Ozzie's an embarrassment

"No one in baseball expected this team to be this bad, and that usually means one thing: the manager isn't doing his job."

Whether you mean it intentionally or unintentionally, the above statement implies that Ozzie is the sole reason the hitters aren't hitting, the bullpen is awful and they haven't been able to put a reliable player in the leadoff spot. Their performance goes well beyond Ozzie, and I blame the entire organization - players, coaches and GM - for putting together a God-awful season.

As far as throwing his players under the bus, is he supposed to gloss over their inept performances and lie about how well they're playing? That sounds more like a Dusty Baker approach, and we all know how he was chastized for that. Ozzie has both supported and criticized his players throughout this stinker of a season. If he was doing this to save his own job - which frankly it doesn't sound like he's doing - then I would agree he's throwing the players under the bus. Heck, he implicitly called out Kenny Williams by saying screw the big-salaried players, he'd play AA ballplayers if he had to. What else do you want him to do to get these clowns to play? Bring in motivational speaker Matt Foley? Maybe they do need to clean house - Ozzie included - but you sure can't single him out as the sole reason they're underperforming.

On a final note, was Lou throwing Zambrano under the bus when he called him out last night during the post-game?

I don't know Roman. I think Ozzie and his staff has done all they could. I blame these players. Their NUMBERS reflect our record. Extremely horrible numbers. Ozzie doesnt like it and I don't blame him for that erruption. Its ABOUT TIME someone from the inside flat out told them - they suck. I don't think Ozzie is feeling pressure from management and he shouldnt. We need to start it all over next year and see where they are at come Allstar break. It wouldn't hurt to add another star pitcher to the rotation either.

Roman responds: Keith, about time? Are you kidding? He does this every other day! It's about time he looked in the mirror, or at least kept his mouth shut. It's embarrassing.

Ozzie Guillen is better suited for the baseball leagues in the Dominican Republic and Venzueala than in Major League Baseball. Ozzie is truly the modern-day version of Archie Bunker, 'Ozzie Bunkeria'.

People that laugh off his racist views and demeaning tones have their heads to far up their own cabooses to see the 'REAL' Ozzie.

Dating back to the last baseball strike, Ozzie has shown his true colors; that of a self-righteous human being with respect for nobody outside his 'barracudas' (buddies). Ozzie was asked if the players owe anything to the fans and he shot back, "We don't owe them anything!"

The latest rant is another example of mean, angry and bitter person, something Chicago, White Sox, and every sane person can do without.

TIME TO CUT THE TIES WITH OZZIE!

What did he say that was incorrect? I don't understand why this is a big deal at all. The bottom line is that Ozzie isn't the reason the team is losing, the players are.

If Ozzie was responsible for the poor hitting, the subpar starting pitching, the reliance on Aardsma and Sisco, et al, then fire him. But it's not. So he deserves to be the coach.

Roman responds: How much responsibility does a manger have to inspire his team? He hasn't been able to do that all season. And if it's all about the players performing, then Ozzie doesn't deserve any credit for '05, and then why have a manager in the first place? This team shouldn't be this bad - period.

Look at the garbage on the field...Uribe, his pet dog at the top of the list. Konerko looks like he hasn't pooped in about a month. Dye looks REAL old.
Well done Kenny...

Roman responds: I've defended Ozzie through just about all of his antics, partly because I like him and his candor. But if the players quit on him, and I don't think anybody doubts that, that's on him. The x-rated rants are childish and disturbing. The thing is, we waited so long for a World Series title in this city that everyone's getting a pass for that. I give the team a pass of two seasons, but no more. It's time this city expects its teams to challenge for World Series titles, and if they win one, expect them to stay in contention.

Well, if the clubhouse wasn't ugly before, it certainly will be now.

Ozzie has decided to stand apart from his players and that's never a good thing.

I always thought the worst trade was the one that sent Rowand away. It's not that I don't like Thome, but I don't think he's the kind of leader that Rowand was. Don't get me wrong. I don't think Rowand was a rah-rah sort, but his play (running into walls, other players, etc.) inspired others and perhaps kept a fire lit under the Sox players. That fire has been extinguished for the past 1.5 seasons.

Ozzie may have felt that he's done everything he could and without a Rowand to kick ass in the clubhouse, he's had to go public with his team's shortcomings. It's just that he didn't pick a very intelligent way of doing it. More experienced managers seem to take a public bullet for their teams when they aren't playing well, but get on the players privately and definitely out of the glare of cameras and microphones. There will be a lot of new faces on the Sox next year. Perhaps one of them will be the manager's.

Ozzie has been an embarrassment for a long time. I take it back to the time he hollared at the young pitcher for not throwing at a batter. When the Sox were winning, his antics were tolerated, now that they are losers, his act has run dry. He has been a great distraction to the team.

Further...isn't a manager supposed to teach and motivate players to do well? The key members of the champinship team are still here, what happened to them? Did their talents fade, have they grown weary of their manager, or is it that Ozzie can't manage? Ozzie can't manage and this is evidenced by the teams performance since July of 2006.

Ozzie Guillen is better suited for the baseball leagues in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela than in Major League Baseball. Ozzie is truly the modern-day version of Archie Bunker, 'Ozzie Bunkeria'.

People that laugh off his racist views and demeaning tones have their heads to far up their own cabooses to see the 'REAL' Ozzie.

Dating back to the last baseball strike, Ozzie has shown his true colors; that of a self-righteous human being with respect for nobody outside his 'barracudas' (family and friends). During the strike, Ozzie was asked if the players owe anything to the fans and he shot back, "We Don't Owe Them Anything!".

The latest rant is another example of mean, angry and bitter person; something Chicago, White Sox, and every sane person can do without.

TIME TO CUT THE TIES WITH OZZIE!

A "pass for 2 seasons"????

I should try that one on my boss..."you know I killed the quota last year so is it ok if I don't do anything for 2 years"?

Ozzie to me, appears to be the Mike Keenan of baseball managers.

What's Ozzie's ERA? Has he struck out in the clutch? This team has no heart, only a handful of guys seem to care. Dye pouted all season until they got serious about resigning him. At times Buerle looks good, but when he doesn't, look out. The rest of the starters either can't pitch or don't care, especially Mr. start-me-or-trade-me Contreras. Their best clutch hitter, Joe Crede, was hurt and now is out, look up the middle and you see poor effort and poor results, and how about that bullpen? Konerko's a stand-up guy, but he's having a poor year and is honest enough to admit it.
Maybe Ozzie isn't smooth enough, too old school, but at least he cares. What did he do in '05 that he didn't do this year? He reacts to what he sees from his players, and this year it's been all crap. How many people want a manager who just goes along with whatever the players want, making them nice and comfortable? If that's what you want, Dusty Baker's available. Just remember how the Cubs did with him.

Roman you are right, a manager must inspire his team, and I thought Ozzie and his coaches have been as patient with them as humanly possible. They showed life until that Boston series and there was talk of a huge comeback, and then the wheels fell completely off again. The starting pitching has been good but not near what they are capable of. The bullpen has been righted. But the bats have been ice cold to luke warm. Ozzie has kept his cool for most of this year in my humble opinion - he has protected them - but how can you after that Texas series? Boston was understandable. They were hot and are chocked full of studs and quality starters - but TEXAS was there for the taking. And Ozzie lost it and rightfully so. He is not asking them to do the impossible. The season is over and the pressure should be off. They have to show up and perform - FOR THESE FANS. And that is what hurts Ozzie and how can you blame him. Our ENTIRE lineup is batting UNDER 240 for the Y E A R! And now that the pressure is off, Ozzie expects some action and he should get it! If they don't like it - tough! It it makes them angry - then tough! THEY made this atmosphere with their cold bats and lack of heart. Not the rookies - the main guys! I'm calling this the curse of Frank! Ozzie is the man for the job. He cares and knows the game.

''They're killing me. They're killing my family. They're killing my coaching staff. Kill the White Sox fans. They kill the owner. They kill everyone. I hope they feel the same way we feel. "

Its funny, how everyone criticized "Dusty" for sitting on his hands, and then we slam this guy for being too outspoken.

Why dont we just design robot managers....who sit there with the perfect amount of mixed emotions and temperments?

A topic for me,

U are right Roman, Ozzie does deserve some of the blame for this mess. I think a more telling story is the lineup. U never win a Championship in the training room. These players are an injury waiting to happen, Thome, Dye, Podsednik, Erstad, Crede, and these are guys you count on pretty much every game. You need healthy players to prolong streaks, and to halt skids. The DL is where a lot of our best players have been at some time this past season.

Not saying that is an excuse, I think this team after the WS is just plain built wrong. But I can live with it for maybe this season, As a general manager, you cannot bail on your plan at the hint of trouble.

For people to say get rid of Ozzie(bloggers and non-bloggers), become Cub fans-----please, they win once a century. You don't fire a manager after one bad season (I don't consider 90 wins to be a bad season, repeating is always hard.) U fire the manager after you feel like he lost his team and will never get it back.

I think Ozzie maybe lost his mind but not the team, not yet. He should just keep his mouth shut and ride this storm out, because he is not out of the woods yet. His plan next year better be a good one, or I think he will lose the majority of White Sox fans.

How ironic that Mr. Mariotti writes about putting "Running Mouth" out of his misery and letting him go. I agree 100%, Ozzie is at an all time low in utterance. Problem is I've felt the designated White Sox "Pessimist Pen" should have been gone long before the Blizz.

TRADE PAUL KONERKO!!! They all talked about Frank Thomas but this guy has to be one of the most weakest leaders in baseball. He puts up numbers no one can remember and they have no impact. These players have mailed this season in. ALL OF THEM. I will give Kenny and Ozzie until next year and if it starting to go bad by the All-Star break tear the team up and start over again. NEW EVERYTHING!!!

No, Roman, it means that the baseball players who are actually playing baseball and have impacts on baseball games by performing baseball-related tasks such as pitching, hitting, fielding, and baseball are the reasons that baseball games are not being won.

It has nothing to do with minor, in-game decisions that most people could make from the bench.

Ozzie, early in the year, shielded his players from the blame, but he HAS to face facts. They're awful! Why should he keep blaming himself when it isn't HIS fault?

Don't get me wrong. Ozzie is not a good manager. He overrates speed and wants to lower run production via sacrifice hits, etc. But he's NOT the reason we're losing. I bet that the best manager in baseball is probably only worth like 3-4 more wins than the worst one. The best manager in the history of the world would not turn this team into a winner. And you know that.

Mariotti drew the same (wrong) conclusion you did. I responded in full.

Roman responds: Nobody knows for sure how many wins a good manager is worth. Not you, not me, not Jay. They're all opinions. And my opinion is Ozzie's act is getting old.

the guy that says Ozzie is better suited for Dominican of Venezuelan leagues, rather than MLB is a buttclown (I changed the word for PG purposes).

what exactly does that mean? that MLB is some sort of paragon of what?

political correctness?

puhleeeaze.

Personally, I like the blunt politically incorrect Ozzie. The key is whether his approach works with the players and whether the players respond to Ozzie's style. From all we have read, all the player's up till now have loved Ozzie's managing style.

so what has changed now?

Ozzie is not the guy who hits, and he certainly doesn't come out of the bullpen to pitch in relief.

Does any team in the MLB have a worse bullpen than the Sox? (other than Jenks?)

and is that Ozzie's fault.

if I had to manage that bullpen all year long, I would have lost it a long time ago. I'm surprised Ozzie has lasted at least somewhat sane this long.

Roman responds: Nobody knows for sure how many wins a good manager is worth. Not you, not me, not Jay. They're all opinions. And my opinion is Ozzie's act is getting old.

Douglas comment: Was Ozzie the reason the Sox lost last night eight to five, when the team had a five run lead in the sixth inning? This is just one game Roman out of many. The players are NOT getting it done, be they hitters or pitchers.

**

Ozzie, early in the year, shielded his players from the blame, but he HAS to face facts. They're awful! Why should he keep blaming himself when it isn't HIS fault?

Posted by: Noles | August 31, 2007 08:02 PM

As manager he has the right to become upset as NOLES stated:

Roman, Sox Fans do not have a Cubbie mentality of lets just go to the ballpark and whether the team loses (losing for so long it became fashionable) or win (which is not often), and drink beer, get a tan, and sing "Take Me Out To The Ballpark", and hit the bars later for more drunken behavior to talk about how terrible the team is. THAT IS NOT OUR STYLE! We play to win, we root for winners, we do not root for bad execution at the ballpark! We just do not! Yes, we are talking about how terrible the team is this year, and taking our lumps, but we do not get drunk to do it? Okay, we do not got out to bars and talk about how bad the team is. More than likely we are there, especially if men, to intermingle with the ladies.

Ladies be kind to Sox Fans, we might explode like Ozzie and say "Oh, it is a Sox Fan thing and because we losing you can't talk to me now, huh?"...*ha ha*

The sports writers & columnists are making a big deal out of Ozzie's frustration. White Sox Fans understand it and think "keep your foot in their butts Ozzie!" and move on to the next issue.

No Roman, Ozzie did not have to be profanity-laced when dicussing the team, but when you reached the top, IT AIN'T NO DAMN FUN BEING AT THE BOTTOM! You know that Roman, hell even likeable Michael Jordan was known for throwing a punch or two in practice. (THIS WAS JUST PRACTICE!)

Roman, was Phil Jackson's act old or you dismissed it because the Chicago Bulls were winning? Oh yeah, he did take it out to the west coast, and won championships there. Was it his great coaching or Michael and Scottie or Kobe and Shaq which brought home the championships? I am just asking Roman, don't do an Ozzie on me man!

Does anyone remember the White Sox before Ozzie Guillen came in? Yeah, they sucked. The year he came in I almost instantly became an Ozzie fan, and it was fun to watch Sox games because even if they were down by six runs they would still fight like hell. Then, he won the World Series and did a masterful job of managing the club throughout the playoffs.

When did the Sox start to lose? Oh yeah, right after the Mariotti incident. That whole thing took the wind right out of Ozzie's sails and the Sox have sucked ever since. I think the fact that he is deciding to return to his old form is incredibly promising. If he could just ignore the media and focus on the game he would return to being the great manager that he has proven he can be.

Incidentally, why hasn't Mariotti been fired yet? He obviously hates Chicago sports, and has suggested that we fire the only manager who has given Chicago a World Series in modern history, and also that we fire the best Cubs pitcher in decades. I refuse to buy a Sun Times because I hate that scumbag so much.

The Sox lost El Duque, Aaron Rowand, and Frank Thomas, and along with that they lost a lot of the heart of the team. It was especially sad to see Thomas go.

Ozzie never started second-guessing himself until that dam Mariotti thing, and when he doesn't second guess himself he has great baseball instincts and he motivates his club.

Ozzie rocks; leave him alone.

I'm not an Ozzie fan but what is he supposed to do? They had six guys in the line-up last night batting under .250. And none batting over .280. You can't win in the American League with that kind of line-up. With no farm system and about 86 million dollars tied up in eight guys next year, the future is bleak fot the southside. Baseball Prospectus predicted about 73 wins for the White Sox this year. Good call. They are bringing back the same core of players next year. Bad call.

I don't think he's an embarrassment. His players have tuned him out a long time ago. They play even worse right after he goes off, as if to say, you think that's bad baseball, just watch this.

It hasn't been pretty to watch, but the sox gm and owner obviously don't care, they still seem happy with winning back a couple of years ago and now are content to just let a few years tick off the clock while they adjust the salary structure and the revenue streams, if you know what I mean.

Besides, the cell is still full, so the fans must not mind either. Might just be trying to gain some attention too, probably hard to take all the attention that the bears are getting.

The sox have quit on themselves ,the team ,the fans & Ozzie too.Total lack of character on club, GM Williams certainly has made several bad deals that has taken a world champ & made them chumps.Thome deal the worse deal of all. They traded away energy for a guy who plays old.But that can be said about many on club. In 08 sox need to rebuild pen & rid themselves of the other Uribe types on club.They may be stuck with Contreras thanks to Williams again!

Nobody knows EXACTLY how many, but there are a lot of good approximations. First of all, I think everyone can agree that the manager doesn't have anywhere CLOSE to the influence that Jay thinks he does.

Second, by looking at the Expected Won-Loss record vs actual record, you can make some inferences about how some managerial in-game tactics may have helped a team win close games. Because these expected records are usually pretty accurate to within 2-3 games, it's unlikely that the manager, a person who contributes very little to the Ex-W-L record (it's very numerical), doesn't affect the team all that much. There's a lot of luck involved when you over- or under-perform your actual record, though, so it's hard to decipher where your manager came into play. So I don't like that method much.

Another way to try is to add up the WARP of all the players, add it to the replacement level team win number, and see how close you came to the Ex-W-L record. There's a lot of research to be done about it, but whatever the case, it's pretty certain that managers don't add like 10 wins to a team or something. I mean any well-versed baseball plan can make the in-game decisions pretty easily. Pinch hit guys with good track records against lefties/righties or specific pitchers. Don't abuse starters. Don't tell players to try to sacrifice people over early in the game (a situation where you should be trying to score as many runs as possible, not trying to ensure you get just one). I mean, it's not really that hard.

He would still be an upgrade on the Northside. Unfortunately, theres that rivalry thing going on....he really, really hates the Cubs. GOGOGO Cubbies!!!!!!! I bet if Kenny Williams had said the ame things Ozzie does....he would of been gone last year. That's how much staying power Ozzie has. He knows it too.

I recall back in June blogging about the Sox being a few games behind the trillion dollar Yankees, and having the same record as the defending champion Cards. Seems two of the three aformentioned teams have righted their ships, whereas the Venezuelan Varment has just created waves. I also am quoted as predicting a handful of our same line-up batting 300 in August of next year, that's how crazy this game can be. The one strikingly obvious question is, 'how long can grown men tolerate these verbal lashes'? Do you ride the storm or whip a dead dog? I predict plenty of growling from the remaining pack. This show IS ALREADY OLD.

...so is Kenny Williams and the players.

Roman responds: True, but they don't make spectacles of themselves.

Ozzie's comments were not meant for us, they were meant for the players. They understand what is necessary, what they have to do to win.

To contend for a championship in MLB you must have a top closer and one of the strongest rotations in baseball. The Sox bullpen has pitched the fewest innings of any MLB team. That's a sign of a strong rotation. Jenks is definitely considered a top closer now.

So the White Sox just need a solid setup man and a middle reliever or two to shore of the entire staff. Kenny's sure to get the green light to spend to do that.

The lineup figures to be much better as well: Pods/Owens, Iguchi/FA, Rowand/FA, Thome, Konerko, Dye, Crede, AJ, FA/Uribe. Uribe robably won't be back but Rowand & Iguchi might. If that happens the Sox can quickly return to being one of the best run producers in MLB.

It won't be cheap. If Floyd can pitch into the 6th in his remaining starts the Sox might be able to save by trading Garland but I realistically Kenny should be looking to spend 20-30 mil more to fix his mess.

I would argue that to fall 4 games BEHIND THE ROYALS is an embarrassment for anyone employed with this organization.
Ozzie is a cheap size show at this point - Reinsdorf made his bed and knew he shot from the lip the moment he convinced Williams to hire him. The Sox have clearly targeted more of a Latino marketing slant to get more of their $ - firing Ozzie wouldn't help that effort. They didn't fire him last year with the infamous Marriotti "gay slur" (love that line), which means he had a very long leash to begin with, not to mention a WS title.
Despite the trend toward more latino marketing campaigns, I would hope my latino friends would agree with me that they need to draw the line though with that disgrace they continue to trot out at SS...it's one thing to be bad; quite another to be bad and not care.

I am completely fired up that some of them are COMPLETELY LIFELESS - just like their bats!!!! People are tired of Ozzie, but I'm NOT! What he is doing is refreshing to us fans and it say EXACTLY how we feel! Players shouldn't get a pass on that! Big Z doesn't deserve it because he is trying and it shows ALL OVER HIS FACE! Give me that kind of player ANY day! Yall can have buzz light year the polite snowman and his amazing icicle bat! Give me Frank, Carl Everete, Aaron Rowand, AJ, Ozzie, and some guys with a pulse!! Not these gentleman losers! I cant stand a polite buster! Take your manners and losing stench with you!

"Roman responds: True, but they don't make spectacles of themselves. "

What's your point? I don't care how much of a spectacle he makes of himself. All that matters is whether he's managing correctly. He made a spectacle of himself in 2005, and they won the World Series.

I'm sick and tired of defending Ozzie. I don't like him. I don't think he's a good manager. But all you people keep making bogus, ridiculous, and irrelevant claims about him. He's bad because he makes poor decisions on who to give playing time (Owens is awful, and will never be better than awful), how he fills up the lineup card (put some guys who get on base a lot, if you can find them, and put them in front of the people hitting all the HR? It's insane how many HR the Sox have and how bad the offense is....must be due to not having people on base for the HR!), and his small-ball tendencies (which decrease expected runs per inning). That's all. That's why he's a bad manager. Not because he's a loudmouth, not because he's not "inspiring" the players (they were never that good on paper!), but rather because he makes these bad choices.

Roman responds: My point is that I'm tired of his act. I love candor in athletes and managers, but his "I'm the only one who cares so I'm going to blow a gasket with a string of expletives" is embarrassing. That's my point.

Roman, you're starting to sound like Jay. I don't care what Ozzie says as long as the White Sox win. This year they are an embarrassment but that's almost entirely due to Kenny Williams. I can't think of any manager in baseball that could win the bullpen Kenny put together and I don't think you can either. The losses just compounded because of the injuries to the lineup as well.

How long had it been before the White Sox won a World Series before 2005? What's the likelihood someone other than Ozzie will win them another? Those are the questions you should be asking because those are the questions that matter most to White Sox fans!

Roman responds: So anybody who's fed up with Ozzie's act sounds like Jay? Ok.
You can't have it both ways. Praise Ozzie for winning and blame Kenny for losing.
So no other manager could have guided this team to a .428 winning pecentage? Please.
This team quit a while ago, and unless a team is filled with a bunch of bad-character malcontents - which this team is not - a large portion of the blame rests with the manager. He has to be able to inspire his players to play to the best of their abilities. Ozzie has not. And it's easy to point out the flaws in the bullpen now. Who was predicting this disaster before the season? Nobody.
I've lived in this area my entire life and have been a Sox fan that long, so I when I go on ESPN.com or Yahoo! and see the only link is to the manager of the team I rooted for acting like a jackass, I get embarrassed.

Roman, great response to Noles and Ozzie fan's posts. Ozzie is embarrassing at times, but I would rather see that than a guy who is a corpse and is feeding us some PR crap about how great everyone is getting along in the duggout - in LAST PLACE! ESPN wants a story and its not just that Ozzie is crazy, the story is that he CARES, and obviously MORE than any goodie-two-shoes joker in the dugout! Ozzie is an embarrassment to some, but to MOST - that TEAM is a disgusting, obscene JOKE! Their record and stats is what is more embarrassing than Ozzie. They STINK and should be glad that once again - Ozzie took the spotlight off them! I don't like all of these nice doille folding guys! Send back the malcontents!

Roman, get real. The 2007 team figures to finish with about 100 less runs scored, 10 less runs given up by starters, and 50 more runs given up by relievers. This team held the lead after 5 innings in a large majority of their games.

So let's evaluate Ozzie's performance then.

He has no control over injuries that plagued his lineups for most of the season. A loss of 100 runs is expected given the talent he had to work with. Good health and some free agent signings can put the White Sox right back near the top in run production. So that's certainly no cause for firing Ozzie.

His handling of starters was on par with 2005 and 2006. That's not a cause for firing him either.

The bullpen was just butt-ugly. Are you suggesting that Ozzie mis-managed it or that some other manager couldn't have gotten more out of it? I think that's absurd. Kenny built this bullpen from players that had been discarded by their former teams because the poor & inconsistent play had outweighed their potential. This certainly is no reason to fire Ozzie either.

It's ridiculous to even suggest firing a World Series winning manager in a year when the talent level on the field was one of the worst in the majors. If Ozzie fails to win when the talent level is one of the best again then you can put his neck in the sling.

Roman responds: I never said fire him. I just said he's become an embarrassment. I give everyone associated with the '05 team a two-year pass. If these infantile outbursts continue during another horrible season in '08, then I say can him.

Very good observation Keith-Southsider and in total agreement about the malcontents!

Roman I was about to ask you what the heck is intantile when realizing you meant infantile. Ozzie has you upset doesn't he? If you state you will give the him until 2008, why are you busting his chops in 2007 because of his antics? I do agree he does not have to use profanity, but the man is upset the White Sox are bottom dwellers in the division this year. Maybe he doesn't take losing very well after winning World Series in 2003 & 2005! Maybe the man thought, "Okay, every other year we are winners or strong contenders for division titles and league championships at least.

At least that is my thinking as a White Sox Fan!!...

Ozzie fan...

Any manager who continues to fill out his lineup with that POS SS Uribe deserves to be fired - what a disgrace. Put anybody in there - at least someone who cares rather than one of his buddies.
At every opportunity he undresses his player in public view - a friend of a friend covers them and you don't know half the story. Many of the players are tired of his sorry act.
They were REAL lucky to win 2 years ago - mainly due to a great starting staff down the stretch and in the playoffs, and LOTS of HRs. "Ozzie Ball" - what a total crock. "Grinders" - yeah, if grinders are guys who hit a bunch of HRs.
Ozzie IS the next Ditka - a 1 year wonder.

I don't agree with a lot of Kenny Williams moves, but don't criticize him for the wrong things. Last year both MacDougal and Thornton were throwing 98mph fastballs, and this year they both lost a lot of velocity. At the time, though, it looked like the Sox bullpen was going to be terrific. Frank Thomas is my favorite White Sox player of all time, but Thome isn't the worst replacement in the world either. Thome for Rowand definitely looked like a trade in the White Sox favor, unless you consider the actual trade off as Thomas and Rowand for Thome, which takes a bit of a stretch.

The manager's impact on a team can be great - look at how Dusty Baker almost single-handedly dismantled a very good Cubs team by overusing his starters, then drove it into the ground by making poor personnel and on-field decisions. Ozzie isn't making many bad decisions and is giving his team the best chance to win, but he can't do everything. When nearly every pitcher you have goes to crap there isn't much you can do.

Joey - "LUCKY TO WIN". Sox championship in 05 is one of the most dominant performances I have ever witnessed in baseball. Almost swept through the whole thing! They were doing things totally unprecedented like 4 complete games, etc. When Chicago wins a championship - THE WIN IT OUTRIGHT! Bears, Bulls, Sox and even the Hawks.

Another Ditka?

Somewhere on a radio station in Venezuela, a recording of Ozzie's voice can be heard saying, "Who you crappin?" in espanol.

Ozzie is Ozzie. He has never changed. He was throwing his players under the bus in September 05 when they were limping toward the end of the regular season. If he's an embarrassment to you Roman, that's fine, but there are other things that are far more embarrassing to this Sox fan than Ozzie. Like the performance of nearly every starting player. Like watching whiz kid Andy Gonzalez make 3 errors in one inning last week in Texas. Like the cumulative batting average of team veterans Konerko, Dye and Thome (about .250). Like the purchase of Mike Myers, and Kenny's trade that unloaded Iguchi in exchange for a phantom pitcher whose last start was probably in the Little League World Series. I even embarrass myself by still rooting for this team. It feels about as good this year as hitting your head repeatedly on a toilet seat.

It really was the Thome + Konerko for Thomas + Rowand + a new 1B decision and money definitely played a role. Williams decided that the pair for about 20mil/yr for 4 yrs was a better buy than the trio bound to cost more over that time.

Williams clearly didn't understand the value of inspirational players over hired guns. Neither Thome's nor Konerko's ab's inspire or help player's like Thomas' do. Other players are on record attesting to that fact. There are few players in the league that inspire a clubhouse like Rowand does. That was the intangible value lost in the decision.

There is no question that Rowand's play in CF in 2005 greatly contributed to the success of that bullpen. Since his departure CF has been nothing but a hole for the Sox and Kenny has failed to build a legitimate MLB bullpen. It's hard not to think the bullpen might have done better with Rowand or at least a legitimate CF playing for the Sox in 2006/2007.

The good news is that Kenny can rectify that in 2008 by signing Hunter/Rowand. Both are on record as saying they want to play for Ozzie. I think you can add Iguchi to that list as well. Utley's return makes him a FA. I expect one of Jose/Jon, Pods, Uribe, Sisco, Aardsma, MacDougal, & Thorton to be gone. In return the Sox will try to shore up MIF, LF, & the bullpen. They should be able to do that with the tradeable players they have and the freed up cash. A rotation of Mark, Javier, Jon, John, and Floyd will still probably be stronger than any in the ALC.

They were REAL lucky to win 2 years ago - mainly due to a great starting staff down the stretch and in the playoffs, and LOTS of HRs.
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Joey, it takes luck to win a championship in any sport. Count on your fingers how many organizations THAT HAVE BEEN dominant for LONG STRECTHES at a time.

"Ozzie Ball" - what a total crock.
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I will take Ozzie Ball any day and REMEMBER it because of the World Series Championship! I do not care to nit-pick over grind it out or homers! The Chicago White Sox won a World Series Championship in the 21st century, do you know of any other MAJOR Chicago team that has won? Chicago Wolves, Chicago Fire do NOT COUNT!

Ozzie IS the next Ditka - a 1 year wonder.
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Amazing how Mike Ditka is still a beloved sports icon in Chicago and maybe the NFL. Matter of fact I still like the 1985 Chicago Bears SHUFFLING CREW not taking no mess! What else I got to hang onto, a Super Bowl lost by a clumsy quarterback and a weak-knee running back? Give me a break!

I do not like what I am taking from your comments Joey, hoping I'm wrong. Give Ozzie his due!

White Sox lost ONLY ONE GAME in the quest of winning a World Series, but they were lucky! NOPE, they were DAMN GOOD and PROVE IT in 2005! And contended until the end of 2006 season trying to keep their title! That is two straight years of exceptional ballplaying! 2007 is a bad year and I will not be surprise if 2008 is slighty better but with more wins. When 2009 rolls around and the team is not playing top-notch, I say fire the GM, the Manager - clean house - and move on to 2010!

Douglas - you make some good points but PLEASE tell me what "Ozzie Ball" is. They were good in 05 and most of 06 because they hit a LOT of HRs and their pitching was good (until late 06) - that is why. Ozzie Ball or grinding, or whatever is a myth.

Ozzie ball means playing good fundamental baseball:good pitching, defense, base-running, & situational hitting. That was the trademark of that 2005 team.

It was not a good hitting team. It was not often that runners would get on but when they did the SOX had a better average than most. That's especially true of late innings and a big part of the post season success.

The 2007 team has not played Ozzie ball. I don't think any one realized how important Crede is in that equation until this year. His replacements have been horrible defensively, have not run the bases well, and have failed time & again in situational hitting. Assuming he can still play, locking up Crede to a 4 or 5 yr deal has to be a must for this team.

See Roman. The players found a way to shut Ozzie up. The played some Southside Baseball - and kicked the twins...in the twins! Win a series, and Ozzie says nothing. And everyone is happy! Sounds like a good formula. Lets try that for the rest of the season and ALL of next year!

We have to keep in mind that the Twins are not a good hitting ball club right now so win a series against them doesn't mean a heck of a whole lot. Facing a good hitting ball club like the Indians once again exposed the pathetic bullpen.

Floyd came across to me as a guy who had been spoiled at Philly. They probably encouraged him too often and too much. A similar case with Zambrano and Cubs. I think that's why Ozzie is reluctant to encourage him now even after a few solid starts. If Ozzie's "tough love" approach to Floyd works I think Roman should give him some props.

Ozzie Ball - you've been listening to WAY too many lame white sox commercials!

"Ozzie Ball"..right up there with the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch!