Twitter snit

Just when we hoped the White Sox Twitter controversy would go away, Oney Guillen kept it going by sommenting on the radio about it, which of course meant that his dad, Ozzie Guillen, had to respond because neither of them apparently can live with the idea of not having the last word.

Oney's radio comments came shortly after Ozzie had admitted it was he who urged his son to resign. David Haugh of the ribune thinks Oney's 15 minutes of infamy are just about up, but I don't know about that. The way things are playing out, he's going to end up on the next season of "The Celebrity Apprentice."

Don't Twitter it all away

The Sox have been looking poised for a great year. Sure Mark Teahen isn't hitting and Bobby Jenks has already unraveled, but the make-up of the team and the game-plan seem sound, and there's a depth of talent pretty much everywhere.

So, it's very disconcerting to see controversies over the burgeoning Guillen Social Media Empire become a distraction. We were already a little worried about the distractions that might be caused by Ozzie's Twitter account. Though most of his Tweets have been either Ozzie-hilarious or Ozzie-non-sensical and have stayed away from talk about the team, son Oney's Tweets apparently got him in trouble with GM Kenny Willams. As a result, Oney Guillen has left the organization, and Ozzie reportedly, predicatbly is pretty steamed.

This blow-up comes not long after Ozzie nixed a plan for a new baseball website, allegedly under pressure from top management. I'm not too worried about Ozzie losing focus during games because of whatever social media forays and investments he's made, and I can't blame him for being mad about Oney losing (or leaving) his job over a spat with Kenny. Meanwhile, the Sox organization seems a bit too sensitive about what people are saying on Twitter, especially when it doesn't appear to be anything about baseball matters.

Let's just play ball.

Is this all just a PR stunt to drive ratings for MLB Network's "The Club," which will largely focus on the Sox front office? We can only hope so, but somehow, I doubt it.

Off the field: Twitter and "The Club"

The Tribune reports this morning on the controversy over White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen's new Twitter account (I tried to search for it on Twitter this morning, but the "find people" function was temporarily overloaded--with Ozzie followers, to be sure).

Sox management is concerned about Ozzie saying things that he shouldn't, going too far and talking off the cuff about matters best kept private--you know, basically being himself. I doubt the Sox need to fear Guillen saying much more than he alreay says publicly, which of course means that occasionally, he will say something, or say it in a way, that attracts a lot of controversy. But, that's just life with Ozzie.

Another interesting off the field tidbit that we haven't yet talked about: Jerry Reinsdorf, Kenny illiams and Ozzie, among others, are set to appear on the new MLB Network series, "The Club," this season. The series takes a close look at front office activities, though the Sox get to review the content, so presumably nothing at all will show up on the screen that embarasses the team.

Could off-the-field pursuits like Twitter and "The Club" prove to be unnecessary distractions? The Sox seemed poised for a solid year, possibly their best year since they won the World Series. If they fall short somehow, we know doubt will question anything and everything, including how much time management spent polishing their public personas.

Meanwhile, if you want to help me polish my public persona, you can find me on Twitter under "Doshea14" (Yes, the connection to Ernie Banks and Paul Konerko is intentional.)