White Sox Quotes of the Day: Ozzie Guillen

by The Wizard on May 31, 2007 1:03 PM CDT in Quotes

Ozzie wants changes:

"We've got to get out of here, and hopefully, we play better in Toronto (a four-game series starting tonight). If not, there are going to be a lot of surprises, believe me. I'm not here to make friends; I'm here to do a job. I'm not doing my job right now, obviously, I'm not. Get out of here, and continue to play, continue to play better if we can. If not, somebody else will. ... If you're going to get traded, play better because they're not going to trade names, they're going to trade players to help someone else win. If they're thinking about free agency here, if you continue to have the year you're having, good luck in the market. ... If we continue to fail out of the bullpen, there's going to be some changes that are made. Because if I'm going to fail, I'm going to fail the right way. I'm going to lose my job pushing the right buttons. ... If (chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) thinks I'm not doing my job or this team would play better without me, I'll move on, because the only thing I want for the White Sox fans and the owner for this ballclub is to have success ... I don't want to leave. Believe me, I want to stay here for another 10 years -- I don't think I'm going to manage more than 10 years. I want to finish my career here. If somebody up there, my bosses, they think I'm not handling this ballclub right, don't feel bad because the only World Series we won the last 100 years was Ozzie. That's bull(bleep)."

It's the same old:

"I’m sitting here and watching since July of last year to right now, the same (bleep). If I’m going to get fired, good. If this team’s going to get better with me out of here, I’ll be happy. But as long as I’m here, we’ve got to play this (bleep) better. As long as I’m running this ballclub, we have to play better."

Ozzie on the lineups:

"There's going to be three guys, maybe four guys there every day. There will be (Paul) Konerko, (Jermaine) Dye, (Darin) Erstad and (Jim) Thome ... (Everyone else) can get mad if they're not in the lineup, they can get upset with me. Meanwhile, it's my job to win with the best players, not with my best friends. All those guys are my friends. I love them to death. They play hard for me; that's one thing I expect from them; they respect me. But in the meanwhile, every time I've got the lineup card, I have to put the best lineup out there, and so far, I haven't done it."

Joe Cowley's, and Scot Gregor's entries. *****

Here's the latest installment of Jim award-winning AL Central Trail. Two gloves up!

*****

BTW, The Tribune has a Chicago Sports Spelling Bee. How many did you got correct? And, MLB.com will air it's Baseball Draft preview showat 1 p.m. local time.

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Comments

.268/.316/.346

Great to see that is a good enough line to always keep you in the lineup (and at the lead off spot).

Average AL CF line:

.264 / .338 / .418

Go Badgers!

by shaftr on May 31, 2007 1:08 PM CDT reply actions

Avg AL Leadoff Hitter

.277 / .352 / .409

Go Badgers!

by shaftr on May 31, 2007 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Drink!!!

Enough Erstad comparisons until we fix the other 95% of what's wrong.

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions

Amen.

by ballyb on May 31, 2007 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions

This is what really sucks

The fact that the rest of teams sorry ass play has made us accept the almost-mediocre Erstad says it all.

A good team could probably handle him batting 8th or 9th. A championship team could handle him being a 4th outfielder.

A bad team plays him leadoff, and doesn't complain about him because "he's not our biggest problem."

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on May 31, 2007 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions

Amen.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 31, 2007 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions

"Doesn't complain?"

"Doesn't complain?" I hope to Christ you mean the actual brass of the Sox, because if you are referring to folks on this site, for God's sake, it's been said every way that it can be said. And, like it or not, it is not the biggest problem we have, as unfortunate and sad as it is.

I don't think I've accepted his mediocrity - like a triage, you address what is hemorrhaging first.
Take your pick - LF, bench, middle relief, managerial moves, etc. etc. etc.

I wouldn't expect the Sox to complain because, well, they LIKE him.

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions

I like that fire, Cheat!

Since April 22 (31 Sox games), Erstad has hit with a 374 OBP. 115 at bats, 18 doubles, 1 homer.

Lots of blame to go around. Crede, Konerko, Mac, Iguchi,......., the pitching recently.

It's a long season with many highs and lows, this hopefully being an extreme nadir. At this point, I'd say Erstad deserves LESS criticism than anyone other than Jenks, Thome and a few starters.

For tonight's beta waves, think FIRE, FIRE, FIRE.

by ballyb on May 31, 2007 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions

.....has hit .330 with a 374 OBP..........

by ballyb on May 31, 2007 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Do you mean

you want the team to play with fire...
you want someone to get fired...
or you're imitating Beavis: "heh heh. FIRE! FIRE!"

by Happy Felsch on May 31, 2007 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions

Like Cheat,

we need the players to be FIRED UP.

FIRED UP!!
FIRED UP!!
FIRED UP!!
FIRED UP!!
FIRED UP!!
FIRED UP!!

by ballyb on May 31, 2007 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions

hey!

that's my stat!

by colintj on May 31, 2007 2:52 PM CDT up reply actions

quibble

i would imagine the reason he will always be in the lineup is because we ain't got no one else to play outfield who is any better. besides, ozzie is lying. none of those guys are always in the lineup.

by the way, that's two drinks, not one.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 31, 2007 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions

And

why doesn't he really ballup and admit what is really wrong when they play the Twins? I like Ozzie, but all the general, obtuse bitching about nothing obscures whatever the real problem(s) are at the time. The thing with the Twins is just the most current example. And, again, the issue there is the cowardly non-acknowledgement that they have thoroughly and completely psychologically manhandled us since 2001. Deal with it...acknowledge it, do it publicly. Christ, nothing else has worked against them. Why not the truth? And, no, I am not saying this is our only problem...I am on-board with our personnel issue, recent drafting, scouting....etcetcetc. I just use the most current hot topic for obvious reasons.

by dantesox on May 31, 2007 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions

It all comes down to his leadership

In terms of my new ROWAND scale (grindiness and leadership accounted for), Erstad gets a 32 / 100. Well above the 26 threshold necessary to play every day and nearing the highest possible score of any human (38).

GO SOX!

by rhythm on May 31, 2007 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions

AL Central Trail

rocks the house. Excellent.

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 1:27 PM CDT reply actions

This one's for you,

Nick Massett

by chrome on May 31, 2007 1:54 PM CDT reply actions

I mean

for you, Nick

by chrome on May 31, 2007 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions

That shirt gave me the idea.

I have two of them, actually, because the first one they shipped me had a hole in the sleeve. My shirt is blue, though.

Sox Machine

by Sox Machine on May 31, 2007 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions

That's great.

That's always been my favorite out of the witty t-shirt genre.

That and prose before ho's.

by chrome on May 31, 2007 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions

www.despair.com

I>u is my favorite of all time.

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 3:35 PM CDT up reply actions

My favorite from Despair

Potential

Substitute "astronaut" with "professional baseball player."

by Happy Felsch on May 31, 2007 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

I gave that to my best buddy's

wife, who is a teacher, on a mug. She LOVED it.

I like "Madness", "Consulting", "Idiocy", "Get to Work" and my Sox favorite, "Consistency" (it's only a virtue if you're not a screwup).

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions

Also applicable to the Sox

Mediocrity

It takes a lot less time, and most people won't notice the difference until it's too late.

by Happy Felsch on May 31, 2007 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Piling on excuses.

For 7 weeks, Hawk & DJ blamed the cold weather on the Sox's hitting woes. In Minnesota, they blamed the LACK of weather inside the Hump Dome for some Sox outs. They said a few times that flyballs hit by Sox players were not dropping fast enough and were caught because they were indoors. If the balls were hit outside, they would have dropped before the Twins outfielders can get to them. This excuse making is getting ridiculus. What are they going to blame next? The bats being wooden, not aluminum? The other team wears gloves on defense, not bare-handed like they did 100 years ago?

by squeegeeman on May 31, 2007 1:56 PM CDT reply actions

Yeah, hawk's been unbearable

this year. DJ has agreed with all of Hawk's unbearableness.

by chrome on May 31, 2007 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Sad to say....

...Chris Singleton has become my fave Sox broadcaster, mainly because of all the little digs he takes at Farmio and Farmio's strange little world.

Stretch!

by stevegoz on May 31, 2007 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions

That

is really sad....but I think I understand it. He is just horrible, too, however.

by dantesox on May 31, 2007 3:29 PM CDT up reply actions

so far

Jermaine Dye is leading the poll.. Unanimously (spell check anyone?)

WHAT'S a Chuck Liddell?

by marco054 on May 31, 2007 1:58 PM CDT reply actions

Ozzie and Ditka

In '85, Ditka lead the Bears to a championship. Soon after that, he basked in the limelight, made lots of endorsement money, enjoyed being called a genius. In the meantime, his teams did well but didn't win anymore championships. I think his lack of focus on the team costed Chicago two or three championship parades. Starting in '06, I see the same happening to Ozzie. He seems to be more interested in talking to the press than his players. He talks about other team incessantly. About his own players, he only says that he has confidence in them. I hope that he start imitating the New England football coach (who wins year after year) and not the ex-Chicago football coach. (Note: Right after the Sox won in '05, Ozzie actually said that he can now eat free in Chicago, just like Ditka)

by squeegeeman on May 31, 2007 2:29 PM CDT reply actions

Ozzie needs to have an affair?

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 3:36 PM CDT up reply actions

HaHa...

He probably already did have an affair. He has to realized that REALLY good looking (or rich) women go for coaches (Phil Jackson) with multiple championships.

by squeegeeman on May 31, 2007 3:50 PM CDT up reply actions

That's why he got rid of BA

He was only getting BA's "sloppy seconds." Now he gets the pick of the litter. This is also why you will never see Aaron Rowand (drink!) in a Sox uniform again.

President - Johnny Dickshot Fan Club

by tailgater on May 31, 2007 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Are you loaded yet?

If not,

ROWAND! ROWAND! ROWAND!

FRAU BLUCHER!

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions

hic

I'm not really sure.

Am I suppose to be doing shots of beer or tequila?

I've been alternating between the two.

President - Johnny Dickshot Fan Club

by tailgater on May 31, 2007 4:20 PM CDT up reply actions

By pick of the the litter,

do you mean dogs, figuratively and literally?

by squeegeeman on May 31, 2007 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Hey now!

Don't go perpetuating false rumors about the quality of the scenery at the Cell.

Stretch!

by stevegoz on May 31, 2007 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Spelling Bee

I got 10/15. I'm happy with that. I had no shot at spelling the Bulls guy that Awvee Storey punched out, as his name is impossible. I had no clue who the old Bears punter, the Rush and Sky players were. I totally forgot about Ayanbadejo, although that one is pretty easy and it's strange that I could remember Idonije and not him.

by Bull Pain on May 31, 2007 2:31 PM CDT reply actions

Anyone watch the MLB draft show?

Who are we projected to take?

by TheKMan1 on May 31, 2007 3:02 PM CDT reply actions

What else/

50 picks of grinders!

by Big Daddy Kool on May 31, 2007 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I couldn't get it to play...

by The Wizard on May 31, 2007 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm the only vote for Jon Garland?

Why does everyone think we can trade Jermaine for anything that's actually useful? I think most people in the league believe he's over the hill and that '06 was probably his last hurrah. I think our starting pitching could take the hit more and I'd trade Garland before Buerhle because, well...Buerhle is my guy, plus he's a lefty. I think Garland is probably viewed by other teams as being better than he actually is. I think...uh, coffee is delicious.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on May 31, 2007 4:28 PM CDT reply actions

i imagine

there are those who are still under the belief that this team can and will compete next year and, therefore, trading garland isn't a good idea.

Stay grindy, my friends.

by larry on May 31, 2007 4:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Trading Burhle makes more sense

Looks like the Sox will have Danks and Gio next year. They probably don't need 3 lefties starting. Burhle will get more in return - if the Sox have given up for the year.

by squeegeeman on May 31, 2007 4:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah...

Buerhle would make a lot more sense to trade during this season, especially now that you mention Gio...but I refuse to admit that Buerhle should be on any team but the Sox. Plus, I've finally started spelling his name correctly, Buerhle. I think.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on May 31, 2007 4:43 PM CDT up reply actions

Who is going to want Mark

in a FA season? Trade value MUCH diminished unless they want to lock him up right after the trade. If we have no intention on signing him then I'd try and get something - maybe to the Spanks, who love the rent-a-player and could use help.

B-U-E-H-R-L-E. Goddammit, guys.

;)

by winningugly on May 31, 2007 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions

FFS.

I knew I had it effin' wrong as soon as I hit enter. Trade him.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on May 31, 2007 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Buehrle to the Yanks

For A-Rod, Cano, Cabrera and Michael Bloomberg.

Done!

by Winning is Fung on May 31, 2007 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Sam Smith checking in?

Is that you, Sam?

Stretch!

by stevegoz on May 31, 2007 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, I loved his recent column

Which star would look best on the Bulls?

I don't get it either.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on May 31, 2007 5:02 PM CDT up reply actions

When Seatlle traded Randy Johnson

to the Astros. They got a bunch of players, including Freddie. Of course, Mark is no Big Unit, but he should get someone of value - especially of the press he got from the no-hitter.

by squeegeeman on May 31, 2007 5:42 PM CDT up reply actions

That was a different environment too

Johsnon resulted in two extra picks for the Astros.

Buehlre has to pitch lights out for the rest of the year (matching his '05 season) to get just one pick for whoever lets him go via FA. The CBA changed and reduced compensations, which in turn will lower the price teams are willing to pay for soon-to-be free agents.

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on May 31, 2007 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions