Chicago White Sox: Ozzie Guillen Needs To Shape Up or Ship Out

Guillen doesn't see it that way.  He believes that his team should be the most popular team in the city because they won a World Series. What he doesn't realize is that that happened three years ago and the White Sox have not returned to that caliber of play since. Therefore, instead of being angry at the Cubs for merely existing and the Cubs fans for not acknowledging the fact that his team has been more successful in recent years, he should learn to co-exist with Cubs.  It's only fair because they were there first. You don't see Willie Randolph moaning to the New York press that his team gets no respect because he's mindful of the fact that the Mets are second to the Yankees in popularity. Guillen needs to stop whining about the respect issue, he's always going to be number two in the city whether he likes it or not.

Chicago is also a rabid sports town, there is more then one newspaper as well as two sports radio stations. Columnists and talk show hosts exist to give he readers and listeners what they want to hear. When the going gets tough, they're going to second guess people and tell others how they would have done it better. In passionate sports towns, that's an everyday occurrence. In Guillen's world, it's unfair and intolerable under any circumstances. If you criticize him, be prepared to be berated with salty language by an angry Latino who is tired of being hassled.

And so, I offer the following advice to both Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox organization - toughen up. Guillen needs to stop taking every piece of criticism so personally. It would also help if he dealt with reporters in a more tactful way. I understand that English is not Guillen's native language and that the press can be brutal, but that still doesn't give him the right to disrespect them by using offensive language that would make Tony Montana blush.

The organization, whether it be Jerry Riendorf or GM Ken Williams that does the talking, needs to be cognisant of the fact that Guillen is considered a nuisance to many people in the media. The fans may love him because he's blunt and honest, but he has yet to replicate the success he had three years ago.

I'm not calling for Guillen to be fired. I'm merely suggesting that anger management or a heart-to-heart conversation may be just what the doctor ordered to rectify this situation. If Ozzie continues to burn bridges with the media and Cubs fans, it will create as domino effect. The White Sox won't get much press, and the fans won't go to the games. If Guillen can stop taking criticism so personally and understand he'll always play second to fiddle to the Cubs, he'll earn more respect from the media and his peers. 

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