GEORGE CASTLE: 'Rebuilding' strangely doesn't dampen SoxFest mood

CHICAGO | Maybe White Sox fans are crafting their own special kind of change-up.

When the franchise beat its chest with its "All in" hype last season, the U.S Cellular Field crowds were underwhelming in stunning fashion, leading to recent general manager Kenny Williams' payroll-slashing program.

But in the wake of the budget cuts that shed talent and prompted Williams' use of the word "rebuilding" to describe his strategy, crowds were enormous and seemingly understanding at the opening of SoxFest on Friday.

Perhaps it was appreciation and respect for new manager and historical Sox folk hero Robin Ventura at his side, but Williams did not run the verbal gantlet of disgruntled fans. Interestingly, the Williams-Ventura meet-the-fans session drew a bigger crowd than the final Williams-Ozzie Guillen seminar at last year's SoxFest.

"I used the world rebuilding this offseason," Williams said, responding to a question about the trade of closer Sergio Santos for Blue Jays pitching prospect Nestor Molina. "Don't expect a domino-falling rebuilding."

Explaining further, Williams called it a "hybrid" rebuilding, partially to build up his starting pitching depth.

Closest to an inflammatory question was directed at Ventura by an older fan who said Sox fundamentals are "horrid" while opposing runners were stealing the Sox "mad." Ventura calmly responded that making the Sox fundamentally sound is "my responsibility."

Ventura repeatedly charmed the crowd with his trademark dry humor. He did confirm one fan's suggestion of shifting Alejandro De Aza to center, Alex Rios to right and husky Dayan Viciedo to left as "options."

Recriminations on the failed 2011 season were few. Before the fans' session, Williams said Adam Dunn should have been benched a week longer to recover from his early-season appendectomy.

Hope is obviously at its highest in the dead of winter, long before reality sets in, thus staunching the expected negativity. Fans could gape at a cut.

Viciedo appeared cut, apparently shedding some baby fat in exchange for muscle to handle regular duty in right field to replace the traded Carlos Quentin. Viciedo said he is still "El Tanque" (The Tank), not shrunk to merely The Humvee or The Armored Car.

And there was Chris Sale, very tall as usual and apparently stronger, who was fresh from a honeymoon on Maui. He has been shifted from the bullpen to the rotation, confident he could endure through six or seven innings and 100 more pitches.

Rebuilding may have been mentioned by Williams, but it is not on the minds of core Sox.

"I don't think you have to be careful using any word as far as the players who are here," captain Paul Konerko said. "Fact is we'll have some younger players on the field. We'll also have some older guys. It doesn't matter to us what someone else (says).

"Last year's team was supposed to be a deep-contending playoff team, and you saw where that got it. I don't think it matters what you define a team as, at least from the inside-out, because it doesn't change each player's job."

Jake Peavy, he of the chronic aches and pains, said he expects to be fit — and proscribed a way for "rebuilding" to die out as a catchphrase.

"There's a couple of us (who if they have) years if we had in the past, myself included, Adam (Dunn), Alex (Rios), no doubt we can sneak up on people if the right situation arises," he said. "Get some wins under our belt out of the chute, get off to a good start, build confidence and team unity, get behind Robin."

Midwinter hope also means not hanging crepe over the Detroit Tigers landing free-agent prize Prince Fielder.

"It's not like that move put them over the hump as the team to beat in the division," Konerko said. "They distanced themselves from everyone else last year in the second half. Just adding (Fielder) strengthens their case. It's not going to be easy."

Surprisingly few echoed the Sox first-base patriarch. If only January positivism translated directly into August victories.

This opinions are the writer's. Reach him at DGemsNet@aol.com.