I don't get it.
Ozzie Guillen goes off following a terrible offensive series--a series which saw the Sox go 5-41 with runners in scoring position and strand runners who reached scoring position with nobody out on 5 separate occasions in the last two games--yet the narrative from the local and national media was about Guillen, whether he should be fired, whether he "out of line."
I'm no Guillen apologist. I've been known to rip him repeatedly in my recaps. And I can't even begin to build a case for his firing this season.
Guillen has been superb through the first 55 games. He hasn't made a single egregious in-game tactical error large enough for me to even note in any of my recaps. He was quick to get Quentin at-bats. He's banished Jerry Owens. He's using Toby Hall in the most efficient way possible. He shuffled the lineup when shuffling the lineup was about all he could do. And he's made the right in-game decisions at just about every turn. What more can you ask for from a manager?
So he says exactly what he feels. Who cares? The PC Police should be bowing at his feet every time he goes on one of his rants, because without him they'd have nothing to write about, nothing but dead air.
Think about this. The Sox have had two 4-game series in domes this season. They've allowed a total of 21 runs in those 8 games, which works out to 2.625 runs per game. As I recall, 5 of those runs in Toronto were unearned--or came in innings with extra outs--so the pitching staff allowed 16 "earned" runs in the two series. 8 games. They were 1-7 in those games. One and Fricken' Seven.
It's no coincidence that those two series have spawned the two Ozzie outbreaks and media storms. If the facts in the previous paragraph don't make you want to spout off a string of explicatives, you're not a Sox fan. You haven't been watching the same old shit for the last two years.
Ozzie Guillen is the biggest Sox fan there is. And he's had a front row seat for every single runner stranded on second after 3 straight pop-ups. He's been in the dugout everytime Nick Swisher GIDPs with RISP--Swisher's got 5 hits with RISP to go allong with his 5 GIDPs w/RISP. He's got to watch a team immune to the opposite field, pulling 84 MPH junk thrown off the outside corner. That's gotta drive even the strongest man crazy.
Who among us can honestly blame Guillen for letting off some steam? We all did the same thing.
Yet, 'the consensus around baseball' is that Guillen went too far. What did he say that went 'too far?'
Let's translate that."If we think we are going to win with the offense we have, we are full of it. I'm just being honest. I expect better from them if they're in the lineup.
"Just be ready because I expect movement Tuesday. I expect (general manager) Kenny Williams to do something Tuesday, and if we don't do anything Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of lineup changes. That's all I'm going to say about the offense." [...]"It can be me. It can be (hitting coach) Greg Walker. It can be the players. It could be anybody," he said. "I'm sick and tired to watch this thing for a year and a half. I'm not protecting anybody anymore. [Bleep] it. If they can't get it done, Kenny should find someone to get it done."
The offense sucks. It's sucked for 2 years now. I'm tired of it. I'm going to make some changes Tuesday. I want Kenny to make some changes too.
Fire me. Fire Walker. Fire anyone. There needs to be changes. And if Kenny doesn't make 'em, I will.
We know Ozzie's not getting fired. Hell, we know Walker's not getting fired. All he said was that Konerko, Thome, and Swisher are going to have a lot more free time during the games.
Oh. My. God. A major league manager is going to cut the playing time of his struggling sluggers. The horror!
Quick! Call Rosenthal. See if Kornheiser is awake. Tell Marriotti to dust off his best "Fire Ozzie" material. It's sanctimonious Guillen roasting time!