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Like White Sox fans, all GM can do is wait

Tuesday night commenced a 42-game referendum on White Sox general manager Kenny Williams’ method of building a ballclub.

Jake Peavy, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios are his costly mistakes, at least to this point of this season and their Sox careers.

All will be forgiven if the trio contributes big time the rest of the season, or if Williams’ other moves overcome them to win the American League Central.

If none of that happens … well, Williams will have some explaining to do.

Personally, I cling to the notion the Sox still will prevail, but nobody knows for sure, including Williams.

“I don’t have a good feel (for this team) after 120 games,” he said.

The ballot box opened in epic fashion as the Sox recorded an 8-7 victory over the Indians in 14 innings at Comiskey Park.

The Sox entered Game 121 with a 60-60 record, in third place and 3½ games behind the first-place Tigers. They exited above .500 for the first time since April 15, which normally isn’t the stuff of contenders anyplace but in the AL Central.

If the Sox rally to win this sorry division, Williams’ philosophy will be substantiated. If not, it’ll be questioned.

Williams has made a habit of bringing in veterans from other teams. He either wants to or has to because his own farm system hasn’t produced enough big-league talent.

The results have been mixed, the good being the 2005 season when the Sox won their first World Series championship in 88 years.

Otherwise, the Sox have been a bit above average, which isn’t good enough.

A former major-league manager once stated the obvious to me: The danger of bringing players in from other teams is those teams know more about them than you do.

So, maybe the Padres knew better than the Sox did that Peavy’s body was in danger of breaking down.

Maybe the Blue Jays knew better than the Sox did that Rios looked like he was gliding when he actually was loafing.

Maybe the Nationals knew, even though they did try to re-sign him, that Dunn would suffer in a big market and a pennant race.

Those are the risks a general manager takes when he builds a team from the outside rather than the inside.

The only way to minimize the mystery is build a scouting and developmental system that fills most of your roster.

The Sox haven’t established that pipeline. Few of their current players were signed and nurtured in the farm system, though others were exchanged for veterans from other major-league teams.

Six years ago Williams won the gamble by plucking from here, there and elsewhere the likes of Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski, Tadahito Iguchi and Scott Podsednik.

Peavy ($16 million salary for 2011), Rios ($12.5 million) and Dunn ($12 million) haven’t been as rewarding. The struggles of those three essentially represent why the Sox haven’t been able to take control of the division yet.

They also are why Williams says now that the Sox — with a $128 payroll and sagging attendance — can’t afford reinforcements for the stretch run.

“We have been a little inconsistent this year,” Williams understated. “So, whether it’s series to series or game to game, I just wait and watch just like you guys.”

What everybody including Williams sees the final 41 games will say a lot about how his style of building a ballclub should be viewed.

mimrem@dailyherald.com