GM Williams not bailing on Sox

By Barry Rozner

It was early last December when Ken Williams headed out one night for what he thought would be a quiet dinner.

But when the White Sox GM walked into the restaurant, he was greeted by a standing ovation.

It happened to be the day he signed free agent Adam Dunn to a four-year, $56 million contract.

“It was really embarrassing,” Williams said with a laugh, as we sat in the White Sox' dugout Tuesday evening. “My date said to me, ‘Does this always happen?'

“I said, ‘Let's wait until June and if we're not in first place, let's see if they applaud.' Needless to say it's not the same reaction right now.”

Williams is able to poke fun at himself, but he's not laughing about the Sox' place in the standings.

Still, he believes the Sox have the best team in the A.L. Central, even though some Sox fans have already given up on the season.

“It's something I guess you come to expect,” Williams said, “after a certain amount of time in this job.”

But what still gets to him is how fickle people can be when it comes to signings or trades. They love it the day it occurs, and hate it a few months later.

“That part is a little disappointing. I'm not gonna lie to you about that,” Williams said. “I feel like I've built up enough confidence and goodwill over 11 years of doing this.

“I also know that's not part of the gig. If I wanted that I'd have been a Hollywood talk show host, where they hold up an ‘applause' sign and people have to cheer.”

So while Sox fans have lots of buyer's remorse right now, especially when it comes to names like Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy, Williams has no regrets about anyone he's brought in, or anyone's he traded, including Daniel Hudson.

Hudson (8-5, 3.56 ERA) went to Arizona last July with David Holmberg in exchange for Edwin Jackson, and Hudson defeated the Sox and Jackson in Phoenix last Friday.

“When I make a trade, you have to know I fully understand the value of the player I'm trading, and there are reasons I'm willing to make that trade that I'm not going to discuss publicly because that would be disrespectful to that player,” Williams said. “I'm not going to do that to a player on the way out the door — unless, of course, that player says something bad about our organization on the way out.”

That was the case with Frank Thomas, who took a beating from Williams after Thomas hammered Jerry Reinsdorf and the Sox.

“Otherwise, that player deserves complete and total respect,” Williams said. “But you have to understand if I make that deal that I believe that it's going to help us win the World Series this year.

“We've been competitive most of my years here, and in a lot of years people have said in spring training that, ‘If things break the right way, the White Sox could win it all this year.'”

This was one of those years and the division remains right there for the White Sox, but with every Adam Dunn strikeout, like in his first 2 at-bats Tuesday, the boos get louder, and talk of a World Series quieter.

“Listen, everyone knows the talent of an Adam Dunn,” Williams said matter-of-factly. “The surprise is what he's doing now. This is the first time he's gone through something like this and he's going to have to fight his way through it.

“People are upset because they know the talent is there. This is the same guy that got a standing ovation here. Alex Rios is the same guy that got a standing ovation here last year. The talent is there. They have to fight through it.

“People were happy when we got Dunn and they want someone else now. They want better guys. Who? Give me a better guy.

“Don't tell me someone's hitting .200. Give me a better guy with 5,000 at-bats or 10,000 at-bats who will do better. Give me a name.”

Until then, and regardless of how many people bail on his team, Williams will remain confident.

“There's a couple guys we haven't gotten much from so far and we're right in the fight,” Williams said. “Not where we want to be but right there in it, and when a couple more guys start to produce, I like where we're going to be.”

Williams is right about the last part. If the Sox get anything out of Dunn and Rios the rest of the way it's hard to imagine them not winning the division.

But if it's going to happen, if those guys are going to show up in a big way, sooner would probably be better than later.

brozner@dailyherald.com

ŸListen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's “Hit and Run” show at WSCR 670-AM.