Rick Morrissey

The title is very misleading--there are no lessons in this book. You could not be Ozzie Guillen (or even part of him) in the real world and still retain your job. But beyond that, the book is a long apology for Ozzie. You do learn more about Ozzie and his style, more than you have read in the paper/magazine accounts of his antics. The writing is generally poor and is geared towards highlighting Ozzie's pithy quotes and profanity, but it does not do much to give you true insight. A disappointing read.… (mehr)

This is a lively, somewhat entertaining look at long-time Chicago White Sox player and manager, Ozzie Guillen, written by a Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist. Of course, Ozzie, being the colorful, out-of-control person he is, eventually wore out his welcome in Chicago and, when the Sox refused to give him a contract extension, left the team shortly before the end of the 2011 season, to manage the Marlins for 2012. However, he was fired just this week, after only one year on a four-year contract.

As a Cubs fan, I don't like Ozzie but I gained a greater appreciation for both him and his management style, in terms of his baseball knowledge and his handling of ballplayers, particularly as to how he is different from other managers. He is known for causing a fuss to take the attention off of his slumping players.

This book starts out well, full of promise, but sort of fizzles out towards the end. It could've been quite a bit shorter, I think.

If you're a Sox fan or a true baseball fan, you might enjoy this. It's not bad. I've seen better baseball books but I've certainly read worse.… (mehr)

I did not really care much for this book, but then I don’t care much for Ozzie Guillen. This book seems more like a 250 page sports column than an actual book. The book contains 10 chapters. Each one delves into one of “The Ten Commandments of Ozzie which attempts to explain the manager and how he operates. Often the content of the chapters don’t seem to match what the title says it is supposed to be about. The book does give some insight into the manager though. For instance you learn what was behind Guillen’s feud with White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams. You also learn how Ozzie is not a fan of sabermetrics, meetings or any type of scouting report.… (mehr)

I have to confess I am not sure why I wanted this book. I am not a fan of the White Sox or the Marlins and I am at best a casual baseball fan. Because of Guillen's controversial comments on Fidel Castro at the beginning of the baseball season,I had a little more reason to be interested in this book. I learned that Guillen throws tantrums, is obsessed with being fired, and protective of his family. Beyond that, there really isn't much here for the casual baseball fan. The wise-cracking sportswriter style doesn't do much for the narrative. Guillen comes across as a cartoon rather than a flesh and blood human being. The author has managed to produce a really dull book about a colorful figure.… (mehr)