A Plea for Calm, Dedicated to My White Sox Fan Brethren

In lieu of my standard week in review piece for the South Siders, I have instead decided to soothe the fragile nerves of White Sox Nation.

In the face of fresh questions about Ozzie Guillen's capacity to lead, as well as a lengthy winning streak for that other team in town, it is perfectly understandable that Sox fans are questioning their own team. However, there are five things that everyone needs to keep in mind while crying in their Schlitz over the fate of our Pale Hose.

1. The team is in first place

This is the most obvious point. If you had asked a lot of baseball experts who would be in first place at the beginning of June in the AL Central, two teams would have come up: the Indians and the Tigers. The White Sox were on no one's radar, but Kenny Williams quietly assembled a solid group of guys predicated around veteran leadership and youth in certain spots.

Question marks going into the season were quickly alleviated, as the team got off to a solid start, even earning eight consecutive victories at one point. In what was supposed to be the toughest division in baseball, the White Sox have persevered through the most road games of any team, and are entering a stretch where they are at home most of the time in the month of June. More on this point later.

2. This team still has veteran leadership at its core

Paul Konerko and Jim Thome: two older ballplayers who are struggling at the plate this season. They are the veterans on this team that the young guys look to for leadership, and they provide it. Granted, their numbers are definitely down this season, but their impact is in the intangibles.

For any team to succeed in the playoffs, and ultimately win the World Series, they need guys who have the "been there, done that" workman-like attitude that these two, in addition to AJ Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye, have displayed frequently.

The rotation is also anchored by Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez, who both have taken their experiences in high-pressure baseball and given those lessons to John Danks and Gavin Floyd. This is invaluable.

3. The starting pitching and bullpen have been great

Let's face it, without the pitching, this team would be up a creek without a paddle. The team ERA is solid, their starters are rolling along, and the bullpen, which cost them SO MANY games last season, has finally begun to look like a cohesive unit.

Javier Vazquez has been his usual solid self this year, mowing down hitters and eating up innings. In addition, he has lightened the load of expectation on the younger starters in the rotation.

In the bullpen, two guys have stood out. The signing of Scott Linebrink was one of the most underreported pieces to Ken Williams's grand plan. He has been a dominant eighth-inning pitcher, often pitching on the same level as a guy on the other side of town, Carlos Marmol. He may not have the strikeout total, but he has the ERA and the WHIP that all managers covet.

Nowadays, anytime Ozzie needs a lead locked down, Linebrink is the guy he calls in. Also, Bobby Jenks has remained one of the lockdown closers in baseball. With guys falling like flies out of that role in bullpens throughout baseball, he has been consistently among the best at the game at going through the meat of a team's order and sending them down shaking their heads.

4. They are loaded with pleasant surprises

This is an area that cannot be overlooked. Every year, on playoff caliber teams, players that aren't really talked about during spring training end up having a huge impact on the club. Guys like Troy Tulowitzki with the Rockies and Curtis Granderson with the Tigers come to mind immediately. The Sox have two such players this season.

When Juan Uribe went down with a hamstring injury, Ozzie Guillen was forced to go with an unknown commodity at second base. Alexei Ramirez, a Cuban refugee, has fit the bill and more. He is hitting over .350 since he began starting, and he's been racking up hits and runs scored. His speed is also a huge asset for the team.

The other player, of course, is Carlos Quentin. He has been a huge surprise since he was acquired by the team, and he is among the league leaders in HR and RBI. He would be one of the biggest stories in baseball if not for Josh Hamilton and Jay Bruce. He has the mental makeup to be around for a long time, especially in a city that has proven to be a cauldron for young stars, and his bat is a lethal weapon on a team that at times struggles to score runs.

If I had Terry Francona's ear, Quentin would absolutely be an All-Star. In the meantime, please remember to write-in for him. There's my shameless plug for the All-Star balloting.

5. They still have a ton of home games left

At last, our final point: this team has more home games left than should legally be allowed. I don't know who made the schedule this season, but the Cubs have been at home nearly all the time, and the Sox have been relegated to the role of road warriors.

This month, however, things change.

The White Sox will be playing in the city of Chicago for all but six of their games. Those six road games are split up by lengthy homestands, and the other three road games are played seven miles to the north at Wrigley Field, which is hardly a trip. Only three teams in baseball have a winning record on the road, so it comes as no surprise that we should be optimistic that the Sox are at home as much as they are this month.

So, fans of the Good Guys in Black, there are many things that Sox loyalists should be concerned about. Lack of offense is never a good thing in this sport, and the manager feuding publicly with the GM never sends a strong signal, but putting all that aside, one thing needs to be kept in mind: we are only two months into the season. The team is in first place, with many home games left, and a roster full of players eager to make a return trip to the hallowed grounds of October.