When the Chicago White Sox were going through a miserable 2024 season with a 41-121 record, it was a defeating experience for us all.
One of the more frustrating parts of the season was watching respected White Sox analysts being forced to hold their tongue.
Chuck Garfien and Ozzie Guillen are some of the best in the business. White Sox postgame shows are always fun, even when the team is not.
But even as someone who loves both Chuck and Ozzie, I can admit that watching them tiptoe around criticizing the organization only brought on more frustration about the on-field product and the lack of accountability for those at the top.
When you’re interacting with players and coaches on a daily basis, it’s normal to avoid telling the public how you truly feel at times. But with a new coaching staff and better vibes kicking off 2025, Ozzie Guillen is no longer hesitating to bash former White Sox manager Pedro Grifol.
Ozzie calls Pedro Grifol a 'stupid manager'
Chuck and Ozzie joined 670 The Score’s 'Mully and Haugh Show' on Friday morning to talk about the South Siders being 7-7 in the month of May and preview the upcoming Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field.
Guillen identified the biggest difference from last year's Sox to this year's Sox coming down to the skipper.
"The difference between last year and this year is, by far, we don't have a stupid manager,” Guillen asserted to a live audience that laughed and applauded.
“I’m not going to say Will Venable is the best manager in baseball, but when you talk to him and hear him before and after games, you’re like 'well that’s it,'” said Guillen. “Pedro was lying to everybody. He was selling the car without an engine."
Guillen said what everybody has been thinking. Like Sox fans everywhere; he found Grifol to be disingenuous.
"I hate when people lie to themselves and lie to the fans," Guillen continued.
Pedro Grifol won his introductory press conference when he promised White Sox fans that the team would be "prepared to kick ass" on a daily basis. As soon as the sloppy play and lack of preparation on the field contradicted those statements, Grifol lost the fanbase and continued to double and triple down.
I consider Grifol to be the worst manager in White Sox history by a wide margin.
Guillen’s brutal honesty is exactly what made him a lovable manager and a World Series champion. He will tell it to you like it is. No pulling punches.
That refreshing realness has been lacking in the organization in recent years. It’s something I hope to see the White Sox get back with Will Venable and the next core of young White Sox players.