posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 2:07 AM by Jim

From the desk of Ozzie Guillen



If C.C. Sabathia does what he usually does to the Sox on Opening Day, Ozzie could be more than halfway there before April.

A week after wondering openly about his job status -- I liked Kenny Williams' response, or lack thereof -- Guillen is back to complaining about his team's lack of energy:

“[Thursday] was the worst game we played all spring training,’’ Guillen said. “I don’t see the intensity. It’s time to put the gas on the pedal and step it up. I don’t see the push to be out there. That’s not going to happen. If I have to push the pedal myself I will do it.

“You’re not going to flip the switch on just like that. I know what kind of club I have and that’s why I’m a little disappointed with the way we’ve played the last couple of games.’’

For a team that keeps insisting 2007 won't happen again, it's sure bringing back a lot of memories.  "Flip the switch" is a phrase that should be banned in the U.S. Cellular Field broadcast booth indefinitely.

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But here's a good reason to be excited for March 31, and it's something Ozzie has never said before: Alexei Ramirez is on the 25-man roster:

"Is he on the roster? Yes," manager Ozzie Guillen said of Ramirez, 26, who has impressed the Sox in his first major-league camp since leaving Cuba. "The thing is: How many games can he play? We're going to sit down and see how many at-bats he can get. Whether it's at second base, not second base, everything is about playing time.

"I don't care if this kid sits for 10 days—if he's going to help us win. Development? I'm not going to develop my players for someone else. I learned my lesson [in Florida]."

The issue of how much playing time Ramirez will receive will likely be resolved as other questions are answered, namely:

No. 1:  Is Juan Uribe staying put?  ¡Profundo! was pulled off waivers after a team claimed him but couldn't agree to a trade with Kenny Williams... yet.  There's still time.

No. 2:  Who's starting -- Joe Crede or Josh Fields?  If Crede gets the call but doesn't start hitting, Uribe may take on more of a supersub role if he's still around, giving Ramirez more starts at second regardless.

No. 3:  Is Jerry Owens healthy?  Ramirez could see time in center if Owens' groin isn't 100 percent.  A cold April certainly isn't the best for iffy muscles.

One guy we know isn't healthy -- Danny Richar, who is out for four to six weeks with a stress fracture.

Comments

# re: From the desk of Ozzie Guillen

Friday, March 21, 2008 8:04 AM by ChicagoPete
Ha ha - love the to say list, that's hilarious.

More idle speculation regarding ulterior motives/reading between the lines/reading chicken entrails etc. This particular comment from Ozzie, "Development? I'm not going to develop my players for someone else. I learned my lesson [in Florida]." Could this be taken as a slap at Josh Fields and the gaping holes in his game (ie, glove and high fastballs?) I saw the rest of the quote somewhere, and he continued on that the development should take place in the minors, not mlb. See ya Josh.

# re: From the desk of Ozzie Guillen

Friday, March 21, 2008 10:34 AM by Jim Margalus
It does kinda seem out of place, because he's been at this job for four years and hasn't developed a player for anybody. Hell, the case could be made that he hasn't developed a player for himself. Brandon McCarthy comes closest, but Ozzie didn't bend over backwards to accommodate him.

I doubt he's *that* frustrated with Fields, because if Crede weren't around, he'd be starting with no complaints. I think Ozzie gets more frustrated when people don't put the necessary offseason work in, which doesn't seem to be the case with Fields, who worked with Cora a ton.

# re: From the desk of Ozzie Guillen

Friday, March 21, 2008 12:28 PM by ChicagoPete
Ozzie can be a real ass. He mentioned Torborg got the ax right after he did all the hard work of developing players - what the hell does Ozzie have to worry about, he's got a 5yr contract!?!? If any manager in mlb is in a position to be patient with young players it's him, because he's got more job security than anyone other manager in the game. Instead he talks this kind of crap, and it's not just talk because a player like Fields is going to start the season at AAA because Ozzie can't stomach watching his growing pains.

# re: From the desk of Ozzie Guillen

Friday, March 21, 2008 1:28 PM by ChicagoPete
Here's the full quote, I knew I'd read it from a link somewhere on SSS. It's from a Merkin article 3/20 on mlb.com - Gonzalez somehow left out what I consider the meaty part of the quote. Ozzie is a weird dude, he swings wildly between total egomania and absolute insecurity, sometimes in the same paragraph:
==================
"Development? I'm not going to develop my players for someone else. I already learned my lesson," Guillen added. "Jeff Torborg developed players [in Florida], and he got [beat up]. Jack McKeon won. To me, development, that's for the Minor League system. You bring the best guys. Me and [general manager] Kenny [Williams] have talked, and we want the best guys at every position."

# re: From the desk of Ozzie Guillen

Friday, March 21, 2008 3:58 PM by Jim Margalus
It's always dangerous to make too much of what he says, because he basically gives the world his internal dialogue.

I am wondering what he said in place of [beat up]. I'm guessing f'ed. But I really don't understand what he's complaining about, because there's nobody to develop except for Danks. Floyd pretty much has no excuses.