White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was guilty of using a sledgehammer when a ballpeen hammer was called for, and now general manager Ken Williams could be just as culpable for using a jackhammer to dig a deeper hole.
Guillen has been suspended for two more games and fined an additional $2,000 for inflammatory comments he made Wednesday about umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, and Williams is likely to be fined himself because he backed up his manager Thursday with incendiary remarks.
Williams lost his temper over what he feels is a lack of respect from Major League Baseball operations chief Sandy Alderson.
“I’m neither his child, nor do I work for him,” Williams said.
“I don’t mind telling you the conversation between Sandy Alderson and myself got heated. It’s unfortunate because I felt it certainly could have been handled in a much different way. But I don’t particularly like being talked to in the tone and the manner with which he talked to me in regards to this situation.”
Alderson, who had called Williams to inform him of Guillen’s latest suspension, did not return phone calls seeking his reaction to Williams’ comments.
The odd–perhaps unprecedented–set of events Thursday came after Alderson had read Guillen’s comments in the newspapers about his two-day suspension for a run-in with Wendelstedt.
“He lied,” is the shortened version of what Guillen said of Wendelstedt’s report to the commissioner’s office. So Alderson slapped the rookie manager with two more days, making Guillen’s penalty a total of four games and $3,000.
And Williams’ punishment?
“I had to ask this question myself during my conversation with Sandy Alderson,” he said. “‘What’s my fine going to be?’ … People will look me in the eye and put microphones and cameras in my face and ask for the truth, and I’m going to give it to them.
“So, what is my fine and what is my suspension? I don’t know exactly what you can do to a general manager, other than banning him from the city. We will have to suck it up, whatever the heck it is, and go on.”
Williams was upset Guillen didn’t have a chance to defend himself to Alderson, and he left little doubt that he and Alderson, third in the MLB command behind Commissioner Bud Selig, had a heated exchange.
“His voice raised to another level again, and I got frustrated with the conversation and saw no point in continuing it,” Williams said.
Did he hang up on Alderson?
“No … not in the fashion you’re thinking of,” he said. “I ended the conversation.”
And he does expect to be fined, almost welcoming it.
“This is less about money than about the right thing and respect,” Williams said. “So whatever happens, happens. …
“You have to have people who are not afraid to push the envelope a little bit and not fear retribution. I think we’re probably well on that road. I’m not sure where it’s going to lead us. We might find out soon enough what happens to a general manager when he gets suspended.”
Even Williams admitted this latest round of suspensions and fines could have been avoided if Guillen had not been quite so vocal in ripping Wendelstedt. But the passionate Guillen let go with both barrels over what he felt was an injustice–and the equally ardent Williams would not let it rest.
Guillen reportedly left the ballpark Thursday after Williams told him of the most recent sentence and did not speak to the media.
“You can neither put his reaction on television nor in print,” Williams said. “I’ll just have to say it was animated, and he was a little disappointed.”
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THE PHONE CALL
“I’m neither his child, nor do I work for him. I don’t mind telling you the conversation between Sandy Alderson and myself got heated. It’s unfortunate because I felt it certainly could have been handled in a much different way.”
–Ken Williams, Sox GM
THE AFTERMATH
“You have to have people who are not afraid to push the
envelope a little bit and not fear retribution. I think we’re probably well on that road. We might find out soon enough what happens to a general manager when he gets suspended.”
–Ken Williams, Sox GM
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Edited by Chris Malcolm (ccmalcolm@tribune.com) and Chris Courtney (cdcourtney@tribune.com)
