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Firing the manager is the easy way out for underachieving teams, and the White Sox are the

American League version of the Mets, only less expensive. They can justify dumping the

laid-back Jerry Manuel in the middle of their third consecutive disappointing season. But they

shouldn't expect that someone such as Wally Backman, their fiery Class AA manager, will get

better results.

 

The White Sox are flawed. Their lineup is too righthanded, their fundamentals too unsound, their

chemistry too uncertain. They're bound to start hitting, and maybe they'll add a lefthanded slugger

who can play center field and solve two problems at once. But it's always something with this

team: a brooding Frank Thomas here, a struggling Mark Buehrle there, one brush fire or another.

 

Eight Sox coaches have been fired since Manuel took over in 1998, three within the past 11 months. The latest

casualty is hitting coach Gary Ward, and rival scouts and executives say the switch to the less confrontational

Greg Walker is for the better.

 

The move, however, has left

Manuel under even greater

scrutiny, and a managerial

change would shift the focus

to general manager Ken

Williams. Playing in the

game's weakest division, the

Sox should not be a

sub-.500 team.

 

Williams appeared to build a World Series

contender this offseason, trading for staff ace

Bartolo Colon and closer Billy Koch and signing

setup men Tom Gordon and Rick White. The

stunning rise of Esteban Loaiza, a $500,000

free agent, was another Williams coup. Though the exchange of Keith Foulke for Koch in a six-player deal was

debatable, few expected Koch to get off to such a poor start -- and the same can be said of White, Buehrle and Jon

Garland.

 

Yet, the hitting is even worse than the pitching; at the start of the week, the hapless Tigers were the only A.L. team

that had scored score fewer runs. The Sox's on-base/slugging percentage against lefthanders was .796 compared

with .694 against righties -- a reflection of their imbalanced lineup.

 

Many in baseball suspect that owner Jerry Reinsdorf will order a July deconstruction for the third time since 1997 if

the Sox continue to sputter. The team ranks 25th in the majors in home attendance. Reinsdorf could cut his losses

by moving right fielder Magglio Ordonez, who is guaranteed $9 million this season and $14 million in 2004, and Colon,

a potential free agent who is making $8.25 million.

 

Williams dismisses such talk. He believes the hitters will perform to their track records; the Sox ranked third in the

A.L. in scoring last season, behind only the Yankees and Red Sox. He sees the bullpen stabilizing and the team

settling on fourth and fifth starters who can deliver better than a combined 6.00-plus ERA.

 

"I didn't feel it was paramount for this particular team to get out of the gate fast," Williams says. "We wanted to,

absolutely. But we think these guys -- with their talent, drive and character -- are built for the long haul. This little

speed bump in the road is just that. We trust things will get straightened out."

 

In fact, Williams wants to add rather than subtract, particularly after rushing top prospect Joe Borchard into center

following injuries to Aaron Rowand and Willie Harris. The Sox maintain interest in the Cardinals' J.D. Drew and the

Pirates' Brian Giles, both of whom could play center. Royals switch hitter Carlos Beltran, a natural center fielder, is

an even better fit. But even if Williams is willing to part with the necessary young players, it's doubtful Reinsdorf

would add payroll.

 

Reinsdorf might take a different view if the White Sox close on the first-place Twins, but the Sox are 15-29 against

Minnesota since the start of 2001. One general manager says the White Sox have "too many guys who don't know

how to play." They certainly have too many plodders who would be better off as designated hitters.

 

Williams, however, says the White Sox are no more mistake-prone on the bases than other clubs, and their

defensive woes might be overstated. The Sox rank eighth in the A.L. in fielding percentage but fifth in defensive

efficiency, a statistic that measures the percentage of balls in play that are turned into outs. If Paul Konerko, Joe

Crede and Jose Valentin had on-base percentages above .300, the team's fundamental deficiencies might not be

such an issue.

 

Still, the Sox have too many trouble spots. Thomas can't run or play a position and no longer hits well enough to

justify the ill will he engenders. One agent calls him as the "big sourball," but good luck to Williams trying to get rid of

The Nagging Ache -- Thomas' new contract guarantees him $22.5 million through 2005.

 

Buehrle entered the week allowing 15.03 baserunners per nine innings, the third-highest average in the A.L. His

strikeout-to-walk ratio is in decline, from a team-best 2.2 last season to 1.1. The sample size is small; the season is

only one-third complete. But if Buehrle isn't the pitcher who won 35 games the past two seasons, the Sox won't be

contenders.

 

Manuel is hardly above reproach; a team that lacks leadership needs stronger direction. The Sox, though, would be

easier to manage if they had a more balanced lineup and better speed, a Thomas-free clubhouse and a Twins-like

defense.

 

Every year they tease their fans. Every year they disappoint them. It's not just the manager.