Ozzie Guillen Ripped Nick Swisher on Live TV
Ozzie Guillen is a loudmouth. As a player, as a manager, as a TV analyst, he always spits hot fire. That's not an insult. Quite frankly, I bet he would take it as a compliment. It's who he is and who he always will be.
Yet, I can't help but wonder what prompted this savage takedown of Nick Swisher last night. It's seemingly unprompted and unprovoked, though if someone knows something I don't, hit me up and call me out. Clearly I like loudmouths.
A little background. Swisher played for Guillen, then the manager of the White Sox, in 2008, three years after they won the World Series. Swisher was horrible that season, batting .212 with a .410 slugging percentage, the two worst marks of his career as a full-time player. The White Sox lost in the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays that postseason and their run as contenders was pretty much over. Guillen was let go by the White Sox three years later because of an inability to get along with their GM at the time. Swisher left the White Sox after his brutal 2008 campaign and won a World Series with the Yankees a year later.
So, they had some together as manager and player and clearly didn't get a long. But why call him out now? It seems someone compared someone to Nick Swisher in the clip, but is this the first time Guillen has heard his name since transitioning over to being an analyst on NBC Sports Chicago? Based on his reaction, it feels like it.
"I hate Nick Swisher with my heart," was a pretty strong statement from Guillen. But calling a guy who has presented a very fun-loving personality (and backed that up as an emotional leader with a couple different teams) fake is another. Perhaps he was fake in Chicago but real elsewhere? I don't know the answer to that, but I want to.
Regardless, this is who Guillen is, was and always will be. He speaks his mind and doesn't care about the consequences. It's why media members loved interviewing him and ultimately why his managing career faltered. If he keeps creating soundbites like this, however, his broadcasting career may be on the upswing again.