The Blizzard is Gone, But Where is the Sun?

I sit here in shock, and I knew it was coming.  I knew the day would be here when Ozzie Guillen would no longer be the manager for my beloved White Sox.  It has now arrived my friends.

And yet I cannot believe how poorly I am handling it.  I'm saying really unreasonable things I will not repeat.

Look, I know there are many Sox fans out there saying that this is the right thing to do.  Ozzie has a big mouth and its wearing on everyone.  He tanked 2011 to make a point.  Blah, blah, blah.  I can think of one big reason why I am upset.

Kenny Williams is still the GM of the Chicago White Sox.  The snide, arrogant, gun slinging POS won the duel between him and Jerry Reinsdorf's Jackie Mason.  

Why is that fair?

Was it Ozzie's job to call out Williams?  Was it Ozzie's job to put Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and anyone else who had difficulty hitting on the plate, especially when the game was on the line?  Absolutely not.  Does Ozzie care more about money than the White Sox?  No way.  He cared too much for that, and his reaction is a guy who just had his heart ripped out by his wife of eight years.  Think of my favorite national league team The Florida (soon to be known as Miami) Marlins as that rebound relationship.  Sure he will have fun, laughs, and lots of things he didn't have here on the south side, but there will be that emptiness.  The team that helped solidify him as a player, and was the breeding of someone who can be in the argument for one of the greatest managers ever.  

Ozzie's job was to win.  Pure and simple.  He did so in 2005, and got by in 2008.  He had a winning record as a manager.  However in 2011, didn't go that way and the sad thing was, it could have?  Two people could have sped it up.  Ozzie chose now to play them, but Kenny didn't force him to either.  It was Kenny giving Ozzie the rope he needed to hang his career as the pale hose skipper. 

And that was the problem.  Ozzie and Kenny were constantly trying to shove the poker up each others ass in a passive aggressive way.  The people who they succeeded in penetrating were the Chicago White Sox players and fans who all hoping and praying they would catch Cleveland and/or Detroit, whoever was in first that particular week.  Ozzie wanted to talk extension two years in a row, but by his own admission, wasn't entitled to one.  So why is Kenny Williams?

Everyone at South Side Sox has spoken about this at great length.  The odd deals that Williams have struck out on in the last few years.  The ones that still sting me:

The Swisher deal that sent Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney to Oakland that would get us goggles, Johnny Nunez, Jeff Marquez.

Daniel Hudson for Edwin Jackson (which was supposed to be for Adam Dunn but didn't happen and if it did, maybe Dunn wouldn't have gotten the four years), which turns into Josh Frasor and Zach Stewart.

Mark Teahen gets a 3 year extension before even putting on a uniform.

Trading 4 players for a former Cy Young pitcher sitting on the DL.

Signing a guy who a former GM said "didn't care about the game" to a 4 year contract.

Were these moves that could have worked?  Sure.  However they did not and Kenny did little to rectify them.  The best he did was getting young pitching out of Toronto for Teahen and Jackson.  Everyone and their momma knows that Jim Thome would have been much better than they DHydra we were forced to witness in 2010 except for Ozzie Guillen.  It was Kenny's job to tell Ozzie, NO!  Instead, he played chicken while Jim Thome went to our big brother and hit 600 home runs and helped them get into the playoffs that year. 

I think bottom line, I wouldn't have taken the news as bad if both went.  In fact, that would have been the right move because it was their fight that put a black hole on this franchise.  I would have been OK if Kenny went and Ozzie stayed.  Yet, it didn't happen that way, and I am very concerned Mark Buehrle will be going as well.  This Sox team is looking very much different and K Dub has no one to hide behind.  He needs to make this work.  I'm not sure if he can. 

As far as Ozzie goes, thanks for the memories.  You inspired me to speak out more and be honest with people.  No cookie cutter crap.  I thank you for all you have done for the White Sox, and I will be following you in Florida, as I mentioned earlier, the Marlins are my favorite NL and second favorite team.  I mean, come on.  How can you not like a team who has been around for a little over 20 years, won two World Series, are in the state I wished I lived in, and the best part, knocked out the Cubs in 2003, and took the title from the Indians in 97.  

To the White Sox, let's move forward and try to figure out how to get out of the mess and win one more!!!!