Ozzie Guillen fought fire with fire before Saturday's game, responding to people calling for Greg Walker's head in the midst of yet another slow start:
"I take the blame. I don't want Walk or Coop (pitching coach Don Cooper) or Joey (Joey Cora) to take the blame. All of this thing, blame it on Ozzie. Don't blame Kenny (general manager Ken Williams) or Jerry (chairman Jerry Reinsdorf) or anyone else. Don't put anyone in the middle. When we are not hitting, not pitching or not winning games, my name is out there. That's why I'm the manager.
"I'm not afraid to get blamed. I don't give a (bleep) to be blamed."
OK, Ozzie. It's your fault. Now what?
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The funniest thing to me about the entire rant:
"It's not Greg Walker's fault," Guillen said. "(Bleep) it. I'm not goingto fire a guy that has nothing to do with this thing. Look at (Mark)Kotsay, (Omar) Vizquel and (Jayson) Nix, they don't need a hittingcoach. They need to (bleeping) get hits.
I'm starting to think that if Guillen is Michael Scott, then Nix is Toby. I mean, he's started one game this season.
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Two more notes:
*Mark Kotsay just might be admitting that he's 2010's Wilson Betemit:
"As hot as I was in spring training, I'm as cold as I am at the start," Kotsay said. "I haven't done anything to help this club win."
*Freddy Garcia will be skipped his next turn through the rotation. Sorry, not "skipped." He's resting.
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Minor league roundup:
- Charlotte 6, Gwinnett 3
- Dan Hudson wasn't as sharp in his second time out: 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He gave up solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings.
- Tyler Flowers went 2-for-4 with his second homer and three RBI.
- Jordan Danks went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and his third steal. He struck out twice.
- Dayan Viciedo went 0-for-4; C.J. Retherford singled and walked.
- Clevelan Santeliz pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, walking two and striking out one.
- Mobile 5, Birmingham 0
- Christian Marrero doubled, one of Birmingham's four hits.
- Brent Morel was 0-for-4; John Shelby singled and struck out twice.
- Justin Cassel pitched six shutout innings in his return to Double-A, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out three.
- Winston-Salem 7, Kinston 3
- Nevin Griffith was in fine form: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, and 12 groundouts to two flyouts.
- Kyle Bellamy pitched a scoreless inning in his High-A debut, allowing two hits but striking out two.
- Santos Rodriguez had his second straight rough outing, allowing two runs on three hits.
- Jon Gilmore doubled and drove in two; Eduardo Escobar went 1-for-3.
- Hickory 4, Kannapolis 1
- Trayce Thompson went 1-for-4 with two K's in his first A-ball game.
- Miguel Gonzalez snapped his 0-for-12 skid with a single in four at-bats.
- Nick Cioill wears the silver sombrero: 0-for-4, 3 K's.
- Kyle Colligan walked twice in four PAs.
