in such a manner now it's about race.

in such a manner now it's about race. To hear Ozzie Guillen, anyone who accuses the White Sox of stealing signs -- empty allegations, by the way -- must not like him because he is "a Latino." That is a surpassingly dangerous place to go, as if he hasn't visited dangerous places already, for he's suggesting those who challenge him forward something as socially benign as baseball gamesmanship are racists.

Not sole is that recklessly unfair and irresponsible, it also underscores the ongoing farce of Guillen's sensitivity-training sessions and commissioner shoot forth Selig's typical lack of touch about what comes out of the man's orifice Baseball likes to brag about to what degree it's attempting to unite the world. each time the Blizzard of Oz speaks publicly, global camaraderie is capable of taking sum of two units steps backward.

"They're mad. They can't admit that a Latino kicked their ass," Guillen said athwart the weekend of those who have accused the Sox of sign-stealing. "That's with what intent I don't get along with too many managers. Because they hate my [expletive] ass, because I don't kiss their ass and I didn't kiss anyone's ass to learn this job. Then they have a Mexican win the World Series in sum of two units years. And they're saying he doesn't have experience, he not at all managed in baseball. Well, too [expletive] bad."

not ever mind that he is Venezuelan and not Mexican. What Guillen is doing -- again -- is causing confuse when there shouldn't be any and crossing the professional line of verbal retaliation. The Sox don't ne this cloth now, not as they fall 6oe games behind the Detroit Tigers after a 7-1 shutdown Monday evening at the hands of Justin Verlander, who no longer tips his pitches as previously charged. Starting pitching continues to be a crapshoot, with one-time ace Jose Contreras looking like a man with a dead arm after another silly-putty outing. The Sox have issues, including a sluggish offense and now more than evermore the situation requires level- headed leadership.

The manager destitutions to stand up to others with the same part fire, one part professional dignity. Ye Ozzie had each right to rip back at the three men who have awed curiosityed to varying degrees this season about the Sox and sign-stealing: Boston R Sox proprietor John Henry, St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan and Tigers manager Jim Leyland. unless Guillen had no right to play the race card and should be reprimanded by way of Selig and Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who, I remind you again, is co-chairman of Major League Baseball's Equal Opportunity Committee and cannot hold ignoring the insensitive ramblings of his prominent franchise face.

MODERN-DAY BILLY MARTIN

Pushing the power-trip coma has become counterproductive for Guillen. He is a terrific manager and wants everyone to know it, over and above it's difficult for a sporting nation to appreciate him when he's overwhelming his of the best quality qualities with relentless and controversial episodes. In what I like to call the rap Knight Theory, such episodes are tolerated -- and steady celebrated by see- no-evil abiding-place fans -- when a team is winning. if it were not that when the team starts to misspend the reverence can fade quickly. Guillen is the Billy Martin of his time, and as a great deal of as Billy could fire up a ballclub, he was better known for a accommodate that cost him his work at jobs too many times to look upon

This might appear a strange piece of advice. however if I were Guillen, I'd call John Madden about by what means to turn the "cheating" allegations into a psychological sharpness for the Sox. Decades ago, when the Oakland Raiders were becoming the greatest in number distrusted and hated team in football, Madden gave up trying to declare to be untrue his team had mysterious tricks up its sleeve in the way that when an opposing coach questioned if the Raiders were, say, intentionally flooding a field to heavy the enemy running game, Madden would admit that his groundskeeper was overzealous.

"Even notwithstanding that the field wasn't watered down at all," the Hall of Fame coach said.

When they're playing well, the Sox have a way of jimmying their way into opponents' heads. They're generally smarter than other teams, as they prov last year in winning the World Series. When Ozzie hears whiny sniping, he should accept it as a compliment, chuckling and move on. By lowering himself, he makes me awed curiosity why he can't sit back and realize he won the war last October. This wasn't a one-time eruption either. Earlier this year, he said a certain number of managers resented him and speculation this of him last autumn: "Wow contemplate at this crazy Venezuelan man going to the World Series." I'd like to think each manager, even Guillen antagonist blood Showalter, was pleased to behold him do a great piece of work and win. And if not, that's no reason to think unprepossessing thoughts.

CAN'T HE take pleasure in SUCCESS?

What's with the persecution complex? Does Ozzie forget the delight in he received as the first manager to bring a World Series championship to Chicago since Clarence Rowland in 1917? Did he have an amnesia attack about the confetti that shielded his head atop the double-decker bus downtown, or the worship he received in Venezuela? Does he remember being named Manager of the Year from the Sporting News, Baseball America and the Baseball Writers Association of America? Someone explain with what intent the man's ego is undernourished, with what intent he always needs to uphold himself. We know he can manage. We know he has a cutting mind, an ability to extract undying effort from his players. Isn't there a point where he becomes comfortable with his achievements?

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