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GM sees, feels something special early on
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

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CLEVELAND -- Ken Williams likes the makeup of this current White Sox team, from the deep pitching staff to the much talked about grind-it-out style of baseball employed throughout the lineup.
But when talk Monday switched to improved clubhouse chemistry, another hot button topic since the start of Spring Training, the White Sox general manager wanted to make one point clear when endorsing this year's unit -- he's not comparing it to last year's squad.

"I'm a little hesitant to talk about that because it is an indictment on people who are no longer here and they deserve better," said Williams, focusing on the chemistry solely among this year's group. "I just prefer to say that for whatever reason, this group of guys is not just different from last year's.

"But even me as a player, and I was part of some pretty good teams in Toronto, I saw what a good clubhouse looks like. This team is a notch above in comparison to many, many clubs I've seen."

Williams pointed out a small example to illustrate his point, stemming from when he was walking back from dinner Saturday night, following the White Sox's victory over the Twins in Minneapolis. He happened to see a group of 10 or 12 of his players sitting together at a local establishment, and in the past, Williams' philosophy usually was to go in and exchange pleasantries and possibly stay for one drink.

The scenario played out differently on Saturday, by the players' request.

"They waved me in and insisted on me staying," Williams said with a laugh. "You just don't see that very often. It's a different kind of spirit. There are no cliques on this team."

This sense of unity seems to instill great confidence in both Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen, an even greater sense of confidence than they had with a healthy, first-place group for part of 2004 that included a trio of sluggers in Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee. That confidence also emanates from on-field intangibles.

A more complete pitching staff is what impresses Williams, with the White Sox not having to be as perfect because of a stronger group of arms from one through 12. Guillen, in turn, points to the change in offensive philosophy that has taken hold even better than expected through the first week of the season.

"Well, yeah because the only thing about that (2004) team, I don't care if we were losing by five because we have a chance to score 10," Guillen said. "Meanwhile, I was scared to go down by one because if we don't hit a home run, we're not going to score.

"Last year, we were down 8-0 to New York and all of a sudden we tie the game. Right here, we might be in a tough spot but there won't be too many games where we'll be down by eight runs in the first two innings.

"Don't get me wrong. We had good players, but we didn't have a good team," Guillen added. "Everybody had a different way to play and go about his business, and it was the wrong way."

New addition: It has been almost two years since Chris Widger last produced a hit during a Major League game. Not only did Widger come through during Monday's 2-1 victory over Cleveland with a two-out single against Indians' starter Kevin Millwood in the seventh, but Widger also scored the game-winning tally on Scott Podsednik's single to center.

"It really is gratifying," said Widger, who became the last White Sox position player to see action in 2005. "Aside from that, you want to get your first hit out of the way. It always seems like the first one is the toughest."

Widger quickly pointed out that the hit was insignificant, in comparison to the job done by Freddy Garcia on the mound. The veteran backstop caught Garcia during the 2000 season, when they were both with Seattle, and believes the right-hander is a much more complete pitcher and much wiser in terms of pitching through tough situations.

The excitement of a one-run Major League contest, before a sellout crowd of more than 40,000 fans, is a far cry from Widger's playing status in 2004. He briefly walked away from the game after the Cardinals traded him to the Mets at the end of Spring Training, but returned to play for Camden in the Atlantic League. That particular East Coast league has gained recent attention with the Long Island Ducks signing controversial reliever John Rocker last Thursday.

The unaffiliated baseball experience was a positive one for Widger and helped him decide that he wasn't ready to give on another comeback attempt.

"I enjoyed it because it was just about playing baseball again," said Widger, who hit .267 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs for Camden. "It's a good place for guys to stay in shape. It's not the level you need to play at, but it's a good enough level to stay sharp and still give you the chance to come back.

"It's not a bad league. It's not a young league. It's a lot of guys with big league experience, or at least Triple-A. They know how to play the game, and there are some nice ballparks there."

Around the horn: Aaron Rowand was hit by a Millwood pitch in the fifth inning of Monday's victory. The ball caught Rowand on the left side of his left hand, but the center fielder was able to stay in and finish the game. ... Pablo Ozuna started at shortstop in place of Juan Uribe, who was sidelined by a case of the flu. ... The White Sox will face Scott Elarton, instead of Jake Westbrook, during Thursday evening's series finale. Elarton threw a two-hit shutout against the South Siders in late August last season, facing just 29 hitters.

Down on the farm: A couple of top prospects have started off slowly through the first week of the Minor League season. Ryan Sweeney has one hit in 12 at-bats for Double-A Birmingham, while outfielder Chris Young, who Guillen singled out in Arizona for his vast offensive development, is 2-for-12. Casey Rogowski has four hits in 15 at-bats for the Barons, driving in one run. But 10 of his 11 outs have been via the strikeout.

On deck: After Tuesday's off-day, Jose Contreras gets the start for the White Sox during Wednesday's second game of this three-game set. Contreras allowed four hits and one earned run over six innings when he pitched in Chicago against the Indians last week.