It's no secret. I do not like Ozzie Guillen.I do not like the way he manages the game whether it's his bullpen or the way he throws on his "Sunday line-up" giving players a day off while handing the opposition a win. Off the field, he's loud and obnoxious as he throws out homosexual slurs at local columnists, slams his former players and feeds the fire that as White Sox fans suffer from something called "Little Brother Syndrome" while standing in the shadow of the Cubs despite the statistical anomaly they know as the 2005 World Series Championship.
With all that said, I am about to defend Ozzie Guillen.
After the ChiSox's 4-3 extra inning loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Mt. Guillen erupted (again.)
"There's only one message I'm going to send ... Just be ready because I expect movement Tuesday. I expect Kenny [Williams] to do something Tuesday, and if we don't do anything Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of lineup changes. That's all I'm going to say about the offense.''
"It can be me. It can be [hitting coach] Greg Walker. It can be the players. It could be anybody. I'm sick and tired to watch this thing for a year and a half. I'm not protecting anybody anymore. [Bleep] it! If they can't get it done, Kenny should find someone to get it done. That's it. Another bad game. If we think we are going to win with the offense we have, we are full of [bleep]. I'm just being honest. I expect better from them, if they are in the lineup.''
The Chicago sports media is having a field day with Ozzie's latest rant, especially with the idea that Guillen is throwing his general manager under the bus.
Call me Out of Step Charlie, but let's take a closer look at Ozzie's statement.
Call me Out of Step Charlie, but let's take a closer look at Ozzie's statement.
"I expect Kenny [Williams] to do something Tuesday, and if we don't do anything Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of lineup changes."
I don't see where he's throwing Kenny under the bus. To me, that statement says that Williams is working on something, and if that something doesn't come Tuesday that Ozzie will change the lineup.
Ozzie has the right to be pissed off.
That makes sense a lot of sense to me because if something is not working you have to change it, right? And that's what Ozzie says he's going to do.
Oh, what about the second part of the statement?
"It can be me. It can be [hitting coach] Greg Walker. It can be the players. It could be anybody."
It's not like Ozzie's putting the blame on everyone but himself, he's putting it on everyone. Walker's gotta get in there and adjust something with the new guys like Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher or the vets like Jim Thome or Paul Konerko. If he can't get it done, you've gotta find someone that can get it done. It's as simple as that.
And while everyone in this town will continue to pile on Ozzie, I'll take issue with Kenny Williams.
The Sox could have dumped Paulie on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the off-season in a trade that was rumored to bring in speedster Chone Figgins and starting pitcher Ervin Santana but didn't.
As for the trades Williams did make this off-season, they haven't worked out too well. I'd call the Jon Garland for Orlando Cabrera trade a wash, seeing that Garland would not have been brought back and at this point Cabrera will suffer the same fate as well.
And while I reamed Cubs fans last week from not learning from past mistakes, Kenny Williams is about to feel the same wrath.
Hey Kenny, did you read 'Moneyball?' Oh wait, you didn't have to. You were the subject of Athletics GM Billy Beane's fleece fest and you fell for it again!
The White Sox acquired Swisher in exchange for pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez and Faustino De Los Santos and outfield prospect Ryan Sweeney.
Gonzalez ranked No. 72 in Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list in 2007 and Sweeney checked in at No. 55. De Los Santos, 21, went 10-5 with a 0.92 ERA between stops at 'A-ball' and could be the prized pig of the deal.
Swisher's numbers alarm me and make me believe he's a...dare I say...PEDophile. As in Performance Enhancing Drugs. In 2006, Swisher hit 35 home runs and drove in 95 runs. One year later, Swish saw his numbers drop to 22/78.
Oh did I mention he's across the bay from BALCO???? I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
It is Williams' job to provide Guillen with the best players available. It's Guillen's job to put those players in the best position to succeed.
If one isn't doing their job, the other fails. And despite all of that, the Sox are still in first place.
I hope Hollywood has got it's scripts ready.
I don't see where he's throwing Kenny under the bus. To me, that statement says that Williams is working on something, and if that something doesn't come Tuesday that Ozzie will change the lineup.
Ozzie has the right to be pissed off.
That makes sense a lot of sense to me because if something is not working you have to change it, right? And that's what Ozzie says he's going to do.
Oh, what about the second part of the statement?
"It can be me. It can be [hitting coach] Greg Walker. It can be the players. It could be anybody."
It's not like Ozzie's putting the blame on everyone but himself, he's putting it on everyone. Walker's gotta get in there and adjust something with the new guys like Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher or the vets like Jim Thome or Paul Konerko. If he can't get it done, you've gotta find someone that can get it done. It's as simple as that.
And while everyone in this town will continue to pile on Ozzie, I'll take issue with Kenny Williams.
The Sox could have dumped Paulie on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the off-season in a trade that was rumored to bring in speedster Chone Figgins and starting pitcher Ervin Santana but didn't.
As for the trades Williams did make this off-season, they haven't worked out too well. I'd call the Jon Garland for Orlando Cabrera trade a wash, seeing that Garland would not have been brought back and at this point Cabrera will suffer the same fate as well.
And while I reamed Cubs fans last week from not learning from past mistakes, Kenny Williams is about to feel the same wrath.
Hey Kenny, did you read 'Moneyball?' Oh wait, you didn't have to. You were the subject of Athletics GM Billy Beane's fleece fest and you fell for it again!
The White Sox acquired Swisher in exchange for pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez and Faustino De Los Santos and outfield prospect Ryan Sweeney.
Gonzalez ranked No. 72 in Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list in 2007 and Sweeney checked in at No. 55. De Los Santos, 21, went 10-5 with a 0.92 ERA between stops at 'A-ball' and could be the prized pig of the deal.
Swisher's numbers alarm me and make me believe he's a...dare I say...PEDophile. As in Performance Enhancing Drugs. In 2006, Swisher hit 35 home runs and drove in 95 runs. One year later, Swish saw his numbers drop to 22/78.
Oh did I mention he's across the bay from BALCO???? I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
It is Williams' job to provide Guillen with the best players available. It's Guillen's job to put those players in the best position to succeed.
If one isn't doing their job, the other fails. And despite all of that, the Sox are still in first place.
I hope Hollywood has got it's scripts ready.
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