CHICAGO (AP) -Outspoken Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen accused umpire Phil Cuzzi of having a vendetta against him on Wednesday, two days after he was ejected for arguing strikes.
Cuzzi, who was behind the plate on Monday, tossed Guillen in the third inning after he popped out of the dugout following a strike call against Paul Konerko. It was his 13th ejection since the White Sox hired him as their manager in 2004.
“I don’t like that guy behind the plate,” Guillen said before Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. “Every time he’s behind the plate, we might have a problem.”
Guillen was also ejected by Cuzzi on July 31, 2007, in New York.
“As soon as I know that he’s going to be behind the plate, I know I’m going to be ejected,” said Guillen. “You can have my bench coach handle this game because I know I’m going to be ejected.”
Guillen said that Cuzzi let his personal feelings toward the manager affect the way he called Monday’s game.
“I asked what the pitch was. He said ‘I don’t want to hear it anymore,”’ Guillen said. “That was the first thing I said to him. That’s unprofessional. If you don’t like me and all of a sudden you’re going to take it out on my players, you’re wrong.”
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