Guillen spews venom at ump that tossed him
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said he's set aside $100,000 to pay fines for arguing with umpires this year.
The season is just over a week old, but Guillen is already in danger of making a dent in the kitty.
A break in the schedule did little to change Guillen's feelings for umpire Phil Cuzzi on Wednesday.
During Monday's home opener against the Twins, Cuzzi ejected Guillen in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes. Cuzzi also tossed Guillen during a game at Yankee Stadium last July.
"I don't like that guy (Cuzzi),'' Guillen said. "I don't like him as a person or as an umpire. And I'm going to let him know. He don't like me, I don't like him. If you don't like me as a man and what I do, I respect that. But if you don't like me, and all of a sudden you're going to take it out on my players, you're wrong. That's unprofessional
"And I just let him know I don't like him the first day I see him, and I think he feels the same way about me. And we have to move on. Every time he's behind the plate, we might have a problem. We might. We have. I think the last couple times behind the plate, we've had a problem.''
On Monday, Guillen came charging out of the dugout in the third inning after Cuzzi called a strike on Paul Konerko. Guillen was quickly tossed, and Cuzzi said it wasn't personal.
"It may be personal to him, but I'm just doing my job,'' said Cuzzi, who is working his ninth season as a major-league umpire. "It's as simple as that. The pitches he complained about, they were good pitches. The ones I called balls weren't.''
Cuzzi barely flinched when told of Guillen's comments.
"He may have it in his mind, but I don't,'' Cuzzi said. "I'm just doing my job. He had nothing to complain about. The tape will prove that.''
Said another member of Cuzzi's crew: "Tell Ozzie to drink some decaf.''
Sisco out: Left-hander pitcher Andrew Sisco, who was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte midway through spring training, had "Tommy John'' elbow surgery in New York City on Monday.
Sisco, who was 0-1 with an 8.36 ERA in 19 relief appearances with the White Sox last season, is expected to be sidelined 12-24 months.
Still alive: The Detroit Tigers opened the season with a star-studded lineup and World Series aspirations before losing their first seven games.
Detroit picked up its first win on Wednesday, beating the Boston Red Sox. While their postseason odds increased with the slow start, Ozzie Guillen insists the Tigers will contend.
"They will,'' Guillen said. "They have enough talent and know what they do to get out of it. They'll be back in the pennant race.''