It didn't take long for the White Sox' third baseman to make an impact on Chicago's South Side.

"Truth be told, Joe Crede was impressive from the first time I met him. That was in '99 in Spring Training. I was still playing at that time and he got called up from the minor leagues. An impressive young man with power to all directions," says Darrin Jackson, the T.V. analyst for the White Sox.

Back home in Westphalia, coaches saw that power.

"We were playing Kirksville in the Fulton Tournament, and his first time up he hit a home run that went about 360 feet. The second time up, he hit one 390 feet. So then the third time, the pitcher looked at the coach again and the coach just turned his head so he went after him again and he hit one 410 feet," says Dennis Fick, who coached Crede at Fatima High School.

Crede's rise to stardom has everyone talking back home.

"The Kansas City games, there's thousands of fans there. Not just from Westphailia, but from Osage County and even the counties around it. I mean, it's like he's our special son," Fick adds.

But playing in such a big market has side effects such as trade rumors. A report on the Chicago Sun-Times website in January said Crede would most likely "be gone by the end of Cactus League play" if his back healed.

"I said in Spring Training I don't think we have as good a chance without Joe Crede as we do with him. With Joe, to me, he's like the centerpiece of our offense: it seems like when Crede is hitting, we win. When he's not, we really struggle," says Ken 'Hawk' Harrleson, who does play-by-play for Sox T.V. games.

At the start of this year, Crede was hitting, and the Sox were winning. Crede's hot start landed him on the American League All-Star team.

"Our traveling secretary came up to me and said 'congratulations, you made the team.' and he gave the the All-Star pack with the itinerary and stuff to go over. You know for me, there were a lot of emotions the ran through my head," Crede says.

However, a recurring back problem recently landed Crede on the disabled list. Despite a roller coaster season, Crede keeps everything in perspective.

"A lot of guys don't have the opportunity to go through the thing I've gone through with winning a World Series and going to the All-Star game. I think the biggest thing is making sure you enjoy it while it's here 'cause you know it's gonna go by fast," he says.

But as long as he's still playing, Crede will keep trying to stand out.