"Not a bad start for Carlos Quentin this spring. He already has set a career high in smiles.

On Tuesday, he was shaking hands with some of the younger players and exchanging hugs with the people he knew.

On Wednesday, Quentin was all smiles again as he spoke to the media.

Maybe his days of acting like Francis from ''Stripes'' really have come to an end.

''I think it's my third year here; people get to know me a little better,'' Quentin said of his new attitude. ''It takes awhile to get to know how I've always been. Once the games start, I'll take it back to how I planned, and I thank you guys [the media] for respecting that.''

If taking it back means reverting to the player he was in 2008, the White Sox won't care about the right fielder's unsociable nature."