General manager Ken Williams has never been much into the prediction business and doesn't want to start. So when asked about the 2008 version of the team he has put together in search of returning to October glory, it's no longer a trap he will step in.

"The reason I look forward to Opening Day more than anyone is because all the things, the questions that have been thrown my way and the manager has thrown his way, that's when the players can answer them," Williams said in the fading days of spring camp. "All of what I have to say in my mind is all propaganda, and everyone is going to be positive and put the best light on their team that they could possibly put on it."

That doesn't mean Williams leaves camp with more concerns than usual.

The aspect of the team that Williams most wanted to fix in the winter was a leaky bullpen and an offense that struggled to get on base. Mission accomplished on both fronts.

The Sox bullpen ranked 12th in the American League with a 5.47 ERA, the team's highest since at least 1957. Williams added veterans Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink in free agency, and both looked strong the last week of camp, especially in handling the late innings in getting the ball to closer Bobby Jenks.

As far as the on-base percentage, not only did leadoff hitter Jerry Owens come into camp with 10 pounds of muscle and displaying a new confidence in what he can do, but Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher each showed they were ready to make the Sox offense more lethal.

If the "Big Three" of Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye can bounce back from down years, there seems to be no reason why the club can't return to the juggernaut it was in both the 2005 and '06 seasons. In addition, the White Sox will have a bit more speed at the top with Owens and Cabrera in the first two spots.

While there were additions made in the winter, it came with a subtraction. Namely, Jon Garland was sent to the Angels for Cabrera, leaving a big piece of the starting rotation missing. The Sox know what they have in the one-two punch of Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez at the front end of the starting rotation, but after that it could get dicey.

The decision was made to use John Danks in the No. 3 spot rather than fourth or fifth, mainly because manager Ozzie Guillen doesn't want to use Buehrle and Danks or Danks and Gavin Floyd in back-to-back starts.

Jose Contreras will pitch fourth and seems to have his velocity back to where it was before his dismal 2007 season. The wild card is Floyd, who has big-league stuff but hasn't matched that stuff mentally.

Considering the Sox play in the American League Central, they will need a lot of things to go right to jump both Cleveland and Detroit. But there is no question they have a certain swagger back, and plus there's always Guillen.

The fifth-year manager was up to his usual headline-making self in the spring, making promises that ranged from "running naked down Michigan Avenue" if the Sox won it all to having board chairman Jerry Reinsdorf rip up the remaining five years left on his contract if the club starts off poorly.

Guillen threw his team under the bus with about a week left in camp because of what he felt was a lack of intensity, and the one promise he has made is that, win or lose, there will be a fight in this club that was lacking in '07.

"I have to," Guillen responded, when asked about calling his players out this season. "That's my way. That's what I mean by Ozzie has to be Ozzie."

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON
The Sox expect two things from Nick Swisher this season: First, that he will be used all over the place in the lineup because of his versatility and his high on-base percentage. Second, that his home run total will go up. Hitting in cavernous Oakland, Swisher was still a longball threat. Now in the friendly confines of U.S. Cellular Field, expect at least 30 home runs.

ON THE DECLINE
Right-handed pitcher Mike MacDougal will be on a short leash this season, especially after posting a 2-5 record and 6.80 ERA last season. The Sox are hoping he has his mechanical problems fixed after a shaky spring start, but there is no doubt that they can no longer count on him.

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