Ozzie Is Ready To Be Fired

As I said in the Morning Wood today, I'm not exactly very thrilled with the way the White Sox have played lately. At the same time, I realize it's just an emotional reaction. Every team is going to have a four-game span in which they play like shit during a 162-game schedule.

So no, I'm not going to sit here and call for drastic changes to be made with the White Sox. I don't want Ozzie Guillen to lose his job or anything.

Ozzie on the other hand...

''I've tried different ways,'' Guillen said of his ever-changing lineup. ''If you look at the lineup and you no see yourself in the lineup, you don't have a day off. That's going to be my point. My job is to make the lineup. I'm not making the right lineup so far.

''And as long as this continues, besides blaming the players, you have to blame me. [Hitting coach] Greg Walker is working every day. [Pitching coach] Don Cooper, the same way. My job is to put the people in the best situation to have success.

''Because if I'm going to fail, I'm going to fail the right way. I'm going to lose my job pushing the right buttons. I'm going to leave here and say, 'You know what? I did everything in my power, in my situation, to win.' I'm going to put people there to perform for my team. They can take it either way. They can get mad if they're not in the lineup. Meanwhile, it's my job to win with the best players, not with my best friends.''

Oh no, he's not finished quite yet.

''I don't blame the fans for being mad,'' Guillen said. ''I don't blame Kenny Williams for being a little upset. It seems like we go through the motions.

''If they're thinking about free agency here, if you continue to have the year you're having, good luck in the market. That's the way it is. You have a contract, and just because you have a contract, it doesn't mean you're going to be with the White Sox.''

"One thing I tell people, when I leave here, I'm going to leave with my head up,'' he said. ''I have two missions: call [clubhouse manager Vinnie Fresso] and wait for somebody on the street. Those are my missions when I leave the game. You can count on that. You can write it down.

''I'm not going to sit here and say, 'I won this thing two years ago, we had a good year last year, I have a good [winning] percentage.' If Jerry thinks I'm not doing my job or this team would play better without me, I'll move on because the only thing I want for the White Sox fans and the owner for this ballclub is to have success.''

This isn't even the first time Ozzie has said he should be fired this season, so I take this with a grain of salt. The White Sox aren't going to fire Ozzie. Not now anyway.

If this team continues to suck ass the way they have lately for the rest of the season, then maybe. Even if that happens I think it's more likely Ozzie would stay and Kenny Williams would just overhaul the roster.

When it comes down to it, managers really aren't that big of a factor in the American League. Their biggest job is putting in a lineup, and handling the bullpen. Ozzie has proven to be pretty effective with a bullpen, and a lineup. It's just that his bullpen sucks right now, and the lineup wasn't getting the job done for the first six weeks of the season.

It's the player's fault that this team is playing so terribly right now. All Ozzie is doing with these statements is trying to deflect some of the blame. Think about it? When was the last time you saw a column by Jay Mariotti, or anybody else in the Chicago media, talking about how bad any of the players sucked?

You haven't.

There are no "Mike MacDougal Has Lost His Damn Mind" columns. You won't see anything of that nature when it comes to actual White Sox players.

It's exactly what Ozzie wants, and it's what he's doing. In that respect, he's doing his job perfectly.