CHARLES IN CHARGE CATCH THIS: QUIETLY CONFIDENT JOHNSON HAS INSTANT RESPECT OF NEW TEAMMATES

Being a new catcher on a first-place team sounds like acomplicated career move, but Charles Johnson kept his first day withthe White Sox simple.

When Bob Howry entered Tuesday night's game with the bases loadedin the eighth inning, Johnson trotted out to the mound for anorientation that went like this:

Johnson: "What do you got?"

Howry: "Fastball, slider, changeup."

Johnson: "One, three, wiggle?"

Howry nodded approval of those signals and the two were inbusiness.

"Hey, it's great," Howry said. "He's such a big guy, it's likeseeing a backstop back there. He puts that glove up, and you throwright at the middle of his body. It looks like nothing will get byhim."

General manager Ron Schueler acquired Johnson for his defense, hisconsistent bat and his leadership. The move has been heralded as oneof the best trades before Monday's non-waiver deadline.

While Johnson, 29, makes the transition from the struggling Baltimore Orioles (48-58) to the first-place White Sox (65-42) appearsmooth, he admits it will take at least two weeks to get acquaintedwith his new pitchers.

To expedite the process, Johnson disregarded the Texas heatTuesday and Wednesday and went into the bullpen before both gamesagainst the Rangers to warm up the starting pitchers-giving bullpencatcher Man Soo Lee a break.

Just business as usual for Johnson.

As his teammates crowded around the big-screen TV near his lockerWednesday to catch a glimpse of Brook Fordyce-the only major-leaguerthe Sox dealt for Johnson and Harold Baines-Johnson kept his back tothe screen.

He polished his shoes and never turned around to see his formerOrioles teammates.

This is nothing new for Johnson, playing for his fourth team injust more than two years.

"It's an adjustment because this team has jelled and has greatchemistry," Johnson said. "It's especially difficult when a catcheris involved because he affects all of the pitchers. But this is justpart of the business."

Johnson isn't a typical catcher. He is 6-2, 220 pounds. He hasfour Gold Gloves and a World Series ring, but next to Baines, mightbe the most unassuming player in the Sox' clubhouse.

"Usually catchers are the loudest ones," said first baseman PaulKonerko, who played with Johnson on the Dodgers in 1998. "He does agood job of keeping quiet, but also leading."

Manager Jerry Manuel knows all about Johnson's qualities. Manuelwas the bench coach for the Florida Marlins in 1997 when they won theWorld Series. Johnson was an All-Star catcher that season.

"You never knew Charles was around," Manuel said. "You probablycan't remember two words Charles said on the bench. He is not a rah-rah type of guy. Maybe that's what this team needs-to remain on aneven keel, but with intensity and focus."

Johnson learned his work ethic at an early age. His father,Charles Sr., was a pitcher at Florida A&M and coached him in highschool. Using the school's pitching machine, Charles Sr. wouldposition it 45 feet from the plate, set it on high speed and aim itlow.

Charles Jr. crouched behind home plate and learned to blockpitches in the dirt. That's also where he developed his footwork forthrowing out runners. His uncle Roy McGriff, a former catcher atSouthern University, taught him the finer points of the position.

Johnson's release after catching a pitch and throwing to secondbase has been timed at 1.7 seconds. The major-league average is 1.9to 2.0 seconds.

Catching is Johnson's passion.

It also gave him a passport to see the world.

In 1988, he won a gold medal as the catcher on the U.S. JuniorNational team at the World Junior Championships in Australia. Theteam played one series in Japan.

As a member of the U.S. National team, he played in Havana, Cuba,at the Pan American Games. And in 1992, he was the starting catcherfor Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

"That was a good experience, to be as young as I was and play allover," he said. "I got to play in a lot of different scenarios. Ithelped me understand different cities and different cultures."

It also helped him make the adjustment of being traded.

He has been a hot commodity because of his defense. At least fiveteams were talking trade with the Orioles before the Sox acquiredJohnson.

He enhanced his value with his offensive production this season.During the winter, Johnson had a batting cage installed in hisbackyard in Pembroke Pines, Fla. He even talked Orioles batting-practice pitcher Rudy Arias into stopping by four or five times aweek for one-hour sessions in the cage.

Johnson opened his stance and used other ideas suggested byOrioles hitting coach Terry Crowley.

Konerko has noticed a different hitter, one who has walked threetimes in eight plate appearances with the Sox.

"The thing he is doing now is he is hitting for average," Konerkosaid of Johnson, who is hitting .292 with 22 home runs and 56 RBI."He has learned to lay off a lot of pitches and wait for his pitch.So now he's a good hitter on top of everything else.

"He is one of the top 10 players in baseball, as far as offenseand defense-and we have him. He could hit a home run every night, butif he felt he didn't call a good game, then he's not happy. He takesa lot of pride in his defense."

That's why Johnson seems so focused now. He has been making therounds in the clubhouse, meeting with each pitcher and learning eachpitcher's tendencies from backup catcher Mark Johnson.

It's a process Charles Johnson has been through so many timesbefore.

"It's not that easy being traded to a different team and seeingdifferent pitchers," Charles Johnson said. "It's going to take awhile. Hopefully, we will continue to win. That is the key-continueto win while you learn."