Guillen Not Afraid to Buck Tradition


CHICAGO - When Ozzie Guillen speaks, heads turn. Who knows what he might say next? What opinionated, four-letter-word spiel might come tumbling out as he waxes on about a game that makes him both ill and ecstatic.




The manager of the Chicago White Sox is always outspoken, can be funny, is perhaps more sensitive to criticism than he lets on and fearless when it comes to bucking baseball tradition.

"He says things that you kind of look at and say, 'Where is he coming from?'" catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Most of the time he's right on with what he says. You have to respect the fact that he's a standup guy and he believes in what he's doing."

Guillen's baseball team, the one that employed him as a shortstop for 13 years, is loose, a mixture of nationalities and personalities, one reason they won 99 games, captured the AL Central after nearly fading at the end and then swept Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

The White Sox advanced to play the Los Angeles Angels in the AL championship series. Game 1 was set for Tuesday night.

Guillen's goal is to watch the jets fly over U.S. Cellular Field in the World Series — he was there as a player at the end of his career with the Braves in 1999 and again as Florida's third base coach in 2003.

His managerial influences include Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox, Jeff Torborg and Jack McKeon. His style is mainly his own, relying sometimes on his feeling for a certain situation, rather than the numbers.

Mostly it's one of communication. Nonstop. He'll play cards with the players on the plane, accept their physical errors on the field and let them know eye-to-eye if they don't do something the way he wants it.

Sometimes Guillen's thoughts get away from him. He doesn't back down or apologize.

"Not too many people are like me. Not too many people like to tell the truth and they put themselves behind a wall," Guillen says. "But deep inside they want to say what I say. They don't have the guts."

At a news conference after taking the job last year, he called out former teammate and two-time MVP Frank Thomas, saying he needed to be more team-oriented.

That first season also featured a suspension and fine for calling umpire Hunter Wendelstedt a liar. Later in the season, he sarcastically referred to Buck Showalter of the Rangers as the best manager in the history of baseball and the guy who invented the game — all after Showalter questioned Guillen's knowledge of the rules.

Guillen went off on a profanity-filled tirade early this season after former teammate and fellow Venezuelan Magglio Ordonez, who left the White Sox and joined the Detroit Tigers, referred to him as the enemy.

"Just put down 'bleep.' It's OK. Lots of things I say in the paper have bleeps in them," Guillen said earlier of his often-salty use of adjectives.

Guillen also angered some Cleveland fans during the final weekend of the regular season when he made a "choke" sign with his hands after a running exchange with the team mascot and some fans. Guillen said he was sorry if some were offended and said he was only playing around.

Shortly after the Marlins won the World Series, Guillen came to Chicago and in his typically blunt style won the managerial job in his interview with general manager Ken Williams. He quickly built his coaching staff with other former White Sox players such as Joey Cora, Greg Walker, Tim Raines and Harold Baines.

Not satisfied after the White Sox went 83-79 in his first season, Guillen went to Williams and said the White Sox needed to make over their roster. Guillen said they needed to add speed and defense because the homer-dependent teams of Ordonez and Carlos Lee weren't getting the team to the next level.

Out went Ordonez and Lee, in came Scott Podsednik, second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and veterans Jermaine Dye and Pierzynski. And the White Sox led from start to finish in their division.

They nearly let a 15-game slip away in September, the fans were on his case and Guillen admitted the booing bothered him more because his sons, who are always around the team, had to hear it.

And his passion and his emotion for the game sometimes took a toll. He revealed that he would sometimes retreat to his office after tough losses and vomit.

He also made a rather stunning revelation for someone who earlier had signed a contract extension — he might quit if the White Sox win their first World Series since 1917.

So, every day is exciting for the White Sox. There's never monotony because the manager is always on center stage.

Asked to come up with a word to describe his manager, pitcher Mark Buehrle had one: "Nuts."

And Buehrle appreciates some off-the-wall behavior. He's been known to do belly flops on the tarps during rain delays. Guillen seemed surprised when he heard of Buehrle's adventure, but then added that's the type of player his star left-hander is.

Much like his manager, a 42-year-old who doesn't always act his age.

"He's outgoing. He's never in his office," Buehrle said. "Some managers are stuck in their office and don't socialize with everyone else. He's out here joking around, laughing, keeping everyone loose. I think it starts with him, as far as keeping our team loose."

Guillen's success is a big story back in Venezuela. He's chatted with the president and when he gets a phone call with no caller ID, he knows it's someone from back home wanting to give him advice or offer congratulations.

"The Venezuelan people who know me don't feel proud because we're winning," Guillen says. "They're proud because they go, `How can this crazy man be the leader of a team?'"