With all the whoopla about the rift between Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen this spring about his and his son Oney’s twitter, face book and web pages I thought I’d express my 2 cents about family and friend involvement with an athletes team.
Oney was a paid employee of the Chicago White Sox so I believe the organization had the right to tell him to stop tweeting about the team and their operations. Oney chose to resign his position which is also fine. But it didn’t end there. With the Sox telling Ozzie earlier in the spring to shut down his personal web site and questioning him about what was being posted on his twitter account he was already testy and on guard against upper management. After Oney’s resignation Ozzie came out publicly and stated that the organization had cut him deep and hurt him bad by messing with his son. He in a sense said you don’t mess with my family without disrespecting me. Is this is the beginning of the end for Ozzie on the south side? We’ll see soon enough but generally Williams and Guillen have been able to overcome their differences and press on.
The point of this article however is that athletes should keep their family and friends separate from their workplace which is the playing field and locker rooms. During the 05 title run by the Sox Ozzie’s 3 boys were there everyday in the dugout with him. Barry Bonds used to bring an entire entourage with him to each game and have them hang out in the locker room and dug out. Sammny Sosa, Mark Mcguire, Kobe Bryant all do the same thing as do many other athletes. It even happens in collegiate sports. With sports considered to be a “business” today it should be treated and respected as such by the athletes. It’s your place of work not a place for family and friends to hang out. Aside from some small family businesses and the occasional take your daughter or son to work day family and friends just don’t hang out at the work place. It is a distraction, a liability for ownership and can be the cause of a irreconcilable feud.
If I was Ozzie I would’ve gone home that night and told Oney to shut up, quit tweeting about the organization or quit. This is my place of work, don’t screw it up for me!
Dave,
I completely agree that you shouldn’t bring your family to work. It isn’t a place for them to hang out. However if that isn’t the rule then you don’t have to worry about it.
As for Oney. He has the right to tweet anything he wants as long as he is not giving away confidential information. If they organziation doesn’t like it they can fire him or he can resign, which he did.
As for Ozzie well he is just a bonehead. Nobody was disrespected. Oney played his hand and the Sox played theirs. It just lead to them parting ways which happens in business constantly.
This will blow over in no time and the regular season will bring it’s own drama for Ozzie and Kenny.
But either way I don’t care if Ozzie stays or goes. I believe to this day the only way managers affect a game is when they pull or play someone in a stroke of genius or insantiy. The rest is up to the players and it doesn’t matter what the hell the manager does.
I would say the same for sweet Lou too. A manager is only as good as his players and they get to much credit and take to much blame.
That’s what I’m saying Adam only I guess I was implying and didn’t put it in words. I think ownership of professional sports and college athletics should ban all unnecessary people from the “workplace”. Only players and essential personnel to the teams should be allowed at practices, in the locker rooms and on the field of play during games.
As for Oney, he was an employee which doesn’t give him the right to tweet or post anything he wants about the organization. There is a line you shouldn’t cross with your employer. If you do there should be some consequences to suffer, which he did and the Oz should understand that.
The old man steps up!!! I like it….
Oney is an idiot, who doe she think he is anyway… I am sure they were paying him a six figure salary to do nothing….