The chances Ozzie Guillen returns to the White Sox next year have dropped to a coin flip, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
A few weeks back, a source familiar with Ozzie Guillen’s thinking predicted that it was 95 percent certain that Guillen would remain the White Sox’s manager.
The source has now dropped the odds to 50-50, and says Guillen’s chances of staying are that good only because owner Jerry Reinsdorf has been loyal to him before.
Guillen wants a contract extension, and so far the White Sox are cool to the idea. Something has to give: The return of Guillen as a lame duck would be potentially explosive for both sides. -- Fox Sports
Beerleaguer: While it's hardly Guillen's fault Alex Rios and Adam Dunn have tanked this season (for the record, it's not Williams' fault either for putting them -- especially Dunn -- on the roster, and to suggest it is purely asinine), all the blame falls on Guillen for leaving them in the lineup deep into the season.
And it's even more glaring when you consider Alejandro De Aza and Dayan Viciedo have combined to be worth 2.5 WAR in 55 games, while Dunn and Rios have racked up -3.9 WAR in 242 games. If De Aza and Viciedo sent Dunn and Rios to the bench after the All-Star break (with Omar Vizquel and Brent Morel going to Triple-A until the Mark Teahen trade), maybe this week's series against Detroit would actually mean something. Although that's not too plausible, as Detroit has been unstoppable as of late.
From an on-field, tactical standpoint, the Dunn/Rios/De Aza/Viciedo quadrangle is why he won't return. But, perhaps more importantly, his dissatisfaction with his contract situation could lead him to decide to leave.
If the Sox indeed are hesitant to extend Guillen -- as they should be -- it's tough to see him returning for a lame-duck 2012, knowing he'll have to win with a mediocre roster to save his job. If I were in his shoes, I probably wouldn't return. But if I were the White Sox, I wouldn't give him an extension based on how he's bungled quite a few things over the last 20 months.
While Guillen's timing of his contract demands has been awful and completely miscalculated -- who demands job security when they're doing a unsatisfactory work? -- I do understand why he wants it. Again, the 2012 White Sox aren't looking like they'll stack up well against Detroit, Cleveland or maybe even Kansas City.
If Guillen was to return, he'd be betting his long-term future with the White Sox on rebounds by Dunn and Rios, a breakthrough by Gordon Beckham and/or success out of a starting rotation that will enter next year with quite a few question marks.
At this point, the situation isn't ideal for either side. Maybe it's best for both sides to mutually agree to part ways after this season.
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BONUS PEARL JAM LYRICS
behind her eyes there's curtains
and they've been closed to hide the flames, remains
she knows their future's burning, but she can smile just the same, same
and though her mood is fine today
there's a fear they'll soon be parting ways
The recent influx of inserted song lyrics into the White Sox blogosphere is probably not a good sign. Songs about being happy generally suck, and aren't very quotable.
To solidify my point, I submit the lyrics to "Walkin' On Sunshine"
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/16872/
Oy, they are terrible.
Posted by: JRFegan | 09/12/2011 at 04:46 PM
I also understand why Guillen wants job security; he loves money.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Guillen reflects on 1,000 games as manager
By Bruce Levine
Ozzie Guillen reflected on his tenure at the helm of the Chicago White Sox as he managed his 1,000th game in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
I asked Guillen if he thought he would quit or be fired when the time comes for him to leave the job.
"Fired," Guillen said. "Because I'm not going to quit. I'm not a quitter. When I want to quit I'll make sure I do a lot of stupid things to make them fire me and get paid." END
As far as his future, send him to Florida for Chris Yelich.
Posted by: Buford | 09/12/2011 at 08:34 PM