Ozzie to "factory workers:" back off

Ozzie is my guy. I am totally biased. I can see no wrong with the Ozzeroo. It was a generalization, but you are right Roman, his record does not support the stance he is taking. But we are already in the dumps man. No more bad Sox news....please.

In October of 1994 I ran into Ozzie while he and his wife were shopping at a Venture department store on the north side. The conversation was short and other than finding out the two carts full of items were for Christmas back in Venezuela, I was impressed by his genuineness. Seems like he's been Americanized now. I just wish there were some way we could get all these arm-chair managers and quarterbacks in seperate rooms during a Bears or Sox game and see what moves they would make during the games. That would seperate the men from the mouths.

Roman responds: I just want to know how these people got his email address.

I heard them pounding it into our heads today on "Murph in the afternoon" on the Score.

Ok.......I am not defending Ozzie. I never defend Ozzie but......

When he says that's why you guys work in a factory.....I took it to mean "you guys have regular every day jobs". You guys don't play sports, don't manage sports etc etc. I didn't take it as "you guys work in factories making 10 dollars an hour you are nothing".....maybe I am wrong. It's the old "armchair" quarterback reasoning. What Bret Favre demonstrated so perfectly on that commercial!

I don't think he meant it to belittle or berate factory workers. So that's my 2 cents. And let's be honest, anything Ozzie says is going to be plastered over the radio. I have to question Ozzie's sanity though, especially after his tirade on the Mike North Show(although Mike North is a moron).

As I have said numerous times, Ozzie really needs to just shut up. I am not a big Ozzie fan and questioned his hiring at the time. I still remember his "we don't need the fans, we don't care if they come back" spiel after the strike year. If Ozzie is tired of writing checks that his "mouth" can't cash he needs to pipe down and put a muzzle on. Just coach Ozzie, spare us the drama.

What's wrong with the truth? He's right. And if someone is offended by that Tough. Too often fans act like they know what's best and if I was Ozzie I would probably be tired of people telling me what to do. How many times have we heard fans say what they should do. There is a reason that they work in a factory, work Jiffe Lube, work at McDonalds or with the cable company. Someone there saw what your abilities were and hired you for that. It doesn't define you but it comes close.

I can only hope they are cc'ing Kenny Williams on their emails. We're calling up scrubs like Martinez, Terrero, etc and a complete disaster of a bullpen.
You just know before spring training next year there will be all of this talk about injuries (Pods, Erstad, Thome for a bit, Crede) - the reality is that they stunk before all these guys went down. Good to see Konerko starting to hit now that they're out of contention, except of course when the bags are juiced in the bottom of the ninth.
Williams brought these guys to this team who are not performing...which is pretty much the entire team outside the starting pitching.

And if factory workers are insulted they must really be ashamed of what they're doing to make a living. Talk radio is there to talk about whatever they can. Other than Michael Vick there isn't much happening in sports. Not a whole lot to talk about. So if they want to incite people to be angry then more power to them. Larry the Cable guy is a character that people identify with as a cable technician. Let's be real,he's not me and I work cable.

Romo - he has publicized his email many times...it's OzzieGuillen13@hotmail.com

I've sent him a few emails without a response...then again I don't work in a factory.

Roman responds: I forgot. That was stupid of him if he doesn't want to get emails.

I think Ozzie didn't mind getting the positive e-mails when they were winning. Who wouldn't want to hear how great you are when the going is good? But the way this team is playing it's leaving a bruise on the fan's ego. And on Ozzie.

Great Job, Ozzie! You've totally made me forget all about your lousy bullpen, global warming, dogfighting, the war in Iraq, Paris Hilton in prison, the Beckham-cam, the Sox record, Rex's Super Bowl performance, Lance Briggs' contract, billy goats, Botox, Tank Johnson, the Sox batting average, the end of summer, your job security, my having the #12 pick in my fantasy draft, steroids, bum NBA refs, Juan Uribe, George Bush, the lack of run production on the south side, PMS, Linsday Lohan's alcohol-monitoring bracelet, "Who's Now," floods, fires, John Travolta in drag, and everything else that's currently wrong in the world. Hey wait - what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, right - the Sox still suck. But more importantly, why is Ozzie spending so much time checking his email?

I don´t think that a cross between Casey Stengall, John McGraw, Walter Alston and Billy Martin could have done anything with the Sox bullpen and with the slow-footed lineup we fielded this year. Kenny gambled and lost this time around, but at least he gambled instead of staying pat with the 06 club which wasn´t going to improve in 07. You win some and you lose some. Perhaps McDougal will re-find it and Danks will be come a reliable spot starter / long reliever. I am excited to see how Kenny re-shuffles the deck before next season... Stop bashing Kenny and Ozzie. THEY BROUGHT the first title in almost 90 years! How soon we forget how boring and predictable Sox baseball was prior to their arrivals. I for one love the unpredictability of Kenny´s moves and Ozzie´s mouth! Never a dull moment, and usually a chance to win. What more do people want?

HA! I've been calling Sox fans factory workers forever.....He must be reading this blog. It's good to know my words are appreciated. HA! Go Ozzie!

Awright, I heard all that factory stuff on the sports talkers on Monday and how deeply insulted everybody was because their dad worked 40 years in a factory putting food on the table, or their mom worked 40 years in a factory putting food on the table. Hey got news for ya's, I WORK IN A FACTORY! I'm glad to be no-where near what Kenny Williams has to put up with and take the heat he takes. I'll bet ya's that Ozzie was repeating something that Kenny told him, or us factory workers came up in recent conversations Ozzie had. I don't care. I was not insulted. Doesn't matter where you work or what you do. Take out the word "factory" and replace it with "office worker", or "cashier", "rocket scientist", "nurse", "truck driver", "bartender", "accountant"...any word Ozzie would use would open a floodgate of horrible bad feelings like "my dad was a cashier for 40 years puttin' food on the table...." Oh give it a rest. Ozzie was trying to differentiate between being a GM as opposed to any other profession. I'm an Ozzie fan, a Kenny fan, a SOX fan. Kenny made the bad moves with the bullpen & didn't move some players out in the winter and Ozzie has to make do with these high-paid idiots who shouldn't be in baseball. Of course it's all on Kenny's head. Kenny, my advice to you: don't make any trades because they might catch the 2007 club-house cancer going around. Wait till winter, make your moves, get new blood then. Get Ozzie a new team of workhorses, young legs, and make sure they are a bunch of the goofiest, classiest go-getters you can find. No more shopping in Kansas City's bullpen. If KC doesn't want 'em, why should we?? Meanwhile, I'll go hide in my factory and thank God I'm not the one catching holy hell from the fans like Kenny, Ozzie and the rest of the team is!

Everybody is wondering how people got Ozzie Guillen's e-mail address.

Simple.

He put it out there during the 2005 season.

A terrific example of why sports talk radio is so depraved and debased. Take something completely out of context and just pile on because you can and because you don't seem to be able to offer anything more interesting to listeners to talk about. Maybe it says more about the people listening than the people broadcasting but I doubt it.

Look, there's no shame in working in a factory as a great many millions of people do around the world. I don't think Ozzie was being condesending as much as he was showing his frustration.

Although, he usually does a better job of directing it toward himself, his team and this dismal season.

Its a official, FUFF is a my favorite Sox Blogger! I agree wholeheartedly. I cannot stand a soft team. Angels were a soft team and AJ punked them out in 05! So was Houston! It takes a certain attitude and swagger to be champs or one of the best. Kenny and Ozzie give out credit where its due - and they give players their loyalty, but they don't take no guff from nobody. UNLIKE PAXSON - THEY WENT FOR THEIRS!!! And they tried again. And who can be ashamed of that. I cannot stand a spineless media savvy PC-neuvo politician who says everything right! Give me the guy on the edge with the chip on his shoulder. Yall can have Mr. Rogers and his glee-club team!

I agree with Bryant. I also am not an Ozzie fan, but what he said didn't strike me as condescending to factory workers. I think he was just saying when you're not the one actually doing the job, it seems a lot easier. He could have easily said "that's why you work at the hospital or the grocery store or the dry cleaners or whatever" and made the same point. I think this is just the work of the "PC Police" turning nothing into something. Ozzie says and does plenty to land himself in hot water...we don't need to trump up silly accusations.

Once again I have read an article by big mouth Marrioti about Ozzie
and his comments. Well, I have watched Marrioti on TV and came to the realization that he does have a big mouth and does not know to much about sports. I think somebody else writes his article.When you read his articles a watch him on TV they appear to be two different prople.

I don't think ozzie meant to insult sox fans with his factory worker comment. After all, most of those jobs have been outsourced overseas long ago or filled by new immigrants who probably are soccer fans or something. One of my cousin's jobs got outsourced overseas and he tried to keep his job by going with it. Wound up in India somewhere. I doubt ozzie has anything against indians, except for the ones in clevland that are playing so much better ball than his sox are.

Guillen is an exact carbon copy of Leo (The Lip) Durocher. I just learned about his statement right here,so I don't now what to say. Most worrisome is his statement to the effect that he will keep using his bullpen, no matter what, to see what happens. Sounds like spring training testing. Yes, what remains of 2007 can be used as testing time, to test NEW guys who are available, instead of sticking to short horses in the middle of a swelling river.

Am I the only one who thinks "political correctness" has gotten to the point where it borders on the absurd? I've worked in factories, I've coached youth hockey,I've taught upper level English classes on the college level, and I would not presume to tell a coach who won a World Series how to handle his team.Even so, we live in a country where we can voice our opinions, no matter how silly they are, and I would hope that my comments and those of others will be given only the merit they deserve.

"But more importantly, why is Ozzie spending so much time checking his email?" - Julie B.

Maybe the better question is why anyone would even allude that Ozzie's comments are of greater significance than most of the other "current events" and issues in your post. It's nice to see that Ozzie takes the time to look at the feedback and comments he receives from fans; I'm not sure how many managers would do that.

I think the factory workers should send a scathing email of bad grammar and misspelled 4-6 syllable words....then feign lack of knowledge for the English language....Yeah, that's it; they didn't mean it that way....

enough with the sensitivity classes....give this chode a taste of his own...howyousay (como se dice).....medi...seen...o?

He's outto controllo......

It is easy not to be bitter when winning then losing. As a White Sox Fan and watching too many teams not make it to the World Series, I am inclined to give Ozzie a break on this one. The Chicago Bears did not win the Big Dance but damn it was fun getting there though they stanked the place up. Sometimes you have to remember where you were at once before ( the bottom ) second city baseball team in second city ( Chicago ). But it has not been five yeears since their last World Series victory (2005) or hotly contested playoff surge (2006). I am simply inclined to give Ozzie, Kenny and even Jerry a break this year. NOW NEXT YEAR AND YEARS AFTER THAT! I will be screaming for BLOOD!

I have always felt being in a city with two baseball teams, ONE should ALWAYS be COMPETITIVE every year! I can't root for the Cubs because they have fouled the place up for too many decades as Loveable Losers! I personally believe this is why they never won anything, nobody expected them to! To draw a million or more fans yearly for decades what was the incentive for management not to win titles. Only to raise ticket prices and Cubbie Fans still flock to the ballpark!

On the other hand Chicago White Sox management know regardless of how much a fan love the White Sox, if there is not a winning product on the field we are not coming out to the ballpark!

Let attendance dwindle to say 500,000 at Wrigley for several years, I bet any amount of money they will do a better job of finding ballplayers with a winning mentality.

I like Ozzie but I have to agree with Rom that he needs to learn to just shut the eff up every once in a while; not every thought that runs through your head necessitates vocalization. Maybe a bag of Tootsie Pops would help. That's a Chicago-based company; somebody get the Sox excellent marketing staff on that!

I wonder if Ozzie's still stuck in the 80s when you could still get a $5 ticket and much of the Sox fanbase was actually comprised of south side factory workers. And when does he find time to check his e-mail every two minutes? Shouldn't he be devising some sort of gameplan or watching tape?

Oz's comments didn't offend me personally, nor do I think the phone lines at Comiskey were ringing off the hook with people cancelling their season ticket packages. What every happened to people taking a ribbing with aplomb?

H eshould have said that's why you're Jay Mariotti and just writing about sports.

Roman responds: I think that was Jay's point today. He wasn't talking about the media. He was talking about the fans.

Uh Jack, did I say Ozzie's ridiculous comments were more significant than the items on my rant? No. I was implying that his distraction techniques haven't distracted me from realizing how bad the White Sox are. The other items on the list are things I can do without, frankly. You think its nice that Ozzie bothers to look at feedback from fans, but then he goes and insults them in the process. I personally would like him to focus his attention on making this team better, not deflecting attention away from it.

As a blur collar workin outside blue collar slob I'm with him.
We have no clue the inners involved and need to shut up..

Voice your displeaseure by not paying to see this garbage on the field with season tickets.
Support them with a few games a year and not thousands gaining interest in JR's pockets.

I like Ozzie but I'm getting tired of his crap. I wish he would just shut up and start managing the ball club so we don't finish in last place. Fans of any sport like to put in their two cents because thats what they do. We like to talk about what we think we know and Ozzie should understand that. Without fans his ass is out of a job. If he didn't want email from fans he should have kept his email address to himself. Did he say factory workers to anyone who worked outside of baseball? If that's what he meant he needs to take some ESL classes.

Hitman.....You got it right. This ignorant loudmouth is the face of the Sox? I admire loyalty but to continue to support a coach who has repeatedly shown disdain for them tells me Sox fans are so blinded by hate of the Cubs and all the attention they get at the expense of the Sox that they would cut off their nose to spite their face. Get a spine and call for Williams to clean house, starting with Senor` Big Mouth. Not only does he constantly make dumb moves on the field he is an embarassment to the organization off of it. He had one great year where everything went his way but is incapable of getting the best out of this team which, after all, IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A MANAGER'S JOB! He is in way over his head. Swallow your misplaced pride, Sox fans, and call for the hiring of a real manager. It may already be too late.

Are there still any factories in Chicago? If there are, most of the workers only speak Spanish anyways, thus they probably didn´t understand Ozzie´s comment which was harmless anyhow!!!Jay Maridiot wouldn´t have a job if he didn´t have an easy target like the Ozman to harass. Nobody reads him if his headline is actually related to the games because he has long since exposed himself as self-serving, two-faced (see his alter ego on ESPN)blowhard who is just looking to rain on other´s parades and create controversy in order to draw attention to himself. ...Hopefully the Sox can use the remainder of this season to evaluate young talent, make a new plan of attack and comeback fighting in 08! All we lack is more guys like AJ and Rowland who wear their emotions on their sleve and expect the same from their manager! I for one think that between his love for the game, "colorful" language and drive to win, Ozzie is great. I am sick of all of the PC, plastic-packaged, boring sports figures who never show emotion for fear of losing a friggin´ potato chip endorsement deal. We need more Ozzies in sports. He continues the legacy of straight shooting, F´ um if they can´t take a joke types like, Leo the Lip, Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Bobby Cox,Jimmy Piersal et.al. Like these guys, OZ is a winner and entertaining! If you don´t like him, don´t watch the games! Other than Jay M, and some publicity seeking special interest groups who "supposidly" represent the interests of the common man, I haven´t heard anyone come forward and complain about Ozzie personally offending anybody. Get a life or go to Wrigley if you don´t like it!

Roman, when are you going to learn that Ozzie-speak is 2 parts Venezuelan and 1 part American? When was the last time lived a day or two in Venezuelan? I have and the words Ozzie's used that crawl up Jay's butt are pretty common there.

So either Chicago sports writers are too dumb to realize this or have it in for Ozzie. I think it should be obvious to you by now that Ozzie's "factory worker" reference had more to do with factories in Venezuela than here. I doubt Ozzie has any experience in a modern factory in America.

Maybe Ozzie would do well to simply use the word "Venezuelan" more in his phrases so it becomes blatantly obvious to sports writers that his "common people" experiences mostly reflect a place many call a "hell on Earth."

I think people are giving way too much credit to Ozzie for '05. You can thank a bunch of people coincidentally having career years for winning in '05. Ozzie wasn't the reason we won (though he does desrve credit for keeping his starters below 120 pitches so they could stay live for the playoffs....I'd say that about cancels out his tendency to run everyone into outs and trade outs for bases), just as he isn't the reason we're bad now. We all know he doesn't choose his words correctly. This has been true ever since he became the manager. Why this comment qualifies as "news", I don't know.

Williams is another story. Yes, he did put the team on the field in '05 that won it all. He made a great move to dump Lee for a serviceable Podsednik in order to free payroll to sign Dye and Pierzynski. Collectively, the three of them were more valuable than Lee. But the overall quality of the team that Williams put on the field was not that great. Think about it. If you think about average career performances, and I told you that Carl Everett would be our designated hitter, Scott Podsednik is a starting corner outfielder (a position where a great team needs more offensive production than he provides), Neal Cotts and Cliff Politte were the primary setup men for closers Dustin Hermanson and rookie Bobby Jenks. Decent (yes, only "decent") Aaron Rowand plays center. Juan "career .295 OBP" Uribe plays short, who is above-average (not amazing) with the glove (and even Ozzie Smith would have trouble being called valuable with that career OBP). The rotation projects to be just good, but Garland and Contreras had breakout seasons. Pierzynski and Iguchi are very average for their positions. The team in '05 did not win because it was great. It was a combination of good luck and coincidental breakout years.

And this is why, despite the fact that we won a World Series with Williams, that he is NOT off the hook. We didn't win because he assembled a great team. When he stands pat on his offense and bullpen rather than making a win-now acquisition, excuse me, but I get mad.

While Ozzie's comment seems to raise eyebrows, what's amazing is the fact that Marrioti is attempting to speak for Sox fans, when he's insulted anyone affiliated with the White Sox, fans and employees alike. Marrioti needs to take his personal vendetta and go away.

While Ozzie's comment seems to raise eyebrows, what's amazing is the fact that Marrioti is attempting to speak for Sox fans, when he's insulted anyone affiliated with the White Sox, fans and employees alike. Marrioti needs to take his personal vendetta and go away.

At least he said "factory" workers and not "undocumented factory" workers. They would have shot him out a cannon. Lmao.

"Ozzie wasn't the reason we won"

It's only when Ozzie or Lovie have winning teams that the head coach suddenly has no credit for winning games. And yet when Grossman and the bull pen screw up it's the head coach's fault for not pulling them out.

/Prejudice

I am a Sox STH (season tix holder) and I'm not ready to burn my tix yet, even though this team stinks. It stinks for alot of reasons and anyone who watches the Sox knows what they are -- a terrible bullpen, sleeping bats during most of the spring months, injuries, etc. Ozzie can be a hothead, and KW can be a pompous a--. But I'll take their dedication, intensity, tenacity and love for the game any day of the week. When these two behave more like Dusty Baker and Jim Hendry, I'll sell my tickets.

Mariotti is a pompous blowhole who hides behind his poisoned pen.

"You think its nice that Ozzie bothers to look at feedback from fans, but then he goes and insults them in the process."

Sorry Julie B., but I don't see an insult here. Having worked in a factory before, I took his comments as stating that while I may know my job, I don't know Kenny's. Do you really think if he had used the words "Doctors" or "Lawyers" instead of factory workers this would have even been a blip on the radar? No, it wouldn't have been. Rather, the talkshow hosts and their whiney lap-dog listeners have to jump on everything he says (which they seem to do to most visible sports personalities in this town) and try to extrapolate something offensive, derogatory or insulting from it. Yes he's put his foot in his mouth before, but it sure doesn't seem like it this time. As far as this being a "distraction technique" designed to distract fans from how poorly the team is performing, I think he's more concerned about addressing existing problems than trying to trick smart cookies like yourself into forgetting about how poorly they're playing.

I don't know why that comment from Ozzie surprises anyone. It's the same arrogance that Ozzie and Kenny have shown since 2005. Does everyone forget that when fans were screaming over the winter that Williams had not done enough to improve this team, he basically told everyone to shut up. He said he knew what he doing and the fans had no idea what they were talking about. It's the same message but Williams isn't dumb enough to insult one group of people.

The ironic thing is that with so many factory jobs going to China and India, you're probably just as likely to get a job as General Manager of an MLB team as you are to get a steady union job at factory. His comment was both categorically inappropriate while at the same time innocuous. People watch sports to get away from, having to think about the fact that their boss is spending hours of his time trying to figure out how he can stealing their pensions and sending their jobs overseas.

Bubba's mom has brought tears to my eyes. Nothing like Sox fans! Nothing!

Don't worry, Jack. I wasn't even fooled by the Sox - dare I say it - DH sweep yesterday. They actually looked pretty good 2 whole games in a row. (No wonder, just when Pods returns to the lineup.) I think this whole story is ridiculous, to be perfectly honest with you, and the only reason it's even a story is because there isn't enough Bears news to talk about right now. Soon though! You're right - he could've used any profession - he didn't insult you or me in particular, but he probably did insult someone somewhere. This was the topic du jour, and I commented. That's all. I'm looking forward to hearing all about Ozzie's plans to improve this team, whenever that happens.

There has to be a time when people have to stop speaking for Ozzie and explaining "what he means" whenever he says something stupis and idiotic.

How long can we blame it on the language barrier? He's been here long enough to say what he wants to say and say in the way he wants to say it.

He's got a little bit of an attitude in the way he speaks. That's fine with me. But when he puts his foot in his mouth he should man up and stop acting like someone who just crossed the border with a spanish to english translation book in his hands.

Enoughs enough already!

I think people are giving way too much credit to Ozzie for '05. You can thank a bunch of people coincidentally having career years for winning in '05. Ozzie wasn't the reason we won (though he does desrve credit for keeping his starters below 120 pitches so they could stay live for the playoffs.

Posted by: Noles | July 25, 2007 08:44 AM
***

Okay Noles, considering there are only a few teams in MLB history to have dynasties, (or any sport for that mattter) DO YOU THINK most of the players who have gone on to win Championships in any sport had career years for that season?

It would be wonderful to have George Steinbrenner as an owner, but we Do NOT! Then again we might hate him too!

Hey Noles, was Mike Dikta the reason we won a Championship or the players were so damn good that they won in spite of Mike Dikta & Buddy Ryan's Berlin Wall of Stubborness? Remember we only got the one championship, were the players good enough to win more and the coaching was lousy after 1985.

Was Micheal Jordan so GREAT, that he won six championships alone, or did the other team members have career years as you stated to put the Bulls at the top alone.

I read your entire post where you stated Ozzie was not alone in putting the team in a winning or losing position, but infer Williams stood pat. Remember, he is NOT GEORGE STEINBRENNER! He does not own the team. The same as Lovie Smith does not own the Bears, but had to stick with the company policy of playing Rex Grossman!

When you own the team you DEMAND a lot more! When the GM and Coach, you can DEMAND/PLEAD/BEG/ASK the players to do a better job, but they might simply be doing the best they can, and by the way (they could be having a career year in comparison to previous years of playing the game) Many players will talk about how they did not have a good year but their teammates picked them up and put them over the top! ala Frank Thomas!

(Need I say more?)

Thank you, Former Sox Fan...I pay zero attention to the White Sox...I have my whole life....I know Richie Zisk....because when I was a kid, I just liked to say Richie Zisk...and now that I have just said it again for the first time in a long time.....I think I'll say Richie Zisk all day today....

I could give a shiite muslim about the White Sox....that's how badly Ozzie Guillen stands out...

Richie Zisk!!!

White Sox Fan & Ozzie Fan,

Yes, you need say more, because you didn't say anything.

I don't know what dynasties have to do with anything I said. All I said was that a lot of players on the Sox had career years in 2005, and that's the main reason we won the World Series, as opposed to some managerial genius from Ozzie Guillen. A baseball manager, contrary to everything Jay Mariotti has ever written, ever, has maybe like a 2 or 3 game influence on the final record of a team at most. That's it. He fills out the lineup cards. If he's smart, he doesn't run his players into outs or abuse his pitchers. He pinch hits in big situations and looks for favorable pitcher vs batter matchups. None of those things are particularly difficult tasks.

And yes, you're right, Kenny Williams does not own the team. He is a manager of whatever resources Jerry Reinsdorf allows him. But look at team payrolls. Reinsdorf has given Kenny a LOT to work with. There is no way that limited resources are a valid excuse for this team. Williams has simply been paying the wrong guys too much money. Not enough marginal wins per marginal dollar. Here's some examples. I'll define WARP1 for the unfamiliar: "wins above replacement player". It's a stat that measures about how many wins a player is worth to a team over the average AAA replacement-level guy. A team made up of only replacement level guys would win around 20-25 games in a season. WARP is a cumulative stat, so these numbers don't include the final 60 games. And just for comparison, the best player on the team this year, Mark Buehrle, has a 5.2 WARP1, meaning he's been worth just over 5 wins to the team by himself.

Alex Cintron - being paid $1.9M, WARP1: -0.2

Scott Podsednik - paid 2.90M, WARP1: 0.2

Juan Uribe - paid 4.15M, WARP1: 0.5

Jose Contreras - paid 9.0M, WARP1: 0.9 (arguably the most grotesque waste)

I won't blame Williams for the failures of Crede, Dye, Iguchi, Hall, or MacDougal. All of them have reasonable salaries for what they could have been expected to do, so I won't cite them even though their WARP1s are awful; they just failed or got injured, and that's that, no fault to Williams. The four players I listed, however, should have been easily forseeable collapses (we'll be paying Contreras's gross salary for 2 more years!!!). Look at that. $17.95M spent on 1.4 wins to date. Just 1.4 wins.

Try telling me we wouldn't be better off replacing those 4 guys with minor-league callups for the sake of having one more wicked awesome baseball player for $18M! Or maybe 2 pretty good guys for $9M each! I mean, I obviously know it's not feasible to just do that right now, but the fact remains, Williams has spent his money carelessly on several players that are not good for helping you to win baseball games.

Need more:

A baseball manager has maybe like a 2 or 3 game influence on the final record of a team at most. That's it. He fills out the lineup cards.

excuse me, but I get mad.

Posted by: Noles | July 25, 2007 08:44 AM

No wonder you angry, your feeling as though you can do any major league baseball manager's job. No wonder Ozzie telling FACTORY workers to SHUT-UP already!...That's not me, that is Ozzie!

Oh by the way, Rene Descartes stated there are “Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics!

Therefore your numbers for those unfamiliar about WARP1s sounds about what Rene Descartes would say they are.

I think Kenny would like to have a word with you!

Again that is not me, my friend, it is from the higher-ups.

Dear Keith L.S., I gotta know -- was it the pompous blowhole part that made you cry, or the reference to the cubs' personnel?

Even in a crap year like this, I love my team--or as Ozzie would say, "I lob my tin."

The teams who win the title in any given year usually have a number of players who have "career" years. Thats why they win. DUH!.... A good GM is able to spot the trends and judge when a player is on the verge of having such a year or if a particulr player will have a chance to have a great year due to his personality or style of play being complimented by and compatible with the make-up of a team. Kenny built a championship with far less $$$ than his competition! Pure genious to bring in guys like AJ, El Duque, Guch, and Hermanson. Kenny found talent in the Orient, on the scrap heap and on the waiver wire among other places. It wasn´t by chance what Duque did against the Red Sox. (One of the best relief apperances I have EVER seen.) And it wasn´t a fluke that AJ riled up a bunch of opponents and caused them to lose focus. Everyone was shocked to find out how smart a ballplayer Guch was, but Kenny had obviously already spotted it. These are the types of intangibles that make winners and the good GMs are able to spot.

Let's just say it's a good thing Ozzie was given a lot of God-given talent to play ball. He wouldn't be good at much else. He has a chronic case of foot-in-the mouth. He thinks because his pitchers got hot in the 2005 WS and won him a ring that he can spew anything he wants about anybody and that eveybody will just laugh and say "Oh, that's just Ozzie...". Pathetic.

The way Sox have performed the wizard may not have many fans in the stands to insult much longer. Never seen a club fall apart so quickly & hardly no one is held accountable. From second half of 06 its been a decline & GM Williams has done nothing! Williams has made several bad deals & now it is coming back on Sox. His bad deals too numerous to write. But sox would be looking good with Lee,Rowand & Mags in outfield instead of the Mario Mendozas sox have now! A all star outfield dealt away! Contreras signing not very bright either. Sox couldn't give him away now! Hey Oz ,those factory workers (as you call us) pay your salary along with the rest of the underachievers on club.The blizzard strikes again! He's a one year wonder just like his club!Big mouth no results on the field!

Ozzie Fan,

I could not do Ozzie's job better than Ozzie. He has the respect of the team (I think) and a history of playing the game, so his practices and all other things that prepare players for games give him a massive edge over me.

I could, however, make in-game decisions better than Ozzie. He does very well on the defensive/pitching side of things, but his choice of when and who to use to pinch hit, his decision to encourage sacrifice hitting (dumb), and his obsession with putting fast guys at the top of the lineup despite low OBPs are all piss poor. Toby Hall should NEVER start against righties, he can't hit them. Pierzynski....ditto vs lefties (his splits are much less dramatic than usual this year, however). Ozzie follows this a good amount, but sometimes, he'll play A.J. anyway against a lefty if he sat recently simply because he's the "starter". And just because some philosopher hundreds of years ago said statistics are "lies" doesn't make WARP1 incorrect.

Fuff, A.J. riling up the opposition had nothing to do with Josh Paul rolling a ball out to the mound by mistake. Josh Paul hadn't even been playing until like that inning or the inning before.

Second, yes, a good GM can spot trends. But if that were true, we wouldn't be paying Jose Contreras $29M between this year, 2008, and 2009. When asked about the aging of the team, and if it concerned him whether the team was a year older, he just responded "maybe we're a year better then". So I'm going to go out on a limb and say Williams doesn't care enough about trends, PECOTA projections, and aging curves. I am saying this to you from one White Sox fan to another. '05 was a lot of fun, and Kenny should get credit for essentially replacing Lee's salary with Podsednik, Dye, and Pierzynski, but Kenny got lucky as well. No two ways about it. Even the touchy-feely intangible-obsessed World Series DVD from 2005 says "you need a little luck".

Bubba's MOM - its the whole thought process of the post. You know "BASEBALL", and your loyalties lie with winning baseball. Despite the Sox's problems, you remained committed to their approach. You know how to keep the baby and throw out the bath water. The other stuff comes from understandable frustration.

That post was a work of art. Paint on BM, Paint on!

Hey,Jack Armstrong, the All-American boy, You've been watching too many Geiko commercials. If Ozzie had used doctors or lawyers, he might have been sued for slander, but not ignored.

This year is doing one thing for sure. Its separating the real Sox fans from the band-wagon jokers who only have the NEW Sox stuff. My advice to yah; go on up North and have a drink with the Disney Cubs. Not to knock them, they are balling, but true Sox fans cannot remember a year when the Sox were completely out of it this early. I think for many Sox fans that have been "braggin" too much, what the Cubs have done has compounded their bad year. The Sox do things the right way. Trust them. They have given us years and years of good memories and after one really bad year, some of you are ready to divorce. There is great pride on the Southside. You don't have to bellieache or complain about getting better. I say just watch the players and management. They are like their true fanbase, we don't except this and WILL return to our style of winning, competitive, CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER baseball. Ozzie and Kenny are All in.

Keith Lifetime SF,
I couldn´t have put it any better myself. When the smoke clears from this year, I imagine that tons of the bandwagon jumpers who think that a Minnie Minoso is some kind of a tropical drink and who would bet you big $$ that a major league team never wore shorts, who don´t know who Bill Melton was, who can´t recall Nancy playing a few bars of "Light My Fire" before Jim Morrison stepped in to the batters box, etc, etc, willn either be back at Wrigley waiting for next year or will have lost interest in baseball due to there not being a winner in town! I say Sionara, Que les vayan bien, See ya, wouldn´t wanna be ya and don´t come back in a few years when we are competing for a championship once again!

Noles: You sure sound like an A´s fan to me? Does your alliance change with the win-loss column? A real Sox fan wouldn´t have lost patience so fast!

When was the last time you called customer service of any major company? Press 1 for English! What does that tell you? That corporate America thinks english speaking people in America are literate enough to press 1 and that spanish speaking people in America are too large a market too ignore.

Ozzie is part of that market and that culture and that culture bears little resemblance to political correctness. Spanglish anyone?

Greg Walker said it best Ozzie had the vision which led to a World championship. That vision was to focus on pitching and defense and some small ball away from an over reliance on the long ball. Its similiar to the effect Leyland has had on Detroit and Lou on the northside. Before Ozzie came back to manage the Sox org was unwilling to give even 3 year contracts to proven quality starting pitchers. They rushed up pitching prospects like Garland before they were really ready for the majors because it was cheaper to do that then pay market value for proven starters. Every Sox fan if they had their priorities straight should be very grateful to Ozzie for changing this long time policy by convincing both Freddie Garcia to take a less than market value contract and Kenny to give a 3 year contract. That move was what started the Sox org to focus on starting pitchers and it was Ozzie who initiated this philosophy.

This is really another who cares what Ozzie said moment spiked by the media. I believe Ozzie's problem is he thinks in spanish so when he talks in english he doesnt have enough of a subtle grasp of the language to get his point across without being sort of crass about it. That plus his blunt nature makes for entertaining yet relatively innocous comments that the media blows up because thats their gig and what their bosses expect from them. Any factory worker who gets insulted by this out to consider seeing a shrink to help with his or her self respect. Only a thin skinned person would let a comment like this bother them. Of course most professional sports personnell should know more about baseball trades than someone who does something else for a living. Although sometimes I do wonder about some of Kenny's trades and whether some baseball fans couldnt have done a better job on a few.

Well this non professional baseball person and non factory worker would like to see these trades:
Iguchi to the Mets for a AAA pitching prospect.
Jose to the Mets for a AAA pitching prosepct.
Iguchi and Jose to the Mets for 2-3 Met prospects.
Iguchi, JD and Jose to the Mets for Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey and another pitching prospect like Philip Humber or Joe Smith.
Matt Thornton for a very good Yanks AAA pitching prospect or a major league relief pitcher who isnt afraid to pitch in the 8th inning.

Keith, you are so right. Two years ago, my own parents paraded around as Sox fans. I'm like "name one player besides Konerko on the team." Of course, they couldn't. Now they could care less. It's all about the Cubs this year. The Bandwagon stopped by their building first apparently. I know the Sox aren't going anywhere, and the losses all have a familiar tone, but I still watch every game I can (going tonight as a matter of fact) because the Sox are my team. I'll root for the Cubs as far as they go this year, but I'd never call myself a Cubs fan. Sox fans are true baseball fans. I ditched my own brother's wedding reception to watch Game 1 of the WS!!!!!

To "What Can We do": What does your comment have to do with baseball? I am a witness to the self-imposed linguistic isolation of a lot of English-speaking folks living abroad. But I am reluctutant to make my comments in this forum because the subject matter of the discussion is the White Sox.

Isch verschdehe nedd?

Julie, you have started my tears again. The ladies have me all misty. I'm going to read it again!

Tears = points

Keith and Julie,
If you guys are single, perhaps you guys could hook up after a game, perhaps at Lindy's Chili, and shep a few tears in eachother's beers!

Sorry fuff, Keith, Culzie, darryl, Tim, WRD, and all the other bloggers with blog crushes on me - only blog single. Hence all the blog flirting. But don't worry fuff, I like your posts, so you're in the blog mix. You have points on the blog board you don't even know about! Now if only you could come up with a witty John Hughes movie quote.........

(P.S. I make a mean chili. The secret is lots of Bourbon.)

Fuff, if you cannot appreciate a girl you can talk "Sox" with, then something is wrong brother. And she can cook!

Now let me see if I can find pretty in pink.

Keith when you speak of tears I mainly think of the TV show Arrested Development. It had a lot of "in" jokes and was the funniest show on TV. "Taste the tears","taste like sad". If you followed the funniest show EVER you'd be crackin' up about those phrases.

Hey Keith ,putting bourbon in your chili doesn't really say that a person can cook. Maybe she put it in to hide the taste. Now,I love chili. My favorite food in the world. My wife is pretty good with chili. "To the man's heart"...

William - tell your wife to put about 1 cup of bourbon in the chili next time. You'll love it. And I CAN cook, thank you very much.

PS - I also love Arrested Development. Why did we blog break up again?

I caught Arrested Development before it took off. I got into 24 and the 4400. That was it for me. I like chili too, and how can you go wrong with bourbon?

Big Willie and Jules...second times the charm!

Dude I don't drink at all. I used to go to the clubs every blue moon and nurse a wine cooler until it was boiling hot. A cup of bourbon would knock me out!! Even swirling in a whole pot of chili. And if you need a A.D. fix I have all 53 episodes on DVD. The only program that my wife ,son and I would watch together. " Hey,Brother". "Loose seal.Loose seal" CLASSICS!! 24 was great until this year. Weak this year no matter how you slice it. Better rebound in January 2008 or the clock will wound down fast. What was this blog about again?

WRD, your starting to sound more and more like a renassaince man with every post ;)

Hey bculz I thought we agreed that we wouldn't insult each other anymore. Renaissance Man? No way. You watch Flavor of Love Charm School? See how every woman(and I use that loosely) passed over the R.M. because he was too boring. I don't tie any on but I'm liable to get a party started with a lampshade on my head. That's if I could find one that fits. Barry Bonds has nothing on me when it comes to a large head. Believe that!!

I am dying Willie! And the Sox have given me something to smile about today! I am going to laugh and enjoy this evening.

I did watch Charm school, and if you expected any of those over worked garden tools to pick a RM, you have bigger problems than I imagined.

The big head issue, I cant help you with!

Try talking to Jaquouyim Noah!