CHICAGO (AP) — In typically colorful fashion, Ozzie Guillen brushed off criticism Tuesday about his team's slow start.
Before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the outspoken Chicago White Sox manager said he isn't concerned by what most others think of him.
"There is one person I don't want to be angry at me and her name is Ibis Cardenas Guillen because if she gets angry at me, it's going to cost me a lot of money. My wife. Everybody else, I could care less if they like me or not," Guillen said.
Guillen has been the subject of newspaper columns and local sports radio chatter following Chicago's 2-5 road trip. The White Sox began the day 4-9 and in last place in the AL Central, five games behind first-place Minnesota.
"Are they angry at me because we're playing bad? Well, they should. If they're going to blame me because we play bad, they should because since I've been here in this seat, I've never blamed anybody. Maybe one day I blamed the players just because they were watching a (football) game when we were playing (last season) in Texas," Guillen said. "I always take the hit. I always take the blame because why should they blame somebody else? I'm the one who put those guys out there. I'm the one who believes in those guys out there."
Guillen doesn't even mind being the drawing card if fans attend White Sox games to boo him.
"If the fans are mad at me ... just one thing, figure it out, how many people we hold here? 50,000 people? 50,000 people please come here and boo me because at least we're going to have people in the stands," Guillen said.
With the exception of opening day, the White Sox have been drawing small crowds to U.S. Cellular Field.
"I hope we love each other in June and July the way we love each other right now because when you're winning everybody loves each other and when you're losing we have to hate each other — everyone. That's the way it is," Guillen said.
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