What I do miss about the last three years of the Ozzie era…

[Greg Hibbard]

Even in those bad years, those teams always put it all together for like 20-30 games to become the hottest team in baseball for a couple or three or four weeks. They had that fire for about that long in every season.

I always knew it probably wouldn’t last, but man…it felt good while it was going on, and because Ozzie had won, I always thought “well, it might happen again”. And they were always almost karmically unbeatable for that stretch. It was something about Ozzie, and whatever atmosphere he had.

There was like a 14-4 stretch in June of ‘09, that ridiculous 26-5 from June to July in 2010 and even in August of ‘11 they put together something like a 15-7 stretch to make a final push before petering out. 

[ron883]

They made a big mistake signing Pedro Grifail instead of Ozzie. We're going to learn that as the season progresses. 

[greg775]

Ozzie's ship has sailed for reasons we've all written a million times before.

I just wish all Soxtalkers would admit my assertion about Ozzie: He is passionate about winning (only exception the Sunday lineup thing) and he truly truly loved every minute playing for the White Sox and loves the White Sox.

[caulfield12]

3 hours ago, greg775 said:

Ozzie's ship has sailed for reasons we've all written a million times before.

I just wish all Soxtalkers would admit my assertion about Ozzie: He is passionate about winning (only exception the Sunday lineup thing) and he truly truly loved every minute playing for the White Sox and loves the White Sox.

Not falling apart the second half and having your bench fully prepared to step in was the main reason for that strategy...

[Dick Allen]

4 hours ago, ron883 said:

They made a big mistake signing Pedro Grifail instead of Ozzie. We're going to learn that as the season progresses. 

Jeffrey Loria of all owners,  paid Ozzie for 3 seasons not to manage. Pretty much all you need to know.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Dick Allen

[soxfan49]

6 hours ago, greg775 said:

Ozzie's ship has sailed for reasons we've all written a million times before.

I just wish all Soxtalkers would admit my assertion about Ozzie: He is passionate about winning (only exception the Sunday lineup thing) and he truly truly loved every minute playing for the White Sox and loves the White Sox.

Then why did he quit to manage the Marlins?

[caulfield12]

11 minutes ago, soxfan49 said:

Then why did he quit to manage the Marlins?

Fidel Castro wiped out both Ozzie and Bernie Sanders...by doing precisely nothing but enjoying his golden years in office.

[The Kids Can Play]

8 hours ago, ron883 said:

They made a big mistake signing Pedro Grifail instead of Ozzie. We're going to learn that as the season progresses. 

You're damn right they made a mistake and we will see as time goes on. However it's only because the POS owner makes irrational decisions due to his emotions and not his intelligence, which at this point in time I doubt he has any cognitive skills remaining. We can thank our POS loser owner for hiring a drunk aging manager for two years...but then he passes on Ozzie because he was mad at him for personal reasons. 

[Texsox]

Ozzie was a pioneer ahead of his time. He quietly quit decades before it was a thing. He screwed over the team when he got a better offer. 

There is a reason no one has even sniffed at bringing him back. 

[Lip Man 1]

September 26, 2011 – He was considered the face of the franchise for eight seasons but on this night after a 4-3 win over Toronto, manager Ozzie Guillen announced he was leaving after owner Jerry Reinsdorf agreed to let him out of the final year of his contract. 

Guillen, who was the 1985 A.L. Rookie of the Year with the White Sox, won the World Series in 2005 and also got the club into the playoffs in 2008. He had five winning seasons in the eight years as manager and was named Manager of the Year for his work in 2005. 

In that magical season of 2005, “Ozzie Ball” resulted in the Sox getting off to the best start in their history and with a perfect blend of pitching, speed, power and the ability to execute the fundamentals the Sox were in first place from wire to wire. Then they blitzed through the post season putting together an 11-1 record that was the third best post season record in baseball history. 

Guillen’s passion and enthusiasm for the franchise was unparalleled but at times he was his own worst enemy.  

Over his final years in Chicago, he became increasingly thin-skinned and defensive when criticism was directed his way and he lashed out at Sox fans on more than one occasion.

Among his famous rants against the fans were one where he said that they could ‘‘Turn off their TVs and stop watching the game if they don’t like the [bleep]ing lineup’’ and another in May 2011 where he claimed Sox fans would not remember him, “As soon as you leave the ballpark, they don’t care about you. They don’t. The monuments, the statues…they pee on them when they get drunk.” On the afternoon of the day he left the team Guillen told reporters that he would not want to return to fulfill his 2012 contract unless he got an extension and more money.

Ozzie’s relationship with G.M. Kenny Williams also deteriorated over the final few years because the two men appeared to have different viewpoints over how the roster should be constructed and the style to which the Sox should play. The Jim Thome/DH controversy was an example of the different ideas.  Guillen’s family didn’t help the situation with social media comments derogatory to Williams. 

Many felt when Ozzie was hired in November 2003 that he was the right man for the right team at the right time and for a few years he was. Unfortunately, the manager with the longest tenure since Al Lopez let some personal foibles override a good situation and it was best for all that a parting of the ways took place.

[Greg Hibbard]

Btw guys, to be clear I don’t want Guillen back. I was just reminiscing on those hot stretches where the team seemed like magic even in the bad years. 

[pcq]

We cannot be sure who is minding the store at this point. 😒 

[Donny Lucy's Avocado Farm]

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

September 26, 2011 – He was considered the face of the franchise for eight seasons but on this night after a 4-3 win over Toronto, manager Ozzie Guillen announced he was leaving after owner Jerry Reinsdorf agreed to let him out of the final year of his contract. 

Guillen, who was the 1985 A.L. Rookie of the Year with the White Sox, won the World Series in 2005 and also got the club into the playoffs in 2008. He had five winning seasons in the eight years as manager and was named Manager of the Year for his work in 2005. 

In that magical season of 2005, “Ozzie Ball” resulted in the Sox getting off to the best start in their history and with a perfect blend of pitching, speed, power and the ability to execute the fundamentals the Sox were in first place from wire to wire. Then they blitzed through the post season putting together an 11-1 record that was the third best post season record in baseball history. 

Guillen’s passion and enthusiasm for the franchise was unparalleled but at times he was his own worst enemy.  

Over his final years in Chicago, he became increasingly thin-skinned and defensive when criticism was directed his way and he lashed out at Sox fans on more than one occasion.

Among his famous rants against the fans were one where he said that they could ‘‘Turn off their TVs and stop watching the game if they don’t like the [bleep]ing lineup’’ and another in May 2011 where he claimed Sox fans would not remember him, “As soon as you leave the ballpark, they don’t care about you. They don’t. The monuments, the statues…they pee on them when they get drunk.” On the afternoon of the day he left the team Guillen told reporters that he would not want to return to fulfill his 2012 contract unless he got an extension and more money.

Ozzie’s relationship with G.M. Kenny Williams also deteriorated over the final few years because the two men appeared to have different viewpoints over how the roster should be constructed and the style to which the Sox should play. The Jim Thome/DH controversy was an example of the different ideas.  Guillen’s family didn’t help the situation with social media comments derogatory to Williams. 

Many felt when Ozzie was hired in November 2003 that he was the right man for the right team at the right time and for a few years he was. Unfortunately, the manager with the longest tenure since Al Lopez let some personal foibles override a good situation and it was best for all that a parting of the ways took place.

Sometimes we fans need a reminder of how toxic Ozzie was towards the end, especially his kids on twitter. 

[greg775]

8 hours ago, soxfan49 said:

Then why did he quit to manage the Marlins?

You'd have to check the archives to read my take on that. I've grown smarter thru the years to know what topics to not re-live and opinionate on here.

[greg775]

5 hours ago, Texsox said:

There is a reason no one has even sniffed at bringing him back. 

No one in power u mean. This fan has always wanted him back although I do enjoy him in his current role. He's still around giving his opinions.

[Texsox]

20 minutes ago, greg775 said:

No one in power u mean. This fan has always wanted him back although I do enjoy him in his current role. He's still around giving his opinions.

I'm certain there are many writers and talk show hosts who share your opinion. There would an endless source of quotes. 

[Ozzie’s Cuban Cigar]

7 hours ago, Texsox said:

Ozzie was a pioneer ahead of his time. He quietly quit decades before it was a thing. He screwed over the team when he got a better offer. 

There is a reason no one has even sniffed at bringing him back. 

U r wrong. The Padres talked to him at least 

[Green Line]

17 hours ago, ron883 said:

They made a big mistake signing Pedro Grifail instead of Ozzie. We're going to learn that as the season progresses. 

I said they should hire Ron Washington, but nobody listened.  Nobody knows fundamentals better than Ron Washington.

[lostfan]

Ozzie's teams were fun to watch but yeah the ship sailed, and Ozzie did it to himself. I do kinda wonder sometimes how he'd approach the modern numbers-driven approach to managing now, he was more of a "feel" guy back then.

[Texsox]

2 hours ago, Ozzie’s Cuban Cigar said:

U r wrong. The Padres talked to him at least 

I stand corrected. One team in ten years interviewed a guy with a damn good winning record and a WS title. 

 

[Texsox]

2 hours ago, Green Line said:

I said they should hire Ron Washington, but nobody listened.  Nobody knows fundamentals better than Ron Washington.

I would have liked a Ron Washington hire. 

[soxrwhite]

Ozzie is too weak to control his mouth. His baggage is too heavy for any MLB club.

[T R U]

I want to know why Espada isn’t getting a job. 

[Ozzie’s Cuban Cigar]

12 hours ago, soxrwhite said:

Ozzie is too weak to control his mouth. His baggage is too heavy for any MLB club.

Your choice of terms I do NOT agree with. Ozzie isnt “weak”.  “Indiscriminate “ maybe but NOT weak.  Sox could use someone to put a fire under them they haven’t had since he was here.  

[soxrwhite]

8 hours ago, Ozzie’s Cuban Cigar said:

Your choice of terms I do NOT agree with. Ozzie isnt “weak”.  “Indiscriminate “ maybe but NOT weak.  Sox could use someone to put a fire under them they haven’t had since he was here.  

No self control = Weak