by Sports Xchange

Updated: July 5, 2008, 4:00 AM EST

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But making a return to the South Side after playing 16 years there not only brought back a lot of memories for Thomas but also had him making some fairly bold predictions -- he said the Sox are contenders, and he felt that way back in the offseason when he saw their roster moves.

"I knew this team would be really tough this year when they added (Orlando) Cabrera and Swish (Nick Swisher) because Cabrera, two years ago when I was with Oakland, was the guy that really gave us fits," Thomas said. "So I knew when they added that to the table I was like, 'Whoa.' And then I knew what Swisher could do.

"(Swisher is) one of a kind. He's not going to change. He walks in the same way every day; he plays hard, he forgets what he does sometimes, but that's just him. That's his makeup, a one of a kind make-up really. Swish is Swish."

Following his departure from the Sox in '05, Thomas spent a year playing with Oakland, where he hit 39 home runs in an MVP-caliber type season. He then left for Toronto as a free agent, but that relationship disintegrated in April when the Blue Jays wanted to bench him. Thomas felt it was so he wouldn't meet his incentives, letting Toronto off the hook for an option. They split ways when Thomas was released, and now he's back with the Athletics.

"I should have never left Oakland," Thomas said.

Back with the A's, he hit .458 with four home runs and six RBI over his final seven games before the injury. Now it's the waiting game for a career in the twilight.

"Hopefully I can get one more great year in," Thomas said of his future. "I'll be 41 next year and I always said that I wanted to play until I was 41, 42."

When he does call it quits, Thomas said he does so with a clear conscience. In an era filled with asterisks and allegations, Thomas maintained he did it the right way.

"We all know that things went on and that's the way it was," Thomas added. "I'm not going to kick and scream about it. I had a great career; I'm proud of my career. I'm proud to do it cleanly. I'm proud to be one of the guys that went the extra mile to work and things worked out for me."

ATHLETICS 7, WHITE SOX 1: After dominating throughout most of June, starting pitcher Mark Buehrle took his lumps on Friday, allowing four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Before the loss, Buehrle had four consecutive wins with a 1.60 ERA over that span.

Meanwhile, the Sox offense had its second consecutive quiet game, with Joe Blanton the latest culprit. Through the first two losses to Oakland, the Sox have totaled only three runs.