Venable and White Sox General Manager Chris Getz held a pre-Sox Fest pow-wow Thursday afternoon, before the festivities officially kick off on Friday.

It is all about building toward a brighter future after last season’s record-worst 121 losses. As a former Major Leaguer, Venable said he will demand maximum effort from his players.

“Our effort and going out there and competing, I mean, that’s going to be something that we talk about from day one, and we have an expectation for, and hold guys accountable to it, and hope that that’s synonymous with the White Sox and who we are and part of our identity,” Venable said. “Off the field is important too, and that’s something especially with a young group, you know, that we want to support, and certainly even with some of our veteran guys that we want to take steps forward with too.”

Meanwhile, Getz realizes things might not get much better before his young roster can be consistent winners.

“We’re looking to win baseball games. We are. You know, I think we all know that winning is part of the development process. Now, you know, with the young, developing roster, you know, there’s going to be moments where you’ve got to take a step back and think, you know, bigger picture, long-term, what’s best for them to reach their ceilings as players,” Getz said. “There are going to be some growing pains along the way. You know, we felt some of those growing pains last year with some of the players that came up through the Major Leagues, but we feel like they’re in a better position this year, and more comfortable to perform, you know, at a higher level.”

While opening day for MLB may seem like another lifetime away in the dead of winter, spring training is right around the corner. The Sox loaded up the equipment truck for their trip from Chicago to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona earlier this week.