White Sox go the old way

The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 and won 90 games in 2006, but they lost 90 games last year. The Indians and Tigers clearly appear to have passed the White Sox by, and the Twins and Royals are grooming young talent good enough to compete in baseball’s toughest division next year. The White Sox scorned rebuilding. They bet last year was a fluke, so they got older and more expensive -- $78 million on midseason extensions for starter Mark Buehrle and outfielder Jermaine Dye last summer, $30 million for free-agent setup men Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel last winter.

Designated hitter Jim Thome is 37, pitcher Jose Contreras is 36, Dotel and Dye are 34, new shortstop Orlando Cabrera is 33, first baseman Paul Konerko is 32 and Linebrink, pitcher Javier Vazquez and catcher A.J. Pierzynski all are 31. If the White Sox do not rebound and win, they could emerge as the AL version of the Giants -- too old a team, too long a wait to rebuild.