Ozzie in Ordonez's Corner

[DBAHO]

There may be hope for u yet Beastly ,

If managing doesn't work out for Ozzie Guillen, he can always become a scout. He proved himself in that department years ago, speaking up for the skinny Venezuelan outfielder who could be headed to Boston before Guillen ever gets a chance to manage him.

 

These days, there are no guarantees about Magglio Ordonez. He's in the last year of his contract and slated to earn $14 million next season, terms that made him an endangered species the day he got Jerry Reinsdorf to agree to them.

 

Guillen wishes it weren't so.

 

"We all understand this is a business," Guillen said. "But do I want him on my team? Hell, yeah. He's batting third and he's my right fielder."

 

Guillen, then the starting shortstop, was the first member of the White Sox's major league organization to notice Ordonez. He spoke up for him, possibly at his own expense.

 

"I think I got released from the White Sox because of Magglio," Guillen said while in New Orleans for the winter meetings. "Schu and I fought back and forth. I didn't back down from what I was saying because I knew what I was saying. It turned out I was right. I know what I see."

 

Guillen, then one of the best Venezuelans in the big leagues, was sold on Ordonez's potential after seeing him play for the Oriente Caribes in winter ball. But Ron Schueler, then the Sox's general manager, wasn't interested until Ordonez won a Triple-A batting title in 1997.

 

Earlier that season, Guillen had pleaded Ordonez's case in the Tribune. He had been enraged when his countryman was bypassed for an invitation to the major-league camp in favor of Jeff Abbott, Jeff Liefer and McKay Christensen.

 

"If that had been me, I would have gone crazy," Guillen said at the time. "I would have started screaming and I wouldn't have stopped. I would have demanded to be traded."

 

Guillen then stated the case for Ordonez.

 

"Magglio is a great hitter, and a very good outfielder," he said. "He is better than our other [minor-league] outfielders. He just does not get a chance. He is not a first-round draft choice, and he has an ugly Latino name. He has to do twice as much as someone else to get an opportunity."

 

When an injury caused Ordonez to be promoted, he went 2-for-3 in his first game and then homered off Jose Lima in his second game.

 

"I said [to Schueler], 'See?"' Guillen said. "Maybe my mouth was a little too open."

 

It's debatable whether the bigger issue was Guillen's candor or the Sox's shaky finances. But not long after that exchange it became clear the club was not picking up Guillen's contract option for 1998. He played three seasons elsewhere but never again got 300 at-bats.

 

Having jumped at an offer to replace Jerry Manuel, the still-outspoken Guillen finds himself on the other side of the business. He already has gone off on some ill-advised monologues, picking a pointless fight with Frank Thomas when protocol called for him to sweet-talk him in private.

 

Thomas is not the White Sox's problem, not when he's hitting 42 homers at $6 million a year. He's a valuable part of the team when he's in uniform but doesn't always represent himself in the best fashion.

 

The Sox's problem is the resources Reinsdorf's ownership group provides require the employees running the team—most recently Ken Williams, Duane Shaffer and Rick Hahn—to make the most of every dollar they spend.

 

Williams doesn't want to trade Ordonez. Who would?

 

But the Sox need pitching—to be specific, they need two right-handed relievers and at least one starter. There's no money currently available to fund the purchases. So Williams must find a way to do as St. Louis GM Walt Jocketty did last Saturday, trading expensive hitters for pitchers whose salaries leave money left over to fill other holes.

 

Williams described himself as having "a lot of balls in the air" when he left New Orleans earlier Monday and that still appeared to be the case Wednesday. The White Sox were positioned to land Nomar Garciaparra and Scott Williamson from Boston for Ordonez as part of an Alex Rodriguez-Manny Ramirez. But that wasn't all.

 

According to some sources, Williams had lined up a Jose Valentin deal with either Seattle or Los Angeles. He also was continuing efforts to trade first baseman Paul Konerko.

 

Should the White Sox wind up with Garciaparra, it will be tempting for them to hang onto him seemingly to make a run at a Central title in 2004. But don't be fooled. Ordonez for Garciaparra is essentially a zero-sum game—one free agent-in-waiting for another. It doesn't accomplish the goals Williams set for an Ordonez trade.

 

For the White Sox to come out ahead on an Ordonez trade, Williams has to trade Garciaparra to Los Angeles or Seattle for a package of low-cost pitching. If he can wind up with Williamson, Odalis Perez, Guillermo Mota, prospects—or Williamson, Ryan Franklin, Julio Mateo, prospects—and enough flexibility to sign Sidney Ponson, he'll have increased the outlook both in 2004 and future seasons.

 

Hard to imagine Williams getting much sleep until he has found a way to add some shelf life onto Ordonez's unexpectedly large legacy, which few other than the new manager saw coming.

[slick03]

The Sox's problem is the resources Reinsdorf's ownership group provides require the employees running the team—most recently Ken Williams, Duane Shaffer and Rick Hahn—to make the most of every dollar they spend.

exactly!! :fyou jr