Ozzie Guillen

I guess I need to start taking the Detroit Tigers seriously. I was slow to jump on their bandwagon, but this team is for real. The Tigers beat the White Sox, 2-1, Thursday, perhaps leaving behind some bad blood in the process. Joel Zumaya struck out Joe Crede to end the eighth inning and preserve the one-run lead. Zumaya hopped in the air, spun around, pumped his fist and hollered. The display didn't sit well with Crede, who glared at the right-hander while walking slowly to the dugout.

Speaking of ranting ... If I recall correctly, wasn't Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen ordered to take sensitivity training a couple of years ago for using inappropriate language regarding sexual orientation to describe sportswriter Jay Mariotti? Well, whatever they hoped to accomplish in that sensitivity training, Guillen continues to have a flair for colorful language and imagery. For instance, during the opening days of spring training, Guillen said that he felt it would be beneficial to his team if he wasn't so constrained in his approach, to wit (as quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times)

We have a record in the short history of Last Word rants. Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen becomes the first consecutive two-time winner (loser?) to appear in this space. Guillen qualified for a mention here yesterday for his weekend profanity-laced tirade during which he fumed about how those stinkin' Cubs are more loved and respected in Chicago than the White Sox even though the Cubbies haven't won a World Series since there were glaciers in Kansas. Today, the rant trophy stays with the White Sox and their manager for an unprecedented second straight day after someone in their clubhouse decided to use a pair of inflatable dolls and strategically place baseball bats along with signs that said "Let's Go White Sox" and "You've Got to Push" as a motivational device to help them snap out of a recent slump.

Looking to change both his image and his luck, Orioles utility man Ozzie Guillen has decided to stop wearing his socks pulled up in the old-fashioned style that had become his trademark.Guillen liked the look, in part, because it exposed the bottom of his right knee brace, reminding him of the effort he put forth to return from torn ligaments that ended his 1992 season after 12 games.Why the switch?"That was the White Sox image," Guillen, who remains bitter about being unwanted in Chicago after 13 seasons, said yesterday.

Baseball Blue Jays: Signed 2B Mickey Morandini to minor-league contract. Devil Rays: Agreed to terms with IF Ozzie Guillen on minor-league contract. Diamondbacks: Named Bob Welch pitching coach. Dodgers: Named Dave Wallace special assistant to general manager. Colleges Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo: Named Rich Ellerson football coach. Frostburg State: Kim Faust was named to ECAC Division III field hockey first team. Goucher: Bryan Fredericks was named Capital Athletic Conference Men's Swimmer of the Week.

At Comiskey Park, ChicagoDay ................ Time ...... TV ......... StartersTonight ............ 8:05 ...... 54, 50 ..... David Wells (2-2, 4.40) vs. Alex Fernandez (4-2, 3.78)Tomorrow night ..... 8:05 ...... HTS ........ Scott Erickson (2-2, 3.15) vs. James Baldwin (2-0, 2.12)Thursday night ..... 8:05 ...... 13, 50 ..... Mike Mussina (4-2, 3.86) vs.Wilson Alvarez (2-2, 3.63)Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) and WTOP (1500 AM)White Sox update: The White Sox have what the Orioles want: good, consistent pitching.

On the field: Second baseman Bret Barberie has had a resurgence in the past 10 days, at the plate and in the field. He made one of the best plays of the Orioles' season yesterday, diving headlong to his right to spear a liner by White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas in the seventh inning. The ball stuck in the top of the webbing of Barberie's glove. "I've attempted many of those and not gotten one," Barberie said of the snow-cone catch. "You hit the ground and the ball falls out."In the dugout: The White Sox employed, as many teams do, a defensive shift against Orioles designated hitter Harold Baines.

CHICAGO -- It may be a while before he actually plays, but Bo Jackson will be a fixture at Comiskey Park."He's going to rehab here when the Sox are in town," team physician James Boscardin said yesterday.Boscardin said the Chicago White Sox will take another X-ray of Jackson's injured hip in about 10 days."He's doing fine," Boscardin reported.One of sports' most high-profile athletes took the low-key route in his first appearance with the White Sox. His locker was next to Frank Thomas, his former football teammate at Auburn.

Astros: The bullpen hasn't squandered a lead after the seventh inning this season. The team is 10-0 when leading after seven and 12-0 when leading after eight. Third baseman Ken Caminiti was given the night off. He was hit on the elbow by a bat in batting practice before Thursday's game against Arizona, then got three hits. The elbow swelled overnight.Braves: It was John Smoltz's first complete game since a three-hit, 4-0 win over the Mets last Sept. 6. It was Atlanta's second shutout of the season.

Oates too soft on RipkenI'm sure I express the sentiments of many fans when I say Cal Ripken Jr. is not a team player. I say this because many games have been lost because he will not give up the third batting position. Practically every time he comes to bat, there are men in scoring position. He either strikes out or hits into a double play.Since Johnny Oates doesn't have the guts to pinch hit for him, Ripken should ask to be placed in the last position or take a rest. A team player plays to win.I believe the Orioles would be two or three games from first place if Oates would do his job and move Cal out of the third batting position.