By C.J. SULLIVAN & DAVE HOLLANDER

HOLLANDER: Two weeks ago, Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen called The Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti “a piece of shit” and “a fucking fag.” Should Ozzie be fired for this? No. Not now. But if he keeps this up, soon. This is not a simple issue.

First of all, this is not a constitutional “free speech” issue. Legally, Ozzie has the right to say whatever he wants at the workplace. His private employer also has the right to fire him.

Like it or not, Ozzie, you work for somebody. You’re a public figure who represents an entire franchise. Guillen’s good friend and boss, White Sox GM Kenny Williams, said unequivocally last week that if Ozzie can’t control himself—pals or not—he’ll cut him loose. Williams showed big league smarts hiring Ozzie who led the other Chicago baseball team to their first World Series Championship in 88 years. He showed class and wisdom immediately giving his manager a “last chance” warning for verbal stupidity.

This is not a cultural thing either. Ozzie claimed that in Venezuela his insult of choice has nothing to do with sexual orientation, but connotes lack of manliness. Right. Ozzie has worked in the United States for more than 20 years. His work environment, the baseball clubhouse, is a veritable university of profanity. He knew what he said. He knew it was wrong. And now we know something about Ozzie.

Look, it’s a catch-22. We want our public figures to be honest but when they’re honest, sometimes we don’t like it. Mike Ditka, another take-no-shit coach who brought Chicago a Super Bowl, supports Guillen. “Even though [Ozzie] doesn’t always say things that are politically correct,” said Ditka. “He says what he thinks. And in this day and age, that can be refreshing.” It may be refreshing but that makes it no less vile.

Everybody deserves a second chance. Ozzie’s been fined and ordered to take sensitivity training. He even offered the lame non-apology apology “If I have offended anyone…” (Emphasis added). But let’s be clear here on what happened. Ozzie Guillen reached down to find the most offensive, hurtful thing he could think of to call Mariotti. He chose to use a pejorative that labeled Mariotti as part of a very specific group of people—a discreet social minority—who are not deemed criminal in this country, but who receive explicit protection under the law against discrimination. Ozzie and his thinking were not offensive solely to that discreet minority but to us all—his employer included. One more strike and he’s out.

SULLIVAN: I am not going to defend Ozzie Guillen’s choice of words but I will defend his freedom of speech. Most men in this crazed society have called someone a fag at some point in their lives. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Is it offensive? Yes. Is it meant as an insult? Absolutely. Should a baseball manager be fired for using such language? No.
Guillen’s problem with Jay Mariotti is with the so-called journalist’s “gotcha” tactics. Guillen is known for being a whack job and a beat reporter’s best friend because the man does not have a governor on his mouth. Mariotti never spoke with Guillen and as a local reporter, Guillen felt that he should have. That is fair. To then call said journo-boy a “fag” is not cool, but Guillen is no brain surgeon. He thinks something and it spews out of his mouth.

Sports journalists bemoan the fact that athletes talk in cliches. They bore us. Then you get a real loose cannon like Guillen and we want to fry him for being a vulgar and guttural man.

As a society we need to toughen up. I am weary of weaklings pouting anytime they get their feelings hurt. If a large group of people don’t like Guillen’s act they will not go to games. That won’t happen. Does anyone really think gay people care about Ozzie Guillen’s views? It is good to know he is a homophobic little man and he should be dealt with as such. Our society has become so polite and governed by what should and should not be said that we have become a hollow people.
Let Guillen speak. Who cares. The only reason Williams said it was his last chance was because of all the tut-tutting in the media. Sports writers should have all their racist, homophobic, and foul utterances published. Then everyone would be out of a job—including you Hollander!

HOLLANDER: You know what? I may have this thing totally wrong. Ozzie wasn’t trying to dis’ Mariotti. He was coming on to him. He used the term “fag” in that kind of take-one-to-know-one patois that only members of the same group can get away with. It’s not offensive for them to say it to each other because they’re in the same group. Okay, maybe Ozzie didn’t mean it as a come on. Maybe he was simply identifying with Mariotti. Either way, that’s what Ozzie meant when he said it’s “cultural.” Phew! Talk about making a mountain out of molehill. I’m glad we sorted that out.

SULLIVAN: See now that is the spirit now you are calling Guillen a fag. Yes and I agree this whole thing is blown way out of proportion. Guillen’s claim to fame is he brought the World Series to Chicago where it has not had a winner in a very long time, 1917 to be exact. 2004 ended the drought of 1918 for the Red Sox and 2005 ended the drought from 1917 for the other socks in the American League—the White Sox led by the Mouth himself. Now if the crosstown Cubs with the equally ridiculous manager, Dusty Baker, could only right their ship they could end their seasons of losing since 1908.
Either way, who cares what these fools say. Baker got caught up last year in a weird rap about blacks and Latinos playing better than white players. It was just gibberish from an ignorant man. Maybe we should stop taking sports people so serious and just enjoy the games.

HOLLANDER ENDNOTE:  An explanation arrives for the heretofore unexplainable. Why does Isiah Thomas get it wrong every time? Acute dyslexia may be the answer. An unsubstantiated rumor holds that after David Stern announced at the NBA Draft last week that the Knicks selected with the 20th pick “Renaldo Balkman” Isiah was livid. “What the fuck is he talking about?” Isiah screamed to an intern. “I wrote ‘Rolando Blackman!’” Few would disagree that the Knicks could benefit from a tall shooting guard.

SULLIVAN ENDNOTE: Well, the “Sell The Knicks” protest went off as planned and I now own a Duck Folan tee shirt. The draft did nothing for the Knicks but Dolan’s little threat to Isiah was kind of cool: Do it next year or else. Of course Dolan will fold and do whatever Isiah wants him to. Isiah is the puppet master. The two of them are the sad and lame Butch and Sundance version in the NBA. I just wish Dolan and Thomas would jump off a cliff together.