MLB Baseball Betting: Around the Horn

Everybody knows Ozzie Guillen is crazy. But does anybody know how truly crazy he is?

May 12, 2008

By Kevin Woodley
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

It’s been a big couple of weeks for baseball blow-ups, and not just the inflatable women that caused a minor stir in the Chicago White Sox locker room, although that sex-toy display may have played a role in manager Ozzie Guillen’s latest profanity-laced tirade.

The F-bomb-per-sentence ratio in Guillen’s latest rant was so high it was hard to tell amid all the “bleeps” why he was so angry. Turns out it was the (bleeping) Chicago fans and (bleeping) media picking on his horse (bleep) team while praising a (bleeping) Cubs team that hasn’t won a (bleeping) World Series in 100 (bleeping) years.

It was a mildly entertaining distraction from the fact Guillen’s Sox had indeed reverted being horse (bleep), losing six straight before taking the series against Minnesota and Seattle to stay just a game back of the Twins in the tightly packed American League Central. Guillen even managed to rip – and at the same time somehow tip his cap to – the 25th anniversary of former Cubs manager Lee Elia’s infamous attack on Wrigley Field bleacher bums ("Eighty-five percent of the (bleeping) world is working. The other 15 percent come out here."), while again sounding like a test of the emergency broadcast system.

Brett Myers does not want to hear your stupid questions. (AP Images)

Guillen was not, however, the only one to lose it publicly. He may not have even had baseball’s best blow-up the past two weeks.

Fighting Guillen – in one case literally, in the other almost – for the (dis)honor of shortest temper and foulest mouth were struggling Seattle (would-be) slugger Richie Sexson and struggling Phillies pitcher Brett Myers. Sexson got a six-game suspension (since reduced to one) for charging the mound and throwing his helmet at Texas pitcher Kason Gabbard after a high pitch that wasn’t nearly as close to his head as he seemed to think, but when it came to hot- and bone-headed overreaction, the award goes to Myers.

After giving up a pair of home runs in a loss, Myers, whose history includes allegedly punching his wife in the face (she didn’t press charges), blamed the bandbox ballpark, calling both “pop-ups.” He didn’t react well when one reporter dared question his analysis.

“You think they crushed 'em?” Myers asked, before really losing it when the reporter answered by saying that one of the two was a legitimate long ball. “Yeah, cause you’re a retard, you don’t know (bleeping) (bleep) about baseball. You’re filling in for somebody.”

Asked how to spell “retard,” Myers went “Ozzie” with his language (while ironically taking a jab at the writer’s vocabulary) before mixing in some physical-harm threats for good measure.

All of which proves one thing: Where there’s profanity, there is usually a problem. The Mariners can’t hit, the Phillies can’t pitch, and the White Sox will never be as popular as the Cubs in Chicago, no matter how many expletives their manager rattles off.

“A lot of people don't like the way I talk,” Guillen said later. “I may sound arrogant, but if you look at what I say, I just tell people, 'Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, is Ozzie Guillen lying?’”

1. Webb’s value: The Diamondbacks already have Brandon Webb, the first NL pitcher to win his first eight starts since Pedro Martinez for the Expos in 1997, locked up for next season as part of a $19.5 million, three-year contract, and even have a team option on his services for 2010 at just $8.5 million.
   'Zona must find a way to keep Webb in town. (AP Images)
   
   
   
   But with an 8-0 record, a 2.49 ERA, and that untouchable sinker, the Diamondbacks, whose $66 million payroll ranks just 23rd, are eager to get his autograph on an extension – and negotiations start at Padres' Jake Peavy recent $52 million, three-year deal, which included a hometown discount, and go up from there for one of baseball’s most unassuming stars.
   
   
2. The outlooks in Florida: The Rays sweep the Angels (maybe that decision to drop “Devil” from their name is paying off) to move into a tie with L.A. atop the wild-card standings, just a game and a half back of Boston in the AL East. And the Marlins, with a $22 million payroll that is less than what many top players make on their own (that will change once all-world shortstop Hanley Ramirez finalizes a new six-year deal reportedly worth $70 million – the richest in franchise history and, yes, he is that good - later this week) have the best record in MLB after winning seven straight with a sweep of the Nationals, and Arizona dropped all three in Chicago.
   
   
3. Fill-in Aces: With Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia struggling early in his walk year, Cliff Lee, who was courted by Arizona for a trade (imagine how good the Diamondbacks would be if they pulled that deal off?) after spending parts of last year in the minors, starts the season a perfect 6-0 with an MLB-best 0.81 ERA and a 39-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile in Anaheim, where the Angels are forced to start the season without injured 18-game winners John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, Ervin Santana is also 6-0 and Joe Saunders isn’t far behind at 6-1 – and even has a slight lead in ERA, 2.48 to 2.63.

1. Closer psyches: St. Louis “relieved” Jason Isringhausen from his role as closer not because of his five blown saves, but because he basically begged off the job, with manager Tony La Russa calling the temporary demotion a “mental health break.” Soon after, Milwaukee bench boss Ned Yost was signing a similar tune after Brewers closer Eric Gagne followed his fifth blown save of this season by saying: "I don't deserve that ninth inning right now. … It's mental; I think it's negative thinking that creeps back in your mind. … Every time we get a little momentum, I come out there and kill that rally.”
   
   
2. Verlander's velocity: In the quest to figure out how the Tigers’ flamethrower went from AL Rookie of the Year to can’t-miss No. 1 starter to 1-6 with a 6.43 ERA in less than three years, look no further than a decrease in velocity on his fastball. The good news is that, unlike San Francisco bust Barry Zito, Verlander’s loss in mph isn’t physical. Detroit’s ace is simply trying to be too cute.
   Verlander is off to a shaky start in 2008. (AP Images)
   
   
   "I think he's getting caught a little bit worrying too much about trying to become a pitcher, throwing 91 and 92 and saving [more velocity] if you get into a jam," manager Jim Leyland told the Detroit Free Press. "I think he needs to go back to what he did in his first year: 'I've got good stuff. I'll make my pitches. You hit it.' "
   
   Of course it also doesn’t help that after receiving some of the best run support in baseball his first two seasons, Verlander is getting less than half that at 2.57 runs a game this year.
   
   
3. Jays chances: Considering they were already last in the (admittedly tough) AL East despite some of baseball’s best starting pitching, how dim are Toronto’s chances of climbing out of the cellar after losing both their shortstops to injury in the same game, and then in the same week losing their leading run producer, outfielder Vernon Wells, for six to eight weeks with a broken wrist?

Sticking with a buy-low, sell-high theme, we go back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who helped us go 2-for-2 (with, dare we say it, a home run and several more batted in) last week after losing back-to-back series as favorites to the Phillies (by one run while splitting four games) and the previously scuffling Cubs (in a sweep).

Happy as we are to celebrate a prediction the Diamondbacks bats might come back to earth a little against stiffer competition, they are still a great team and should benefit this week by facing Colorado pitchers they’ve already roughed up several times, and a Tigers staff that is turning out to be the Achilles heel so many forecast.

Bold as it may sound, especially for a team that has lost five of seven and is loaded with a bunch of free swingers set to face a bunch of finesse pitchers, Arizona looks good in every matchup through Saturday.

1 : The Florida Marlins' rank in both overall record (23-14) and errors (33). Add in starting pitching that just barely nudged its ERA below 5.00 over the weekend, a so-far prolific offense that relies on youth and the long ball, and the fact they were being outscored for the season before hammering lowly Washington 23-7 over the weekend, and it’s little wonder so many question if the Marlins are for real.

- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen continues to be a quote machine, but with the AL’s worst batting average he probably doesn’t have to worry about rubbing anything in anyone’s face this season.

TOP PHOTO: Ozzie Guillen is known to go loco. (AP Images)