Ozzie Guillen Team Quotations

We're going to build this team around pitching and defense, and Joe has been a big part of that.

We're playing lousy baseball on the bases, pitching, everything. There's no doubt about it. We really flat-out stink. It's not the same team I've been watching all year.

The expectations for next year are greater but we need to take things step by step. It's a matter of 25 or 30 baseball players. We already know what we must do. Hopefully, the team will return to form.

The pitching staff has carried this team the whole year, but it's nice when you score a lot of runs.

Last year we put a lot of pressure on the opposing team because Pod was running. I think his groin is healthy and when he's healthy, we will run.

From the first day of spring training, I told them 2005 is over. It's a new year and we're just like everybody else. Every team we play this year is going to be trying to knock us off, so we have to be ready.

If it's going to help the team to do that, I'm going to do that.

He had to step up and show the team what kind of pitcher he is. We count on Freddy big time. He's a guy the pitching staff looks up to.

He hasn't done anything for this team yet,

He helps us in the field. But he helps this team more in the clubhouse, in the hotels, in the bus, in the planes. You look around baseball and one of the people they don't say anything negative about is Jim Thome. They love the way he respects the game and treats his fans and teammates.

He gives the team a chance to refuel, to get back to playing the way we played early in the season, ... Everybody knows how important this kid is for us, for the type of game we play.

When he came to the States, he knows he's got to change the game for us, and he did, ... If you look at my team from a manager's view, one of the biggest reasons we're here is because of Iguchi.

I think with our offense, the way we're hitting right now, we're going to take advantage of every mistake any team makes. I don't how well we're hitting with two outs, but we're doing a pretty good job.

People are really excited, and they should be. It's great for the city and great for the fans who have waited so many years. We've brought this little smile back to their faces. They feel proud about this team because there have been a lot of disappointing years in the past and a lot of negativity about us and this organization.

I think right now it's time to turn it up another notch. It's time to refuel the batteries and go for it. This month is real important to us. The first 15 days are real important for us. Hopefully we can go there and we believe we can do that and hopefully everybody on my team thinks the same way I think.

We had great players, but we were not a great team (in 2004). We hit more home runs than anybody, but we gave up more home runs than anybody. We could not play defense, we could not pitch, we could not execute. You don't do those three things in baseball, good luck.

We have to have someone grab this team by the neck, by the horns, and take charge.

We have the type of team that must execute,

We have the type of team that executes all the time and that's our game. We failed today at moving the guys over.

You know, we don't do the job and, when we fail doing that, it's hard for us to win, ... We don't have the type of team that's going to score 20 runs.

When we put this team together, I never believed it would happen so fast. I'll tell you one thing right now, I will be back next year,

We built this team around defense and pitching. When you've got good defense, your pitching staff is going to be better because they're not going to make that many mistakes.

We built this team around defense and pitching. I think our defense was one of the biggest reasons we won the World Series, no doubt about it. I knew we were going to play good defense all year long.

When I say my team stinks and doesn't play the way it can play, I don't want to hear it from anybody else because they can hear it from me.

We have to bring the best from the minor leagues to help this team play, ... If they're not ready to play, then they'll have to go back to (Triple-A) Charlotte to learn.

Finally, we make another big step. They have waited a long time for this moment. And this team is making it happen this year.

The reason for the White Sox winning was I tried to build a team like theirs. They're fun to watch. They run the bases, they play hard and they don't make mistakes. I like the teams Ronald builds.

We have a better bench, a better rotation, and having Thome swing the bat the way he is now, he'll really help our team. But when you win the world championship, you can't say this team is better. That's not fair.

Every day, it's somebody different. I've never seen a team as magical as this one.

As soon as the ball went out of the park, obviously the team went out and I was looking around for Bobby. You don't have to look twice because you can see him right away.

There's no doubt about it. This is a team that has got better balance than any other team in the American League.

I see St. Louis has 95 (wins). The White Sox 90. And we feel like we won only 10 games this year, ... Some people treat my team like a piece of (garbage). And we're not.

I've only been thrown out four times in my career, not my managing career. If I get tossed from the game, I think I let the team down. If a manager is not there in a playoff game I think you lose the respect of your team. I need my players and my players need me.

The thing about this team is, every day, somebody different.

People see what he does for us on the field, but what they don't see is what he does for our team in the dugout, in the clubhouse, in the hotels and on the airplanes. The beauty of him is that he pushes his teammates to be better. He's always up cheering and supporting them. He's not a selfish player.

That team worked so hard all year long, they deserve to do what they're doing now. Finally, they can say, 'We did it!' A lot of teams made it tough on us. It wasn't easy.

The way we built this team we have confidence in our pitching staff. That's our game. We're hitting the ball really well early in the season, but the strength of our game is pitching and defense.

A lot of people were excited because we tied the game. But in the meanwhile, the entire team was excited because Brian did it.

You don't see that everyplace. I think the Cleveland fans should be proud of this team, what this team did, what it did for baseball. They're going to be a team to watch for years to come.

This kid can carry the team for two or three weeks,

I took a couple of peeks up there. Nothing against Kansas City or Tampa Bay, but the way they are playing right now and from what I saw when they left here, I doubt they will lose another game. I don't expect Tampa Bay to do it. I think the best team to do it now is us.

It took the Minnesota Twins to make me think we have to change. I knew they don't have any superstars, but they kept winning. When me and Kenny make the decision to change this team, we talked a lot because it was not easy. The only way we could build this team was around pitching and defense and speed.

They are the type of team you don't want in the playoff because they can get hot and kill you. I don't want to say it's a great feeling because I respect the manager and the players over there, but I have been worried about them all summer.

I love the way my team played today. I will let you know when my team plays real bad, and I think we played pretty good baseball. They just beat us.

If you're afraid to be in a pennant race, you'll never be in a pennant race, ... If you're afraid, you won't face the media, you don't play cards, you don't have a couple of beers after the game. There was a lot of controversy the other day when I said that our team stinks. We had lost two in a row. If you play good, I'll let you know. If you play bad, I will let you know.

If you come to watch a baseball game, the team to watch right now is the White Sox because we're in first place. If you want to visit another museum, go to Wrigley Field.

I know he has good enough stuff to beat any team in the league. It's proven. Garland is different than the rest of the guys because when he doesn't perform, it seems like he doesn't care. Everybody has a different way to handle himself.

I just had a meeting and I told everybody I feel proud of my team. I feel proud because they went out and did everything they could do to win this game. We had a chance to win it even with the guys all over the place out of position. I could not be more pleased the way my team reacted.

I really like our team right now. Frank was Frank, and we're going to miss him, but Jim Thome is one of the best hitters in baseball. He's healthy, so we're not worried about last year. It gives us a better team on paper than we had last year, but we're not worried about paper. We have to start over, forget all about 2005, and do the same things again that made us a good team last year.

If you talked to me in April, as a matter of fact if you told me in the winter meeting or when we left camp this team would have 90 wins and be fighting in the pennant race, I will take that. Obviously our lead has shrunk real quick. Obviously we are not playing real good and the team behind us is playing extremely well.

His defense made up for his hitting early in the season, ... We built this team on pitching and defense and Joe is a big part of that. Joe had some big clutch hits this season. He always brings his defense with him to the ball field.

He throw the ball good. You have to give credit to the guy when he throw the ball well. He kept our team off-balance. We didn't have that many people on base and to score runs, you have to have people on base.

I can see this kid having a pretty good year. That's why we got him. He could carry this team for a little while.

These guys deserve to wear a world championship ring. The team deserves it, the city deserves it, and so does everyone in Venezuela who expressed their unconditional support.

Alex is not a hypocrite. I was just trying to say he doesn't have to please people. He doesn't have to make people from the United States or from the Dominican Republic or from Venezuela happy. When you do that, you sound like you are a hypocrite. You say, 'Hey I want to play for the United States and that's the team I belong on,' move on and that's it.

You've got to give credit to a guy when he throws the ball well. (Washburn) kept our whole team off balance.