Ozzie Guillen is known for his off the wall comments and unfiltered mouth. Usually we can’t understand every word that’s said in the postgame interviews, but when the words he says are translated into print, we all get a good laugh at the things we knew he said but couldn’t quite catch it through his thick accent.
Guillen left the Chicago White Sox on Friday and was introduced as the Florida Marlins new manager Wednesday with a new contract worth twice the amount he was making with the White Sox.
In an eight-year stint with the White Sox, Guillen managed the team to a 2005 World Series and several successful seasons. However, his $2 million a year contract was not enough for him. He signed with the Marlins for four years worth $16 million after repeated run-ins with White Sox general manager Kenny Williams.
Unofficially, Guillen revealed to the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday that the whole issue was about money, but the article didn’t run until Tuesday. In the interview Ozzie was quoted as saying:
“With money, I can go buy me a new boat, I can go buy me a new car, I can dress my wife the way I want to dress her, I can go to Spain,” Guillen said. “With the ring, I can go to United Airlines and say, ‘Hello, I won the 2005 championship. Can you fly me to Spain?’ Hell, no.
“Money is everything besides health. Money is next to that. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, love.’ They don’t know what love means. I guarantee you, if you raise a girl where I grew up and you’ve got no money and she loves you, but you put the same girl with a guy who’s got a lot of money, I’ll bet she’ll love the guy with money. That’s the way it is. I love you, but I’m hungry.
“I work in this job for money. I don’t work for nothing. Money. That’s it. The ring? (Bleep) the ring. I don’t even wear my (bleeping) rings. I don’t.”
“You know what I saw a couple days ago? I saw a 62-foot boat. That’s what I want, and that’s what I’m going to get. People have to pay me for that. White Sox? I don’t know. Marlins? I don’t know. But somebody will pay. I want to buy my (bleeping) boat. That’s my inspiration. My inspiration is money. That’s everybody’s inspiration.”
Nothing unexpected hear from Ozzie. The White Sox didn’t take care of him while he was in Chicago so they lost a hell of a manager. Wish the Cubs would’ve picked him up to stick it to the White Sox. Not sure Ozzie should’ve revealed the whole thing about the boat though. Sounds funny but might be a turnoff from the Marlins front office.