[Illusion]

Alot of sports fans here in Chicago are happy that Ozzie went off on Mariotti.

You also have to respect a man who speaks his mind.

Outspoken Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen apologized Wednesday for using a derogatory term in referring to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti, then kept up his criticism of the writer.

Guillen went into a profanity-laced tirade against Mariotti before Tuesday night's game against St. Louis and called him a number of names, including a derogatory term that is often used to describe someone's sexual orientation.

When reached before Wednesday night's St. Louis-Chicago game, Mariotti said that the story is the gay groups who have been insulted, and not him.

But Mariotti added that he is not meeting Guillen or going to the White Sox clubhouse because he has been the subject of physical threats while there over the past few years and the White Sox have refused to do anything about it.

"I'm taking a stand," Mariotti said. "I've received physical threats through the years and the White Sox have done nothing to address it.

"I've said, 'If you guys are not going to do anything about this, I'm going to stop coming in there.' "

In a phone interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday night, Mariotti said his Thursday column will call for Guillen to be suspended.

"I'm a big guy. I have to accept the criticism," Mariotti said in a phone interview Wednesday night. "I'm appalled that he can use these ugly slurs and think it's an acceptable form of retaliation in American life. It's not."

Scott Reifert, the Chicago White Sox vice president of communications, said he was aware of one incident in 1997 of a shouting match between Mariotti and Tony Phillips, then a White Sox player. He said team officials and officials from the newspaper had lunch in the 90s to discuss Mariotti's complaints.

Since then, he said, the team has written letters to Mariotti and the newspaper offering to have a meeting and have offered to close the clubhouse for Mariotti to meet with the players, but the White Sox have not received any responses.

Reifert said the team had had good relationships with reporters and columnists and the team "stands on its reputation" for being open and accessible to reporters.

Commissioner's office spokesman Rich Levin said that Bud Selig learned of Guillen's remarks Wednesday afternoon.

"All I'm going to say at this point is that we're going to look into it," Levin told ESPN.com. He declined further comment.


Columnist Greg Couch of the Sun-Times wrote a column Wednesday in response, calling for commissioner Bud Selig to suspend Guillen for his use of a "hurtful homophobic" term.

Before writing the column, Couch asked Guillen for an explanation. Guillen defended his use of the term "f\*g" by saying this about homosexuals and the use of the word in question: "I don't have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country.''

Guillen said that in his native Venezuela, that word is not a reference to a person's sexuality, but to his courage. He said he was saying that Mariotti is "not man enough to meet me and talk about [things before writing].''

Guillen also told Couch that he has gay friends, attends WNBA games, went to a Madonna concert and plans to go to the Gay Games in Chicago.

"I called that of this man [Mariotti],'' he told Couch. "I'm not trying to hurt anybody [else]."

Reifert offered to apologize on behalf of the organization when approached by Couch.

"To anybody who was insulted or hurt by that comment ... as an organization, we'll certainly apologize," Reifert told Couch.

[tacomax]

Before writing the column, Couch asked Guillen for an explanation. Guillen defended his use of the term "f\*g" by saying this about homosexuals and the use of the word in question: "I don't have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country.''

Guillen said that in his native Venezuela, that word is not a reference to a person's sexuality, but to his courage. He said he was saying that Mariotti is "not man enough to meet me and talk about [things before writing].''

What a bag of bollocks.

Guillen called the guy something he shouldn't and now he's backtracking by coming up with some BS that it's some word from Venezuela which relates to a man's courage. Anyone who believes that surely believes in the tooth fairy.

[Illusion]

Anyone who believes that surely believes in the tooth fairy.

You mean there's no such thing as the tooth fairy? Thanks for ruining my day taco.

[Tchocky]

Ozzie Guillen is a colorful character. I like colorful characters but I don't consider my views as mainstream. He should have known better that his comments were going to offend but that's the kind of person he is. He says what's on his mind and that's refreshing.

[bigboydan]

Anyone who believes that surely believes in the tooth fairy.

lmfao@taco

[bigboydan]

You also have to respect a man who speaks his mind.

not to that degree though. sometimes people cross the line, and this time happend to be one of them on ozzie's part. why just last week he had one of his own pitchers sent down to the minors because he didn't hit a batter.

a person has to have some issues to go where he went with him comments.

[isetcap]

Ozzie Guillen is a colorful character. I like colorful characters but I don't consider my views as mainstream. He should have known better that his comments were going to offend but that's the kind of person he is. He says what's on his mind and that's refreshing.

It's not refreshing, it's idiotic. I despise Mariotti and I am a big fan of Guillen but it is inexcusable for Ozzie to be saying things like this. Being outspoken is refreshing. Publicly slandering someone you don't like with inappropriate refrences to his/her sexuality is disgusting.

Ozzie, you're not in Venezuela, you're in the US and you're a bigtime manager for a bigtime team so start acting like it. Don't try to hide behind a pathetic cultural excuse.

[Tchocky]

It's not refreshing, it's idiotic. I despise Mariotti and I am a big fan of Guillen but it is inexcusable for Ozzie to be saying things like this. Being outspoken is refreshing. Publicly slandering someone you don't like with inappropriate refrences to his/her sexuality is disgusting.

Ozzie, you're not in Venezuela, you're in the US and you're a bigtime manager for a bigtime team so start acting like it. Don't try to hide behind a pathetic cultural excuse.

Is Mariotti a homosexual or not? If he's not, then what's the problem? Guys call each other "fags" all the time to emasculate them. It was never Guillen's intention to denigrate homosexuals.

[bigboydan]

Guillen suspended one game, Riske three for three games.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Chicago White Sox pitcher David Riske was suspended three games by the commissioner's office Thursday for intentionally throwing at St. Louis' Chris Duncan this week.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen also was suspended, for one game. He and Riske were each fined an undisclosed amount by Bob Watson, vice president of on-field operations for Major League Baseball.


Riske's suspension was scheduled to start with Thursday night's home game against the Cardinals, unless the reliever appeals. Guillen was required to serve his penalty Thursday -- there was no appeal process available for him.

Riske and Guillen were ejected in the seventh inning of Chicago's 20-6 victory Tuesday night after the right-hander hit Duncan with a pitch.

The benches had been warned in the bottom of the sixth after St. Louis pitcher Sidney Ponson plunked two White Sox batters with the bases loaded.

[moses millsap]

Ozzie is so delusional, it's hilarious to me.

[presley177]

Guillen suspended one game, Riske three for three games.

Riske suspended for 3 games is ridiculous.

[bigboydan]

i feel they got these suspendtions reversed.

[BuddyBear]

not the best choice of words....i really hope the Tigers win that division I hate the White Soxs.

[Illusion]

They are also making Ozzie take sensetivity classes.

[bigboydan]

They are also making Ozzie take sensetivity classes.

i wonder if they will put him in the same class your in ILL

[Illusion]

i wonder if they will put him in the same class your in ILL

I doubt it. My classes are deeply classified. I am just that nuts.

[bigboydan]

I am just that nuts.

no doubt about it ILL. you sure do qualify as a loon alright

[Illusion]

It's quite obvious the classes didn't work for Rocker.

Ozzie Guillen was ordered to attend sensitivity training for a homophobic slur he made about Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. According to John Rocker, Guillen won't get anything out of it.

When Rocker was ordered to attend similar training after the former Braves reliever made offensive remarks in a Sports Illustrated story published in 1999, he left shortly after showing up, he told the Chicago Tribune.

"The guy told me when I got there I had to show up to make it look good for people, so after about 15 minutes I left and walked right out of the room and it satisfied the powers that be," Rocker told the newspaper.

Rocker was a teammate of Guillen's with the Atlanta Braves in 1998-99 and said he considers Guillen a friend. He defended Guillen's right to speak his mind.

"This is a free country. If he wants to use a lewd term, he should be able to use a lewd term," Rocker told the newspaper. "Can't you use a lewd term in America if you want?"

Guillen also was fined an undisclosed amount of money for his profanity-laced tirade against Mariotti.

On Friday, Guillen ruffled more feathers when he said he did not actually expect to attend the sensitivity training class.

"I don't think I'll be going, I don't think that'll happen," Guillen told ESPNdeportes.com in an interview at U.S. Cellular Field. The interview was conducted in Spanish.

"I think the commissioner ordered that in order to calm things down, but, obviously, to attend one of those, I'll have to take English lessons first," he added. "I'll do what I have to do, at least when I have time, but I don't think I'll take those sensitivity lessons."

A few minutes after leaving the interview room, Guillen said through a team spokesman that he would undergo the training.

Rocker was banned from baseball until May 1 by commissioner Bud Selig, who also imposed a $20,000 fine and ordered Rocker to attend sensitivity training for the remarks he made to Sports Illustrated, but an arbitrator reduced the suspension to the first two weeks of the season, cut the fine to $500 and allowed Rocker to report to spring training on March 2.

In the SI article, John Rocker said he would never play for a New York team because he didn't want to ride a train "next to some queer with AIDS". He also bashed immigrants, saying "How the hell did they get in this country?" He also called a black teammate a "fat monkey," spit on a toll machine and mocked Asian women.

"It was a farce, a way for the scared little man, Bud Selig, to get people off his [backside]," Rocker, speaking to the Tribune, said of the sensitivity training.

He also told the newspaper that he didn't pay any of the fine levied against him by Selig. Rocker was fined $20,000 for his comments, but that was reduced to $500 after appeal.

"I never paid a cent, a lot of players never pay a cent," Rocker told the newspaper. "It's just a front to look good and the way Selig cowers to pressure."