http://whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/ar...t=.jsp&c_id=cws

 

White Sox live outside spotlight

Few believe in staying power of team's winning ways

By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com

 

CHICAGO -- The opening highlights for SportsCenter begin to roll and it's the Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox dominating the top of the show.

 

And where is the team with the best record in baseball? A small piece of highlights sandwiched between other games happening around the American League.

 

Although the team is now 20-7 after a victory over the Royals on Wednesday night, the White Sox have not had the amount of attention from the national media that one would expect from a team leading the Majors in wins.

 

Has the lack of respect bothered the White Sox players?

 

"Every once in a while, yeah it does," Cliff Politte said. "You watch ESPN and see a quick hit of us but if we go under the radar all year and play like this then who cares. It would be nice to get some attention but the only thing we can do is win ballgames."

 

Though it may bother some players, being out of the national spotlight may actually be a bit of motivation for the some in the clubhouse to continue winning.

 

"I kind of like it," Joe Crede said. " It gives us that much more motivation to go out there and win, to try to beat up on all these other teams. Any kind of motivation we can get, we're going to take advantage of."

 

If Crede's sentiments are a reflection of the rest of the team, then the lack of attention has been a pretty good thing. The Sox are on a four-game winning streak and are 4 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota in the American League Central standings.

 

"For a couple of years we always looked to see what the Twins were doing but now we're just worrying about what we're doing," Politte said. "Everybody thinks that we'll fade. I know the last couple of years, we've closed with the Twins and we've faded here so I think everybody's waiting for that to happen. So it's basically, who cares about us?"

 

Before Wednesday's game, Ozzie Guillen talked about his surprise at the response of the public to the White Sox's strong start. Guillen lamented about how little belief is put into this team.

 

"We keep winning and people keep with doubts and doubts and if, if, if, if," Guillen said. "That surprises me."

 

While the inability to believe in the wins baffles Guillen, the lack of attention is not surprising to him.

 

"It doesn't bother me if we don't have the recognition," Guillen said. "We haven't earned anything yet. Have we tried to make that happen? Yes. But we haven't earned any national attention."

 

One thing that does bother Guillen is while the team is succeeding, much of the attention has been focused upon him personally. An entire episode of ESPN's "Outside the Lines" was devoted to Guillen's behavior and whether it was inappropriate.

 

"I think it feels like they talk about Ozzie Guillen more than they talk about the team and that bothers me," Guillen said before Wednesday's game. "But if we win everybody knows how we are playing. As long as we win, that's all I care."

 

Winning is all that Carl Everett seems to care about as well. Everett said that he avoids listening to what others say about the team because the most important part is what happens on the field.

 

"Me personally, I've never cared what other teams, other people think about the team I'm on or myself," Everett said.

 

Playing teams like Kansas City and Cleveland that are struggling to get wins could be a factor in the public's slow embrace of the team. Crede said that the competition shouldn't be an excuse.

 

"Twenty wins are 20 wins," Crede said. "It doesn't matter who you get them against or how you play. Every team is here in the big leagues because the players are good. They say our division is weak, and their records may not be that great, but these are good teams."

 

What it will take for the White Sox to get the attention is winning beyond the first two months of the season. Crede and Politte both agreed with Guillen that it will take success in October to get the level of attention received by other well-known teams on the East Coast.

 

"2006 ... if we win," Guillen said of when the team will earn respect. "Hopefully, Oct. 1 they talk about us. Right now it doesn't matter if you talk about the White Sox. Talk about the White Sox on Oct. 1. That's my goal."

Hermanson realized who really saved last night's game...

 

awesome stuff - but that's funny what Ozzie said about Oct 1. The playoffs don't start until Oct 4th at the earliest.

Kenny must have shared his motto with Politte...

Has the lack of respect bothered the White Sox players?

 

"Every once in a while, yeah it does," Cliff Politte said. "You watch ESPN and see a quick hit of us but if we go under the radar all year and play like this then who cares. It would be nice to get some attention but the only thing we can do is win ballgames."

it's been sweet under the radar.

 

why change?

 

let the twins deal with the expectations.

My favorite lines... how appropriate they are.

 

"We keep winning and people keep with doubts and doubts and if, if, if, if," Guillen said. "That surprises me."

 

While the inability to believe in the wins baffles Guillen, the lack of attention is not surprising to him.

"I think it feels like they talk about Ozzie Guillen more than they talk about the team and that bothers me," Guillen said before Wednesday's game. "But if we win everybody knows how we are playing. As long as we win, that's all I care."

 

That's the way it should be. With the attention on Ozzie, the pressure stays off the team. It's a tactic many NCAA coaches use going into the tournament. Bob Knight is a genius at it.

That's the way it should be. With the attention on Ozzie, the pressure stays off the team. It's a tactic many NCAA coaches use going into the tournament. Bob Knight is a genius at it.

 

I mentioned before that ozzie was dumb as a fox... and I had Mr.Knight in mind... I don't know if I posted the comparison to Mr. Knight, but it seemed to happen every year in march ( back when IU made the tourney ) Mr. Knight would talk about his "gameface" or whip Calbert Cheney or whatever it took to get the media talking about Mr. Knight and not talk about what the players were doing on the court... win..win..win..win..win..win..win

Hermanson realized who really saved last night's game...

 

 

gooch... two AWESOME plays to get the first two outs in the ninth...

I mentioned before that ozzie was dumb as a fox...  and I had Mr.Knight in mind...  I don't know if I posted the comparison to Mr. Knight, but it seemed to happen every year in march ( back when IU made the tourney  ) Mr. Knight would talk about his "gameface" or whip Calbert Cheney or whatever it took to get the media talking about Mr. Knight and not talk about what the players were doing on the court...  win..win..win..win..win..win..win

Game face! That was great!