This has been a toying and taxing baseball season for the Chicago White Sox. Every time they seemed to be pulling it together, they fell apart. Every time they seemed out of it, a glimmer of hope would appear. The seesaw swinging above and below an even record left the fanbase feeling abused, dejected, but still in love. We love the Sox, but we made them hit us. Or we fell down some stairs. Either way, we need therapy or an article in Cosmo to help us regain our self worth.

So who’s the abuser? Who has put us in the panicky state of doubt, mistrust, and unwarranted hope? Only one man has consistently and incessantly demanded it’s him: Ozzie Guillen. He said it in 2004, he said it in 2006 and 2009. Last April, he even flat out stated that he should be fired. At this point, it’s not a bad idea. 

Beyond asking for contract extensions while in the middle of a hugely disappointing season, Ozzie doesn’t seem to be very aware of what’s happening around him. He continues the frat house tomfoolery and hijinks that only Hawk and Steve Stone continue to be amused by. This upsets me, because if memory serves, the Sox traded away Nick Swisher for that exact same reason. Swisher’s wacky antics and goofball persona rubbed Ozzie the wrong way, and General Manager Kenny Williams dealt him to the Yankees. Ozzie felt that Swisher was being too silly given his poor batting average and performance. That type of behavior was not to be tolerated then, and it shouldn’t be now.

Joey Cora, drop that bum. When Gordon Beckham “forgets” to cover 2nd base or Brent Morel is pulled out of position while watching a baserunner, that falls on the bench coach. Failing at fundamentals is inexcusable at the professional level. If a Little Leaguer can learn it, a Major Leaguer should know it better than his own face.

While we’re at it, it may be time to let Kenny Williams go, too. Sure, the Kenny/Ozzie team brought us a World Series title after 88 blaa blaa blaa, but they also have spent more and done less since then. Let’s look at the Kenny decisions: trade Swisher, acquire Jake Peavy, drop Jim Thome, pick up Manny Ramirez, Todd Ritchie, and oh yeah, ADAM FUCKING DUNN. There are many others bad moves, and yes, there are many very good ones, but lately it feels like he’s lost his grasp of the baseball world. Kenny is probably less to blame for the poor performance of high end players, but he’s most definitely responsible for letting Ozzie run amok, exasperatingly claiming that “Ozzie does what Ozzie does.” Huh? Who’s the boss here, Kenny? I know you’re all buddies, but you’re also co-workers. I get along well with my supervisors, but they can put the fear in me if I mess up, and all pretenses of a friendship disappear when it’s work at risk. Kenny needs to crack the whip. He may not win a popularity contest or get to sit near some of them in the lunchroom for awhile, but he’ll get the point across: start taking this seriously.

(I’m pulling for the Brewers for the rest of 2011.)

This team needs a major overhaul. 6 seasons removed from winning it all, they have regressed into a station-to-station, mopey team full of underachievers and blame passers. What happened to Ozzie ball? They’re slogans involve grinding, but non of the on-field action does. If players want to stay, they need to prove they are willing to fight. If they want to leave, there’s the door. Players follow the example set by their leaders. With one year left on his contract and a team that was sunk before it began, Ozzie started campaigning for an extension. If I asked for a raise directly after botching my main task, I’d never work again. It’s that simple.

Ozzie says to blame him. He’s right.