Nick Friedel

they're going to find some way to contribute to a win.

And I remember years ago, the White Sox, when I came here, had a manager who eventually went on to win a world title with Pittsburgh.

His name was Chuck Tanner.

And he would go around every day and talk to the extra men, the guys that were on the bench, the guys who weren't playing a whole lot.

And he would say, I know you want to play more, and eventually you're going to because injuries happen, days off happen.

I need you to work hard each and every day because when I call on you, you have to be 100% ready to contribute to a team win.

He didn't have to pick up the starters per se because the confidence that he was showing in them was the fact that they were starting players.

So it's important that it's a 26-man effort.

I think that's what Will and his staff has tried to impart to the team.

He laid down the culture in spring training, and right now this team is doing a whole lot of things right.

Now, look, it's not a great team by any stretch of the imagination.

If this team was in the National League West, well, it probably wouldn't be in contention.

But it's not.

It's in the American League Central.

And when you look around and realize that this team is still one game out, there's no elite team in the Central, teams will get better.

Right now the whole division is in the race.

But the fact is that the Sox are in second place.

And Cleveland is not a killer team by any stretch of the imagination.

They do find on a yearly basis some way to stay in there, which is a testament to that organization.

But the Sox are building.