Ozuna's departure saddens Guillen
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - During his four-plus seasons as White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen has looked forward to booting more than a few players out the door.
Most, if not all, are long gone. But Guillen was not at all happy with having to show Pablo Ozuna the street on Tuesday.
"Nobody in this organization is more upset or sad than Ozzie Guillen,'' said the Sox' 44-year-old manager. "Nobody.''
When first baseman Paul Konerko was activated off the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday night's game against the Royals, the White Sox cleared a roster spot by designating the popular Ozuna for assignment.
Odds are, the 34-year-old utility infielder will be claimed off waivers or traded. Ozuna batted .281 and had 6 RBI in 32 games with the Sox this season.
"We decided we'd like to keep (outfielder Dewayne) Wise,'' Guillen said. "We had meetings, we talked, we put players out there. Name it. (Monday) night, at 10, we still talked about the same conversation.
"To me, it was one of the hardest things I ever did because Ozuna is doing something that isn't his fault. This is the part of the game I don't like to do, especially with Ozuna. If it was somebody else, (bleep) it. I'll get him out of here as soon as possible.''
From 2005-08, Ozuna played in 208 games with the White Sox and batted .290 with 2 home runs, 37 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
There was plenty of speculation that Juan Uribe was going to be the odd-man out, but Guillen said the veteran infielder survived the cut because he can play second base, third and shortstop.
"Uribe is the only person who can play all three positions,'' Guillen said. "That's the only reason we kept him.''
Ozuna, who missed most of last season with a broken leg, never complained about spending long stretches on the bench, and he always had an upbeat attitude in the clubhouse.
"You don't want to see that happen, and I certainly didn't want to see that happen on the account of my move,'' Konerko said. ""It's one of those subtle reminders that baseball doesn't always cater to the good ones. Pablo was one of the most, if not the most, well-liked guys. In the years he was here, I never saw him not go about his business the right way.''