As interleague play winds down in baseball, the most compelling match-up this weekend has to be the Cubs and the White Sox. This is the first time the two teams have met while in first place; there’s the Cubs seemingly the team to beat in the NL to head to the World Series; and of course there are the managers, Ozzie Guillen and Lou Pinella. Sweet Lou could blow a gasket at any moment and turn this cross-town rivalry into a full blown war with a Don Zimmer-esque take down of Jim Thome. But as usual, Ozzie has shot the opening salvo, bringing death into it when asked if he could ever coach the baby bears. Ozzie, always with the violence and the death.

‘No. I don’t know,” Guillen said. ”I can’t say I’m going to burn the bridges. I don’t think I’m going to need money. I’m going to wait until [Sox chairman] Jerry Reinsdorf dies, and then I’ll take a look at that.

Why the extreme stance? Maybe because Ozzie doesn’t like the “Royale with Cheese” set that vists Wrigley Field instead of going to the outdoor cinder block known as US Cellular Field.

”One thing about Sox fans, they show up and watch the game,” Guillen said. ”Some people go to Wrigley Field — I’m not going to say everyone — some people go to Wrigley Field from Europe and Paris and want to have a tour of the game. No one wants to have a tour here. They’re legit fans.

Um, we know of a couple of fans that wanted a tour of the field a few years ago. Of course it was to commit assault and battery, but hey, when on the southside of Chicago, do as they do, right?

Ozzie too loyal to manage Cubs [Sun-Times]
Image [chicagotribune.com]