At the end of his typically abbreviated chat with reporters, Rios was asked if the White Sox are the team to beat in the AL Central this season.
“Oh, yeah,” Rios said. “Definitely. We’re the team to beat. We have good additions to the team. The core is solid and with the additions we’re even stronger. I think we’re going to give a hard time to a lot of people out there.”
Can we beat the Twinkies first, Alex? What the heck happened to humility?
UPDATE: Here’s Ozzie:
Guillen wants his players to be confident but not boastful, until they have fulfilled their potential. And he doesn’t want them to be consumed with AL Central nemesis Minnesota despite incessant questions about how much better they stack up against the Twins following their offseason upgrades.
“The one thing I’m concerned about is don’t let the hype get you,” Guillen said. “We haven’t done anything yet. We haven’t proved anything yet. We don’t know what’s going to happen. All that stuff like ‘we should win, we should have to win’ — keep that thing behind. Prove to people what you can do, show them what you can do. And then you talk.
“Just play your game. Let your ability take over and the confidence. Be confident, but don’t be cocky. And that’s one of the things I worry about.”