White Sox doll blow up
Manager defends team using inflatable dolls in clubhouse as 'slump busters,' but Sox official admits it was 'tasteless'
If anyone was offended by the White Sox having a pair of inflatable dolls surrounded by bats and a sign encouraging players to "push" in their clubhouse before Sunday's game in Toronto, don't expect an apology from manager Ozzie Guillen.
"I'm sure it wasn't done to disrespect anyone," Guillen said Monday. "Everyone in the clubhouse, 100 percent of the people in the clubhouse, they are 18 years old and that's a private thing. If the players do it in the dugout so everyone in the public could see it, or did it in the hotel lobby . . . we did it in the clubhouse. A lot of worse things happen in the clubhouse. I don't really know why people are making it a big deal. If people got their feelings hurt because of that . . . they don't really know much about baseball."
(Sun-Times file)
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The gimmick, called a slump buster, apparently was put together to help the White Sox snap out of a recent losing streak. On Saturday, Sox players shaved the head of one of Guillen's coaches, another uneffective trick.
"This was in the same spirit," Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said. "In terms of taste I think people would find it tasteless. They were just trying to get the bats going."
Reifert said players have "burned bats, kissed bats, slept with their bats, blessed their bats, you name it."
On Sunday, the bats were circled around the two naked female dolls, one of whom had a bat inserted in its backside to prop it up. Each wore a sign over her breasts, one saying "Let's Go White Sox" and the other reading "You've Got to Push," the National Post in Toronto reported.
One group not amused by the prank was the Association for Women in Sports Media, whose members work toward ensuring a non-threatening work environment for all women in sports media.
"The presence of those dolls creates an uncomfortable situation for any female journalist who enters the White Sox locker room simply trying to do her job," said Jenni Carlson, the group's president, in an e-mail.
Guillen was asked about the prank Sunday and said: "Well, whoever did it spent a lot of money. That's the type of guys we have. The clubhouse has been quiet the last couple days and I don't like to see that. We have to stay at the same level of enthusiasm, no matter what happens. Because you worry about the game during the game, before and after, you can't do anything about it. I know it's not easy to enjoy yourself when you're losing, but I expect the guys to stay with the same attitude no matter the results of the game.''
Reifert expects some dialogue about the situation when the team returns.
"I'm sure when the team gets back from the road trip there will be some conversations," he said.
Contributing: Joe Cowley, Roman Modrowski