Guillen responds to McCarthy's comments

[Flash Tizzle]

This is nuclear.

 

On McCarthy:

 

"We might be in the playoffs without him."

 

On having no other friends in the clubhouse aside from Anderson:

 

"He picked the wrong person in the clubhouse to be friends with."

 

FLAME ON!

[RX Bandits]

I like how Ozzie said "i'm always positive" and then he bashes Anderson and McCarthy. In no way am I a McCarthy supporter, in fact I liked the trade, but I think these comments were not necessary.

[SoxAce]

Ozzie being Ozzie.

[Rex Kickass]

IMO, they might have been in the playoffs last year without Ozzie so maybe he should shut his hole on that score.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Ozzie being Ozzie.

 

I just wish for once he could take the high road and simply respond with "no comment."

 

I think this also confirms that BA will not be given a fair shot. What kind of s*** is that? The wrong person to be friends with?

Edited March 2, 2007 by Jordan4life_2007

[southsider2k5]

He's just being honest. No one should be upset with him for saying what he thinks when people ask him a question

[kman]

But thats what makes Ozzie Ozzie, I love it and always will.

[winninguglyin83]

pretty stupid comment by ozzie.

 

Why would you say that about a guy who is supposed to be your starting center fielder?

[BigSqwert]

So what exactly did McCarthy say?

[winninguglyin83]

By the way, are these FRESH comments by McCarthy -- or stuff he said after the trade?

[Flash Tizzle]

I don't want to completely take these quotes of context, so if anyone heard more then add onto mine.

 

It's possible, as Dan Berstein is mentioning right now, that suggesting 'he picked the wrong clubhouse friend' was referring to Brandon and Anderson constantly partying. Although I have feeling there's no miscommunication. The interview was pure Ozzie Montana.

 

Him ripping McCarthy for the losses can't be taken any other way, though.

[TitoMB345]

if anderson is not the starter for this team this year and/or next year, ozzie HAS to go. he is going to ruin one of our best young players.

[Heads22]

Yeah, Erstad may very well start in CF.

[Flash Tizzle]

By the way, are these FRESH comments by McCarthy -- or stuff he said after the trade?

Guillen appeared to be quoting comments made within the DeLuca article:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/2657...eluca21.article

 

McCarthy still mystified why Sox sent him packing

 

February 21, 2007

BY CHRIS DE LUCA Staff Reporter

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- This seems to be the perfect setting to find pitcher Brandon McCarthy wearing another team's uniform. There he is, sitting in front of his locker, sporting the Texas Rangers' red, white and blue colors, chomping on cereal and knowing he has a guaranteed spot in a major-league rotation from the first day of camp -- surprise.

 

This was supposed to be the Year of McCarthy on the South Side. The White Sox had touted him as the future of their rotation since May 2005, when McCarthy made his major-league debut in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of Wrigley Field during a Sox-Cubs weekend.

 

Teams have inquired about the young right-hander ever since, but he was the closest thing to an untouchable in general manager Ken Williams' stable. When Williams traded veteran pitcher Freddy Garcia to the Philadelphia Phillies during the winter meetings, it looked as if a rotation spot finally had been cleared for McCarthy.

 

''That's essentially what I figured,'' McCarthy said. ''I certainly didn't see this move coming at all. I hadn't heard a whisper about it, so it was definitely a shock. Especially after Freddy [was traded] because I thought definitely one of the six of us would get traded. When that happened, I thought they had set their five at that point. It was certainly a surprise.''

 

Rangers got proven commodity

Seventeen days after the Garcia trade, the Sox sent McCarthy and minor-league outfielder David Paisano to the Rangers for left-hander John Danks and right-handers Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner.

 

McCarthy, 23, had 65 games -- including 12 starts -- of major-league service on his resume, going 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA. Danks and Masset are touted prospects but unproven major-league commodities. Masset's eight relief outings with the Rangers last season represent the only major-league action among the group going to the Sox.

 

''Big difference,'' Rangers pitching coach Mark Connor stressed. ''That was the thing, we procrastinated a couple of weeks about the trade. We all liked the guys we were talking about giving up. Masset came up last year and at times dominated. I talked to [sox pitching coach Don Cooper] about Masset and said, 'You don't know what you're getting here. This guy is going to be a monster.' We loved Danks, and I told Coop, 'You're getting some quality stuff over there.'

 

''But from our standpoint, we knew what we were getting -- we had a better idea what we were getting with this guy. Plugging one of those kids in our rotation, you don't know what you're getting. Here you've got a guy who pitched in the big leagues, pitched on a world championship team.''

 

So much for McCarthy being the next big thing in the Sox' rotation -- even at a time when Williams is insisting he must build for the future.

 

''That's what I certainly thought,'' McCarthy said. ''Anytime you come up, you hope to be with that team at least until free agency. It has been a little tough for me because I grew up a White Sox fan. I won a World Series with them my first year.

 

''Coming up through the organization, that's all I ever knew, so that's what I kind of expected -- to stay there and, hopefully, make a career there. I fell in love with the city of Chicago and the fans there. So it was a little jarring.''

 

That said, McCarthy stressed that the deal was the best thing for him. He hinted at the tough atmosphere that awaits a young player in the Sox' clubhouse.

 

The Rangers' clubhouse is a solid mix of veterans and youngsters. Kenny Lofton is in one corner. Sammy Sosa's locker sits in the corner by McCarthy's. There are lots of fresh faces everywhere else.

 

''It's a very comfortable clubhouse,'' McCarthy said. ''I love the guys in Chicago, but it was a somewhat older clubhouse. Most of the guys there are married and they have kids and it's tough for guys like [brian] Anderson and me to relate. We didn't get to hang out with them as much. As much as I like those guys in Chicago, this is much more my age, my speed.''

 

Something else stands out. McCarthy, who was shuttled between the bullpen and rotation, pointed to a negative atmosphere that defined his time with the Sox.

 

He said the complete opposite approach was taken from Day 1 with Rangers GM Jon Daniels, 29.

 

''The second Jon Daniels called me, it was just a different attitude right off the bat,'' McCarthy said. ''[With the Sox] I was constantly hearing, 'This is what we don't like. This is what we think you are doing wrong. This is what's bad, this is bad.' It always seemed to be focused on the negative. Here, it's just, 'Here is your spot, and we expect you to do well and we think the world of you. Let's see you go do it.'

 

''And that has made it a lot more comfortable. To finally have that support, instead of wondering, 'What's going to happen next?' in terms of something negative.''

 

The McCarthy trade was a head-scratcher. There has been talk that scouts felt McCarthy's two-seam fastball didn't have enough movement to survive the launching pad that is U.S. Cellular Field.

 

To this day, Williams is reluctant to reveal the thought process behind his most controversial move of the offseason.

 

''One of the things that trips me up more than anything in being able to communicate to [the media] and fans what I am thinking is I refuse to speak poorly about somebody who has put this uniform on and has given everything that they can to the organization -- unless they come at us,'' Williams said. ''Believe me, I can give you detailed reasons why I have done everything that I have done, but those players don't deserve that. So I have made the choice to let [the media] swing away. Because you don't have the information that I have.''

 

Spot in rotation never an issue

The Rangers are equipped with their own secret information and feel comfortable giving McCarthy the third spot in their rotation.

 

''We've coveted him for the last couple of years,'' Connor said. ''We saw him in spring training here about three years ago. First time we saw him, we were saying, 'Who is this guy out here, changing speeds and locating?' A young kid, you just don't see that a lot.

 

''When we had the opportunity to get him, J.D. called me and I said, 'Do it.' I didn't really have to think about it a lot.''

 

McCarthy is thankful. At 23, he knows he is lucky to have a World Series ring as a driving force, even if he doesn't wear it much.

 

''If I need some kind of extra advantage, if I want a table at a restaurant, maybe I come in and scratch my face and see what I can get with that,'' he said. ''But for the most part, it lays low.

 

''I pretty much walked into one. It was a cool experience. If it did anything for me, it showed how tough it is to win one, but it has also made me hungry to go get another one.''

[Jordan4life_2007]

He's just being honest. No one should be upset with him for saying what he thinks when people ask him a question

 

He always takes the bait, though. Nobody cares what he thinks. They just know that no matter what, Ozzie will always turn something minor into a a big ass story.

[fathom]

Without listening to the interview, I'll actually stick up for Ozzie and say he probably meant hanging out with Anderson was stupid due to his partying and being goofy. The best case scenario for the Sox would be Anderson to earn his position, and Pods to take a while to recover and let Erstad/Ozuna platoon in LF.

[winninguglyin83]

hard to believe Anderson and McCarthy would be the only two party boys on the team.

 

maybe at home, but not on the road.

[Kalapse]

It's kind of sad that the fans of the team can't even be surprised by anything that asshat says anymore.

[fathom]

This is nuclear.

 

On McCarthy:

 

"We might be in the playoffs without him."

 

Ironic he says this, but he says that Podsednik will have his starting spot no matter what.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Without listening to the interview, I'll actually stick up for Ozzie and say he probably meant hanging out with Anderson was stupid due to his partying and being goofy. The best case scenario for the Sox would be Anderson to earn his position, and Pods to take a while to recover and let Erstad/Ozuna platoon in LF.

 

I doubt it. It's been clear for a while now that Ozzie has had a bias against B-Mac and Anderson. If not, he should've been more clear in what he meant by that particular comment.

[fathom]

I doubt it. It's been clear for a while now that Ozzie has had a bias against B-Mac and Anderson. If not, he should've been more clear in what he meant by that particular comment.

 

If Ozzie basically runs McCarthy and Anderson out of town, I'll repeat what I said last year: it's too bad Ozzie isn't a man of his word, and didn't quit after winning the World Series.

[SoxAce]

I doubt it. It's been clear for a while now that Ozzie has had a bias against B-Mac and Anderson.

 

It's also strange because I believe Ozzie prefered youngsters over veterans at one time?! I'm probably wrong though.

[Kalapse]

Ironic he says this, but he says that Podsednik will have his starting spot no matter what.

The man is completely delusional.

 

I'm just wondering, can anyone think of a single young player that Ozzie has gotten behind not out of necessity? He basically had no choice with Jenks. I know this team hasn't had a lot of rookies but does it say something when Ozzie refuses to back his inexperienced youngsters?

[fathom]

It's also strange because I believe Ozzie prefered youngsters over veterans at one time?! I'm probably wrong though.

 

No way.....he very much prefers veteran players.

[Flash Tizzle]

I doubt it. It's been clear for a while now that Ozzie has had a bias against B-Mac and Anderson. If not, he should've been more clear in what he meant by that particular comment.

Guillen may spin it as suggesting the party link, but I'm certain he disliked both players.

 

Even pushing aside the Anderson comments, which could be interpreted more than one way, he TRASHED McCarthy. Said he "pitched like s***." You can't spin that.

 

I guess Williams doesn't need to fire away at BMAC because Guillen just did that.

 

Just goes to prove few players seem to leave this organization without a problem. If Garcia weren't Guillen's chum you'd almost expect something out of that as well.

Edited March 2, 2007 by Flash Tizzle