Aiming high: Mark Buehrle has great expectations but would prefer to keep a low profile.

MARK BUEHRLE does not care for too much fuss. The White Sox' meat-and-potatoes pitcher grew up as the kind of kid who loved his birthday but hated all the attention. He wants to win the race, just don't expect him to parade around with the trophy.

Buehrle loves playing baseball but would rather blend into the scenery. The problem is his left arm won't let him. He has shown a craftiness that belies his age, 24, and has forced him into an uncomfortable spotlight that he reluctantly will accept as a part of being able to play a game for a living.

All the signs are there. Ask Buehrle a question and get prepared for a fast-talking answer that he admits is the result of being nervous.

So how does he do it? How does a shy, attention-hating kid stand on top of a hill in front of thousands of screaming fans and deliver what they came to see?

"He just has confidence," manager Jerry Manuel said. "Obviously, he's courageous and he has great instincts for what he does. He has great instincts."

On occasion, those instincts do let him down. Take, for instance, his final start of 2002, with Buehrle a mere four outs away from becoming the Sox' first 20-game winner in nine years.

Minnesota's Bobby Kielty had just tagged a no-doubt-about-it laser over the wall in right field to give the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning. Buehrle just kicked the dirt and waited for redemption.