Guillen's posture gives White Sox hope for '10

Anyone who worries that the current Guillen family hysterics will adversely affect the White Sox obviously hasn't followed the club since Ozzie Guillen became manager in 2004.

On the contrary, Sox players welcome all the Ozzie-related nonsense because it takes the media focus away from them and allows players to bathe in the quiet of a serene clubhouse minus the press corps and its accompanying distractions.

As long as it doesn't involve the players, it's rarely a bad thing, and in this case there's some positive news.

The real surprise in all that has occurred the last few weeks is how adult Ozzie has been about almost everything while so many around him have been so foolish.

Guillen is acting like a guy who really wants to keep his job, which is a change from the guy who so many times before has performed like a man begging to get fired.

In the last month he has flirted with potentially disastrous ideas on the Web and elsewhere, and each time he has acceded to the wishes of those in the front office trying to avoid controversy before it occurs.

He has even told his son Oney to quit the club and to quit criticizing the team.

This is all very un-Ozzielike.

There have too many moments the last few years when Guillen appeared disinterested, distracted and distant, almost like a guy who wouldn't mind getting fired and collecting his pay.

There have been times when he appeared to invite trouble, or at least go out of his way to create it.

You might have thought he was a guy who wanted out.

Now, Jerry Reinsdorf is as loyal an owner as there is in sports, but even he has a breaking point, and breaking bad on the organization does not sit well with anyone in the front office.

It has been exhausting for those who manage Guillen in the Sox' offices to keep tabs on all he does and keep him from self-destructing or destroying the Sox brand.

The trade-off is Guillen is one of the best managers in the game when he's truly engaged and deep in the playoff hunt.

What's fascinating so far this spring has been Guillen's choice to step back from the brink and act like a grown-up when others have been trying to create difficulty.

It's a huge positive for Sox fans because it sure looks so far - we stress, so far - as though Guillen wants to be here to manage a club he helped construct, one he believes can win the Central Division and go deep into October.

That is a very good sign indeed.

Seam stressThe Cubs have been awfully quiet for the last week or two, after rumors had them looking at every Tom, Dick and Ron Villone on the trade/free-agent market.They still need a replacement for Angel Guzman in the setup role, and it would be a bit surprising if GM Jim Hendry let the next two weeks pass without adding a substantial arm to the bullpen.CondolencesTo the family of former Cub Mark Grace, whose father, Gene, passed away last Thursday, several weeks after suffering a severe head injury. Our best to Mark and his mother, Sharon, during this difficult time.The good causeNotre Dame's Brian Kelly will be the keynote speaker at the reception following the AFCF Randy Walker Golf Outing on June 28 at The Ivanhoe Club, benefiting the FBI's national child identification program and teen suicide prevention.Others expected to attend include Pat Fitzgerald, Rich Rodriguez, Jim Tressel, Bret Bielema, Ron Zook, Ted Hendricks, Gale Sayers and Kevin Butler.The three previous outings have raised nearly $550,000 for the American Football Coaches Foundation. For golf outing and ticket info, visit afcf.us.UnBearableDoes it come as any surprise that Lovie Smith was against the new overtime rules?He's got no room for more strategy as related to an extra period when he's busy trying to use up all his timeouts and challenges before the two-minute warning.Just thinkingE-mailer The Last Bear Fan: "If I'm an NFL head coach, I look at my defense and decide whether it can keep the other team out of the end zone. If I think it can and I lose the toss, I onside kick. Why not? I'm getting the ball back anyway even if I don't recover."Chipping inNBC's Jimmy Fallon: "Tiger Woods appeared in two separate interviews on the Golf Channel and ESPN. And in true Tiger fashion, he made sure neither one knew about the other."Tick, tick, tickSportspickle.com: "The Cubs have to win now. Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Kosuke Fukudome are all 32 or older. Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot will both be 30 this year. That means 27-year-old catcher Geovany Soto is the youngest player in the lineup, and he played last year as though he has progeria."And finally -Miami Herald's Greg Cote: "Coach Urban Meyer has returned to the Florida Gators football team in time for spring practice, following a leave of absence that was somewhat unusual in that it did not involve any actual leaving."brozner@dailyherald.com