Post by Fish Troll on Jun 4, 2008 17:09:38 GMT -5
CHICAGO (AP) -- Ozzie Guillen's latest outburst was aimed, it seemed, at his boss and his friend, White Sox's general manager Ken Williams.
The two met Tuesday and Guillen said the air "is as clear as it can be."
Guillen went on a rant Sunday in Tampa after the punchless but first place White Sox lost three of four to the Rays, saying Williams had to make changes if the team expected to keep winning. The White Sox were 5-for-35 with runners in scoring position during the series, fueling the combustible manager's anger.
"I'm sick and tired to watch this thing for a year and a half. I'm not protecting anybody anymore. ... If they can't get it done, Kenny should fine someone to get it done," Guillen said.
Williams response: it wasn't a good idea to throw your boss under the bus especially after he's had Guillen's back so many times over the last several years following numerous outbursts.
"The only thing wrong I say -- what Kenny saw and a lot of people saw -- was when I fingered Kenny about this ballclub. I just said we need to get something done. This might be my job to change the lineup," Guillen said Tuesday.
But even though he promised to do something with the lineup, there were no major changes whatsoever before the White Sox began a homestand against Kansas City. Guillen's biggest move was putting slumping Paul Konerko back into the cleanup spot.
Why no changes as promised? Guillen said he still believed in his players.
The latest controversy upset him more because of his friendship with Williams than his professional one, Guillen added.
Williams, working on the upcoming draft, was not available for comment Tuesday.
"Kenny has known me for a long, long time and he knows when I mean it. I go to Kenny's office a lot of times. Every year, I go there twice. And this one was the most uncomfortable situation I ever went through because it was a relationship, it was a friend," Guillen said.
"When it's a friendship and he thinks I threw him under the bus, that hurt my feelings. ... I'm sorry the way he interpreted it. I truly believe he believed me. One thing about me, I'm not gonna lie. If I said it that way to Kenny, I'd say, 'Listen, I apologize.' But I didn't say it that way."'
Two years ago, Guillen was ordered to undergo sensitivity training after calling Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti an unflattering name.
And so far -- a little more than two months in --this has been quite a season for Guillen.
• He was fined for saying umpire Phil Cuzzi has a vendetta against him.
• In early May, he went on an obsecenity-filled rant in Toronto during a winless road trip, saying Chicago fans and media forgot very quickly that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.
• He caused a stir by saying Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente was only the third best player to come out of Puerto Rico, behind Ivan Rodriguez and Roberto Alomar.
• He had to defend the presence of inflatable dolls in the White Sox clubhouse in Toronto but refused to apologize.
• He offered his opinion on what sells in baseball -- craziness -- saying Cubs manager Lou Piniella was well-liked for a variety of reasons. "Why do you think they like Lou Piniella? Because Lou is good? Great guy. Great baseball people. But people love Lou Piniella because he's ... up!"
• He cleared up a public disagreement with Orlando Cabrera after the shortstop twice phoned the press box this season to lobby for a scoring change.
"Sometimes I create my own problems, too. I'm not going to make any excuses," Guillen said. "That's the way I am. That's me. I'm going to say what I have to say. Some people say the same stuff I say, but they don't get attacked like I do. ..."
The two met Tuesday and Guillen said the air "is as clear as it can be."
Guillen went on a rant Sunday in Tampa after the punchless but first place White Sox lost three of four to the Rays, saying Williams had to make changes if the team expected to keep winning. The White Sox were 5-for-35 with runners in scoring position during the series, fueling the combustible manager's anger.
"I'm sick and tired to watch this thing for a year and a half. I'm not protecting anybody anymore. ... If they can't get it done, Kenny should fine someone to get it done," Guillen said.
Williams response: it wasn't a good idea to throw your boss under the bus especially after he's had Guillen's back so many times over the last several years following numerous outbursts.
"The only thing wrong I say -- what Kenny saw and a lot of people saw -- was when I fingered Kenny about this ballclub. I just said we need to get something done. This might be my job to change the lineup," Guillen said Tuesday.
But even though he promised to do something with the lineup, there were no major changes whatsoever before the White Sox began a homestand against Kansas City. Guillen's biggest move was putting slumping Paul Konerko back into the cleanup spot.
Why no changes as promised? Guillen said he still believed in his players.
The latest controversy upset him more because of his friendship with Williams than his professional one, Guillen added.
Williams, working on the upcoming draft, was not available for comment Tuesday.
"Kenny has known me for a long, long time and he knows when I mean it. I go to Kenny's office a lot of times. Every year, I go there twice. And this one was the most uncomfortable situation I ever went through because it was a relationship, it was a friend," Guillen said.
"When it's a friendship and he thinks I threw him under the bus, that hurt my feelings. ... I'm sorry the way he interpreted it. I truly believe he believed me. One thing about me, I'm not gonna lie. If I said it that way to Kenny, I'd say, 'Listen, I apologize.' But I didn't say it that way."'
Two years ago, Guillen was ordered to undergo sensitivity training after calling Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti an unflattering name.
And so far -- a little more than two months in --this has been quite a season for Guillen.
• He was fined for saying umpire Phil Cuzzi has a vendetta against him.
• In early May, he went on an obsecenity-filled rant in Toronto during a winless road trip, saying Chicago fans and media forgot very quickly that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.
• He caused a stir by saying Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente was only the third best player to come out of Puerto Rico, behind Ivan Rodriguez and Roberto Alomar.
• He had to defend the presence of inflatable dolls in the White Sox clubhouse in Toronto but refused to apologize.
• He offered his opinion on what sells in baseball -- craziness -- saying Cubs manager Lou Piniella was well-liked for a variety of reasons. "Why do you think they like Lou Piniella? Because Lou is good? Great guy. Great baseball people. But people love Lou Piniella because he's ... up!"
• He cleared up a public disagreement with Orlando Cabrera after the shortstop twice phoned the press box this season to lobby for a scoring change.
"Sometimes I create my own problems, too. I'm not going to make any excuses," Guillen said. "That's the way I am. That's me. I'm going to say what I have to say. Some people say the same stuff I say, but they don't get attacked like I do. ..."
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/06/03/whitesox.guillen.ap/index.html
