Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen discovered yesterday that sensitivity training gave him some insights on language and allowed him to do something he really enjoys – talk.
“I'm glad I did it. I'm glad it's over with and a lot of people will be real excited to hear that Ozzie finally got punished and did what he was supposed to do,” Guillen said after a two-hour session with a certified counselor.
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Small number
4,655
People watching the 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Women's Open, compared to 20,000 on Sunday.
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Guillen was fined and ordered by Commissioner Bud Selig to undergo sensitivity training last month after an obscenity-laden tirade against Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti in which he used a derogatory term that describes someone's sexual orientation.
“It was kind of cool. I thought it was just like, 'Oh my God, I'll just go to sleep here and let this guy talk.' I did the talking, most of the time. He asked me a lot of questions.”
Guillen said he enjoyed the exchange and has another session planned after he manages the American League team in the All-Star Game next week in Pittsburgh.
What did he learn?
“Be polite,” Guillen said. “The thing I told the guy, I say I don't need to be polite, I need to speak better English. I understand the system better. A lot of people thought I was making the excuse of not being from this country. No, I have 26 years here, and I know what every little word means to anybody; that's no excuse.”
Trivia time
What sport did Robert Redford play in college?
Hurst ends up at Mickey D's
Pat Hurst left the Newport Country Club on Sunday night tied for the lead with Annika Sorenstam at the U.S. Women's Open and unable to get into one of the city's fancier restaurants.
Dropping her name might have helped get a table, “but I wasn't going to,” she said.
“I ended up at McDonald's.”
Sorenstam ran away with the playoff, taking a two-stroke lead after the first hole and holding on for a four-stroke victory that earned her $560,000. Hurst got $335,000 for second place.
And that's a lot of McNuggets.
Rick Barry's line on free throws
Hall of Famer Rick Barry, the only player to lead the NCAA, NBA and ABA in scoring, gives the Atlanta Journal-Constitution five tips for becoming a successful free throw shooter:
1. Decide that you really want to become a great free throw shooter.
2. Find someone who knows how to teach you properly. Don't use Shaq's teacher.
3. Develop a routine to use before every shot you take.
4. Actually take the time to practice.
5. If you still stink, call me and I'll teach you how to shoot underhanded.
Trivia answer
Redford attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship in the mid-1950s. (No wonder he played Roy Hobbs in “The Natural.”)
