MLB talks to White Sox about playing with dolls

Williams 'disappointed,' but Ozzie says team did nothing wrong

Officials from commissioner Bud Selig's office contacted the White Sox on Tuesday to discuss the team's controversial display of two inflatable dolls in their clubhouse over the weekend in Toronto, but no punishment is expected to be handed down, according to team and Major League Baseball sources.

Stopping short of an apology, Sox general manager Ken Williams expressed disappointment over the display.

''I will assure Major League Baseball that the doll was not violated in any way, shape or form,'' Williams said. ''In all seriousness, it is a little bit of a disappointment because we have proactively tried to -- and just did so this spring training -- organizationally, we brought in some people to discuss a better work environment, whether it's gender issues or racial issues.

''I don't know what a formal apology on behalf of the club is going to do, other than me assuring everyone we are on top of it and we addressed the issue.''

Williams had lunch with manager Ozzie Guillen and said Guillen and his coaches would be left to deal with the matter.

Guillen, who stressed he was not behind the display, stood his ground a second consecutive day, insisting he won't apologize to those who were offended.

''If people feel that way, I respect that,'' Guillen said. ''If people think we did something wrong, wow. I'm not going to apologize, I'm not going to say I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I can't come up with the words because as soon as I say that, that means I'm guilty of something. I'm not guilty.''

Before the Sox played the Blue Jays on Sunday, two inflatable female dolls -- one with a bat inserted in its backside, purportedly to prop it up -- were in the clubhouse. A ''Let's Go White Sox'' sign adorned one doll, and the other wore a sign reading, ''You've Got to Push,'' playing off the rah-rah phrase popularized during spring training by third-base coach Jeff Cox. Bats were pointed at the dolls, a move designed to snap the team's offensive slump.

Speculation has centered on Nick Swisher being the instigator behind the display. Asked if he regretted the move, Swisher shot back: ''Why are you saying I did it?''

Later, he said: ''It was meant in a fun way. ... It probably was wrong, but if anybody was offended by it, we sincerely apologize.''

Third baseman Joe Crede equated the incident to other ways teams try to snap out of slumps.

''It was in the same sense as guys going up to the bat rack and beating the crap out of the rack,'' Crede said. ''Obviously it didn't come out that way.''

Contributing: Kara Spak