Teamwork keyed: White Sox title run in 2005.(Warm Up Tosses)(Cover Story)

IN 2005, THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX EPITOMIZED AN IMPRESSIVE COLLABORATION of talent that brought them their first World Series title in 88 years.

Their brand of teamwork paid big dividends during a run that saw them win 11 out of 12 post-season games, eliminating such challengers as the Red Sox, Angels and Astros as they rose to the top of the baseball world.

"We ground it out from Day One," said left fielder Scott Podsednik after the White Sox beat the Astros, 1-0, in Game 4 of the Fall Classic. "Nobody cared about stats or themselves."

"Everybody was a part of this," added pitching coach Don Cooper. "We're a team without super stars, without big egos."

"They're special," said manager Ozzie Guillen, "because of the unity they have."

That unity was due in large measure to Guillen himself, described by some writers as an Hispanic Casey Stengel whose rapid, nonstop recitations mesmerized media ensembles throughout the playoffs.

"He keeps everybody happy and loose," said Jermaine Dye after receiving the World Series Most Valuable Player Award during the champagne-soaked celebration in the White Sox clubhouse in Houston following the sweep of the Astros.