Chicago White Sox Week in Review: The Man Who Said Too Much

As a person who opens their mouth (in the estimation of the public) too much for their own good, I can identify with Ozzie Guillen.

I have criticized a great many things; things which I will not list ad infinitum in this column, for fear of misinterpretation. Suffice it to say, I have a short fuse and wide vocabulary.

Ozzie Guillen also has a short fuse and a wide vocabulary. The problem is that some of those words are in Spanish, and as most of the U.S. ESPN viewership doesn't understand Spanish, they also don't understand Guillen—both linguistically and mentally.

Which is to say that many people think he's out of his mind.

Flash back to this past Sunday. The White Sox had just let another good pitching performance slip away to the hot, upstart Tampa Bay Rays. The Twins had won yet again, and the Sox lead in the division was dwindling.

Monday dawns with back-page news: Ozzie had gone off on the entire team, from himself to the hitting coach to the bench coach, all the way to the GM. He was throwing everyone under the bus, said the critics (mostly Jay Mariotti); shooting off his mouth at the wrong time. And of course, the Cubs were like the older brother at this moment, according to Mariotti, a shining example of winning baseball and better...well, everything.

Now, it's Sunday morning, and the Sox have just dropped another double-digit game on the suddenly falling Twins. Mark Buerhle pitched like...well, Mark Buerhle, allowing only one run on three hits through eight innings. And Joe Crede had his second straight two-homer game, driving in six of the White Sox' 11 runs.

And Ozzie? He's not yelling anymore. He's just laughing.

For those of you who ever watched wrestling, I'll give you a famous quote from the Rock: "Undertaker, you say you've unturned a stone and found out that the Rock writes checks that his ass can't cash, because the Rock talks trash?  Like everyone doesn't know that the Rock talks trash!  The Rock talks trash in his sleep!"

So it is with Ozzie Guillen.

Ozzie Guillen is going to talk. Ozzie is going to berate people and talk shit when the urge strikes him, often in colorful/foreign languages. The media is going to jump on this because it is a great soundbite opportunity in a world filled with "the world in 30 seconds" newscasts. That's the deal.

What the detractors don't seem to realize is that Ozzie knows what he's doing. He's got two World Series rings, and has a .535 winning percentage in four seasons managing the Sox. Most of all, he knows that motivation comes in different ways.  And I believe him when he said be takes the brunt of the media spotlight to take the pressure off the team.

The evidence is there: pre-tirade, 3-4. Post-tirade, 5-0. And while the heat has certainly played a part in the home runs, the White Sox have been doing something they hadn't done since early in the season: keeping the line moving. Getting the timely two-out hits and RBI have the Sox mashing on their last two opponents.

Whether that trend can continue remains to be seen; one week does not a season make. But no matter what, like it or not, Ozzie is going to talk.

If the White Sox keep winning, Ozzie is going to keep talking. And as the Rock would say,

"It doesn't matter if you don't like him or not!"

Beast of the Week Award: Seeing as how the Sox scored 45 runs in six games this week, it's the whole offense taking home the award this week. Special mention: Jim Thome for his monster home run Wednesday night; Joe Crede for his five dingers in three days; Alexei Ramirez for being a pesky 9-spot hitter and for his great defense; and Nick Swisher for stopping Friday's game to pick up a fan's eyeglasses off the warning track (and for going 8 for 25 with eight runs scored over the week.)

As always: until next time, keep waving the Pennant.