They said it: White Sox personnel talk about promising first half of season

The White Sox pulled into the all-star break with a 42-44 record.

At first glance, that puts them on pace for a seventh straight losing season. Taking a second look, the Sox are in much better shape than they were last year, when they went 33-62 before the All-Star Game and went on to lose 100 games for the first time since 1970.

As they prepare for the second half of the season, which starts Friday night at Oakland, let's take a look back at some of the best quotes of the first half:

“As we sit here today, we know we are in a much better spot than we were a little over two and a half years ago when we started this process. We are very optimistic about where we are headed.”

— General manager Rick Hahn on March 28, when the White Sox opened the season at Kansas City.

“It feels amazing. I'm going to put it (baseball) in my room and I'm going to see it every day.”

— Rookie left fielder Eloy Jimenez after getting his first major-league hit, a single vs. the Royals on March 30.

“My goal is to just continue to stay locked in and execute pitches. I try not to have result-oriented goals like, 'I need to be in Chicago by here.' It's really just trying to be the best player I can be and see where that takes me.”

— Top pitching prospect Dylan Cease on April 12 before a start for Class AAA Charlotte at Indianapolis.

“We've been waiting for that. He has ridiculous power.”

— Sox starter Lucas Giolito on Jimenez, who hit his first 2 major-league homers in an April 12 win over New York at Yankee Stadium.

“The game is boring. A lot of fans don't watch, I'll admit it. So you try to do something to make these fans want to come back and make these kids want to come back to the ballpark.”

— White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson on May 1 when asked about bat flipping and the state of the game.

“Honestly, I'm only 26 years old, luckily, and hopefully I can play this game for 10 more years. So I'm still fairly young. If it's Tommy John, so be it to get me back on this field.”

— Sox starter Carlos Rodon on May 2 before having season-ending elbow surgery.

“The Astros are a team I always look forward to facing. A lot of good hitters in that lineup. They won a World Series a couple of years ago so when you do well against them, it makes you feel pretty good about yourself.”

— Giolito on May 23 after pitching his first major-league shutout in a 4-0 win at Houston.

“Ultimately, we have to get better, period. Play better defense. Pitch better. Make adjustments, in-game adjustments. I think (the players) know that. They understand that.”

— Manager Rick Renteria on May 26 after the White Sox lost their third straight at first-place Minnesota while being outscored 26-5 in the series.

“I just love to play. I play the game hard. And I hope what I do wears off on the people next to me. I hope I can build people up and make our competition that much better.”

— Andrew Vaughn on June 3 after being drafted by the Sox on the first round (No. 3 overall).

“We're going to keep pushing. We're going to try to get a spot in the playoffs.”

— Jimenez on June 15 after the Sox beat the Yankees and reached .500 (34-34) after 68 games for the first time since 2012.

“He's a great kid with a lot of energy and joy in his heart. Everyone gravitates toward him. It was a great moment, a great moment for the team.”

— Renteria on June 18 after Jimenez's 2-run homer in the ninth inning lifted the White Sox to a 3-1 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

“That's a good sign for the organization, seeing the amount of guys as candidates.”

— James McCann on June 30 after being named to the American League all-star team along with Giolito and Jose Abreu.

“It was a good first start. Obviously the command wasn't the best but I'll take a win any time.”

— Cease on July 3 after winning his first major-league start for the Sox in Game 1 of a doubleheader vs. Detroit

“I'm very blessed being here in this organization. I want to be part of this organization going forward because I know we are going to be very, very good and I think you can see that right now. If I would be the owner, I would sign myself here. I want to stay here.”

— Abreu on July 3 after his 3-run homer in the 12th inning of Game 2 gave the White Sox a sweep over the Tigers.

“People have counted us out from Day 1 and here we sit. We've kind of opened a few eyes, and it's time to open a few more eyes as the season goes along.”

— McCann on July 7 after the Sox closed out the first half of the season with a 3-1 win over the Cubs.