Sentence:  The two top talents of the time , Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays , have hit the ball harder and more successfully <WSD>so</WSD> far this early season than at any period in careers which , to be frank about it , never have quite reached expectations . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time