Buck (short)stops here
Guillen expecting newcomer Cabrera to be leader on field and in clubhouse
TUCSON, Ariz. — There hasn’t been a morning in which White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has rolled out of bed and said, ‘‘I wish I was the general manager.’’
‘‘No, thanks,’’ Guillen said. ‘‘Being a baseball manager is tough enough. Kenny [Williams] can keep it.’’
That doesn’t mean Guillen doesn’t like playing GM every so often.Case in point: He all but pleaded with Williams to do what he could to land shortstop Orlando Cabrera the last few seasons.
Fact is, Guillen knows Cabrera isn’t your typical Gold Glove shortstop. Small in stature at 5-9 and 185 pounds, Cabrera gives the clubhouse a hard-edged intensity not seen since the days when Carl ‘‘Truth-osaurus’’ Everett roamed the South Side.
Sure, adding a grinder such as Nick Swisher was needed. But Swisher also can play comic relief, be it by riding a red scooter through the clubhouse or showing off his unusual ‘‘face art,’’ which changes with each morning shave.
Cabrera is the other type of guy you want in the foxhole. And while the 33-year-old veteran has been fun-loving and relatively quiet during camp, things are about to change once the bell rings March 31 in Cleveland.
‘‘When the season starts, you’re going to see what he is,’’ Guillen said.
Guillen would know. He coached Cabrera during his days with the Montreal Expos and is well aware that Cabrera’s desire to win can rub teammates the wrong way at times. Not a problem, considering Guillen is no stranger to throwing players under the proverbial bus.
‘‘You learn you have to adjust really fast in a new situation like this,’’ Cabrera said. ‘‘You know, I’ve been around this league for a long time, so you get to know these guys. When you get into a new clubhouse, you know everything is going to be OK; you know it will be smooth.
‘‘But the one thing everyone is going to find out about me is what you see now in spring is different than what you will see come the regular season. I’m kidding around and joking around a lot right now with the guys in the clubhouse, but once the season starts, things are a little different. Things have to be done a certain way. People will find that out.’’
Not that teammates haven’t already noted that Cabrera often can be found in Guillen’s office, whether it’s talking baseball or, well, soap operas.
‘‘I like Colombian soap operas,’’ Guillen said when asked about their impromptu discussions. ‘‘Every time we talk about that with the girls out there. We do.
‘‘I ask how he feels. Every time you go from one team to another, you feel a little uncomfortable. He’s fine. He likes the way we’re doing stuff here. He’d better like it; he has no choice. But he’s been great. He gives us what we want to do. I respect veteran players. I don’t have any headache with him. He knows who he is.’’
So does Guillen. That’s why he is keeping a close eye on what happens with Cabrera and his contract this season.
Former starting shortstop Juan Uribe got the job done at times, but he wasn’t Guillen’s kind of shortstop. He had too many lapses of concentration and not enough discipline at the plate.
In acquiring Cabrera from the Los Angeles Angels for pitcher Jon Garland, the Sox did so knowing that he would be in his walk year. Williams said at the start of camp that the goal was to lock up Cabrera with a multiyear deal this spring, but the talks continue.
Cabrera told the Sun-Times last week that he would be willing to keep the discussions open during the regular season, but that’s not a practice the Sox enjoy. So Guillen only can watch and wait.
‘‘‘O’ has been great,’’ Guillen said. ‘‘That’s the reason why we brought this kid in. He knows how to play the game, and I know what I’m going to expect from him. I don’t have any worries about Cabrera because I know what to expect from him and what he brings to the club.
‘‘I don’t know what Kenny has in mind. It’s not my money. We have [Cabrera] for a reason. He’s a good player, and he will dictate to Kenny whether we sign him or not. As soon as he starts playing the way he knows how to play, then he’s going to make it easier for Kenny to make that decision.’’
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