henry wiggins

Ozzie in sensitivity training classes -- oh my! Just picturing that amuses me greatly.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 01:11 PM) I'm sure glad we were "real men" and countered in the beanball war, unlike last week. Sure we have a pitcher and our manager suspended for a couple games, but at least we followed baseball code and have our pride. The psychology of the matter might actually be that. Neither of the suspensions will cripple the team's ability to perform, and might even energize the club. I'm just saying. So Ozzie is out for tonight's and tomorrow night's games, and back on Saturday? Cool-- I have tickets for Saturday, Ozzie should get a nice hand from the fans, which I will enjoy and join in.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 12:40 PM) You're a season ticket holder? Can we talk? Ah, loved for my White Sox tickets ... I totally understand! I had a really contentious relationship, at work, with this one attorney until I found out he is a 3rd-generation Sox fan and has PRIMO season seats, and he found out that I am a huge fan; suddenly we became quite cordial! Good Sox will improve any relationship.

A staff reporter interviewed Sean Tracey, following the great game he pitched in Charlotte Tuesday night, and asked him about the "incident" in Texas when Ozzie had a meltdown in the dugout and Tracey didn't hit Blalock. Tracey said: "I let my teammates down and I obviously messed up and it'll never happen again." Later in the interview, asked about possibly returning to the Sox and told that Ozzie said he will be called back up at some point, Tracey said, "Of course it makes me feel good, but I let my teammates down up there and it's never going to happen again. That's the bottom line. I flat out made a mistake and it will never happen again." Asked if he might prefer to play for another team, the kid said, "Absolutely not. I wasn't mad because I knew I didn't get my job done. You have to confront adversity. You can't run away from it." Wow, I'm impressed! It sounds like Sean Tracey gets it, and I bet that he will be back with the Sox at some point, even this season. Well done, Tracey! The article is here: http://tinyurl.com/kx7j3

QUOTE(Contreras @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 12:29 PM) I don't imagine that there'd be any kind of player walkout, but I'd certainly not spend a single dollar on the Sox if Guillen were fired for something as minor as this. Same here. I've had periods where I didn't buy tickets or Sox stuff because I had big out-trades with the management. I was turned off, as a lot of people were, by the strike in 1994; and I disagreed with other things that Reinsdorf has done. As a fan, I go back to the Alleyn days. Right now I'm a season-ticket holder and I spend money freely at games, on concessions and Sox merchandise. I would stop all that if the club fired Ozzie over this. IMO any firing talk is WAY premature, though; they're more likely, if they do anything (and they've said they won't), to order sensitivity training and announce that he has to watch his mouth. It would be economic suicide to fire this manager at this point in this season, and anybody who's watched Reinsdorf for more than a few months knows that the man is not about economic suicide moves. Besides, Reinsdorf loathes Mariotti as much as Ozzie does and maybe more. :finger

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 08:12 AM) Fairyotti's official response. http://www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti/cst-spt-jay22.html Basically a column-long whine fest about how Ozzie is insensitive and contains his call for for Oz to be suspended for 2 weeks. f*** YOU FAIRYOTTI!!!!! I couldn't make it past the first sentence: "Try as I do, it's hard to view sports as some sort of guiding light for humankind." Huh? WTF? Does ANYONE view sports -- especially pro sports -- as "some sort of guiding light for humankind"?!?!?! Nothing written from that stupid an opening sentence can possibly be anything but drivel. I'll pass. I'm off to jury duty now, where I doubt that I will find anyone more ignorant than Jay Mariotti -- and anyone who's seen juror pools knows that's a low, low bar.

QUOTE(wallyburger @ Jun 22, 2006 -> 07:49 AM) Have you considered the real problem with this issue/event? It is not that Ozzie hates Jay. It is that his hate for Jay is displayed by a homosexual reference. It would seem that Ozzie has such a low opinion/hatred of "gays and ***s", that when lashing back at Jay, he equates him to be a " ***". That would seem to be the real problem. Ozzie can think whatever he wants and exercise free speech, but it comes with repercussions. Homophobia is brutal and intolerable to many. I see what you're saying, but I really don't buy that Ozzie hates homosexuals. I don't see Ozzie as a homophobe; I see him as a Latin male, and a jock. Both of those cultures are drenched in testosterone and neither makes any real place, openly at any rate, for anything but the heterosexual lifestyle. What Ozzie I believe MEANT to say was what he said yesterday, in his apology/clarification: "But I'm not going to back off of Jay. If he wants to know, he should be talking to me here, right now. If he were a man, obviously he'd be here right now." He's calling Mariotti "less than a man" by OZZIE'S definition of manhood. He used a word to do it that was not cool. But remove that word, and his sentiment stands. JMO.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 10:35 AM) I wanted to give props to both the Cards fans and fellow sox fans for being classy to each other. Even at the game last night there wasnt much ribbing going on. And on other boards it doesnt seem like any Sox fan is rubbing that victory in their faces. I have found their fans to be passionate and knowledgeable, and I wish them the best of luck after this series. The Cards are the team I would root for if Chicago didn't have the White Sox.

From the Sox website-- While Anderson wouldn't reveal his immediate whereabouts for Wednesday, he did rule out the pressbox, adding with a wry smile that he doesn't sit with "the enemy." I like the kid's style.

Fire him?! The Sox aren't even going to discipline him, and his players seem to be lined up *solidly* behind him -- surprise, huh? http://tinyurl.com/mcng8 Oh, and Ozzie and the organization both apologized, so the sports radio and ESPN geeks can STFU now... like they will.

The pitiful performance is because the players have lost respect for their manager. Fire Ozzie now! Damn, I love this team.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 06:30 PM) Abattacola is arguing whether or not Guillen's apology was actually an apology. Guillen regretted his remarks, and is willing to apologize to anyone offended -- yet somehow this isn't an apology? Now I'm getting to the point where I hope he says nothing and further enrages Matt. It reminds me of George Costanza in Seinfield not satisfied because technically what the man apologized for wasn't the correct one. Too bad. Should be satisfied with any sign of remorse. It doesn't take much to enrage the little abattacola. As long as the 'off' switch on my radio works, I am able to laugh at him. Last Saturday he was blustering on and on about the "morality" of hitting batters. Mind you, it wasn't Padilla's morality that concerned him -- it was Ozzie's. Is little matt related to little jay?? How funny would that be.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 06:10 PM) He just dropped his appeal. Well, I'm bummed -- I am going to the game on Saturday and was looking forward to seeing him; I was sure he'd still have his hitting streak going. I'm serious, damnit!

Well, I didn't think that Matt Abattacola could get any more stupid, but this incident has proved me wrong. I turned on the radio and WOW, that boy is in a personal fast market! Sanctimonious little wuss.

The Score says that Brian Anderson's 5-game suspension starts tonight. That means his appeal was denied? I don't see anything on the Sox or MLB sites about it. ???

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 04:40 PM) Everybody knows that this is the best thing to ever happen to Marriotti right? He's getting more attention than ever, will get more readers than ever, and is making Ozzie look bad in the minds of all non-Sox fans. In terms of this little feud, Marriotti wins big time in this exchange, despite how much we all hate him, he outsmarted Ozzie on this one. I'm not so sure I agree ... Oh definitely that Moronotti is having a field day with this, and I fully expect him to write a column about how the Sox need to fire Ozzie and how he's just a liability to the club -- but what I also think is that Ozzie wanted this, Ozzie KNEW this would send the flames sky-high and he played this. I really believe that; I think Ozzie Guillen is a very canny man. He is using this, IMO, to energize his club and unify them behind him. And I further bet that it will work. JMHO.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 04:12 PM) holly wiggins, it is. done. Thank you very much! Appreciate it!

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 03:53 PM) wow. your version of the White Sox front office would look something like this... Jerry: "What's the deal with Ozzie? He's got us in first place, but he's got a potty mouth." Kenny: "Gee, Mr. Reinsdorf, let's check ESPN to see what the fans all over the country, especially on the East Coast, think." Jerry: "Great idea! To the information super-highway!" JR and KW skip over to Jerry's desk. They open ESPN.com's SportsNation poll to see what the fans really think of Ozzie. Jerry: "My goodness, this isn't very good." Kenny: "Shucks, what should we do?" Jerry: "Isn't it obvious? We have to fire him. ESPN never had a poll about Jerry Manuel or Terry Bevington, so see if they are available. Also, see what Cito's up to while you're at it. Kenny: "Uh oh, look at that link." KW points to a link entitled, "Chisox' Pierzynski voted most hated player." Jerry: "Good call, trade him for a bag of potatoes while you're at it... oh and ESPN thought Don Cooper should be in New York, so can him as well and get Cashman on the phone to see if he can help them out." Beautiful. Exactly what I thought when I read it -- WTF will an ESPN poll have to do with Ozzie's contract with the Sox? This is just the media morons trying to stir the pot. It's not like any of those jokers are real reporters, after all -- if they were, the steroid story would have been broken 10 years earlier.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 04:01 PM) Awww, thanks!

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 04:04 PM) Change it to Hangar Wiggins, heh heh! Oh lordy -- I've seen the flak you draw, and you're right up there with Ozzie! I might prefer something less contentious. No offense!

QUOTE(Steff @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 03:50 PM) I thought you were a man, baby. Nope, girl, south sider (Beverly), work at the Merc, Sox fan since very young, adore Ozzie and go to games to ogle Brian Anderson and Joe Crede. I'll change my posting name, thanks for the tip.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 03:26 PM) I had no idea.. sorry. Yea. One of the admins can change it. Sorry? I don't think you need to apologize to me for anything ... ???

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 03:17 PM) The difference is Ozzie did this specifically into a microphone. You're right, you will hear a lot worse than what Ozzie said in a clubhouse or during the course of a game, or if you hear an argument with an umpire. I was sitting in the first row of the upper deck back in the mid 80s when Roger Clemens was pitching against the White Sox. Someone hit a slow roller to first and Clemens ran over to cover the bag, the guy was clearly out but the umpire called him safe. Clemens lost his mind. From the first row of the upper deck I clearly could hear him tell the umpire that his mother was a whore, with a few f-bombs added in. Don Baylor and Jim Rice both huge guys grabbed him and carried him off the field. I take your point about the microphone. The Clemens thing is hilarious. Last week during the Texas game when Padilla hit AJ twice, the Sox dugout was on Padilla so loudly that Farmer's crowd mike was picking it up, and Farmer had to apologize for all the F-bombs. I laffed and laffed.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jun 21, 2006 -> 03:14 PM) .... you're a gal...? Yeah. I should have made my posting name "Holly Wiggins" but I didn't think of it. Can I change it, do you know?

I would bet that sports writers, in the course of their daily job, hear a LOT of things from players, coaches and managers that are kind of ... icky. Epithets, names called. Not so much in hate, as in the jock-speak of the locker room, where crudity is the standard order. Worse than the trading floors where I work, even. So, why aren't sports writers telling us EVERY SINGLE TIME a player, coach or manager uses a vulgar or derogatory term? I want to know! I want only Eagle Scouts to play pro sports, and I want EVERYONE who isn't clean in thought, word and deed OUT OF THE GAME! Oh, and in the Series last year, the Astros manager called Joe Crede a 5-letter word that is a slang term for female genitalia -- this after Crede barked at a pitcher who hit him. Garner was impugning Crede's masculinity. Well, as a woman, I am hugely offended by that and I want Garner and the Astros to apologize to me and to all women! (Do I have to green this post?)