If Ozzie Guillen called me and said he was going to talk to the press about the plight of the Latino ballplayer, comparing their arduous path to the more organized arrangements for Asian ballplayers, I probably could've told you how it played out.
Stage 1: Guillen sounds off to the press and criticizes Major League Baseball using very direct language and the occasional expletive.
Stage 2: The media picks up on it, and because Guillen mentions race (even though it had far more to do with institutions), America struggles through a brief roundtable shortage as everybody is called to weigh in on the topic.
Stage 3: The White Sox, owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, who is Bud Selig's very close friend and trusted associate, issues a statement defending the actions of the league and commissioner.
The White Sox statement did come off as somewhat condescending; Guillen could have responded, "Obviously, the White Sox organization would know plenty about successfully and respectfully cultivating talent from Latin America, so I stand corrected." Joe Cowley's trying to make something of it, but Reinsdorf is as loyal to Selig as he is to Guillen. That's nothing new.
What's unfortunate is that because Guillen compared the Latino experience to those of Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese players, it overshadowed his second -- and perhaps more salient -- point about PED usage. Comparing races compels a lot of people to overreact, so maybe he'd be better off talking about the influence of steroids on the Latin American programs in a separate address.
MLB hasn't decided whether or not it will punish Guillen, but I hope it doesn't. There have been a lot of great discussions coming out of this, and baseball needs to have them.
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Christian Marrero Reading Room:
*Toni Ginnetti lays out the uneven schedule ahead in August, starting with a doubleheader against Detroit today.
*The Sox haven't seen Cleveland's Carlos Santana yet, and might not for a while if the leg injury he suffered is as bad as it looked. The standout rookie catcher had his leg turned the other way while blocking the plate, and Robin Ventura's ankle comes to mind.
*Guillen says this year's bullpen is deeper than his 2005 relief corps. Sergio Santos says he's feeling the effects of an unprecedented workload, but his colleagues are helping him through it.
*One benefit of the Sox not adding a hitter: Carl's latest cartoon is still appropriate.
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Minor league roundup:
- Charlotte 2, Rochester 1
- Mark Teahen, still DHing, went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Tyler Flowers and Jordan Danks (two K's) were 0-for-3; Alejandro De Aza was 0-for-4.
- Brent Morel was only hitless in two at-bats, laying down a sac bunt.
- Brandon Hynick allowed a run (solo homer) on five hits and a walk over six innings, striking out three.
- Clevelan Santeliz struck out two of the three he faced in a perfect ninth.
- Jacksonville 5, Birmingham 4
- Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-5; Christian Marrero 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Justin Greene wore the collar, and was caught stealing.
- Kyle Bellamy continues to struggle, allowing two runs on a hit and a two walks over two-thirds of an inning, boosting his ERA to 12.27.
- Winston-Salem 8, Wilmington 3
- Brandon Short doubled and walked twice, scoring three runs. He also stole his fifth base.
- Jon Gilmore went 2-for-4 with two RBI; Josh Phegley 1-for-4 with an RBI.
- Jose Martinez's hitless night extends his slump to 2-for-24.
- Nathan Jones allwoed three runs on nine hits over six innings; three strikeouts, no walks.
- Kannapolis 7, Greensboro 4
- Tyler Saladino (double, walk), Kyle Colligan (walk), Nick Ciolli (homer, four RBI) and Brady Shoemaker (double) all went 2-for-3.
- On the other hand, Miguel Gonzalez and Juan Silverio each went 0-for-4.
- Cameron Bayne struck out seven over seven innings, allowing two runs on just four hits and two walks.
- Burlington 1, Bristol 0
- Jordan Keegan had both of Bristol's hits, a single and a double.
- Everybody else was hitless and walkless, save J.D. Ashbrook.
- Missoula 7, Great Falls 6
- Andy Wilkins went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and walk.
- Ross Wilson walked once and struck out twice over four trips to the plate.
- Addison Reed struck out four over two perfect innings.
