Mark Buehrle has been the opening day starter for the Chicago White Sox for eight of the last nine seasons, but if you ask him, this year should be the first that John Danks gets that honor.

Danks, on the other hand, still feels that that’s Buehrle’s game to pitch.

“You take it a couple ways,” Danks said on White Sox Weekly of Buehrle’s comments. “Obviously, you know, it’ll be Mark’s game no matter what. Even if I was approached with it, I don’t think it would be right for anybody except Mark Buehrle to pitch that game. I wouldn’t feel right taking that game.

LISTEN: John Danks On White Sox Weekly

“At the same time you take that as a huge compliment. Mark is one of my closest friends of the team, I think that’s pretty well publicized, but you definitely take notice of that and it makes you feel good, for sure.”

In just 23 days, the White Sox will officially open their 2011 campaign on the road in Cleveland.