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Many in gay community happy with Ozzie
CHICAGO — Edwin the gay hairdresser dislikes split ends, phony people and political correctness. He likes Ozzie Guillen.
"Ozzie has always been nice to me," Edwin Quiros of Chicago said Thursday in a telephone interview. "I have gone out to bars with him and have hung out at his house. His kids are terrific; Ozzie and his wife have taught them to be tolerant, accepting and welcoming to me and my friends.
"So I find it really weird that some people are trying to portray Ozzie as a homophobe."
One of these days, I'll get back to writing about baseball, particularly Guillen's white-hot White Sox.
When that day arrives, maybe I'll refer back to this week's three-game wipe-out of the St. Louis Cardinals, the pride of the National League.
Maybe I'll mention the seventh-inning homer Jim Thome hit Thursday night to ruin Anthony Reyes' no-hit bid and give the White Sox a 1-0 victory. Only 1-0? Apparently, Sox batters were exhausted after scoring 33 runs in the first two games.
Maybe I even will mention the verbal sniping between Guillen and Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan. After St. Louis pitcher Sidney Ponson beaned two Sox on Tuesday, Chicago reliever David Riske retaliated by hitting Duncan's son.
(Chris Duncan, a utility player, has since been sent to the minors to make room for slugging star Albert Pujols, who was activated from the disabled list. Guillen, suspended for his role in the Duncan plunking, watched from a private suite Thursday as Pujols went 0-for-4 against Freddy Garcia and Bobby Jenks.)
After Dave Duncan ripped Guillen for being a lout and a liar, Ozzie said: "If I'm gonna hit somebody, I'm not gonna hit that Triple-A player. I'm gonna hit somebody worth it. Like I'm gonna take a suspension to hit Duncan's kid? (Bleep) that. I'd more enjoy hitting somebody else."
Fun stuff, yes, but that's all the baseball I have time for now, what with so much social commentary on my plate.
For the second time this week, I'm writing about Guillen's recent use of the word "burrito" as a putdown of Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. (Thursday, two days after Guillen delivered that bomb, he slammed Mariotti for "cheating" readers, his employers and other media outlets for refusing to enter the clubhouse and for using quotes he doesn't gather.)
I'm writing about the sensitivity training baseball commissioner Bud Selig has ordered, something Guillen is taking oh so seriously. (Ozzie: "Make sure it's after 12 o'clock because I always get up after 12.")
And I'm writing about Edwin the gay hairdresser.
About an hour after Guillen offered to provide telephone numbers for some of his gay friends, a team employee handed me a sheet of paper with two names and numbers. "Marshall" wasn't home, but Edwin happily chatted about his buddy.
"Anybody who really knows Ozzie knows he's special," Quiros said. "I'm from Puerto Rico and he's from Venezuela. We use words like 'burrito' and 'burrito' pretty often to describe people in jokes or putdowns. It's no big deal. Ozzie is a public figure, so that factors into the equation, but what he said about that writer didn't offend me or anybody I know."
Of course, "I have a lot of friends who are gay" — or black or Hispanic or Jewish or whatever — is one of the oldest trick's in a bigot's book. Only Guillen really knows what's in his heart. And I think it's fair to say that many gay people do not share Edwin's view of Ozzie's choice of words.
Still, instead of taking the politically correct way out every time, can we just once look at the individual involved, the intent and the context of a situation? If we can, Selig's punishment, which included a reprimand and a fine, seems adequate.
Here's hoping Guillen doesn't blow off the sensitivity training, though, because it would do him good. He obviously needs to be reminded that certain words, phrases and actions aren't acceptable in a public forum. He needs to learn alternatives to angrily lashing out at people. I'd hate to see his career end because he can't control his mouth or emotions.
"I put baseball in a situation I shouldn't have, so hopefully it never happens again," Guillen said. "But I'm not gonna change who I am."
He doesn't have to. He just needs to grow up a little bit. Otherwise, his honesty, passion and sense of humor make him a treasure.
"Ozzie is a friend, a great guy and one of the funniest people I know," Edwin the gay hairdresser said. "If you don't like Ozzie, it's because you haven't tried — and that's your problem."
Not a bad article, which is kind of surprising since it is coming from Nadel. But all in all, I think the most interesting portion is where Edwin discusses how the terms "burrito" and "burrito" are so loosely used in everyday vocabulary in Venezuela.
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