White Sox tough enough?

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The White Sox had a payroll that exceeded $109 million last year, the fourth-highest in major-league baseball behind the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets.

It was a forgettable season for the White Sox, not much doubt about that, but financially, they did conduct themselves like a team playing in the nation's third-largest market.

The Sox have the luxury most teams do not. If they want to keep a player in line for a big payday -- Javier Vazquez, Mark Buehrle and Jermaine Dye were prime examples in 2007 -- they have the money to make it happen.

But as he enters his eighth season as general manager, Kenny Williams has learned a valuable lesson when it comes to bringing in players from other organizations.

"They have to be Chicago tough,'' Williams has been saying with increased regularity.

In other words, players who thrive in relative outposts like Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee often struggle trying to adjust to life in the Windy City.

That's why Williams now goes after players he also likes to define as "tough son of a guns.''

"The thinking is simply a byproduct of adjusting to the environment you live in,'' Williams said. "Chicago is a blue-collar city to begin with, and people demand a certain visible effort from their sports teams. And it's not just limited to baseball. I think you have to have people that can handle negative criticism, because even in the best of times you're going to get it, and you're going to get it in a big way.''

Williams quickly discovered how some players are unable to perform under pressure from White Sox fans and the media.

Following his first year as GM, he traded veteran reliever Sean Lowe and two top pitching prospects, Kip Wells and Josh Fogg, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for starter Todd Ritchie.

After going a combined 35-32 with the lowly Pirates from 1999-2001, Ritchie was 5-15 (6.06 ERA) in his one -- and only -- season with the White Sox.

The fans never seemed to like Ritchie, and don't forget about the Chicago media.

"It starts with the media, and some guys, their psyche deteriorates quicker than others,'' Williams said. "It doesn't mean their careers are not going to be able to rebound from such things, But it certainly means that in Chicago, if you don't have past experience overcoming things in your life, or your career, than it's going to be very difficult for you to perform in this environment.''

Gavin Floyd still may have some future issues with the media as he tries to nail down a spot in the Sox' starting rotation this spring, but after beginning his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Floyd said White Sox fans are much easier to play for.

"In Philadelphia, I heard the worst,'' Floyd said. "We'd win five games in a row and then lose one and they'd start booing us. Fans in Philadelphia, they might be more supportive now since the Phillies made the playoffs last year, but they have a cloud over their heads.

"Fans in Chicago, they're a lot more supportive I believe. We went through a lot last year, but they still stuck behind us. I didn't see too much venom from the fans, and that was nice.''

Williams believes he added three "Chicago tough'' players during the off-season. He got battled-tested shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Angels in exchange for starting pitcher Jon Garland, who complained about White Sox fans booing the home team on more than one occasion.

Williams also got two more hard-nosed players, outfielders Nick Swisher and Carlos Quentin.

After getting Quentin in a trade from the Diamondbacks at the winter meetings, Williams specifically mentioned his mental and physical toughness.

"I assume he meant I just go out there and play hard and keep my head down,'' Quentin said. "I take it as a compliment. Fans in big markets, they can get behind you or go the opposite route depending on how things go. But that's part of the game, and I think he thinks I can handle it. I believe so, too.''

In many other markets, Williams and the White Sox would probably still be riding a wave of support from the media and fans for winning the 2005 World Series.

Not in Chicago.

"All I have control over now is what's in front of us,'' Williams said. "What's behind us is behind us."