White Sox proving pundits wrong so far

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An afterthought before the season, the White Sox shocked the pundits, the city and most of the baseball community by storming to the top of the AL Central - a division many predicted they had no chance of contending for. Sure, their success has a little to do with Cleveland's collapse and Detroit's baffling inconsistency, but first place is first place. And it's not as if they've been a flash in the pan, either - the Sox grabbed hold of their division in mid-May and have been on top ever since. “I don't blame people for not believing in us,” manager Ozzie Guillen told the team's Web site. “There were a couple of clubs, in Detroit and Cleveland, who people thought were built better than us for this year.” The organization's confidence, however, never wavered. “We expected to be in first place at this time,” Guillen said. But who could expect the stranglehold they've had over their division? The Sox have led for 74 days - only Arizona (91) and the Los Angeles Angels (87) have led their respective division longer. In late April, the Sox led by three, by early June their advantage had swelled to a season-high 6 1/2 games. Although the lead has whittled of late, they still lead the division by 1 1/2 games over Minnesota, the and 6 1/2 over Detroit. So can they keep it up? Can they win the Central and compete for a pennant? Can they win it all? Cubs manager Lou Piniella thinks so. “The White Sox should win that division by half a dozen games or more, if you want to know the truth,” Piniella said in late June. “They've got just about everything that's needed. They're a pretty good ballclub.” Grades for the team's first half:

Pitching: A The starting rotation was solid, the bullpen sublime. Gavin Floyd (10-5, 3.63 ERA) flirted with no-hitters twice. John Danks (2.67 ERA, 94 strikeouts, .234 opponent batting average) was as good or better than his teammate. Mark Buehrle (3.68 ERA) has been lights-out since the first of June (4-2, 1.86 ERA). Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel have been a solid bridge to closer Bobby Jenks (1.95 ERA, 18 saves). Any team would love to have Matt Thornton (2.33 ERA, 48 strikeouts) as a third set-up man. Javier Vazquez has been a mystery - despite having some of the best stuff in the game, he's 7-7 with a team-worst 4.61 ERA.

Offense: B- A burden in April (.242 team batting average) and May (.250), the offense broke out of its slump in June (.301, .522 slugging percentage). At the break, the Sox led the AL in home runs (129) and ranked third in runs scored (465). All season the team has relied on the long ball - not a surprise, considering the talent. Right fielder Jermaine Dye (.306, 21 home runs, 56 RBIs) should have been an All-Star. Left fielder Carlos Quentin (.276, 22 homers, 70 RBIs) and third baseman Joe Crede (.253, 16 homers, 49 RBIs) made the AL squad. Designated hitter Jim Thome (18 homers, 51 RBIs) rebounded from his early struggles - first baseman Paul Konerko (.217) and center fielder/first baseman Nick Swisher (.236, 75 strikeouts) did not.

Defense: A Shortstop Orlando Cabrera should win a Gold Glove. Alexei Ramirez, a natural shortstop, has played a flawless second base and an exceptional center field. Swisher looked great at first, although he now is back in center. Although not the fastest right fielder in the league, Dye is very solid. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski deserves accolades for his handling of young pitchers Floyd and Danks. Incredibly, the team's worst defensive player, error-wise, has been Crede (league-high 17 miscues), but he still prevents more runs than he creates.

Bench: C Although they are Gold Glove-caliber defenders, outfielder Brian Anderson and shortstop Juan Uribe cannot do what most reserves are expected to do - hit. Toby Hall (.289) is nothing more than a backup catcher. Dewayne Wise has shone in limited at-bats - if any member of the bench is going to make a second-half impact, it's him. The Sox need more contributions from Anderson (.229) and Uribe (.219), especially after waiving versatile infielder Pablo Ozuna.

Manager: A If not for Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon, Ozzie Guillen would be the odds-on favorite for AL Manager of the Year - remember, the Sox finished 72-90 last season. Guillen protected his players when they needed protection, but didn't hesitate to prod them when necessary. He's managed each game for what it is, one game - he won't kill his bullpen, even if it means taking a loss. His decision to overhaul the lineup, move Cabrera, Pierzynski and Quentin up, while moving Thome, Konerko and Swisher down, proved the right move.

Front Office: A No general manager had a better offseason than Ken Williams, who guessed right on four unheralded players. Quentin, acquired from Arizona, should garner MVP consideration. Dotel and Linebrink, signed to rejuvenate what was one of baseball's worst bullpens, have done exactly that. Ramirez (.312) grabbed a starting job away from Uribe - signed for basically nothing, the Cuban exile is the team's shortstop of the future. Williams also traded for Swisher and Cabrera - the former provided much-needed energy; the latter solidified an already-strong infield and emerged as a quality leadoff hitter.