Doing The Unthinkable
>> Wednesday
Okay, here goes.
I'm about to defend Jay Mariotti.
Yes, Jay motherfuckin' Mariotti, of "Around the Horn" fame (infamy?).
Not sure how up to date any of you are on the recent debacle involving Ozzie Guillen and Jay Mariotti, but here goes. Basically, Guillen was pissed at Mariotti recently for writing this article, critical of the way Guillen handled recently-demoted pitcher Sean Tracey. The backstory: Guillen was pissed at this kid tracy for not plunking Hank Blaylock in Chicago's 8-0 loss to the Rangers last week, during which catcher A.J. Pierzynski had been hit on the arm (the arm, mind you) twice by Vincente Padilla. First off, I don't argue with anyone hitting A.J. Pierzynski, ever, but that's really here nor there. Perhaps the most ridiculous thing isn't that Guillen was furious with Tracey for not carrying out his order, but that he even went so far as to publicly question why Pierzynski hadn't charged Padilla when he was hit.
Okay, fine. Nothing too huge or out of the norm here, typical Ozzie Guillen-being-a-psycho baloney. And, not too surprising per se that Ozzie got pissed at Mariotti for ripping him, a lot of people are pissed at Jay Mariotti every time he opens his mouth. Also, Guillen was reportedly pissed at Mariotti because this is just the most recent of a long line of Jay-Jay ripping him in the paper.
Anyhoo, here was Guillen's response:
"What a piece of shit he is, fucking fag."
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Wow.
Okay, let's slow down. First of all, let's not get too caught up in the fact that Guillen used the word 'fag.' Yeah, it's incredibly offensive and stupid, but, as far as locker-room jock-talk goes, it's pretty much par for the course (like the time Jeremy Shockey called Bill Parcells a homo, which was awesome). Not saying it's right, it's just not surprising.
That notwithstanding, is Guillen really that much of a psycho that he can't control himself when speaking in public? I mean come on, as Mariotti even says in that same column, these Ozzie outbursts are becoming waaaay too frequent and are coming at about the rate of 2 per week. That's insane.
Also, once and for all, let's please cut the fucking shit and stop saying that Ozzie Guillen is a brilliant, or even average Major League manager. Last year's World Series win was obviously great, but his continuing "old school" small-ball tactics mixed with his unquestionable lunacy are starting to seriously undermine the White Sox, Larry Bowa style.
I agree with Vinnie, this guy's shelf life in Chicago is two years, tops.
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5 comments:
Yeah, my prediction may come sooner than thought.
Let's face it; in sports, few things earn you scorn/unemployment quite as quickly as public comments considered hostile to minorities. Among athletes themselves, stuff like that is as you said--typical. But just like the "Jap plays" remark by Bill Parcells's (...he comes up again...), these things always cause a huge controversy.
At the same time, I don't think Ozzie Guillen should lose his job or even job security over a stupid three-letter utterance, albeit one that espouses disdain for people of a particular ilk.
Ozzie Guillen's lack of respect for gays (assuming he meant it as a so-called-by-the-media "homosexual slur" and didn't just use the term in the generic "being soft" context that has become such common slang) should be of far less concern than the purported anti-gay culture in sports...and of less concern than Guillen's verbally abusive demeanor.
The former is the real issue of social impact--not "what Ozzie Guillen thinks of gays" but rather, "how gays are viewed in sports." The latter is the more relevant issue regarding Ozzie Guillen personally. What he thinks of gays is minimally important in the realm of his professional career compared to how he treats his players and others with whom he associates. If he really does have something against gays, it's merely one example of larger character flaw--namely, his flagrant egocentrism.
And that, in one way or another, will be his downfall. I don't wish failure on anyone, even though it seems like I want to see Guillen fail. It's more to set up an "I told you so" thing so I can look super smart, as well as a frustration in seeing someone so lionized for qualities that I feel are mostly mirages.
"Ozzie Guillen's lack of respect for gays (assuming he meant it as a so-called-by-the-media "homosexual slur" and didn't just use the term in the generic "being soft" context that has become such common slang)"
As you guys may know from my previous comment about Ozzie, I don't like the guy...check that, I hate his guts. That being said, Ozzie did clear up that "in his country" the term fag is used as an attack at a man's courage. He claimed that Mariotti should have said those things to his face. He also cleared up that "he has gay friends, attends WNBA games, went to a Madonna concert and plans to go to the Gay Games in Chicago." Well that's good to know.
OK fine so he doesn't have a problem with gay people. I mean, how could he? He goes to WNBA games... whatever the fuck that means. Like you guys have said, that isn't the issue here; Ozzie and his ego are the issue. This man can't resist an opportunity to call attention onto himself. That is not un-common in the world of sports, and not necessarily a problem. It does, however, become a big problem when you can't measure your words, and more often than not, the shit the spews out of your mouth offends people.
I hope your prediction is right, and that we don’t have to deal with this imbecile being credited as the manager of one of the best teams in baseball.
Adds my brother in an email:
"Ozzie Guillen is a crazy [explitive] fag."
So Ozzie also has many gay friends, attends WNBA games, been to a Madonna concert, and is going to go to the Gay Games? Hey Ozzie, it's kinda hard to tell the difference between your dumbass and a hole in the ground these days.
Ozzie is increasingly resembling the behavior of the test-tube baby that would be created if you fused Ron Artest and Marge Schott's genetic material together, which is a horrific image in itself.
Now the real question...since the Cubs are probably gonna pull a George Costanza and give Dusty an extention, who gets fired first, Dusty or Ozzie? I'm with you guys, Ozzie's got two years, but somehow, Dusty may just outlast him.
As a Brewers fan, I'm really really really glad that Baker's getting an extension.
More important that what they do with Baker, the Cubs should fire Larry Rothchild three years ago.
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