Sorting through another Guillen saga with Sox

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had one interesting thing to say to the Chicago Sun-Times before Game 2 of the World Series Thursday night in San Francisco.

Before going to work as an analyst for FOX, Guillen confirmed the Florida Marlins had permission to talk to him about their managerial vacancy this season.

“I never talked to the Marlins. I never did,” Guillen told the Sun-Times. “I hear it every day. I live in Miami. One thing I know, they had permission to talk to me. But in the meanwhile, I'm happy to be with the White Sox. I wanted to be with the White Sox in 2011. I hope I'm going to be with the White Sox for more than that.”

Guillen's final statement is the real story he wants to be with the Sox for 5, 10, maybe even 20 years.

The rest of Thursday's story in the Sun-Times was basically a rehash of the season-long strife between Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams.

Their relationship reached a boiling point in late August, and that's when I asked Guillen if he was seriously thinking about stepping down as White Sox manager.

“Leaving the White Sox, it's something I've been thinking about,” Guillen said on Aug. 25. “I've talked about it a lot, but I'm thinking about it a lot more, especially this year. I'm thinking, ‘Is this thing going to work out or not?'”

Guillen went on to say he talked to Jerry Reinsdorf “several times” about his uncertain future, and the Sox' chairman offered two pieces of advice.

“He told me to grow up,” Guillen said with a laugh. “And he told me, ‘Don't do anything without thinking about it.' But I do think about it.”

In late September, when the Sox were playing the Oakland Athletics on the West Coast, Guillen's contract sparked yet another fire.

Guillen is signed through 2011 with a club option for 2012 that automatically locks in if the White Sox win the AL Central next season.

While he never came right out and asked for an extension, Guillen voiced concerns about the prospect of having to win the division next year or else.

When the White Sox returned from the West Coast for their final homestand of the season, Guillen met separately with Reinsdorf and Williams.

“I asked him directly: ‘Did he want to be here? Did he want to be the manager of the Chicago White Sox?'” Williams said. “He said, ‘Absolutely. That's all I've ever wanted.' He said he never asked for an extension. The timing of something wasn't commensurate with if he were to go down that road.

“He did want to know what his status was and I told him directly: ‘I hope I never have another manager, at least while I'm sitting in this chair. I hope I never have another manager of the Chicago White Sox other than him.'”

That leads to the obvious question ... if Guillen wants to manage the Sox indefinitely and the feeling is mutual, why not just extend his contract and pull the plug on all of the stories like the one that appeared in Thursday's Sun-Times?

If Guillen heads into next season feeling he has to win or get fired, it's going to get really ugly.

I can see it now the White Sox get off to another slow start and Guillen is asked what team he's going to be managing in 2012.

The Sox get swept by the Twins and Guillen goes off, saying he's can't manage properly under such intense pressure.

Then there's the flip side.

Perhaps Reinsdorf is not happy about just one playoff win since the White Sox swept the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series.

Perhaps Guillen and Williams are both going to be on the chopping block if the Sox are home again next October.

sgregor@dailyherald.com