Oh Ozzie, You Fountain of Knowledge

What would Chicago reporters do with out Ozzie Guillen? I mean really. The middle of the summer, what else do you have to write about? And some columnists want to see him get fired. That's like killing the frickin Goose. For example:

Ozzie Guillen addresses challenges for Latino players
Sox manager contrasts situation with that of Japanese players

I'm guessing he'll handle this with same cultural sensitivity as he does everything else.

With MLB Network cameras filming for "The Club," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen reiterated his position Sunday morning on tough conditions facing Latino baseball players, many of whom come from poverty and don't speak English. Guillen spends time each spring in the minor-league camp talking to young Spanish-speaking players about drugs, alcohol and other problems they may face in the United States.

That's actually very good of him to do. He doesn't have to and he takes time out to help
people who came from the same conditions he came from. There is something very honorable about that.

"I'm the only one to teach the Latinos not to use (drugs)," said Guillen, who got on a long roll about the subject. "

Really? He's the only one? On the face of the planet, Ozzie Guillen is the lone ethical guiding light to these players?

I'm the only one, and Major League Baseball doesn't (care) about that, all they care about is how many times I argue with the umpires, what I say to the media.

I guess he really is the only one. He said it twice, it has to be true.

"But I'm the only one in baseball to come up to the Latino kids and say not to use this, and I don't get any credit for that. "

Except when you have a TV series soley about your ball club and you mention 3 times in under a minute that you are the only one to help these kids.

"And they look at it and they say … 'Ozzie said it, don't worry about it.' If somebody else said it, they would be playing (it) every day on the Jumbotron."

Why won't people just pay more attention of Guillen? Someone notice this guy for gosh sake!

Guillen said Latino players on the White Sox "are lucky we speak Spanish, but some people don't have that privilege to come here and (have that). That's why I always criticize why Japanese players have interpreters and Latinos don't have one. Very bad."

I'm not really qualified to comment on this, Guillen probably has a point. Though I would venture to guess every team has at least one player who can act as an interpreter for someone who speaks Spanish, where most teams don't have players who speak both Japanese and English.

Don't take this wrong, but they take advantage of us. We bring a Japanese player and they are very good and they bring all these privileges to them. We bring a Dominican kid (and say), '(Bleep) you, you go to the minor leagues, good luck.

Well, Guillen might say that. I'd hope Kenny William (GM of White Sox) would put it nicer than that.

And it's always going to be like that. It's never going to change."Guillen, who is from Venezuela, was 19 when he came to the major leagues and worked to speak English. When asked if most minor-league coaches could speak Spanish, Guillen said:"They don't have to, we're in the United States. We don't have to bring any coaches that speak Spanish to help anybody. You choose to come to this country and you better speak English."

I don't know if that actually answers the question. Maybe it has to do with the idea that Latino players are expected to speak English and Japanese players aren't.

Case Closed.