The Chicago White Sox are a really bad baseball team and their postgame show analysts would like the players to take some accountability.
On Tuesday, the White Sox shook up their front office by firing executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn. The White Sox ended the day with a putrid 49-77 record after losing to the Seattle Mariners 6-3. Following the loss, Eloy Jiménez was asked whether the team needed players to step up as leaders, a question the 26-year-old DH shrugged off with a “not really.”
After listening to Jiménez’s answer, the postgame show on NBC Sports Chicago featuring Chuck Garfien, Ozzie Guillén and Scott Podsednik seemed livid.
The crew goes OFF after certain postgame comments from Eloy Jimenez
Ozzie: The reason they fired Rick & Kenny is because of THEM
Pods: There has been no standard set whatsoever. This team has not been held accountable this entire year. They don’t play hard. They don’t run hard. pic.twitter.com/ivQXdDowLq
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 23, 2023
“We wasted two minutes of our show listening to that,” Guillén said, referencing Jiménez’s postgame comments. “The reason they fired Kenny and Rick is because of them. It’s just that. If they think I’m wrong, prove me wrong…look yourself in the mirror, it’s time to start playing better.”
“If I got paid that money, I would make sure I’m on the field,” Garfien chimed in. “I’m making sure I’m playing winning baseball, I’m giving the best of myself and if there’s a leadership problem in there, I’m trying to fix it, I’m not giving that answer.”
Obviously, the White Sox aren’t playing well, otherwise, they would be better than last place, but the “I would play the game the right way” sentiment is always an easy assumption to make from afar.
“There is a lack of leadership and there has been no standard set whatsoever,” said Podsednik, a former White Sox All-Star. “Players, kids, are going to do what they can get away with and this team has not been held accountable this entire year. There are times when they just, they don’t play hard, they don’t run hard and everyone knows it, the fans know it, we know it.”
Harsh. Imagine what would happen if this type of assessment was had on a Baltimore Orioles postgame show? Kudos to Garfien, Guillén and Podsednik for not holding back. But if firing the front office doesn’t change the mood in the clubhouse, a few blunt postgame comments probably won’t do it either.
