ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -The struggling Chicago White Sox may change their roster through trades before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. One thing that won’t be changing is Ozzie Guillen’s managerial style.
Two seasons after guiding the White Sox to the 2005 World Series championship, Guillen is getting votes of confidence from team officials. Support is also coming from other managers, including Atlanta’s Bobby Cox and the Cubs’ Lou Piniella.
“They told me the same stuff I told my players,” Guillen said before Monday’s game at Tampa Bay. “Believe in yourself. You did it before. You’re going through a tough learning process and you’ve got to continue to fight.”
The White Sox had lost 22 of 27 entering a four-series with the Devil Rays, including three straight defeats over the weekend to the crosstown Cubs.
Guillen was his usual self before batting practice, joking with his players, coaches and reporters. He’s not going to call any team meetings, just keep to his normal routine of one-on-one chats.
“We know what’s going on,” Guillen said. “Do they feel bad? Yeah, of course. They feel embarrassed. They know they are not playing to the level they should be playing. They all know that. They know what’s going on. I don’t have to remind them how bad we are playing.”
The message is a simple one. Look ahead, and not behind.
“Right now I have to keep positive with them,” Guillen said. “We’ve got to come back out and perform.”
Through the ups and downs, Guillen has discovered how much he wants to manage and stay in the game.
“It’s a learning process,” Guillen said. “Everything was so good in my career, everybody said ‘Oh, managing is easy.’ People were saying that when we were winning. You look around and say like ‘Wow.’ You scratch your head and say you can’t believe what’s happening right now to this ballclub. Nothing is going right for us right now.”
Chicago general manager Ken Williams reiterated Sunday that Guillen’s job is safe. However, he did add “changes need to happen” to the roster. That could mean left-hander Mark Buehrle and others could be moved in trades.
Guillen said trades may happen, but the White Sox are not headed for a rebuilding project.
“There’s no white flag,” Guillen said. “We’re not going to do that. The White Sox fans earned it. The White Sox fans don’t want it. We have people here to put a good ballclub together. We have it right now. We’re just not playing the way we should be playing.”
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