Ozzie Guillen (not a smart man)

[buzzsaw]

Ozzie Guillen on Thursday was fined an undisclosed amount of money and ordered to undergo sensitivity training for his use of a derogatory term aimed at Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti.

"On Tuesday night, Ozzie Guillen used language that is offensive and completely unacceptable," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "Baseball is a social institution with responsibility to set appropriate tone and example. Conduct or language that reflects otherwise will not be tolerated. The use of slurs embarrasses the individual, the club and the game."

Guillen went into a profanity-laced tirade against Mariotti before Tuesday night's game against St. Louis and called him a number of names, including a derogatory term that is often used to describe someone's sexual orientation.

Time for an Intervention

Ozzie Guillen's homosexual slur is less shocking than it is the continuation of a trend that has been gathering momentum and it's time for the White Sox to put an end to it, writes Mark Kreidler.

For Kreidler's column, click here.

Before Wednesday night's game, Guillen acknowledged that his use of the word might have offended some.

"I shouldn't have mentioned the name that was mentioned, but I'm not going to back off of Jay," Guillen said, using another profanity to describe Mariotti, a contributor on ESPN's "Around The Horn."

"The word I used, I should have used something different. A lot of people's feelings were hurt and I didn't mean it that way."

Guillen said he had spoken to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf about the incident.

"Jay, I think I made this guy a lot of money and he's famous. If not for Ozzie Guillen, no one would have heard of him," Guillen said. "If I hurt anybody with what I called him, I apologize."

Angry with a recent column by Mariotti critical of Guillen's handling of recently demoted relief pitcher Sean Tracey and upset with Mariotti over past columns, Guillen said to reporters when referring to Mariotti before Tuesday's game, "What a piece of [expletive] he is, [expletive] fag."

Mariotti, commenting on "Around The Horn" on Wednesday, believes a suspension is in order for Guillen.

When reached before Wednesday night's St. Louis-Chicago game, Mariotti said that the story is the gay groups who have been insulted, and not him.

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But Mariotti added that he is not meeting Guillen or going to the White Sox clubhouse because he has been the subject of physical threats while there over the past few years and the White Sox have refused to do anything about it.

"I'm taking a stand," Mariotti said. "I've received physical threats through the years and the White Sox have done nothing to address it.

"I've said, 'If you guys are not going to do anything about this, I'm going to stop coming in there.' "

In a phone interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday night, Mariotti said his Thursday column will call for Guillen to be suspended.

"I'm a big guy. I have to accept the criticism," Mariotti said in a phone interview Wednesday night. "I'm appalled that he can use these ugly slurs and think it's an acceptable form of retaliation in American life. It's not."

Scott Reifert, the Chicago White Sox vice president of communications, said he was aware of one incident in 1997 of a shouting match between Mariotti and Tony Phillips, then a White Sox player. He said team officials and officials from the newspaper had lunch in the 90s to discuss Mariotti's complaints.

Since then, he said, the team has written letters to Mariotti and the newspaper offering to have a meeting and have offered to close the clubhouse for Mariotti to meet with the players, but the White Sox have not received any responses.

Reifert said the team had had good relationships with reporters and columnists and the team "stands on its reputation" for being open and accessible to reporters.

Columnist Greg Couch of the Sun-Times wrote a column Wednesday in response, calling for commissioner Bud Selig to suspend Guillen for his use of a "hurtful homophobic" term.

Before writing the column, Couch asked Guillen for an explanation. Guillen defended his use of the term "fag" by saying this about homosexuals and the use of the word in question: "I don't have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country.''

Guillen said that in his native Venezuela, that word is not a reference to a person's sexuality, but to his courage. He said he was saying that Mariotti is "not man enough to meet me and talk about [things before writing].''

Guillen also told Couch that he has gay friends, attends WNBA games, went to a Madonna concert and plans to go to the Gay Games in Chicago.

"I called that of this man [Mariotti],'' he told Couch. "I'm not trying to hurt anybody [else]."

Reifert offered to apologize on behalf of the organization when approached by Couch.

"To anybody who was insulted or hurt by that comment ... as an organization, we'll certainly apologize," Reifert told Couch.

[Spinner1]

Ozzie will inflict considerable pain on himself throughout his managing career. And he'll likely get by with it as long as he wins championships. His antics will suddenly become unacceptable if the Sox don't win anymore. And yes, you can write that down Windy.

Everyone remember Marge Schott? As a Reds fan, I had to endure 20+ years of her ignorant racist mouth.

[NAPAFISH]

I wonder if the Windbag will be attending these events with Ozzie.

In my country it means...........

Hello Ozzie?? Earth to Ozzie??

You are in OUR country.

Serve your suspension you pompous arrogant er nevermind

Somebody should start a poll

Who is more pompous or arrogant?

Hawk or Ozzie?????

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

OK

Here is my 2 cents on the Ozzie issue. Jay Mariotti has been quoted dozens of times saying that he dislikes Ozzie, Jerry Reinsdorf and the White Sox organization. He is without doubt anti-White Sox. He has to been one of the biggest pains in the arse the sports world has. I would guess he has never seen the inside of a locker room in any sport, either as a reporter or participant. As far as I am concerned, Ozzie has every right to blast Mariotti and I am sick and tired of the PC world that has surrounded everything that anybody says. Call him a f*g or call him a pus*y, I don't care. I say he is the biggest tool that I have ever met. AND YOU CAN PUT THAT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[CNY Tim]

I agree with you Windy, Mariotti is a tool... But you don't say what Ozzie said, geez man.. I love Ozzie as a manager that guy has fire, respect for the game, outspoken from the heart, plays to win.

[Spinner1]

He doesn't have to be 100% PC all of the time. Just needs to remember he represents MLB at all times. I hate the NBA because IMO opinion it is a band of out of control thugs that do and say whatever they please. I just don't want baseball to become that. They're in a big enough jam with the performance enhancement drugs.

[fishyguy]

Windy,

I don't know Mariotti and he may be a tool and a jacka$$ but then those are the names you call him. If he is anti-Sox, then call him out on it. Where Ozzie screwed up is calling him a name that offended people who aren't involved in the situation.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Fishy, CNY and Spinner,

All points well taken. I think that Ozzie is just tired of the PC world that we live in and he is "old school". He just said today that he doubted he would actually ever attend a sensitivity meeting and after the game he said if Selig wanted to kick him out of baseball then do it because he does not need the game. He seemed pretty serious. Sometimes a man has to be a man and draw the line in the sand and Ozzie seems to be doing this with Selig. I think if Selig pushes this matter that Ozzie could have a pretty good lawsuit. Fine him, suspend him but sensitivity classes...I don't think so. MAN LAW! Here's to one of the men of the square table (some of those commercials crack me up) Stay tuned. Windy

[Spinner1]

"but sensitivity classes...I don't think so. MAN LAW!"

Windy

You know exactly what that is about. Ozzie has been in trouble how many times this week? A message that he indeed answers to a higher power. (In this case Bud Selig)

I agree it's ridiculous. I don't think Ozzie can be cured in an afternoon. They should sell the DVD though. I hear Bobby Knight is teaching the course.

[floating minnow]

Windy,

Do you now consider Ozzie less of a man now that he has agreed to Seligs order?This does not have anything to do with being PC,it has to do with the many slurs that were common quite a few years back that are not acceptable today and people who use them are either ignorant or bigots or both.This man represents MLB and the World Champions and baseball cannot let this go by without some type of action.As one of writers in Chicago said, he has to let his brain catch up before he starts running his mouth.

[buzzsaw]

He probably is a decent guy, but that doesn't excuse stupidity! Anybody who disagrees with that must be releated to him or have the same twisted mentality.

[Stizo]

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Anybody who disagrees with that must be releated to him or have the same twisted mentality.

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Whoa! Hold on there buckaroo!!! While Ozzie's choice of the word f-g to describe Marriotti was innapropriate, I'm sure it was meant to describe Marriotti's lack of stones and not his sexual preference. Jay Mariotti reminds me of the kid that we all knew as children who would always antagonize and start s--t and then, when enough was enough,would run crying and hide behind momma's skirt. Now he's a grown man and using his (I can say whatever I like about you and your team and you can't do anything about it) column to do the same thing. So Ozzie got fed up?? So What! So would I! So now, not only is Mariotti using his column in an attempt to crucify Ozzie for his poor choice of words but he's also suddenly become an PC advocate for the gay community? C'mon! Give me a break! If only Oz had more command of the language, he would've called Jay a coward or a yellow belly which would'nt have offended anyone but Jay Marriotti. Had he done so, Jay could have then demanded a face to face to defend his honor and manhood, LOL, Yeah Right!. I read Mariotti's column on Thursday in the Sun Times calling for Ozzies head and it reeked of overly obvious manipulative journalism. Call me a f-g will ya! Ha Ha, I'll show you how mighty the pen is. I'll have MLB, the whole gay community and the PC after you and WE WILL destroy you. How typical! Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said it right in Friday's Sun Times that while Ozzie was wrong for using the term f-g, he was right for calling Mariotti a piece of s--t. Said Sox owner Reinsdorf, "he is a piece of (Contact Us Please)". That's what I love about Chicago...we don't pull punches and...if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck...we call it a duck!

So Buzzsaw,

Quote:

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"Anybody who disagrees with that must be releated to him or have the same twisted mentality"

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OK, Maybe I'm just a little twisted but that's OK . I'm also not related to Ozzie in any way although it would be pretty cool if I was so I could cop a few free tickets to the next world series from him Question for you, You're not related to Jay Mariotti are you ?

Go Ozzie, Go Sox

Stizo

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Minnow,

I can guarantee you that Ozzie did not agree to the classes, it was Kenny Williams or Jerry Reinsdorf. And I wonder who the writer was you are refering to, possibly Jay "the Tool" Mariotti? Just axe-in! I get very tired of the PC world we are forced to live in, give me the old days...Boy the way Glen Miller played, Songs that made the hit parade...THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

Anywho, Sox win, keep winning, who cares about Ozzies classes. YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Stizo,

I'm with you my man, MAN LAW! I hope tons of Sox fans all cancel their subscriptions to the SUN TIMES and tell them why you are cancelling it, because of Jay "the Tool" Mariotti. Let's get it started. They are a second class paper anyway, nowhere near the circulation of the Tribune. This could put a hurtin on them and I hope it does. If you are a Sox fan, cancel your subscription and pass this along, tell all your friends and Stizo...YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[buzzsaw]

Quote:

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Question for you, You're not related to Jay Mariotti are you ?

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Thats a NO and nice attempt Stizo. Marriotti is a loud mouth ding bat himself, but this thread isn't about him. But if you like to defend Ozzie and his antics, it seems that you and the White Sox brass would disagree.

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This has not been a good week for Ozzie Guillen.

In the past three days, the White Sox manager has been fined, suspended and, most recently, made headlines for his apparent refusal to attend sensitivity training, as ordered to by commissioner Bud Selig for his use of a derogatory term aimed at a newspaper columnist.

If Guillen doesn't start exercising more restraint, general manager Ken Williams intimated that Guillen's antics could also cost Guillen his job.

"The simple fact is we have seen this movie before," Williams told ESPN in his first public remarks on the situation. "If it continues on, the likelihood [increases] that … maybe one day I'll have to walk into the office and deliver some bad news and announce a new manager. That's just the reality of the situation."

On Thursday, Guillen was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount of money for pitcher David Riske throwing intentionally at St. Louis' Chris Duncan.

Also Thursday, Guillen was fined an undisclosed amount of money and ordered to undergo sensitivity training for a profanity-laced tirade against Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti in which Guillen called Mariotti a number of names, including a derogatory term that is often used to describe someone's sexual orientation.

On Friday, Guillen ruffled more feathers when he said he did not actually expect to attend the sensitivity training class.

"I don't think I'll be going, I don't think that'll happen," Guillen told ESPNdeportes.com in an interview at U.S. Cellular Field. The interview was conducted in Spanish.

"I think the commissioner ordered that in order to calm things down, but, obviously, to attend one of those, I'll have to take English lessons first," he added. "I'll do what I have to do, at least when I have time, but I don't think I'll take those sensitivity lessons."

A few minutes after leaving the interview room, Guillen said through a team spokesman that he would undergo the training.

"We are trying to get him to understand that if he puts himself in that position it will be to me one of the most unfortunate sports happenings in a long time," Williams said. "We need people like Ozzie Guillen out there to kind of give a little bit of color and a little bit of flavor to the game."

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Maybe Mariotti is just trying to make a name for himself or maybe Ozzie is really not good at processing things in his little brain.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Buzz,

You are not that simple of a man, are you? What would you expect the upper brass to say in this ultra sensitive hyper critcal PC world that exists (except in Ozzie's world)? They know that Mariotti is the biggest "tool" in the shed but they can't come out and say it. I think that Jerry Reinsdorf came as close as you could to saying it with out actually saying it when he said that Ozzie was wrong for using the f word but that Mariotti was a piece of garbage! And that is from the big boss himself. I can guarantee you that Mariotti will be persona non grata on the south side of the city for many moons to come. Windy

Just axe-in? Windy

[Mudcutter]

Windy- I see your point,, but not all the way.

If Gardy or Torre or (GOD help us) when he was managing (Lou Pinella) have said the same talk, they would have a heck of alot more to worry about than a 1 game suspension and sensitivity classes.

What a joke.

Selig is total $##

Put Pete in the Hall of Fame.

Muddy

[buzzsaw]

Windy, No I'm not.. I say things without thinking of them once in a while myself, Ozzie however is in the public spotlight and whether he wants to or not, he needs to set a better example. If Ozzie and I were having drinks and he called somebody a f@g, I could care less as I have no respect for that "species" if you will...but like I said, public spotlight, better example. Not everybody can be funny like my main man Archie Bunker.

P.S. I really just like calling your coach an idiotttt.

[Stizo]

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P.S. I really just like calling your coach an idiotttt.

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Buzzsaw,

Just like Jay Mariotti's thursday column, I smelled your cut and paste agenda on this thread the minute I saw it here At least now you had the stones to admit it. You go girl

OZZIE FOR PRESIDENT- GO SOX

Stizo

[floating minnow]

Windy,

You are really consumed by what you consider our PC world today.Wake up,it's not the 40's or 50's anymore.As a minority who grew up in the 50's and 60's I don't really look at them as the good old days.Maybe the Sox management actually believes what Ozzie said was wrong and if Ozzie wants to stand on principle he could resign.I agree with you that the Sun is not much of a newspaper however they do make good money and I doubt they are concerned about a few fans dropping their subscriptions.

Buzz,

I take it you and your camera will not be joining me at the gay pride parade this morning.

[buzzsaw]

Quote:

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Just like Jay Mariotti's thursday column, I smelled your cut and paste agenda on this thread the minute I saw it here At least now you had the stones to admit it

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Pretty much, I think both of those two are dingbats. I saw Mitch Album on the Sunday edition of the sportsreporters call out Ozzie, did anybody else see it? Then they had an interview with the White Sox GM Williams and he basically said they won't stand for anymore of that guys antics... whats your take now that two guys have commented on Ozzie in a negative way theat are NOT tools... any chance you agree now that Ozzie is a blow hard? I'd like to see him coaching a very bad AA team and see how he reacts to adversity myself.

For the record, Mitch Album nailed him perfectly this morning!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Hey Buzz,

You know I was just giving you a little of the "Eddie Haskell" in my last post, right? You know, I was givin you the business. Just keeping things lively (like that is a problem here on the south side of Chi town!). Anywho, congrats on pounding the hapless Cubbies (I love using the word hapless and Cubbies in the same sentence). I just wish CNY Tim's boys could have shown a pulse this weekend. I'm not worring, we got 13 games left with the Kitties and I have tix to a good portion of them. We will take matters into our own hands and I still predict the Kitties will cool off around Aug. 1st and be out of it by Labor Day. Cut and paste, or whatever you want to do but...YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[CNY Tim]

Peter Gammons hit the nail on the head when he said the NL Central plays double A ball compared to the Al Central.

[rundrave]

I dont buy the same excuse some of you use: "He has every right to call him whatever he wants"

I totally agree, but that isnt what the problem is. Yes everyone has the right to free speech, and I understand if you agree with the comments, so do I, but I would have said it differently.

However, even though he has the right to say it, that doesnt mean there wont be consequences to follow. Being a manager of the World Champion White Sox isnt a right, its a PRIVELAGE, and somebody in that position shouldnt being saying things like that in the media.