I have become an Ozzie Guillen supporter since he took charge of the White Sox. I had hated him since he was apparently misquoted for complaining about the fans booing the players after the 1984 strike (what he had actually said was that both sides deserved to be booed, but the players were the only ones the fans saw.) And, of course, there was this little thing no Chicago baseball team had achieved in 88 years (at that time): a World Series Championship. So, to many of us, Ozzie is manager for life.
We understand however, that the road is never smooth with Ozzie in the clubhouse. He has a temper and is never shy about letting his mouth run before his mind is engaged to the media. But, he is a breath of fresh air in that you know you are getting his thoughts instead of the same old clichés that you see from other managers and front office people.
The one thing that is good (and sometimes bad) about Sox Managing Partner Jerry Reinsdorf is loyalty. He keeps his good company men employed despite private and public calls for change (former Bulls GM Jerry Krause being the most blatant example after blowing up the Michael Jordan dynasty solely to prove that he was a genius). To this point, Guillen has been the perfect company man, backing his bosses: Reinsdorf and current GM Kenny Williams publicly in arguments from all comers including former outfielder Magglio Ordonez, to, most recently, Orlando Cabrera.
That is, until yesterday. The Sox have played well in two of the three baseball categories: fielding and pitching, but had a horrible weekend against Tampa Bay Rays pitching: losing 2-1 Friday; 2-0 Saturday; and 4-3 in extra innings on Sunday. After losing the Sunday game, Guillen exploded “I expect movement Tuesday. I expect Kenny to do something Tuesday and if we don’t do anything, there are going to be a lot of lineup changes.” Williams responded at his home when he heard of Guillen’s comments “very interesting, very disappointing. It’s never a good idea to throw your boss under the bus, especially when that boss has had his back as much as I have.”
Unfortunately, they’re both right. Guillen is tired of seeing the lack of clutch hitting, knowing that the pitching can’t keep up this pace all season. Williams expects his team to be hitting better, but he has been Guillen’s staunchest supporter when he shot his mouth off in the past. It was interesting however that Guillen suggested that it may have been his fault, or hitting coach Greg Walker (see below), but more than likely some of the players are to blame. But, despite it all, the White Sox are in first place, and there is a school of thought that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” As I stated above, I think Ozzie has earned a long tenure as a result of 2005, but he doesn’t want to piss off Williams, who has a temper of his own (ask Frank Thomas), and is more loyal to Reinsdorf than Guillen. The lack of run production is frustrating, and has to be driving the pitchers crazy, thinking that they have to be perfect just to get wins.
So, Ozzie, while change is needed, you may want to make nice with Kenny Williams and remove the knife you placed in his back; otherwise, the change made on Tuesday may be the manager.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, one way of sending a message to the team is to fire/reassign hitting coach Greg Walker. As I wrote above, Reinsdorf is fiercely loyal to “his guys” and Walker has been a good soldier for the Sox as a player and coach, but it’s time for new blood, and since you can’t fire the players, and Ozzie guided the team to a championship, he still gets a pass, so Walker is the person to go.
Personally, the last straw for me would have been a comment he made to one of the local papers over the weekend. He said that everyone in the AL except for Texas and Boston is having hitting woes. The NL has a higher collective ERA that the “junior circuit,” and this was the first time that Walker could remember that being the case.
Maybe, but that is a COPOUT. Your team isn’t hitting, and hasn’t been for TWO YEARS. Your method is not getting it done. Stop blaming it on the opposition. That’s the last reaction of someone who needs to be fired: “it isn’t my fault.”

As surely as the tides; as certain as death and taxes; the San Diego Padres announced that pitcher Mark Prior would be undergoing season ending surgery on his shoulder. Since being a phenom in 2003 going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA, Prior has spent most of his time on the disabled list, not the mound. Oh well, at least the Cubs learned their lesson and let him leave. They aren’t relying on him anymore. But it is sad, he seemed like he was going to be great, but instead, his career appears to be following in the footsteps of another Mark: “The Bird” Fidrych.

I admit rooting for the Chicago South Side baseball franchise much more than the team that plays on the North Side. As such, I have received questions asking when I was going to blast a member of the White Sox. Well, this week, I got a great opportunity…
In the offseason, the White Sox lost out on every free agent they tried to lure, but I thought the Sox came out well acquiring Orlando Cabrera from the Angels even if they paid a high price in Jon Garland. Cabrera was a leader, a Gold Glove winner, and a solid hitter. Unfortunately, there was one more piece to the puzzle: Cabrera is in the final year of his contract, so he has free agency starting him in the face.
Perhaps this has been the reason that the shortstop has flipped out. Earlier in the season, before the Sox played his former team, Cabrera was quoted, going on and on in praise of his former manager Mike Scoscia, dissing Sox manager, fellow Latin American, and the man who out-managed Scoscia in the 2005 playoffs, Ozzie Guillen. But that wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. This week, it was reported that Cabrera had called the official scorer twice to complain about an error he had been given. Worse, he was insinuating that the catcher, his teammate, deserved the error more, and Guillen warned him about that type of behavior.
After this was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Cabrera defended his actions saying that numbers were the only way players were judged. He has since refused to talk with the Sun-Times and has complained to other media outlets that Guillen wasn’t supporting him like he did other players.
The team has responded by playing well, leading the AL Central at eight games over .500, and not one player (as reported by the media) has taken Cabrera’s side in this. Cabrera would have more ammunition is he was hitting better than .245. for once, Ozzie was absolutely right; Cabrera should shut up and play and let the free agency situation sort itself out.
Meanwhile, Sox GM Kenny Williams hit a grand slam with a move that was only quietly covered during the winter but has everyone looking now. The Sox got Carlos Quentin from the Arizona Diamondbacks in return for a minor league prospect. Quentin was hurt last year, and the D’backs are loaded with talented outfielders, so they let him go. Furthermore, the former White Sox prospect spent little time with Arizona, being traded for another player.
Quentin was an unknown factor; not even expected to start at the beginning of the spring, but had a solid spring: so solid that Guillen had to let him start, and it’s a good thing he did. Quentin has been the lone offensive bright light, carrying the slow starting veterans like Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko who couldn’t seem to find a hit, much less an RBI. Quietly, Quentin has earned hitting in the number three slot by posting a .296 average, an AL leading 14 home runs, and 47 RBIs, second in the league.
And he has been posting those numbers with an unassuming manner, much more willing to talk about the pitchers and other teammates instead of boasting about the spring he has turned in. Orlando Cabrera could certainly learn a lesson in baseball etiquette from the young man.
And smelling like roses is Kenny Williams, who had appeared to have egg all over his face, especially after losing Tori Hunter to the Angels when it appeared that he had agreed to a contract with the White Sox. So far, the Chicago teams have provided excitement that could be magical if a real crosstown World Series happens. In any event, it is a fun time to be a Chicago baseball fan, no matter what side of town you are on. Unless of course, you happen to be Orlando Cabrera.

One of the worst trends in sport is the revolving door between the coaching position and the broadcast booth. It seems like any coach with a big name gets fired, resigns, burns out and head for the booth. Some, like John Madden, Mike Ditka, and in basketball Mike Fratello, were naturals on the small screen. Others, like Bill Parsells, Bob Knight, and Bill Cowher are obviously marking time until the next job comes calling.
The latest man who may be having another trip on the merry-go-round is Doug Collins. Fired by the Chicago Bulls 19 years ago when it was said that he couldn’t get the team over the hump of playoff appearances and early exits compared with championships despite the presence of a young Michael Jordan, Collins appears to be the next coach of the new, young Bulls (I use the word “appears” since no deal has been finalized between the parties). Collins’ Bulls teams nearly two decades ago still needed a center (filled by Bill Cartwright), and a plan to maximize Jordan’s effectiveness along with teammates Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. Phil Jackson came from out of nowhere to take the job, and he was the right man at the right time, winning six titles in Chicago, three in Los Angeles, and his Lakers have reached the Finals again this year. Obviously, the Bulls’ brain trust was correct all those years ago.
It was also alleged that Collins was fired, in part, due to the numerous women “friends” he had on the road. It was said at the time that there was a serious contest between how many women Jordan could “pull,” compared with his coach. Perhaps, with age comes wisdom, or at least Viagra.
While I am surprised that the Bulls are hiring Collins, I was not sold on Mike D’Antoni who chose the Knicks job over the Bulls. D’Antoni has been a successful coach, but in the Western Conference where an offensive minded coach can prosper. I was not convinced that D’Antoni’s style would translate very well in the rough, tough, grinding, defensive minded Eastern Conference. By that same token, Avery Johnson didn’t really have a chance either, although I respect him as a coach and hoped he might get the job. What was surprising was Managing Partner Jerry Reinsdorf bitching in the newspapers after D’Antoni took the New York job like a jilted bride.
Collins will inherit a franchise that severely underachieved this season, going from Eastern Conference favorite to draft lottery participant almost overnight. The team’s fortunes may indeed be going up after the team was able to parlay a 1.7% chance into the number one pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Suddenly, coaches who didn’t want to touch the Bulls’ job with a 10-foot pole were interested. Maybe that’s what sold the deal for Collins, whose name never really surfaced in the media as a candidate. I don’t think however, that Collins may be enough of a teacher to bring this young team back to championship contention. But, after a few years, maybe Jackson will be available again?

One of the worst music critic clichés is someone “coming back.” There are a couple of reasons why this is lazy writing and sloppy thinking: first, it assumes that an artist’s old music is somehow intrinsically better than anything they could be doing now; the second is that the artist “went away” when that is usually not the case. In the case of “rock and roll,” there are a lot of older musicians who are making music as vital and creative as they did when their music was on the radio regularly, but there are vital differences between then and now: radio is much worse than it has ever been; and with the imminent demise of the record company in the traditional sense, these artists don’t get as much push as they once did. I just want to highlight some of the best music out there.
I know that I am an unabashed fan of Elvis Costello, which is why I am so angry at the reviews for his new CD/album Momofuku. A write-up in Rolling Stone suggested that this is the best album from the man also known as Declan MacManus since Imperial Bedroom. As great as that album was, it shortchanges some great albums in the interim like Brutal Youth, All This Useless Beauty, Blood and Chocolate and The Delivery Man. (Not to mention Elvis’ tremendous team-up with Allan Toussaint, The River In Reverse.) Still, I have to say that this does seem like a throwback to the 1980s with the exception that there has probably been no EC album that I have liked so much with so many songs that I don’t like. This can only be because there are so many of the songs that are flat out great. The rockers “No Hiding Place,” “Turpentine” and “Go Away” are solid songs in the “old Costello tradition.” “American Gangster Time,” and “Stella Hurt” are fine pop songs, but to me, the real stand outs are the R&B tinged “Flutter and Wow,” and the autobiographical “My Three Sons.” This outranks the duds – “Harry Worth” and the almost unlistenable “Mr. Feathers,” both of which show EC’s proclivity for different stylistic forms, sometimes to great effect, other times, failures.
Overall, however, the album feels like a Costello album from the 1980s, which will hearten some fans, but it is not the “comeback” album because Costello has been putting out consistently good music for a very long time now.
Somehow, EC’s record company must have more capital/contacts than fellow Englishman, Joe Jackson. His 2008 release, Rain, follows the tremendous reunion with his 1970s band Volume 4, with another set of fine pop songs. Unfortunately, I’ve heard even less of JJ than EC on the radio, which is, to my way of thinking, more important now than ever, since many of their long-time fans will only know about new music from them if they hear something on the radio (people in their 40s and older are the ones who still buy CDs, and may not be computer savvy enough to keep track of their favorite artists through websites).
Anyway, Jackson’s CD begins strong with “Invisible Man” “Too Tough” (a song I’ve heard him play live before), “Citizen Sane” and “Wasted Time.” All of these songs are clearly Joe Jackson songs, but with great hooks. That Jackson is able to pull all this off without a guitar on the CD, just piano, bass and drums shows how good the songwriting is. The recording is clear, and the bass playing and backup vocals by Jackson long-time cohort Graham Maby is typically tremendous.
One more word from the rock and roll front: if you haven’t downloaded it yet, Nine Inch Nails FREE CD The Slip is the most tuneful and listener friendly material from the industrial rockers in some time. Trent Reznor still has considerable issues with the world, women, and his own paranoia, but unlike Year One and With Teeth which both left me a bit cold (no pun intended), The Slip keeps the bombast but also has more songs you can hum along to (or crash your head against the wall to).
On the most soulful side, I heard that all of these “neo-soul” producers were going to work with the legendary singer Al Green, but in listening to it, it sounded more like Mr. Green’s work with his legendary producer Willie Mitchell than the two “reunion” CDs they had released in 2003 (I Can’t Stop) and 2005 (Everything’s OK). While those earlier CDs had their moments (especially I Can’t Stop), Lay It Down is the real deal: songs of love and longing that sounds more like the great music Al Green sang in the 1970s.
So, just because the radio stations have their collective heads up their asses doesn’t mean that there is no good music out there; one has to keep his or her ear to the ground (again, no pun) and give these fine CDs a listen.

I have always been a fan of Alfonso Soriano. I liked him as a second baseman for the Yankees, and thought that it was almost an even trade when the Yankees sent him to Texas in return for Alex Rodriguez. I have always felt however that it was a mistake to try and turn a good second baseman into an outfielder. Texas failed to convert him effectively, and now he is with the Cubs. (I should also say that I felt the Cubs WAAAAY overpaid for Soriano, should have left him at second base, and feel that he strikes out too much to be a leadoff man, but I digress.)
Anyway, over the past week, Soriano miscues have cost the Cubs two games; the last time coming Sunday when he lost a ball in the sun in the ninth inning against the Pirates, which tied the score and the Cubs eventually lost in extra innings. Yes, he has been on a historic tear at the plate, hitting seven home runs in a one week stretch from May 12-17, which selected the critics that booed him early in the season when he swung at every pitch thrown including those in the bullpen.
Apparently, the Cubs are worried about the mental health of their $136 million man; according to today’s Chicago Tribune, a Cub official was out in the left field stands instructing that any “profane or inappropriate” comments toward Soriano would lead to ejection.
Come on Cubs, Soriano’s a big boy; he should be able to take the comments all the way to the bank. He IS a butcher in the outfield; every ball to left field is an adventure, and it should be noted that he teams win championships with defense and pitching, and Soriano could be a liability later in the season and postseason if they make it that far.
And fans have the right to boo. As long as they are not profane, give it to him. And boo Lou Pinella for putting him out there. Part of what you are paying for as a fan is to make your opinion known, and let the highly paid players, coaches and managers know what you think. This isn’t Orwell’s America, no matter what the Republicans think (or want).
Soriano should have a tougher skin: after all, he’s not a football place kicker or a hockey goalie.