Ozzie's back... but what about Kenny?

Just like I predicted Monday, Ozzie's quitting talk was all bluster and he will be back next year (without an extension no less). This got me ruminating on the Sox future as both Ozzie and Kenny Williams futures have been up in the air recently. They (and their constant bickering) are integral to the identity and fortunes of the club.

As I talked about earlier this year, Ozzie-led Sox teams consistently beat expectations. Even this year the Sox were pegged by PECOTA (the industry standard in season stats predictions) to go 79-83. With 5 meaningless games to go the Sox have beaten that by 5, and, prior to the disastrous home stand of 2 weeks ago they had a decent shot at hitting 90 wins. Had the Twins played to their predicted 82-80, and not challenge for the league lead in wins like they have, the Sox would have a lock on the division. The bottom line is that the Sox under Ozzie are better than they should be. But he is not the only one who makes this team go.

Kenny Williams in a genius. After getting bashed by A's GM Billy Beane in Michael Lewis' "Moneyball," Williams got even by winning a World Series and becoming one of the most successful young GM's in the league. I really love having Kenny Williams as the Sox GM. I know with "Trader" Kenny that the Sox Organization will never quit like they would under Ron Schueler in the late '90s. This is the sort of attitude which helped bring the title of '05 and the constant focus on improving the ball club ever since. Under Kenny there are no rebuilding projects, only setbacks. Take the Manny deal this year: Kenny realized that Ozzie's insistance on a NL lineup in the AL was potentially costing the team wins so he went out and spent nearly $4mil for one month of DH-ing from a PED-user. Sure, the Sox have gone an embarrassingly average 13-13 since that signing, but at least we tried. The team construction, from the emphasis on pitching, to the reliance on veterans like Paul Konerko and AJ Pierzynski comes from Williams.

(As much as, if not more than, Ozzie, Kenny makes the Sox who they are. From: SI)

I'm always going to be cool with Ozzie as the manager of the Sox. Not only was he a team leader and a hero of mine growing up in the '90s, but he was the face of the '05 team that brought the first baseball title to Chicago in 88 years. It would be naive and hypocritical of me to say that a few years of temper tantrums and twitter fiascoes could erase all of that, and I certainly give him credit for everything the Sox gain on the field. However, I realize that it's the collaboration between Williams and Guillen that ultimately sets the tone for the franchise. Without one, I doubt the other will work well. While Ozzie returning is great news, Kenny, who has openly talked about running away and hiding from the stress, is just as important, and needs to be retained. Were Kenny to go, Ozzie would probably just spin out of control (if he hasn't already).