Carlos Quentin leads the White Sox in batting average (.299), home runs (14), RBIs (48) and runs (36). Robert Beck/SI Gennaro Filice's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Gennaro. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

THREE UP

1. White Sox GM Kenny Williams: When it comes to risk-taking, Williams is the Evel Knievel of general managers. His aggressive approach backfires at times, but for the most part, Williams steers the White Sox in the right direction.

With Chicago sitting atop the AL Central, I can't help but think about three recent trades executed by Williams that are paying huge dividends. In hindsight, these are three fleecings by baseball's most venturesome GM:

• RHP Freddy Garcia to Philadelphia for RHP Gavin Floyd and LHP Gio Gonzalez; Dec. 6, 2006: Williams made a big splash at baseball's winter meetings by trading away the franchise ace for a pair of prospects. But Garcia was a huge bust for the Phillies the following season, winning just one game before season-ending shoulder surgery. He remains a free agent today. Williams ended up trading Gonzalez in the Nick Swisher deal, but he held on to Floyd. Smart move. As Chicago's No. 4 starter, Floyd owns a 5-3 record and 3.22 ERA.

• RHP Brandon McCarthy and OF David Paisano to Texas for LHP John Danks, RHP Nick Masset and RHP Jacob Rasner; Dec. 23, 2006: In the press conference for the Floyd trade, Williams told the media, "The Chicago White Sox are still open for business." And he wasn't lying. Seventeen days later Chicago sent hard-throwing right-hander McCarthy to Texas in a deal that brought back lefty prospect Danks. McCarthy has struggled mightily with injuries since the trade. On the other hand, Danks is coming into his own following a rough rookie campaign in '07. The 23-year-old currently holds a 2.86 ERA and an impressive 50-to-18 strikeout-to-walk rate.

• 1B Christopher Carter to Arizona for OF Carlos Quentin; Dec. 3, 2007: Quentin entered the '07 season as one of the top prospects in the game, but he was an injury-riddled bust, hitting just .214 over 81 games. (Eventually he lost his job to Justin Upton.) With Quentin's stock down, Williams swooped in and acquired the outfielder for the reduced price of a top Class A prospect. Through the first 52 games of this season Quentin is a bona fide MVP candidate. He leads the American League with 14 homers and ranks second with 48 RBIs. Nobody's more surprised than manager Ozzie Guillen: "I didn't even know who he was when we traded for him, but [Williams] told me, 'If this kid's healthy, he's going to help win you games.' "

2. Dempster's glove wiggle: The art of deception is paramount to pitching success. Starter-turned-closer-turned-starter Ryan Dempster really took this to heart in the offseason. Prior to moving back into the rotation, the Cubs right-hander added an old-school glove wiggle to his windup. Basically he begins his windup, flaps his glove twice at the hitter and proceeds to deal. ("The windup, the wiggle and the pitch ...") Is it effective? Well, the proof is in the pudding: Dempster is 6-2 with a 2.56 ERA.

So what's next? Will the quirky Canadian continue to tweak his approach? One suggestion, two words: electric slide.

3. Giambi's superstitions: Following a dreadful start to the '08 campaign, the second-highest paid player in baseball is finally starting to earn his keep.

Jason Giambi, who'll net a cool $23,428,571 in the final year of his contract, hit just .164 with a .726 OPS in April. But the Yankees' first baseman boasts a .339 batting average and a 1.207 OPS in May.

Giambi's recent surge begs one all-important question: Should we credit the golden thong or his fresh lip fur?

AP

Personally, I'm heaping praise on the mustache. By my approximation, that 'stache is between one and two weeks old, and over the last nine games, Giambi's 14 for 30 (.466) with four homers.