Hey, the White Sox are still nominally in this thing. But if they wind up in second or third place -- which is by far the most likely outcome -- you gotta figure a third straight non-postseason season will bring some changes. Or as Joe Cowley writes:
South Side Regime Change?
These are strange days on the South Side.
Days that are only getting stranger.
And as September draws near, there’s growing suspicion the curtain is about to close on either manager Ozzie Guillen or general manager Ken Williams — or maybe both.
A major-league source told the Sun-Times that the fragile relationship between Guillen and Williams is now beyond repair.
There’s plenty more, if you’re interested in more of the drama that’s always attended the Guillen-Williams relationship. It’s actually sort of a testament to everyone involved that it’s lasted as long as it has. But eventually, you go long enough without winning and a poor-but-working relationship just becomes poor.
The White Sox’ World Series sweep now seems like a long time ago; their division title three years ago nearly as long ago. But that’s what not winning will do, when you spend every year like you’re supposed to win.
I do not think Ozzie Guillen is indispensable.
Guillen’s winning percentage as White Sox manager is .526.
Before Guillen, Jerry Manuel’s winning percentage as White Sox manager was .515.
Before Manuel, Terry Bevington’s winning percentage as White Sox manager was .509.
Before Bevington, Gene Lamont’s winning percentage as White Sox manager was .551.
This has been, for some time now, a winning organization. The White Sox haven't lost more than 90 games in a season since 1989; they've posted winning records in 16 of their last 22 seasons (including this one, so far). Ozzie Guillen has something of a reputation as a miracle worker because the White Sox won the World Series after going 87 years without. But if Guillen were still a miracle worker, he would have fixed Adam Dunn (and Alex Rios) by now.
My personal opinion, based on nothing but guts and spit and baling wire, is that Ozzie Guillen’s a pretty damned good manager. But if the relationship between him and his general manager is broken, somebody probably has to go.
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