Not too slow to notice predictions

GLENDALE, Ariz. - A couple of White Sox players used the same words: old, slow and fat.

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski used those words to talk about himself in a joking manner Sunday as Sox pitchers and catchers reported for spring training and worked out.

"I'm getting old now," Pierzynski said. "I'm old and fat and slow. We're in a youth movement, so I've got to try to look young, a little bit."

The White Sox are back, and they opened spring training as the defending American League Central champions.

But as far as the prognosticators are concerned, you can forget about that for this year. Everybody from the number-crunchers at Baseball Prospectus to almost every preseason publication out there likes the Sox to finish at or near the bottom.

As to why, lefty Mark Buehrle sounded a familiar theme.

"I have no idea - because we're getting old and slow and fat," he said. "I'm not the one making predictions. I'm not sure."

With an infusion of young talent and several positions still not settled, the Sox are trying to move away from that "old, fat and slow" label, even though they won the World Series in 2005 and the division last year before falling to Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs.

To a man, Sox people had good things to say about general manager Kenny Williams, the predictions be darned.

"I think Kenny did a tremendous job," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I think, always, we try to put the best team there. In my opinion, we've got enough bullets here to compete.

"I hear they pick us to be in last place. That doesn't surprise me. I've been in last place every spring training.

"The only time they picked me first, I finished third. That's the way it is. I respect that. I know there are a lot of question marks out there."

Whether Guillen subscribes to Baseball Prospectus, which projects the Sox for last place, isn't known, but he gave a shout-out, or a shot-out, to the computer crowd.

"You do not win the pennant race in February," he said. "You do not win a pennant race predicting something your computer says.

"I know at the beginning of the season, there are a lot of experts out there. You throw everything into the computer, all of a sudden, the computer tells you how bad you are or how good you are.

"I always believe (it's) how the players perform. I always believe (it's) how healthy you are and how good we're going to pitch. Then we see how we do."

With young players such as Chris Getz, Josh Fields, Brent Lillibridge and Jerry Owens, among others, figuring into the mix, Pierzynski said "there hasn't been as many position battles since I've been here."

"Kenny made the moves, obviously, he thought would get to the next level," Pierzynski said. "We made the playoffs last year, had a disappointing end. We're ready to go this year and see what happens.

"He (Williams) has a World Series ring. He has a track record of making good moves. He's not afraid to make moves. He's always looking to improve the team, and that's something you look for as a player, because you know the front office and the ownership and the coaches want to do everything they can to help you win.

"I'll never fault Kenny Williams. He brought me in here. He's done a great job since I've been here."

Buehrle said he won't say the Sox will finish first but that things look good "on paper."

"We're supposed to finish fourth from everything I've seen," he said. "I think Cleveland is going to be up there because they're getting a lot of guys back from injury. They signed some guys in the off-season who are going to help them out. I think Kansas City is going to surprise some people.

"I won't say we're the favorites. We won the division last year, and I won't sit here and say we should be favored to win the division this year, but we should go out there and play these games and see what happens."