winninguglyin83 Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 story by Jerry Crasnick from ESPN.com on managerial search. Mostly pro-Guillen. But note the jab from a scout deep the story. Scout said he loved Manuel but said the Sox played with no fire this season. No s***. Scout musta caught Jerry's boys in Comerica Park Tuesday, October 14, 2003 By Jerry Crasnick ESPN Insider White Sox general manager Kenny Williams, no proponent of the theory that any publicity is good publicity, is conducting the team's search for a new manager under a code of silence. Now the good news: With the cross-town Cubs closing in on their first World Series appearance in 58 years, the reaction beyond a 12-block radius on Chicago's South Side is, "Manager search? What manager search?" Despite Williams' best efforts, though, details keep trickling out, and the hiring process is taking shape. The Wally Backman bandwagon is in the shop for repairs. Terry Francona, Buddy Bell and Cito Gaston are all lined up for second or third cracks at running a club. And a source told Baseball Insider the White Sox will also interview former Phillies manager Nick Leyva, now a minor-league infield instructor with Chicago. But Williams' most intriguing candidate still has baseball business ahead of him. Ozzie Guillen, a fan favorite in 13 seasons as White Sox shortstop, has at least one game left this season in his job as third-base coach with the Florida Marlins. Then he'll interview with the White Sox. Guillen Does Guillen have a shot? It certainly appears so. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf is a fan, and Guillen has some cachet in the city where he picked and grinned for 13 seasons. Not the cachet that, say, Eddie Murray has in Baltimore. But Guillen has it all over Murray in the social skills department. He's also the only candidate endorsed by the South Florida chapter of the AARP. Marlins manager Jack McKeon, Guillen's boss, raved about him in an interview with the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein. "He communicates well," McKeon said. "He's good with the Latin players. He's a very knowledgeable baseball man. He's colorful, a fun-loving guy. He keeps everybody loose. Sometimes you need to put a muzzle on him, but that's his nature. He's a very talkative, hyper guy." Ozzie Guillen might play the clown prince, but one scout says he doesn't miss a thing. Although coach Perry Hill deserves credit for his work with the Florida infielders, people around the team say Guillen has had a noticeable impact on shortstop Alex Gonzalez's disposition. Gonzalez used to pout and take bad days at the plate into the field with him. Now he's a more focused player, and it shows in the numbers. Gonzalez made only 16 errors this season after averaging 24 in his last three full seasons. Guillen doesn't mind playing the clown prince of baseball, but that's just surface stuff. In the words of one scout who knows Guillen, he doesn't take any "crap" from players and knows the game inside and out. "Ozzie's real sharp," the scout said. "He doesn't miss a thing. He's not just some happy-go-lucky guy." Williams will choose his next manager from a smorgasbord of personality types. Gaston won two world championships with Toronto in the early 1990s, but he's basically Jerry Manuel without the charisma. Francona's positive attitude wears well, but he had a rap in Philadelphia of being too easy on players. While Bell is respected throughout the game as an old-school ball guy, his managing stints in Detroit and Colorado ended badly, right down to the strained relations with general managers. “ I love Jerry Manuel. But I watched those guys a lot this year. And starting from spring training, they just rolled the balls out there. They had no enthusiasm. ” — A National League scout, on the 2003 White Sox. Comparisons between Guillen and Kansas City's Tony Peña are inevitable because: a) they're Latin-American; and B) they both have a zest for the game that's infectious. The difference is that Peña spent three years managing Triple-A ball before Allard Baird hired him in May 2002. Guillen has no managerial experience. Peña is also in perpetual "up" mode and has a flair for diplomacy. Guillen, in contrast, has no shut-off valve when it comes to candor. Everything that pops into his head tends to come out of his mouth. The White Sox, of course, aren't the Royals. They failed to make the playoffs this year with a veteran club and high expectations, and their fan base is likely to be crankier than ever in light of the Cubs' success this season. "I love Jerry Manuel," said a National League scout. "But I watched those guys a lot this year. And starting from spring training, they just rolled the balls out there. They had no enthusiasm." It's time for an attitude adjustment at U.S. Cellular Field. Whether Mr. Fix-it is a fresh face (Guillen) or an experienced candidate (Francona, Gaston or Bell) depends on just how much of a risk Kenny Williams is willing to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 I'm an ESPN Insider subscriber, but one thing I've noticed is that most of their articles are just a gathering of old news from other sources gathered into one. Definitely won't be renewing my subscription. Anyhow, despite the news that Buddy Bell is the leader from other sources, I look at Ozzie as the leader and the man who will eventually get the gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 I really like Ozzie and think he would be an excellent hire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFanForever Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Yeah, I used the free trial of insider. It was nice when it was free but I would never pay for it. It is mostly things I already know. It is just a lot of repeated rumors and junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubsSuck1 Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 I just use ID: syracuse, password: bigeast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguana Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 i sure hope it is Ozzie. i really like what i read about the guy. i think he would be great to put some fire in the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Yeah let's hope the team actually plays with some heart and hustle next year no matter who is managing them. But Ozzie will put butts in da seats at da Cell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Yeah let's hope the team actually plays with some heart and hustle next year no matter who is managing them. But Ozzie will put butts in da seats at da Cell. The only way Ozzie puts butts in the seats, is if the team plays baseball with the same enthusiasm that Ozzie Guillen did. I just hope they don't adopt his "strike zone". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxfest Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 I just use ID: syracuse, password: bigeast Tried it for fun ...........NO dice Oh well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Yeah let's hope the team actually plays with some heart and hustle next year no matter who is managing them. But Ozzie will put butts in da seats at da Cell. That worked soooo well for the Tigers and Tram this year. A team that works hard and wins, puts asses in the stands at the Cell. And that's it, at least until the Sox Marketing Department puts their asses in gear... and do some PR thats right (which might mean JR paying rent again!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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