14 in front of a sellout crowd.

The slugger, who spent 16 of his 18 years in the majors wearing Chicago's black and white, was immortalized prior to Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins as the faithful chanted his name.

"I just want to thank everyone one last time," Konerko said as he was surrounded by former teammates, as well as the current roster.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Easily one of the most respected players ever to don a White Sox uniform, he becomes the 10th player in franchise history to have his number retired.

"Teammate, captain, competitor and friend," said former teammate Jim Thome. "That's what made this man a role model in the city of Chicago."

Over the course of Konerko's career, the numbers speak for themselves, as only one other player in club history has played more games. He finished second in home runs and RBIs, third in hits and doubles, and fourth in runs.

But although the crowd was present to share his final moment, White Sox manager Robin Ventura chuckled at the fact that ironically, Konerko doesn't like the spotlight.

"You should celebrate somebody like Paulie, even though he's probably hating most of it," Ventura said. "That part will be entertaining to watch, just his reactions. Even though it's nice, he understands it, he's humbled by it, but it will definitely make him very uncomfortable."

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