BishopMVP
08-23-2006, 08:43 AM
MINNEAPOLIS -- It wasn't quite one of those ''Animal House,'' ''Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?'' moments, but it was close.
The fact remained that Ozzie Guillen was ''rolling.''
Before the game Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, and more than six weeks removed from sensitivity training, the White Sox manager obviously had some things to get off his chest -- starting with another organization questioning whether the Sox were cheating. Going back to last year, both the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers measured the pitching mound at U.S. Cellular Field. This season, the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers suspected that Sox hitters knew which pitches were coming. Then, in an Aug. 10 article in the Boston Globe, Red Sox owner John Henry said he wondered if the Sox were stealing signs against the New York Yankees in their series two weeks ago.
''[Henry] made some comment about us cheating?'' Guillen said. ''He doesn't even know what a field looks like.'' The can was then open, as Guillen ripped Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan for his accusations, then ripped the entire National League Central.
''[Cardinals starter Mark] Mulder wouldn't even make my team,'' Guillen said. ''He couldn't start for us, and he's not better than [Neal] Cotts or [Matt] Thornton in our bullpen.
''When you play [expletive] [Johan] Santana, Radke, [Francisco] Liriano, the guy from Cleveland ... [C.C.] Sabathia, all the other guys ... ah, [expletive]. If we played National League teams, the Central Division, we might win 150 games in that [expletive] league.
''They think I cheat? We faced two [expletive] good pitchers in the National League Central. Our division, they have to face [the Tigers' starting staff], then you go to the White Sox and face all our guys? When you're going to go to another team, you're going to go, 'Whew, where is Randy Johnson?' The American League Central? That's baseball right here. Go hard one after another.''
It was the cheating issue that really infuriated Guillen, however. ''Good, I hope [they keep accusing us],'' Guillen said. ''What happened in the playoffs and World Series? We won 1-0, 2-1. We won so many one-run games, more than anyone in baseball last year. You look at our No. 3, 4 and 5 [hitters], they are the best in baseball. If we're cheating, how come we [don't] help Brian Anderson or [Juan] Uribe? We're cheating on the mound? Our pitching staff gets beat up once in awhile. They're mad. They can't admit that a Latino kicked their ass.''
That's not the first time Guillen has made this assertion. He also said earlier in the year that some managers resented him because, ''Wow, look at this crazy Venezuelan man going to the World Series.''
''That's why I love the guy next door,'' Guillen continued Saturday, pointing to the Twins' dugout and manager Ron Gardenhire. ''He doesn't give a [expletive]. He doesn't worry about this and that. You win, you kicked our butt. When they clinched in 2004, I was the first one to go over there and congratulate them because they beat us.
'''Oh, no, I don't like you because you kicked my ass?' Please. That's competition.''
Guillen said he never would accuse another team of cheating because ''it will come back to bite you in the ass.'' He added that the commissioner's office would come down on him because ''I can't get away with anything like that.''
Guillen said he didn't expect the accusations from other clubs to cease anytime soon. ''That's why I don't get along with too many managers,'' Guillen said. ''Because they hate my [expletive] ass, because I don't kiss their ass, and I didn't kiss anyone's ass to get this job.
[B]''Then they have a Mexican win the World Series in two years. And they're saying he doesn't have experience, he never managed in baseball before. Well, too [expletive] bad.''
When reminded that he is Venezuelan and not Mexican, Guillen paused.
''What's the difference?'' he said, laughing. ''No one knows the difference anyway.'' ''Bluto'' would have been proud.For the record, I agree about the sign-stealing and weak NL. And I love how he throws Brian Anderson and Juan Uribe under the bus.
The fact remained that Ozzie Guillen was ''rolling.''
Before the game Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, and more than six weeks removed from sensitivity training, the White Sox manager obviously had some things to get off his chest -- starting with another organization questioning whether the Sox were cheating. Going back to last year, both the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers measured the pitching mound at U.S. Cellular Field. This season, the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers suspected that Sox hitters knew which pitches were coming. Then, in an Aug. 10 article in the Boston Globe, Red Sox owner John Henry said he wondered if the Sox were stealing signs against the New York Yankees in their series two weeks ago.
''[Henry] made some comment about us cheating?'' Guillen said. ''He doesn't even know what a field looks like.'' The can was then open, as Guillen ripped Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan for his accusations, then ripped the entire National League Central.
''[Cardinals starter Mark] Mulder wouldn't even make my team,'' Guillen said. ''He couldn't start for us, and he's not better than [Neal] Cotts or [Matt] Thornton in our bullpen.
''When you play [expletive] [Johan] Santana, Radke, [Francisco] Liriano, the guy from Cleveland ... [C.C.] Sabathia, all the other guys ... ah, [expletive]. If we played National League teams, the Central Division, we might win 150 games in that [expletive] league.
''They think I cheat? We faced two [expletive] good pitchers in the National League Central. Our division, they have to face [the Tigers' starting staff], then you go to the White Sox and face all our guys? When you're going to go to another team, you're going to go, 'Whew, where is Randy Johnson?' The American League Central? That's baseball right here. Go hard one after another.''
It was the cheating issue that really infuriated Guillen, however. ''Good, I hope [they keep accusing us],'' Guillen said. ''What happened in the playoffs and World Series? We won 1-0, 2-1. We won so many one-run games, more than anyone in baseball last year. You look at our No. 3, 4 and 5 [hitters], they are the best in baseball. If we're cheating, how come we [don't] help Brian Anderson or [Juan] Uribe? We're cheating on the mound? Our pitching staff gets beat up once in awhile. They're mad. They can't admit that a Latino kicked their ass.''
That's not the first time Guillen has made this assertion. He also said earlier in the year that some managers resented him because, ''Wow, look at this crazy Venezuelan man going to the World Series.''
''That's why I love the guy next door,'' Guillen continued Saturday, pointing to the Twins' dugout and manager Ron Gardenhire. ''He doesn't give a [expletive]. He doesn't worry about this and that. You win, you kicked our butt. When they clinched in 2004, I was the first one to go over there and congratulate them because they beat us.
'''Oh, no, I don't like you because you kicked my ass?' Please. That's competition.''
Guillen said he never would accuse another team of cheating because ''it will come back to bite you in the ass.'' He added that the commissioner's office would come down on him because ''I can't get away with anything like that.''
Guillen said he didn't expect the accusations from other clubs to cease anytime soon. ''That's why I don't get along with too many managers,'' Guillen said. ''Because they hate my [expletive] ass, because I don't kiss their ass, and I didn't kiss anyone's ass to get this job.
[B]''Then they have a Mexican win the World Series in two years. And they're saying he doesn't have experience, he never managed in baseball before. Well, too [expletive] bad.''
When reminded that he is Venezuelan and not Mexican, Guillen paused.
''What's the difference?'' he said, laughing. ''No one knows the difference anyway.'' ''Bluto'' would have been proud.For the record, I agree about the sign-stealing and weak NL. And I love how he throws Brian Anderson and Juan Uribe under the bus.