Those boos maybe were not for Wise

Chicago sports fans always deserve the benefit of the doubt because they know the game, whatever the game is.

So let's assume when the White Sox faithful booed Dewayne Wise during Tuesday's season opener, they really were booing general manager Kenny Williams and field manager Ozzie Guillen.

"It's not fair for (Wise)," Guillen said of the crowd response.

No, it isn't, not even as Wise goes 0-for-4 at the plate, striking out three times and failing to bunt the potential tying run to second base in the eighth inning.

Wise is batting leadoff, and he isn't a major-league leadoff hitter, or at least hasn't been. He started in center field and probably is a fourth or fifth outfielder on most contenders.

But the Sox don't have any other slam-dunk choices to adequately fill those roles, so Wise is attempting to.

The bad news was he looked terrible in the opener; the good news is the Sox beat the Royals anyway.

Listen, Wise is a 31-year-old marginal major-leaguer who deserves better than to be treated like an underachieving superstar.

A year ago he would have been thrilled to be an extra outfielder coming in late in games as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.

But here Wise is, a leading man in more ways than one, an earnest athlete just trying to do what he's asked to do.

"You're in Chicago," Guillen said of the booing. "You expect that."

Well, yes and no. This isn't exactly New York or Boston or Philadelphia, where fans are brutally demanding.

People here know what they're doing and why they're doing it. So maybe in booing Wise, they're booing because Williams hasn't been able to land a viable leadoff man since Scott Podsednik helped win the World Series in 2005.

Sox fans don't want to hear excuses anymore, and Wise bears the brunt of their frustration.

"If fans boo him, they're wrong," Guillen said. "If somebody is to blame for this, blame me because I make the lineup."

This Wise thing is an experiment, and the grade is incomplete. Williams and Guillen still could be proved correct because Wise still could surprise as both leadoff man and starting center fielder.

"I played with Dewayne for a full year last year and he's extremely talented," said rookie second baseman Chris Getz, the Sox' No. 2 hitter. "If he gets comfortable he can really help us. He's more than capable of doing the job. I say stick with him and he'll have success."

Getz, who had 2 hits and was in the middle of the Sox' winning rally, is Plan B at leadoff. Meanwhile, Brian Anderson is Plan AA in center field.

But Wise remains in play in both roles - for now.

"Wise will be there, batting first," Guillen said of tonight's game against the Royals. "He'll stay there as long as he gives me good at-bats and fights."

Did Wise do that in the opener?

"No," Guillen conceded.

So Getz - who said he has led off since Little League - remains a possibility.

"We're going to see," Guillen said. "Getz is doing so well batting second, I don't want to interrupt that."

Wise did hear cheers Tuesday after catching the game's final out, no small victory for him and the Sox.