Padres interviewed controversial Ozzie Guillen for manger
Credit: AP Photo
The San Diego Padres are in search of a new manager.
Most assume the new hire will come with some experience as the last two chosen for the job (Andy Green and Jayce Tingler) came with no major league managerial experience and failed miserably. The thought process is that the new leader will come with the know-how to deal with a major league locker room.
The Padres are built to win now and are full of characters. The new skipper will need to deal with several different personalities and need to be able to motivate them. Not an easy task, but a respected manager should be able to accomplish the task.
Several names surfaced in the last week as the Padres have been linked to Mike Schildt, Ron Washington, and Luis Rojas.
On Tuesday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that the Padres already interviewed long-time baseball mind Ozzie Guillen for the job. The interview took place last week and was not reported by anyone in true Padres’ fashion. A.J. Preller and his staff prefer anonymity than to be out in the open.
Ozzie Guillen brings a lot of experience with him, but some baggage comes along with the 57-year-old.
Controversy is no stranger to the manager as he is very open about his opinion. Unfortunately, that often gets him into trouble.
After the White Sox won the 2005 World Series, Guillen declined a trip to the White House with the rest of his team. Not the hugest of controversies, but the first incident involving Guillen. In June of 2006, the manager called a local Chicago reporter an offensive name and later issued an apology to the LGBTQ community for his use of a colorful word to describe the man. If that had happened today, it would not have been swept under the carpet. Look what happened to Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2010, while speaking about legal immigration, Guillen spoke his mind and got in trouble for calling some Americans lazy and saying immigrants were workaholics. Guillen is colorful and opinionated. Unfortunately, the former player is not candid, and that can be dangerous, especially in this day of social media.
Guillen managed the White Sox to the 2005 World Series. He finished his tenure with Chicago going 678 and 617 in eight seasons. The Sox made the playoffs twice in that time only finish worst than third-place once under his regime. Guillen got results from his players, and he worked well with veterans. He is described as a player’s manager. There is no doubt he is capable of leading the Padres and earning respect from the players.
In 2012, Guillen took over as the manager of the Miami Marlins. It was his only season in Miami as the team finished in 5th place and lost 93 games. Guillen also made controversial comments about Fidel Castro that did not go over well in the city of Miami. A city with plenty of Cuban immigrants. The Marlins fired Guillen with three years left on his contract. He has not managed in the majors since then.
The Padres interviewed former White Sox and Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen for San Diego’s managerial opening, sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal. The interview took place last week.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) October 26, 2021
The Padres are looking at all angles in their search for a skipper. You get a sense that Preller really understands how important this hire is to his future in San Diego. The Padres cannot swing and miss again. They need instant results. The wins must come right away.
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Ozzie Guillen may give the team the wins they seek in the standings, but he is capable of saying anything. And that is scary. At this point, hiring Ozzie Guillen would be risky for the San Diego Padres. The manager may have softened his views, but the Padres have no room to gamble. The goal is instant results.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.