While Ozzie Guillen stood in front of a dugout and entertained an unusually large contingent of Chicago reporters, his starting pitchers became reacquainted with the monotony of spring training.
Coaches tapped ground balls in the infield. Pitchers either caught them or peeled off to cover first base.
Over and over, the drill continued, as it will almost every day until April 5. Guillen, who is replacing Jerry Manuel as the White Sox’s manager, hardly seemed to notice the players. They definitely noticed him.
While Guillen turned an interview into a monologue chock full of colorful stories and language, Mark Buehrle passed by on the way off the field. He stuck both of his fingers in his ears, seemingly protecting himself from noise pollution. Then he rolled his eyes and chuckled.
Welcome to the first day of the rest of the Sox’s life. And say hello to a new boss that is not like the old boss.
“You have Jerry on one end of the spectrum,” center fielder Aaron Rowand said, “and you have Ozzie all the way on the other end.”
No one knows whether hiring an anti-Manuel, a guy who is as effervescent as Manuel was dignified, will be the key to unlocking the success of a franchise that had the talent to average more than 86 victories the last three seasons. But crazier things have worked than turning a team over to an All-Star shortstop who wears his feelings on his sleeve.
I know what Phillies fans say about Larry Bowa. But Guillen is as sweet as Bowa is sour.
This just might have a chance.
Guillen’s sunny presence was enough on Friday to hold off rain that is forecast for the weekend. The temperature was in the 50s, yet the air around the new manager was practically crackling.
“I’ve been here for five days,” Rowand said. “This camp feels a little looser, obviously. There’s a buzz around the team. People are excited, but this is probably only the beginning. Things should really get going with all the position players.”
Jerry Reinsdorf, of all people, was in high spirits as he wandered around on the back diamonds. This says a lot given that general manager Ken Williams hasn’t yet found a way to jettison Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko or Billy Koch, leaving the Sox about $5 million above budget.
Reinsdorf was asked if camp felt different with a chatterbox and registered disturber of the peace like Guillen in charge.
“It’s amazing,” the White Sox’s chairman said. “I don’t want to knock Jerry. Jerry’s a fabulous man. Ozzie’s just different, has a different style. You can see it around the clubhouse. These guys are really going to have fun playing.”
Fun? Did someone say fun?
Unless you have a long enough memory to remember the first four months of 2000, when Manuel meshed with a group of overachieving kids pinching themselves because they were leading the American League Central, you probably don’t remember when White Sox baseball was fun.
That run at a title was intriguing a year ago. But imports like Bartolo Colon, Robbie Alomar, Carl Everett and Tom Gordon were never huggable. All the juice was in that day’s outcome–victory or defeat.
Under the direction of Guillen, they figure to score some style points along the way.
“I will say that over the last few years . . . ” Reinsdorf began, then stopped himself. “No, it’s not so important what has happened in the past, but I think the future is going to be special. Tony Pena has it, the same thing as Ozzie, and you could see it in what happened to the Royals. They started playing with a certain exuberance, with life. I think that’s what we’re going to get with Ozzie.”
Along with entertainment, players also will get immediate feedback from Guillen. According to Rowand, it sometimes seemed Manuel kept himself “secluded” from his players. That’s not Guillen’s style.
He was serving as Florida’s third-base coach in a game last June that the Marlins lost 25-8. Boston scored 14 runs in the first inning, with Johnny Damon getting three hits before the Marlins could get three outs.
Starting pitcher Carl Pavano, who had given up six runs without retiring anyone, sat on the bench dazed. He asked Guillen what happened.
“I told him, `You were horse [manure],”‘ Guillen said. “Then I said I was happy I was here, and so should he be. We’re never going to see that again. Three hits in an inning? I couldn’t get three hits in a month.”
Instead of crying, the Marlins laughed. Then they beat the Red Sox 10-9 the next day and kept winning, all the way to a World Series championship.
When Guillen met with the White Sox’s pitchers and catchers Friday morning, his message was about competitive spirit, not pickoff plays and team rules.
“Just play with fun,” Guillen said later. “I told the kids, `You’re too young to be moody.’ Just go out and play. We’re gonna be laughing.”
That’s not a bad goal.
