MLB fines Ozzie for Cuzzi bashing

Major League Baseball fired back at White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen today, fining him an undisclosed amount for his comments about umpire Phil Cuzzi. The fine was announced by Jimmie Lee Solomon, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball.

Keep in mind, Guillen has said he set aside $100,000 for the fines he expects to draw this season.

Before the Sox faced the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday coming off his first ejection of the season Guillen blasted Cuzzi, saying:

I don’t like that guy behind the plate. And I’m going to let him know. I don’t like him. He don’t like me, I don’t like him. It’s one reason is, if you don’t like me as a man and what I do, I respect that. But if you don’t like me, and all of a sudden you’re going to take it out on my players, you’re wrong. That’s unprofessional.

And I just let him know I don’t like him the first day I see him, and I think he feels the same way about me. And we have to move on. Every time he’s behind the plate, we might have a problem. We might. We have. I think the last couple times behind the plate, we have a problem. And he tried to be smart with me, and I do what I have to do, and he does what he has to do. But I don’t like him, and he don’t like me. And I got a good sleep last night. I will spend all my money for him. I don’t care. But obviously, we don’t like each other.

Guillen and Cuzzi butted heads on July 31 in New York over a check-swing, which Guillen admittedly said he deserved to be thrown out for that because [Cuzzi] had reason.

The incident Monday, however, was a different story, in Guillen’s mind.

I asked where the pitch was, Guillen recalled. He said, I don’t want to hear anymore. That’s the first thing I said to him. It’s not professional.

Guillen said that he has informed Major League Baseball of Cuzzi making it personal, but didnt expect much in return.

I’m not going to win that one, Guillen said. But I want to make it clear, I don’t like him.

Cuzzi didn’t seem to mind on Wednesday.

It may be personal to him, but I’m just doing my job, Cuzzi said. It’s as simple as that. The pitches he complained about, they were good pitches. The ones I called balls weren’t. It’s a simple as that. He may have it in his mind, but I don’t.