Optimism is reality at SoxFest
If the reality ever matched the hype, White Sox GM Kenny Williams would have stopped attending SoxFest years ago for fear of an all-out verbal assault.
But, as usual, the paying customers' discomfort with the upcoming version of the White Sox didn't meet the media's displeasure, and the opening of SoxFest can only be described as optimistic.
Fortunately for Williams, the last time he was this universally shredded by the press for his winter dealings was prior to the 2005 season, when he remade the club into a more balanced team that captured the city's first World Series title in about 190 years of Chicago baseball.
"It does have that kind of feel to it, the reaction in some places about what we're trying to do,'' said Williams, during a quiet moment between commitments Friday evening at the Palmer House Hilton. "But it wasn't just '05. It's been a lot of years, and that's just part of the deal.
"When you publicly state your intentions to be aggressive every year, and you take risk to try to achieve reward, you invite that sort of criticism.
"That's OK. I'd rather that than take no chances. I could easily put together a nice, safe club that could sort of compete, but have no chance to win it all.
"I could rebuild and have us at the top of the prospects rankings for Baseball America -- like so many people want -- in two weeks, but I'd rather try to win the World Series.''
The fans on Friday seemed to have little problem with Williams' philosophy, and nearly every question, in a session that was supposed to see Williams battered, was preceded by a thank you to Williams for giving the fans a World Series.
One fan was angry that the club didn't sign free agent Aaron Rowand, and another reminded Williams that he said the bullpen had been fixed a year ago, a statement he repeated Friday.
"If you're going to be aggressive, you're going to make mistakes,'' Williams said. "I'm man enough to say I made a mistake last year with that. Now, we think we've addressed that.
"It's funny because they're asking questions about their teams in Cleveland and Detroit, because in those cities they believe we got better. We're getting love in those cities.
"But you can't get caught up in the wave of public emotion, or reaction from the media, to the degree that it affects your decision making, or you're destined to fail.
"If I had listened to a lot of the same people, we wouldn't have had a World Series team with Jon Garland or Juan Uribe or Joe Crede or Aaron Rowand.''
Aside from the questions about center field and the back end of the rotation, the fans sounded genuinely excited about the 2008 season, and the 30-minute scheduled Q&A went 65 minutes, as Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen sat patiently until everyone was satisfied.
"I'm very happy with my team,'' Guillen said. "All I asked for was a better bullpen and Kenny gave me some great guys down there with (Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel). We're going to have a good team, better than people think.''
Both Guillen and Williams seem to believe the key is Jose Contreras, whom they say has put in the past the personal difficulties that affected him more than any physical problem.
"We need him to return to form,'' Williams said with a deep breath. "We think he will now that his head is clear, and if he does, we like where the club is going to be.''
The theory is that Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez will do what's expected, and kids John Danks (22) and Gavin Floyd (25) will benefit from a year of experience and a strong bullpen behind them.
"We get called old, but then everyone wonders if we're too young at third, at second, in center, in the rotation,'' Williams said. "How can it be both?''
Assuming health, the Sox should hit. The defense improves with Orlando Cabrera, and the edge that's been missing since Rowand departed is back in the form of Cabrera and Nick Swisher, who's certain to be the new fan favorite -- the new Rowand -- by about Game No. 10.
"If a guy fails to move a runner from second to third with nobody out,'' Williams smiled, "Cabrera will be right in the middle of it.''
One young woman asked Guillen what he thought was the best moment of last season, citing Buehrle's no-hitter as an example, but Guillen mentioned the 2007 video highlight film shown at the start of SoxFest and laughed, saying, "That was an awesome job, because I don't remember much good.''
The feeling on Friday night in Chicago, at least for one night, was that 2008 has a chance to have an entirely different ending.
While it snowed outside, inside SoxFest, optimism reigned supreme.