4 Reasons Why Ozzie Guillen Is the Chicago White Sox's Greatest Manager

Ozzie Guillen received his release from the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.  The White Sox expect to receive minor league players from the Florida Marlins when Guillen signs with them, as he is expected to do.

Guillen was a character, a bullhorn, and at times during his final season with the White Sox, a headache.  He was a boisterous manager, projecting himself from the small-market clubhouse of the White Sox to the national stage.

While the release signified the end of some headaches for the White Sox, it also signified the end of an era.

Guillen was one of the most successful managers in White Sox history, and has a World Series ring to show for it.  One could make the argument that he was the greatest White Sox manager ever.

Following are some reasons why that is the case.

Guillen Made the Most of His Talent

The legacy of Guillen as the White Sox manager is that he made the best out of what talent he had.

Guillen has scraped RBIs out of players like Juan Pierre, who is more of a runner than a run-producer.  In 2010, he managed to squeeze a .276 average out of 43-year-old Omar Vizquel. 

He took the White Sox to the playoffs in 2008 when they should have won only 75 games.  He just happened to get a near-MVP year from Carlos Quentin and quality pitching from four healthy starters.

Despite a small payroll and having only one player drive in 100 runs in 2005, he took the White Sox to their first World Series title in 88 years.

Making the best of middling talent and above-average pitching on a fair budget was key for Guillen.

Guillen Lifted the Monkey off of the White Sox's Back

By winning the World Series in 2005, Guillen did what Gene Lamont and Al Lopez couldn't do.

He lifted what was perhaps a bigger monkey than the Curse of the Bambino off of the White Sox's back.  Winning the first White Sox World Series title in 88 years was a huge ordeal.

Whereas the Red Sox have been used to winning year after year, the White Sox have typically been a mediocre team.  Even when they had Frank Thomas, Wilson Alvarez, and Robin Ventura, the White Sox couldn't get over the hump.

Also, the White Sox's bogeyman, the Black Sox scandal, was arguably a worse skeleton than the Curse of the Bambino.  The Babe Ruth trade was simply a business decision.  They might have lost out on a supreme talent, but it was simply a business decision.

On the other hand, the Black Sox scandal was an act of the players to the detriment of their team.  Without belaboring the point, the scandal was the culmination of a systemic issue in the game.

Guillen helped the White Sox overcome a huge black eye by leading them to the 2005 World Series title.

He Is the Only White Sox Manager with Multiple Playoff Appearances

Guillen has a title that no other White Sox manager has.

He has earned multiple playoff appearances in the White Sox uniform.

Guillen holds two of the nine White Sox playoff appearances.  Lopez had the misfortune of leading the team before the expanded playoff format.  Lamont couldn't carry a team with loaded talent.

However, Guillen was able to take the team to the playoffs, even when they were projected to be losers.

Mark Buehrle Was His Best Pitcher

That Mark Buehrle was Guillen's best pitcher says a great deal about Guillen's prowess as a manager.

Buehrle, who may be on his way out just as Guillen has left, is the best White Sox pitcher of the last 15 years.

However, he is not a true ace.

Buehrle is more of a No. 2 pitcher.  A workhorse of sorts, Buehrle has pitched 200 or more innings in each of his full seasons.  However, he has only two seasons with ERAs under 3.50.  Even this season, when pitchers were on the rise, he hardly broke the top 10 in ERA.

Buehrle is the strongest mark of Guillen's ability to win with pitching, yet do so with pitchers who are only above average.