Two years after taking his young team to their first Wold Series in 88 years -- many of their fans' lifetimes -- the 61-84 Chicago White Sox are sitting in very last place in the American League Central, trailing the Kansas City Royals by 1.5 games and 24 behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians.
What better way to reward the debacle and secure your club's future than to give your manager an extension?
The Pale Hose announced Tuesday that they have agreed on a new contract with skipper Ozzie Guillen (one year early) through the 2012 season. GM Ken Williams called the move an "easy decision" saying that the issues Chicago is having right now, like not winning ever, have little to do with coaching and management.
"This is the worst summer I've had in all my career because I was too soft. I was kind of worried about what people were going to say about me," Guillen said. "I could care less what people say about me as long as I win."
After a 16-year playing career where he spent the first 13 with the Sox, Guillen coached with Montreal and Florida before he was hired on as manager in 2003. Two years later, they went 11-1 in postseason play and seemed to have the baseball world by the balls.
Voted AL Manager of the Year in 2005, Guillen has watched his club slide deeper into their impossible hole as the season progressed, now tied with the Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the crappiest record in the majors.
"When you are winning, you are king. When you're losing, you are nobody," Guillen lamented.If nothing else, the good people of the Windy City have some great managerial theatrics to look forward to over the next 5 years.
[Chicago Tribune]
2 comments:
I thought Mel had gotten off to an early start with this post: I spy a Pale Hose-era Bacon Pants in that second photo.
Looks like the Twins can focus on Detroit and Cleveland now that Chicago has taken itself out of the picture for the next few years.
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