‘What? Excuse me?’ Really?’ If I don’t say anything, that means I agree with them. “If a player says something stupid, I will say something about it. “I’ve never said something like, ‘How does this guy have a job?’ My business is what I see in the game and what the manager says about it. Guillén maintains he cares only about what the fans think, not any of the people he is commenting on. One of Guillén’s most-used lines after Grifol’s postgame briefings air is “White Sox fans are not stupid,” suggesting they aren’t buying whatever Grifol just said. Hahn and Grifol admitted the clubhouse was in dire straits but pushed back on the specifics of Middleton’s claims, going so far as to reveal he also was a problem.īoth said the removal of alleged leaders who pulled the Sox clubhouse apart and a team meeting in Cleveland were signs of a renewed approach to creating a better culture. Now with the New York Yankees, Middleton stood his ground about a lack of accountability on the Sox, meaning management, Grifol and the coaching staff. Grifol is currently embroiled in Keygate, a new controversy surrounding the sagging Sox culture and ignited by the “no rules” accusations made by Keynan Middleton, a middle reliever Hahn traded before the deadline. Once a firestorm starter both as player and manager, Guillén now provides analysis of the 2023 meltdown. The job went to Grifol, a baseball lifer without major-league managing experience. Guillen was interviewed by general manager Rick Hahn for the Sox manager job last winter but was never seriously considered. Those might be fireable offenses in some organizations.īut he has been a steadfast critic, especially during this season of nonstop misery. Guillén pointed out he never has cursed out a player or told fans not to watch Sox games. Guillén brushed off Anderson’s response at the time as part of the job and he never has wavered since from criticizing Anderson or manager Pedro Grifol, whose postgame press briefings typically turn into a scripted defense of what went wrong. Then-manager Tony La Russa said it was his decision to rest Anderson to preserve his legs for the long season. “Ozzie need(s) to stfu sometimes … talk too much!” Anderson tweeted. The only time a Sox player has publicly pushed back on Guillén’s commentary was in May 2022, when Guillén said shortstop Tim Anderson should’ve played in the second game of a doubleheader instead of resting. If someone (from the Sox) doesn’t like what I say, well, I’m here. But the reason I have it, the reason they picked me to do this job, is because the fans know I will tell the truth. I could criticize this team every inning, but I never did that. I never say, ‘This guy should be fired,’ or ‘That guy should be hitting there.’ If the White Sox or the player don’t like what I say, too bad. “But when I see something I don’t think is good, I’m not going to protect myself from the White Sox and not tell the fans what they need to hear. Most of the time I say something, I don’t criticize the White Sox for the moves they make: ‘Why did they bring in this guy? Why did they pinch-hit this guy?’ It’s none of my business. I don’t make stuff up so people watch our show. Why? Because I’m not lying and I see the facts. “They can’t (say anything),” Guillén replied. I recently asked Guillén - who is employed by NBC Sports Chicago, which is partly owned by the White Sox - if he ever gets any blowback from the Sox for his often biting commentary. It’s a very different story on the South Side of Chicago, where Ozzie Guillén, the top studio analyst for White Sox games, has carte blanche to criticize the team and manager - and frequently has done so in this train wreck of a season. Brown, who has not commented on his situation, is expected back in the booth Friday, according to the Baltimore Sun. New York Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen was among Brown’s peers who called out the Orioles for the move, which was widely panned across baseball. So Brown quietly was removed from broadcasts in the heat of a pennant race to serve his penance. But the Angelos family - which owns the team and part of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network that airs Orioles games - never has been grounded in reality.
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