Ozzie Guillen's Approval Rating

[Hawkfan]

I've heard some news that makes it sound like Ozzie could be out of favor in the organization, which shocked me, so I just thought I would get the overall opinion of soxtalk.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Hawkfan

[knightni]

Pretty limited options.

 

You have two over negatives, one over positive, and a pretty much blank one.

[Marky Mark]

More often than not, his bad managerial decisions piss me off. But then when I think about what other managers might do...Ozzie doesn't seem so bad. After all, going from Manual to Guillen is a good switch.

 

In reality, it is not hard to make in game decisions as a manager. Play who's hot, play the splits, and don't be stupid. Its keeping guys loose and working together as a team that matters. Supposedly Guillen does that well, I guess.

[WCSox]

If the Sox play .500 ball for the next two seasons, I'd imagine that Ozzie is gone in December of 2011. Not so much because of his head-scratching lineups, but mainly because controversial figures who draw negative attention to their employers tend to not hang around indefinitely when their teams under-perform year after year.

Edited March 24, 2010 by WCSox

[gatnom]

If the Sox play .500 ball for the next two seasons, I'd imagine that Ozzie is gone in December of 2011. Not so much because of his head-scratching lineups, but mainly because controversial figures who draw negative attention to their employers tend to not hang around indefinitely when their teams under-perform year after year.

 

He may be controversial, but I think he's still "their guy." There are really only two ways I see Ozzie leaving this organization: either he randomly becomes completely incompetent (not going to happen) or he leaves on his own free will.

[iamshack]

He may be controversial, but I think he's still "their guy." There are really only two ways I see Ozzie leaving this organization: either he randomly becomes completely incompetent (not going to happen) or he leaves on his own free will.

Or one day he just says or does something that is too bad for the Organization to excuse him for.

[gatnom]

Or one day he just says or does something that is too bad for the Organization to excuse him for.

 

Like? I can't really think of anything that isn't just an impossible scenario.

[Felix]

I've grown to really dislike Ozzie, especially as he continues to have a significant impact on the roster construction of the team. He's not the GM, and he shouldn't be given that type of power over the organization. Given that this team is essentially the one that he wants (minus a little grit and determination), I think he'll be on the hot seat should his attempts to play NL ball in the AL fail miserably.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Felix

[greg775]

I like him a lot, but agree he shouldn't be allowed to set the roster the way he sees fit. The GM must do that and he should manage the players he gets.

Smallball is stupid.

I like our pitching, not so crazy about our everyday lineup and defense.

[SoxAce]

I've grown to really dislike Ozzie, especially as he continues to have a significant impact on the roster construction of the team. He's not the GM, and he shouldn't be given that type of power over the organization. Given that this team is essentially the one that he wants (minus a little grit and determination), I think he'll be on the hot seat should his attempts to play NL ball in the AL fail miserably.

 

I agree with this more or less.

[gatnom]

I've grown to really dislike Ozzie, especially as he continues to have a significant impact on the roster construction of the team. He's not the GM, and he shouldn't be given that type of power over the organization. Given that this team is essentially the one that he wants (minus a little grit and determination), I think he'll be on the hot seat should his attempts to play NL ball in the AL fail miserably.

 

I agree with all of this, except that I believe he's on the hot seat for actually having a say in this team's construction. The moves this off season have obviously been shifting this team closer to the NL style that Ozzie prefers, and I think the front office is just giving him a chance to have his style of team. If his ideas fail like many here believe they will, Ozzie will be officially removed from having a large role in how the team is put together, but I feel his actual job as manager will never be in question, unless of course the next couple teams completely bomb.

[SkokieSox]

I have always liked Guillen, and hope he is able to leave after a long managerial career with the Sox. His first Sox Fest, at the very end, after the last seminar, he impressed the hell out of me. KW and everyone had left the room after signing a few autographs. Guillen stayed the entire time, and I mean the entire time. I got a couple balls autographed and my picture taken with him. All but 5 people were left in the room. I couldn't believe how nice and dedicated he was to the fans. Admittedly, I was a little concerned over this last episode, but Ozzie having his son resign, and then lecturing him about respecting the Sox, and cut out this public bulls***, has me proud. Ozzie takes nothing more serious than his family, and for him to do that, took a lot. Not to mention I think he's a hell of a manager.

[southsider2k5]

This was the chance that something could happen to Ozzie. I figured if anything was going to get him it would be something to do with his kids, and yet this passed over pretty easily. He is going to be here for a while.

[Balta1701]

This was the chance that something could happen to Ozzie. I figured if anything was going to get him it would be something to do with his kids, and yet this passed over pretty easily. He is going to be here for a while.

As much as any of us may think he's made the wrong moves in places, the number speak for themselves. The guy fields a competitive team nearly every year. The guy's teams overplay the projections nearly every year.

[Baines3]

Unless this season is total disaster I look for Ozzie to be around at least a couple more years.

[CanOfCorn]

The only thing that will get Ozzie fired is Ozzie. Here's the issue with some of your arguments: The team was built on the GM's back and it was a station-to-station home run hitting team. I'm not blaming Kenny for this, he did what he thought was best. it didn't work, although Ozzie managed through it. What kind of team won the World Series in 2005? I would argue it was a lot more like this team than the teams from 2006-2009. Speed at the top, players who can handle the bat, better defense, a couple of home run hitters, but mostly gap/doubles power. I won't go so far as to say that Ozzie will never be fired, but it's going to take a string of crappy years or some ridiculous thing that he says to get him fired.

 

Also, I recently read an article about this...basically saying that Ozzie's wins over a replacement manager was +2 which was just below LaRussa, Cox and Fredi Gonzalez...all of whom were +3 and +4. I wish I could find the article. Sorry fellas.

[klaus kinski]

His pressure this year is greater because its more his kind of team. When it fails in the AL, he will implode

[Felix]

The only thing that will get Ozzie fired is Ozzie. Here's the issue with some of your arguments: The team was built on the GM's back and it was a station-to-station home run hitting team. I'm not blaming Kenny for this, he did what he thought was best. it didn't work, although Ozzie managed through it. What kind of team won the World Series in 2005? I would argue it was a lot more like this team than the teams from 2006-2009. Speed at the top, players who can handle the bat, better defense, a couple of home run hitters, but mostly gap/doubles power. I won't go so far as to say that Ozzie will never be fired, but it's going to take a string of crappy years or some ridiculous thing that he says to get him fired.

The team in 2005 was 5th in the majors in HR with 200 and dead last in doubles with 253. That sounds absolutely nothing like our offense this year.

[NorthSideSox72]

The Sox, as I remember reading, are the only team in baseball that has met or exceeded the statistically expected win total each year since they've been projecting it, as I recall. That means someone other than the players deserves some credit. Is it KW? Ozzie? Coop? Herm? Some of all of them?

 

[MattZakrowski]

The Sox, as I remember reading, are the only team in baseball that has met or exceeded the statistically expected win total each year since they've been projecting it, as I recall. That means someone other than the players deserves some credit. Is it KW? Ozzie? Coop? Herm? Some of all of them?

 

I think credit has to go to a medical staff that has done an amazing job keeping players on the field. I'll give Ozzie credit for one thing, he manages the starting pitching well. I do not approve of his lineup construction, and if he really is the reason we didn't get a real dh this off-season, then that's on him too.

[chisoxfan09]

My concern is always pretty much the same. Peavy and Floyd got rocked on consecutive night pitching softball and batting practice and our offense pretty much suffered some suckage. I am really worried this year we will go through that drought roller coaster of last year. Can't go through that again. Dunno if you can peg that solely on Ozzie. We are now in the last 2 weeks of SY so we should be seeing more consistancy going into the regular season.

[NorthSideSox72]

My concern is always pretty much the same. Peavy and Floyd got rocked on consecutive night pitching softball and batting practice and our offense pretty much suffered some suckage. I am really worried this year we will go through that drought roller coaster of last year. Can't go through that again. Dunno if you can peg that solely on Ozzie. We are now in the last 2 weeks of SY so we should be seeing more consistancy going into the regular season.

That's because they WERE pitching BP, they were getting reps in working with certain pitches and focusing not on results, but mechanics. And the offense is still warming up.

 

The season may or may not go badly, but you are putting far too much weight on ST results.

 

[JoeBatterz]

Ozzie Forever!

 

[Ranger]

I've heard some news that makes it sound like Ozzie could be out of favor in the organization, which shocked me, so I just thought I would get the overall opinion of soxtalk.

 

He's not going anywhere.

 

And if he does:

 

He may be controversial, but I think he's still "their guy." There are really only two ways I see Ozzie leaving this organization: either he randomly becomes completely incompetent (not going to happen) or he leaves on his own free will.

 

That.

 

More often than not, his bad managerial decisions piss me off. But then when I think about what other managers might do...Ozzie doesn't seem so bad. After all, going from Manual to Guillen is a good switch.

 

In reality, it is not hard to make in game decisions as a manager. Play who's hot, play the splits, and don't be stupid. Its keeping guys loose and working together as a team that matters. Supposedly Guillen does that well, I guess.

 

For some reason, some people have this perception of Ozzie that he makes these extraordinarily ridiculous lineup and bullpen decisions. The problem with that thought is that it just isn't true. Ozzie is, actually, a fairly standard game manager. The managing of the lineups isn't as crazy as people like to think, either. LOTS of managers do the same lineup jumble that Ozzie does (just take a look at some of Leyland's lineups, for example) and he primarily does it when the lineup is struggling or when guys need rest.

 

And I know there are people here that simply cannot grasp the concept of professional ballplayers needing a day of rest here and there, but it's absolutely true. Part of the reason is that a lot of these guys have some health issues that none of you will ever hear about. I can tell you that there are at least two guys that are tremendously important to this team that have nagging shoulder problems. Naturally, they will get days off even when it seems to the fans like they shouldn't.

 

Honestly, I think the issue for Ozzie might be (for some people, anyway) that Ozzie isn't always very good at getting his point across in english, so people automatically think he's a baseball idiot. Which he clearly is not.

 

That's because they WERE pitching BP, they were getting reps in working with certain pitches and focusing not on results, but mechanics. And the offense is still warming up.

 

The season may or may not go badly, but you are putting far too much weight on ST results.

 

Basically. Like I said the other day, Peavy was throwing almost nothing but fastballs in his last start.

[maggsmaggs]

To me Ozzie is both irreplacable but also replaceable. Let me explain: There is nobody that could replace Ozzie in terms of fan adoration, publicity and outrageousness. Sadly, the Sox do get a lot of their national media attention, whether for good or bad, because of something contreversial or funny Ozzie said. You will never be able to replace the personality of Ozzie. Managerial-wise, Ozzie isn't a Bobby Cox, Torre, La Russa or Gardenhire in my mind, so in that respect, I think you could find an alternative to Guillen who will roughly win the same amount of games with the Sox talent. But there is something to be said for having Ozzie and the national attention he brings along. I am in the group that says other. I think this year is big, but not monumental. If this year's team, with the losses that Minny and Detroit have incurred since last year, fails to win, I have no problem putting Ozzie on the hot seat for 2011, making that year make or break.

Edited March 24, 2010 by maggsmaggs