Ozzie vs. Kenny: Good, Bad, or Both?

Major League Baseball was in the process of getting White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to contribute to a website to go along with his Twitter and Facebook accounts. That is until Kenny Williams and the rest of the front office shut it down. Williams has not been fond of the White Sox skipper embracing social media even though there are cameras rolling from MLB Network to document the behind-the-scenes going on with the White Sox. This social media bicker between Guillen and Williams has been getting a lot of publicity in Chicago and some have even suggested this is more than just fighting over social media.  I've already talked about why Twitter is a great tool for Guillen to be on, but I want to dive into this fight and see what's good and bad about it.

The Good: Now this is definitely the minority opinion of media members, but I'm leaning on the side of this fight being a good thing. Through this whole time frame that is coming up on a month, have you heard anything on the actual players on the team? I can't think of much besides the occasional piece on Jake Peavy, and that's exactly what Guillen wants. Guillen would rather have the attention on him over his players not because he likes all the attention, but by the media not focusing on his players, the players can go out there and perform their best. There are a ton of stories that could be told about the players going into this season (Carlos Quentin's comeback from injury, Buehrle strengthening his arm, etc.) and now instead of having to answer questions, their play can answer those questions.

Another reason this type of fighting is good is that it keeps everyone in check. As Guillen or Williams, you wouldn't want to be surrounded by people who agree with everything you do all the time. A little disagreement is a great way to keep things in check and prevents people from going crazy with power. It's a great way for people to bounce ideas off of and receive great opinions that are good to hear.

The Bad: While I said disagreement is a great way to keep everyone in check, it is up to a point. When you're constantly disagreeing with someone, you just might not be on the same page. There is no doubt there is questions with the White Sox offense this year. Guillen wants a rotating DH with Omar Vizquel, Andruw Jones, Mark Kotsay, Paul Konerko, and Carlos Quentin, Williams wanted to go after a big power type hitter to be the full-time DH. As of right now Williams is letting Ozzie's experiment run, but you can bet that if there is no production, Williams will be working the phones to acquire a big hitter. This is bad because this disagreement is coming from two guys who are responsible for winning baseball games and right now they don't have the same view as to how this team will be successful. That is a scary thought and one that might lead to either Williams or Guillen being fired at years end.

In the end I think these disagreements are a combination of good and bad but leaning more towards good. I can't wait for the regular season to start so these types of discussions are put aside by the media, that is unless the Sox start losing and the blame will be looked to be placed on either Guillen or Williams, starting another fight most likely.

It's Time We Commend Kenny Williams for his Work

Now when you read that title and you pair that with the news that Sox have pulled its offer to Johnny Damon, you're probably telling yourself that I am a crazy person or something to that effect. The truth is that Kenny Williams is playing this one very well. It is well known that Williams and super-agent Scott Boras don't get along and very rarely negotiate together (Assistant GM Rick Hahn is usually the one in charge of negotiating contracts with Boras clients). Williams isn't a person who likes to be wrapped up in the games that Boras plays to get the most money possible for his clients and there has been speculation that these same types of games have been going on with Johnny Damon.

Some people are suggesting that the Detroit Tigers never really offered a contract that spanned two years and about $14 million and now we get to see if that deal did actually exist or if Boras was just using writers and insiders to boost the price of his client.

When you read into the comments that Williams made about the offer being pulled you could tell there is still a high level of interest in Damon on the side of the Sox but this is a way to tell Damon to not let his agent get in the way of making this decision. I understand money is a big factor when deciding where to go, especially after you've already won two world championships, but it's also about comfort level and Mrs. Damon has reportedly said she prefers Chicago to Detroit (and in reality, who wouldn't?).

What this move also does is it can speed up this process immensely. I know as a Sox fan I've been scouring message boards and Twitter to try to get the latest news on where Damon has decided to play and it's been painful as a fan. I can't imagine what Williams feels like to be jerked around in this charade, so this move can work one of three ways. Either the Tigers' 2 year offer is real and Damon takes it in the next hours or day, Damon stops talking to the Sox altogether and works out a deal with the Tigers, or Damon tells Boras to get out of the way and takes the offer the Sox originally had available to him.

I think lately the owners and GMs in Major League Baseball have caught on to the way Boras works and are making a point to not outbid themselves for the services of his clients. This can be seen in the players that are firing Boras as their representation. Boras for whatever reason was extremely successful at getting his clients the maximum money available in previous years but those numbers have come down in recent years. You can say that is because of the economy and whatnot but I think the front offices are getting a grasp on how Boras works and are trying to put a stop to it.

Wherever Damon picks, we'll know that Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox won't be duped into outbidding themselves for a player no one else was bidding for.