Chicago ? As of Monday morning the White Sox were only a game out of first place.

Was all of Chicago excited?

No.

As of Monday morning, the Cubs had a piece of first place-but the Cubs were supposed to be good this year, whereas the Sox supposedly were not.

So is everybody in town buzzing about what a nice surprise the Sox are so far?

No.

As of Monday morning, White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin had more home runs than David Ortiz, Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez.

Is everybody excited about how the Sox have come up with one of the hottest young sluggers in the American League?

No.

As of Monday morning, Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd had flirted with a no-hitter twice. He has given up a mere 29 hits in seven starts-a fantastic stat.

Do you see “Floyd” jerseys everywhere you go? Do any sell like Kosuke Fukudome’s?

No.

As of Monday morning, Javier Vazquez led the American League in strikeouts. He has become the undisputed ace of this White Sox pitching staff.

Has this been enough to make people stop bringing up the fact that the Sox sent a good young outfielder, Chris Young, to the Arizona Diamondbacks to get Vazquez?

No.

Jose Contreras was said to be over the hill. Is he?

No, he is 3-3. He has as many victories as Ted Lilly does for the Cubs.

John Danks was said to be a bust after a 6-13 record last season. He wouldn’t be a star left-hander of the future like the Cubs’ Rich Hill, who went 11-8. True?

No, he is 3-3. Hill, meanwhile, has gone back to the minor leagues.

Joe Crede should have been traded, some people said. It was stupid of the Sox not to trade Crede and let Josh Fields play third base. Wasn’t it?

No. So far Crede has seven homers (more than A-Rod) and 23 RBIs (more than Jim Thome or Paul Konerko), and it is Fields who is hitting only .240 in minors and recently got hurt.

An objective person would say that most of the White Sox’s moves this season have paid off.

They have a legitimate shot at the postseason now, same as the Cubs do.

Their division isn’t as strong as a lot of experts thought. The entire American League is up for grabs, as evidenced by the Tampa Bay Rays, who as of Monday had won more games than the Yankees, Tigers, Indians, Twins, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers, Royals, Mariners and White Sox have.

So excitement must be growing that the White Sox could win a World Series twice in a four-year span, just like the Red Sox did, yes?

No.

For a team that has been in first or second place for most of this season, the Sox have not been the talk of the league. They aren’t even the talk of their own town.

Cubs, Cubs and More Cubs-that’s what you hear here.

A day doesn’t go by without somebody gushing about how great the Cubs look.

Repeat: As of Monday morning the White Sox were a game out of first place.

They should get a standing ovation. Instead, what they get is ignored or insulted.