AL NOTE: WELCOME TO THE WHITE SOX SIDESHOW.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA  Staff Writer

TORONTO -- Life never is dull if you are a World Series champion, but the Chicago White Sox seem to be taking their newsworthiness to a higher level.

The Angels will head to Chicago on Tuesday to find a team that might be playing as well as it did in last season's postseason, hardly distracted by a bevy of events that have turned an even bigger spotlight their way.

Last week opened with a report from a Venezuelan newspaper that starter Freddy Garcia had tested positive for marijuana at the World Baseball Classic. Garcia never was prohibited from pitching even though the test in question supposedly took place before he took the mound against the Dominican Republic.

So far, International Baseball's Amateur Federation has not put Garcia on its suspended list. Major League Baseball, which does not test for marijuana, also has not announced any kind of punishment. Garcia has responded with a week's worth of no comments.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, never shy to voice his opinion, lashed out at the Venezuelan newspaper Lider.

``It doesn't bother (Garcia) but it bothers me,'' Guillen, a Venezuela native, told Chicago reporters. ``One newspaper, one guy, says he might (have tested positive), but nobody's got anything ... nobody. ... It's a good thing it happened to Freddy and not Ozzie Guillen because that man's going to be in big trouble. I will fly to Venezuela and kick his (rear).

Then, Jim Thome, who was beloved in Cleveland before leaving as a free agent after the 2002 season, was ripped to shreds by Jacobs Field fans. They were so hostile to Thome, even often-booed teammate A.J. Pierzynski was taken aback.

``Even when I went back to Minnesota, the first at-bat they kind of cheered me,'' Pierzynski said. ``After that they started booing me. For what Jim did (in Cleveland), he deserved that one ovation.''

Jose Contreras, meanwhile, just keeps rolling along. His first start in May was another gem that raised his record to 5-0 with a 1.41 ERA. He was won 13 consecutive decisions dating to last season and 16 of 17 when including the playoffs.

--Throwing down: The Texas Rangers are doing their usual job of swinging the bat, but can now boast a strong pitching staff. As of Friday, they were fifth in the AL in team ERA and third in strikeouts.

If the Rangers are feeling confident in the pitching, it's because their success has come without Kevin Millwood making a large contribution. Millwood, who signed a five-year, $60 million deal in the offseason, was 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA in his first three home starts before pitching a four-hitter Thursday.

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