Joe Nossek was supposed to be Ozzie Guillen's bench coach. He was going to be Zimmer to Guillen's Torre; the guy who would whisper in the manager's ear to remind him of strategy and personnel changes. But Nossek is gone for health reasons, and the White Sox are scrambling for a replacement:

Guillen indicated he wants to stay within the White Sox "family." The most logical choice is Jeff Torborg, who managed the Sox in 1989-91 and was Guillen's boss with Montreal in 2001 and Florida in 2002 and part of `03.

Torborg might not know the American League like Nossek_no one does_but the former catcher has managed almost 1,400 big-league games and watched perhaps another 1,400 as a broadcaster.

Carlton Fisk, who talks about getting back into baseball as a manager or coach, would be a big risk-big reward type of hire. He has a brilliant baseball mind but, like Guillen, never has run games.

Is there anything Guillen could do that would be more popular with the fans? It's true Fisk and Reinsdorf are not on good terms, but Reinsdorf probably could fix that with a one phone call (albeit a long phone call).

Fisk's presence on the bench would be huge. He certainly could tutor Miguel Olivo and probably help the pitching staff along the way. He has said he's not sure if he wants to tackle the grind of a 162-game season, but this would be a chance to take the job for a test drive.

Harold Baines, who serves as a special-assignment instructor, would be an easier choice. He already knows the Sox players, and vice versa. He and Guillen have a bond. But, as with Fisk, his lack of managerial experience is a drawback.