| 03 August 2010
Tired of feeling singled out and unable to communicate with their manager, American-born players for the White Sox have demanded a translator to finally be able to understand their volatile leader Ozzie Guillen.
"After so many years of this, I can't believe no one said anything sooner," said first baseman Paul Konerko. "They've taken advantage of American-born players in the big leagues for too long. Which is really surprising, cause this is America. Yeah! This is America!"
Konerko and several of his teammates say a translator would do wonders to not only help them communicate, but to improve their on-field production.
"In the minors, your manager gives you all kinds of help, all kinds of teaching tips. You get to the majors, it's like 'good luck'. If it weren't for him swearing in English every other word, we wouldn't understand a thing."
Sadly, American-born players are not the only individuals on the White Sox affected by a language barrier. Latino players on the roster admit they have no idea what Ozzie is saying either.
"English, Spanish, whatever. There are two year olds that can speak more clearly," said pitcher Freddie Gonzalez, who was born in Spanish speaking Venezuela. "I asked him if he'd try speech therapy, or maybe Rosetta Stone, but he just got made and started babbling some gibberish that was impossible to understand. Except for the English swear words. He's got those down."
Asians report no communication issues with Guillen, as each is given five personal translators upon signing their contracts per MLB rules.
Related Links:
Ozzie Guillen: Asian Players Treated Better Than Latino Players (NESN)
Ozzie defends remarks, OK with Sox response (MLB.com)
Ozzie Guillen would like some attention please (Bootlegger Sports)
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