All's fine in Guillen's, Sox' world
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen didn't get fired Tuesday. He didn't quit. Guillen wasn't even asked to return to sensitivity class.
Two days after attracting more national attention for attacking his up-and-down offense, Guillen met with general manager Kenny Williams before the Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-5 at U.S. Cellular Field.
On Sunday, Guillen raised serious questions about the skill level of his hitters, and Williams seriously sounded like he'd been "thrown under the bus.''
Williams wasn't available for comment Tuesday as he continued preparing for Thursday's amateur draft. Guillen confirmed he talked with his boss before the game.
"I don't blame him for being mad at me,'' Guillen said. "My point was, we have to do something to get better. He might have taken it the wrong way. We talked about it. To me, it's more personal because I think Kenny Williams is one of my friends. The last thing I want to do is hurt feelings or make demands.
"Not because he's my boss, it's because he's my friend. We've been working together … this is like a marriage. We've been working together for a long time. We're on the same page 100 percent of the time. I never do anything without him knowing, and he never does anything without me knowing. It caught me by surprise, the way he felt.''
Guillen said he didn't apologize to Williams, and he's not apologizing for ripping into the Sox' offense after Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay.
"If the people expect me after the game to have a happy face and say we're going to be OK, we're going to get it tomorrow, no worries, then they have the wrong guy,'' Guillen said. "I know my ballclub. They know me.
"I want to respect the players, but they're going to be the first ones to tell you how much we're struggling with people on base. To me, it's pitching and defense, and we're doing that real well. It's just 1 hit here, 1 hit there.''
The White Sox' offense came around Tuesday against the Royals, but that doesn't mean it's going to be smooth sailing the rest of the way.
"The answer is, no one has the answer,'' said first baseman Paul Konerko, one of many slumping hitters. "Anyone that tells you they have the answer, run the other way.
"Everybody has a guess, but you don't have the answer. You just know that all you can do is give it everything you've got and you put it in there every time you go out there. That's it.
"You hope it comes; it might not. You believe it will, but there are no rules saying it will. So you continue to just grind and do it. That's what I've always done, that's what other guys in this locker room have always done, and that's it. End of story.''
Guillen warned major changes were coming to the lineup Tuesday, but it was basically the same. Konerko and Jim Thome actually were moved up to the fourth and fifth spots, and Nick Swisher batted seventh.
Guillen said he made out the batting order a half-hour before his 2 p.m. meeting with Williams.
"I put the lineup the way it should be,'' Guillen said. "I didn't make any changes, because I still believe. I still believe we have a lot, a lot, a lot of talent on this ballclub. I still believe those guys are going to start swinging the bats better.''
Guillen said he wouldn't have gone off Sunday if he didn't care.
"Like I've said, I'm the No. 1 fan of the White Sox,'' said Guillen, a standout shortstop on the South Side from 1985-97. "It hurts me when we lose because I want this team to have success. I want this organization to be at the top.
"Right now we're at the top, but I want to be better. And the only way we're going to get better is to help the pitching staff.''