Ozzie: right idea, wrong approach

I agreed with the content of Ozzie Guillen's rant on Sunday following the White Sox 4-3 loss to the Tampa Rays in 10 innings.

The Sox had a runner on second with no one out in the top of the 10th. The runner advanced to third on a ground ball out to shortstop.

With a runner on third and one out, Sox 3B Joe Crede simply needed to hit a fly ball. Rather, he  fought with himself during the entire plate appearance - taking a couple hittable pitches and swinging at bad ones - and ultimately grounded out to short. CF Nick Swisher, the next batter, watched a change-up cross the middle of the plate for a called third strike.

Like Crede, Swisher fought himself the entire at-bat. Neither Crede nor Swisher looked comfortable; they looked like they wanted to be anywhere but at home plate with the go-ahead run at third base.

So when Ozzie said he was sick and tired of being sick and tired to the media, it's like he was speaking on my behalf. It's regoddamndiculous the way the White Sox offense has failed to consistently deliver in clutch situations over the last year and a half. The Sox went 72-90 for a reason last year, and if it weren't for the great pitching this year, the Sox would be under .500 for sure.

In Ozzie I trust ... still.

The way Ozzie went about this, though, was wrong. Ozzie should not call out his players to the media. At least Ozzie could've gone to them first.

Second, Ozzie could've left names out of it. He called out hitting coach Greg Walker and general manager Kenny Williams in the tirade ... there's no need for individual finger pointing. The White Sox win as a team and lose as a team.

Third, and to me one of the most important points, is that Ozzie did not accept blame himself. My rule of thumb is that if you must throw your co-workers under the bus, throw yourself with them. Any respectable manager, be it in baseball or Corporate America, accepts all blame for the wrong doings of his direct reports. Even if it's not deserved, managers must step up to that responsibility. My code has always been to accept all blame in public then discipline accordingly in private.

All that being said, I do think Ozzie's heart is in the right place here. This isn't Ozzie being a scumbag manager. Ozzie's rants come from his passion for the game, his job and his team. So I'm willing to give Ozzie a pass on things like this, especially when effort is made to clear the air as it was today.

Hopefully, though, this is the last time Ozzie throws the team under the bus without accepting his fair share of the blame.