The economic realities demand that franchises throw some serious cash at the feet of their players, something the White Sox didn’t do. With a $74 million payroll, they ranked 13th among the 30 major league teams and seventh among the eight that made it into the postseason.

Chicago offset that, though, by getting career years from the majority of its pitching staff — coach Don Cooper put at least six of his pupils in that category on the eve of Game 3 — and a few key regulars up and down the lineup. And there was no denying the White Sox led both leagues in intangibles.

They started strong and, except for a three-week run late in the season, kept on winning often enough that the team’s “chemistry” was never seriously tested. And through it all, Guillen displayed an uncanny knack for keeping the pressure of all those expectations off his players.

He talked about retiring if the White Sox won it all and took the blame every time any of his unconventional moves failed.

“I throw my players under the bus a lot of times,” he said as Wednesday night’s celebration spilled over into Thursday, “but I do it at the right times.”

Did he ever.

Guillen made Bobby Jenks his closer, turning over the most crucial role to a raw, untested talent with a 100 mph fastball and a reputation for inconsistency and immaturity. Then, as he did with just about everybody else in the clubhouse, Guillen smoothed over the rough edges.

He convinced his hitters to be patient, his pitchers to work quickly, and all of them not to try and do too much.

“They took pitches four inches off the plate, 2-2 counts with runners in scoring position and didn’t even flinch at them,” Houston manager Phil Garner marveled. “They did it all up and down the lineup.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more. more photos

“That,” he added, “is what was different from the scouting reports.”

The rest of baseball now knows the White Sox well. Next season, they’ll face the top of every rotation and have to ward off every opponent’s best shot. They’ll have to bust their budget to keep Paul Konerko off the free-agent market. Most worrisome, perhaps, they’ll have an organization on the other side of town with a curse and a drought and the hunger to get even in a hurry.

“People are looking for theories,” White Sox manager Ken Williams said. “We have 25 hard-working, grind-it-out type guys. We asked them one thing when we started spring training, and that was each and every day you go out there and leave it on the field. They did that.”

They had better enjoy it while they can.

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