Season a victory by any measure

It's all about wins and losses.

In the end, everyone is measured by them, and at the end of this 2008 season the White Sox had 1 more victory than the Twins but 2 fewer than the Rays.

And that pretty much, as they say, is the ballgame.

It was a remarkable season in many respects for the Sox, but injuries left them gasping for air as the playoffs began, and out of breath by the time they went home, following Tampa's 6-2 victory Monday on the South Side.

"Regrets? Yeah, I have a few, at least,'' said GM Kenny Williams. "If I can have regrets about 2005, I can certainly have them about this season.

"The list is too long of the things that didn't go the way I wanted them to, or the way I thought they would.''

And as heartwarming as the division title was for Sox fans, especially the way in which it occurred, it is far from enough to please Williams.

"Even if I ever did feel satisfied, which I don't,'' Williams said, "the people of Chicago would always remind me of what the goal is, and that's to win it all.''

Still, the White Sox have nothing for which to be ashamed, not even a 12-15 September that allowed the Twins to catch them and force a division tiebreaker.

On the contrary, 2008 ought to serve as a reminder that any season can bring great surprise, and even greater promise for the future.

This was apparent in the locker room Monday night, as players hugged and said their goodbyes. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf thanked every player individually, and Williams offered each man encouragement.

"I wanted to win, but this is good for baseball, for a team like Tampa,'' Reinsdorf said. "I'm really proud of this team, for the way they fought all year, and Kenny did a fabulous job finding these players.

"This division title was no accident.''

Few people picked the Sox to even compete for a playoff spot this season, let alone participate in the postseason, but Cleveland and Detroit never showed up and the Sox never quit.

"We battled through so much this year, on and off the field. People will never know how much we went through,'' said catcher A.J. Pierzynski. "I'm really proud of this group of guys. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We got beat by a really good baseball team and I tip my hat to them.

"Someone has to go home after one of these series, and this time it's us.''

Still, there was much to glean from the 2008 campaign, nothing better than John Danks and Gavin Floyd taking huge leaps forward and Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin - unknown in February - serving notice that they intend to be stars.

They all proved again Williams' ability to find diamonds in the rough, and that it's difficult to doubt him when he says he has a plan.

"We didn't go as far as we wanted, but 22 teams went home before us,'' said Paul Konerko, who was on his way out the door and anxious to witness the birth of his second child. "I think the Rays can win it all if they don't stop to think about what they're doing. They've been the best team all year.''

Konerko's myriad injuries really hurt the offense this year, and the loss of Jose Contreras tossed the rotation into a state of flux.

Worse was the bullpen blowing up on manager Ozzie Guillen, leaving him with no options some nights and limited options on others.

"We had so many problems every day. I give my coaching staff a lot of credit for keeping the guys believing and playing hard,'' Guillen said. "I'm really proud of my team for what they did. It's a great group of guys to survive all this. They fight so hard.

"They should walk around with their heads up for what they accomplished.''

The team lacked speed and small-ball ability, leaving Guillen utterly frustrated as he waited for 3-run homers that didn't always arrive.

Ironically, Williams remade his club after the 2004 season because he was tired of being humiliated by the Twins, and for his efforts the Sox won the World Series in 2005, getting runners on, getting them over, and getting them in.

"Next year? I don't know what kind of club we'll have,'' Guillen said. "When you're losing, you feel bad and everyone wants to change the team, but it's not easy to change your team.

"It's easy to say we need more speed, but you have to find guys who can play. It's hard to make trades. I don't know what we're gonna do. That's for Kenny and Jerry.

"I don't want to think about it for a long time. This was a tough season for me. Real tough. I think tougher than 2007 when we were really bad.

"I don't want to see a picture of my face. I think I got a lot older this year. It aged me. I'm not thinking about baseball for a while.''

So at 7:20 p.m. Monday, Ken Griffey Jr. struck out to end the season, and the Tampa players poured out onto the field to begin their party.

As the young Rays celebrated, Nick Swisher, Jermaine Dye and Don Cooper stood in the dugout and watched in silence.

And when Tampa vacated the field, the big screen played Sox highlights from the 2008 season, to the melodies of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida.''

"I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemies eyes,'' goes the song. "Listen as the crowd would sing: Now the old king is dead. Long live the king!''

The fans stood and watched and some wiped tears, but many smiled as if they knew this division title was a gift from the baseball gods.

Tampa was the better team all season, and the right team won the series. But this season was no failure on the South Side.

Viva La Vida.

Long live the 2008 White Sox.

brozner@dailyherald.com