Normally, I enjoy a good Ozzie Guillen tirade. But the latest rant left me shaking my head in dismay.
Before Sunday's loss in Toronto, Guillen lit into the Chicago fans and media.
"Right now, everyone in Chicago is making lineups, 'Call up this guy, call up that guy,'" Ozzie said. "If we had 50 people allowed on the roster, we could do that. That's what ticks me off about Chicago fans and Chicago media - they forget pretty quick. A couple days ago, we were the (bleeping) best (bleep) in town, now we're (bleep)."
The above quotation doesn't bother me in the least. Guillen is right: The fans and the media don't know (bleep) about filling out a lineup card. Most of the suggestions I've read on the Web and heard on the radio are asinine by any standard.
However, Ozzie took it a little too far when he started talking about the Bozo Circus on the other side of town.
"We won it a couple years ago, and we're horse(bleep)," Guillen said. "The Cubs haven't won in 120 years, and they're the (bleep)ing best. (Bleep) it, we're good. (Bleep) everybody. We're horse(bleep), and we're going to be horse(bleep) the rest of our lives, no matter how many World Series we win. We are the (bleep) of Chicago. We're the Chicago (bleep). We have the worst owner - the guy's got seven (bleep)ing rings, and he's the (bleep)ing horse(bleep) owner."
Now, Ozzie played shortstop for the White Sox for 13 years. He's in his fifth year as Sox manager. He knows better than to step into this pile of, well, horse(bleep).
Ozzie knows how the media and fans operate in Chicago. The Chicago media are all giddy about the Cubs' halfway decent start. The media are all holding hands, rooting for the story and singing "Go Cubs Go" in the press box and all that. Whatever. That's the way it has been for years.
In addition, Ozzie knows Sox fans have a low tolerance for bad baseball. The club is on a five-game losing streak entering Monday's action. The Sox are coming off a 90-loss season in 2007. The 2005 World Series will always be a cherished memory, but for many fans, that might as well have been 30 years ago. The quality of play over the last year and half is enough to make you sick.
People got sick of the losing last year. They aren't happy with the latest horse(bleep) losing streak. Ozzie needs to ignore the fans and media and get the 2008 White Sox back on track. If the Sox start winning again, everything will be fine.
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