Rowand doing his part to make White Sox good again

GLENDALE, Ariz. — That moment of moments for White Sox fans, and for the players involved, as well — the World Series celebration in Houston after the Sox swept the Astros in four games in October 2005 — forever will be fixed in Aaron Rowand’s mind.

“We looked like a bunch of schoolgirls after winning a volleyball game,’’ Rowand said at the Sox’ spring-training facility Thursday. “There were tears, high fives and hugs. And it was real.’’

That was 12 years ago, and since then, the Sox have participated in one — count it, one — postseason appearance.

Rowand, the center fielder who crashed into walls for that team and who now serves as the Sox’ coordinator for baserunning and outfield play, is here to do his part to change all that.

“This club has veteran leadership and a lot of young talent coming through, pitching- and position-player-wise,’’ Rowand said. “A very good core group of young players that will put this organization on the track it wants to be on. When you have a leader like [first-year manager] Rick Renteria, he inspires people. I can’t say enough about what he’s already done to bring this group together. And it’s only going to get better the longer he’s here. He’s going to do a great job. He already is.’’

Rowand echoes what so many others are saying here about the things Renteria is doing to bond players in camp. Rowand says unity is key and vastly underrated. In fact, the tightness of the 2005 team is what still stands out to him.

“Just how close we were as a group, that’s what was so special about that team,’’ said Rowand, who played five of his 11 seasons with the Sox. “Taking home that trophy was a big deal and what everybody sees. What they don’t see is how close we were as a unit and how much we cared about each other. We not only spent all our time together on the field but away from each other. That team was about as tight as tight gets.’’

The 2005 team is close to this day, and that kind of chemistry translated into better baseball, Rowand insisted.

“There was a lot of selfless play,’’ he said. “Nobody cared how [statistics], we just knew if we played together, backed up our teammates, the numbers would be there at the end of the year. It was a group of guys who bought into winning.’’

Rowand got a taste of being on the manager’s side during the Arizona Fall League with the Glendale Desert Dogs, a mix of young players from the Sox, Phillies, Dodgers and Astros farm systems.

Was that the beginning of the grooming of a manager?

“Maybe when my kids get older,’’ Rowand, 39, said. “My son is in sixth grade, so it’s important for me to be around them. I wouldn’t rule it out, but honestly, I don’t have any agenda for what I want to do.’’

Courtney Hawkins, for one, can see it happening.

“He was a player, so he was like one of the guys as a manager, but he knows the game and he had our respect,’’ said Hawkins, a 2012 first-round draft choice who played for the Desert Dogs. “I feel like that was a steppingstone for him. He was great at it.’’

“It was a great learning experience,’’ Rowand said. “The baseball part of it is easy, but when you manage, you have to manage people, too.

“I’m a lighthearted guy. I love having a good time on the field, in the dugout and in the clubhouse. But there is a time to play and a time to do things the right way. I take the same approach as a coach I did as a player.’’

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Email: dvanschouwen@suntimes.com