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Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate the Sox. In fact I like them a lot. There are players on the team I have always liked and I will be the first to admit that the Cell is a fun place to see a ballgame (far different than Wrigley, but still fun). Either way, Sox fans seem to be blind and deaf when it comes to Ozzie.Ok ok, I know the guy won a World Series in 2005, but is it possible that was a fluke? Is it possible that their pitching just got hot at the right time and that Kenny Williams neurotic trigger pulling on deals luckily hit for one season, like a slot machine?
Well White Sox fans refuse to accept those possibilities (extremely likely possibilities). They all want to point to Ozzie Guillen as the reason for the World Series, and have blamed all subsequent choking and underperforming on the players and to a lesser extent Kenny Williams. (And a quick shout-out to "grinderball", which Sox fans seem to think is the answer to all their problems. They must have forgotten that the team in 2005 was one of the worst offensive teams to win a World Series EVER and that it was pitching that got them where they were, not "grinderball". Honestly there is nothing more retarded than "grinderball". I better save this rant for another post)
What evidence do I have that Ozzie is a terrible manager (and person for that matter)? Well besides the terrible performances by one of the highest paid teams in baseball the past 3 years, the constant meltdowns in front of the media, the intolerance for difference, and the berating and embarassing of players publicly, there is another thing that just seems to keep happening with Ozzie. It seems that everytime a player leaves the Sox, he bashes Ozzie. Everyone knows Ozzie is a bully since the days when he hazed the rookies in the early 90s so hard that they ended up hating him (e.g. Frank Thomas). His players are obviously scared to say anything against him while they are on the team, but the truth comes out afterwards. Just in the last month alone, there have been three examples:1) Orlando Cabrera's well-documented feud with Ozzie.
2) Nick Swisher's feud with Ozzie after he was traded.
3) And just in yesterday...Javier Vazquez seems to think the atmosphere in the clubhouse was not great:
“The negativity is never good," Vazquez said at his news conference in Atlanta. "I’ve always been a big believer in being positive, especially in professional leagues. You’ve got a lot of negative things going on, so you always try to be positive."Those are just in the last month! That doesn't include Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, and others in past years.
And before you Sox fans run your mouths about how those guys all suck, think about how that plays into my argument exactly. You are all being blind and deaf. I am writing this because I want the Sox to do well, and Ozzie Guillen is tearing this team apart. Ship him out.
**Disclaimer: Since I am not a big Sox fan, I can't truly comprehend how much a WS ring can blind a fan, so I'm assuming you're all just so enamored with the 'ship that you can't see the truth that is right in front of you.
23 comments:
You cubs fans have so much sand in your vaginae.
Jealousy leads to sad and pathetic events, such as this post
When push comes to shove, sports is just entertainment and Ozzie is very entertaining. Also, winning a World Series ring can earn you good opinions for a very long time.
And about you saying Ozzie doesn't deserve any credit for the streak of good pitching in 2005, I'll buy that when you link me to the article of Don Cooper talking shit about Ozzie.
Sounds like a Cubs fan is pissed that his hot-head verbally abusive manager isn't as good as our hot-head verbally abusive manager
I think it is more accurate to point out that Ozzie has bashed players that have left even before they bash him. Completely unprofessional and clearly this attitude has affected the players. He is a trashy coach of a trashy team with trashy fans.
Don't try and convince yourself that the Sox are anything to be liked. They are a piddling little team run by two sad little men and followed by fans such as my roommate who thinks Contreras was the best pitcher in baseball for a 4 year period (actual argument).
AGREED! SOX STINK!!!
As a Sox fan, I still believe that the team won in 2005 despite Ozzie. Without Don Cooper, that could never have happened. He is the most underappreciated person affiliated with the time. Also, K Dubs is a very solid GM. Blame Ozzie and his incestuous tendencies (the pictures don't lie)
Cubs fans are delusional idiots who take out their frustration on the Sox, go cry somewhere else Cubs fans. BTW, where's Steve Bartman these days? Way to always be rational U cubs loving douche bags?
I'm not sure anyone knows how to answer your last question.
Great post Stormin'. Ozzie's fear tactics will never lead them to another World Series. I could not disagree more with the commenter that says Kenny Williams is a good GM. They didn't have 1 player hit over .300 on their team this year, and if it wasn't for Carlos Quentin coming out of no where there is no chance the Sox make the playoffs, even in that division. I don't know what the Cubs have to do with this either.
I suggest you save this post for the fall when the Sox fans are calling for Ozzie's and Kenny's head.
As a Sox fan I must completely agree with the Cubs fans posts on this board. I can't believe i was blind for so long. Ozzie gets pissed and pressures players to win and if they aren't committed to winning then he bashes them. What the fuck is his problem!!! Baseball is not about winning...its about watching overpaid players underachieve, soccer moms and gays drinking beer in the sun, and the village people singing "take me out to the ballgame."
You make a number of good points but I must take issue with a few of them. First of all, one person doesn't make the total difference, even the manager (although need I remind you about Dusty Baker). It takes team members and the entire organization; from top to bottom. True in 2005, the Sox had a great power hitting team but they also had a number of different dimensions like grinder ball (or small ball). What this did was allow the Sox to win a lot of different ways. When the bats went silent, the runners and lack of errors came through. In fact the continual ability to make things happen lead to wins with or without the homers. When the bats were hot, more runs scored and when they weren't enough scored to win. Then the pitching was outstanding.
Most important though was the fact that that team won when they needed to -- down the stretch. They did whatever was needed to win when it counted most (unlike this year's Cubs). Now let's talk about managing for a minute. No doubt, Ozzie's style is a bit over the top but he has been able to get the most out of his players for awhile now. And he had the guts to make hard decisions like pulling players when they weren't performing. In 2005, Dusty Hermanson was tagged to be their closer at the beginning of the season but when he got injured and didn't perform, they turned to a little known kid (with a history of "head problems")named Bobby Jenks. And for a guy who bashes players, he really stuck with Damaso Marte through thick and thin.
Another note; the statistics you quote are a bit inaccurate. For the 3 year period of 2006, 2007, and 2008, the White Sox had a 251 and 236 record (51.5%) The Cubbies on the other hand had a 248 and 237record (51.1%). And if you add 2005, then the Sox had a 350 and 299 record (54%) and the Cubbies had a 327 and 320 record (50.5%). Note that I am giving you the .5% just to even it up a bit.
Finally, you are right that players who left have complained about Ozzie and maybe they had some justification but no one seems to leave the Cubs. They may not complain but they don't produce either (aka Mr. Soriano, Mr. Fukodome).
Also..the white sox payroll is significantly less than the other team in town and the number published to do not include the nearly $50 million the sox have had other teams pay over the years. For example, Javy Vasquez, Jose Contreras, and Jim Thome all had the bulk of their salaries paid by the teams they were traded from
I don't see where in the post the White Sox and Ozzie are compared to the Cubs. Seems to be happening a lot in the comments.
You don't have to be a Cubs fan to think that Ozzie is a self-important prick that is hurting his team.
When I posted this, I was pretty sure I was writing about Ozzie and the White Sox....Looking at the comments though, it appears Sox fans are illiterate as well, since they seem to think this was about the Cubs. Read the post again guys, it's not about Lou or Soriano or Bartman. The White Sox inferiority complex is so sad...
I half-expected a derisive gay comment somewhere in here, but picking on poor soccer moms too!?!?! Low blow man, low blow...
Let me say clearly that I am not an "anti-Cub" fan. In fact although I am a Sox fan, I can and want to enjoy their success if they have it. Had they gone to the WS this year, I would have been the first one cheering them on. This year was quite a bit better but the original post was read and clearly the real issues arise from depressed and unhappy Cub fans. Believe me, my heart goes out to all of the Cubs fans that have had their hearts broken yet again (myself included). If this blog wasn't about the Cubs, then any Chicago fan would be happy that, at least there was one winner in this city and look to the lessons of a winning team!!
Now, we need to go out and force the Cubs to continue to work on putting a winning product on the field. It is you Cub fans who continue to support the organization by filling the stands even when they have put an inferior product out there. Now let's keep the Cub organization on its toes and demand a winner. GO CUBS!!!
Seems like the Cubs fans wanna come out and blast Ozzie and then don't like when shit is talked about their team. Boo-Hoo. Pick another team to compare to the White Sox over the past 5 years, please. There is no doubt that Ozzie and the Sox stats will hold up.
This goes to one of the commenters: How the hell do you say that Kenny Williams is a bad GM, and then in the next breath say that the Sox wouldn't have made the playoffs if it weren't for Carlos Quentin? Who brought Carlos Quentin in for table scraps? Well wouldncha know, it was KENNY WILLIAMS!
On another interesting note, Ozzie is simply reiterating what Kenny Williams lets his players know when he signs them. http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/2008/12/dont-like-what.html
I'm surprised that Stormin Norman doesn't link to his muse more often.
Also Stormin Norman told me 6 years ago that the biggest mistake the Sox made was getting rid of Terry Bevington. Seriously, should you trust anything out of his mouth after that kernel of wisdom?
Stormin Norman is the biggest Cubs apologist of them all...you can even tell that he is a a cubs fan by the way he talks about the Bulls and Bears. He is tolerant of losing and incompetent moves by general managers.
I don't know whats a bigger joke, the Cubs playoff performances or the guy who wrote this article.
I don't see what's so wrong with the Sox, their trashiness, or Ozzie. I think he needs to be more harsh!
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