White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, no stranger to controversial comments, is once again on the front page for the wrong reason, this time for referring to Chicago Sun-Times' columnist Jay Mariotti as a(n) "[expletive] fag."

Guillen's personality has been described as "fiery."

Mariotti himself does not have the cleanest slate.  A long-time White Sox critic, he is loathed by many fans and Chicagoans in general.  Last month, he blamed the May 20^th Sox-Cubs brawl on catcher A.J. Pierzynski (despite being the receiver of the first punch).  Why?  Because Pierzynski is always at the center of every controversy, according to Mariotti.

My opinion of Mariotti's work hasn't wavered in many years; he's a modern day muckraker, paid to intentionally stir up highly dubious if not idiotic opinions even if he doesn't even believe in his own words.  Most Sox fans maintain simplicity, referring to Mariotti as a moron.

Guillen is apparently no exception.  It's perfectly okay for Guillen to hate Mariotti, and I'd go a step further and say that it's allright for him to publicly state his dislike.   But Guillen must control himself.  Calling a reporter a name that might potentially offend an entire group of people cannot be tolerated in a professional environment and his fine and orders to attend sensitivity training were definitely warranted.  Ironically, if Guillen had instead called Mariotti a three-letter synonym for "butt," disciplinary action would have been unnecessary.

Guillen further embarrasses himself saying he "doesn't know what sensitivity training is," and that he would need English lessons in order to successfully attend.  He made his Major League debut as a player in 1985 and has lived in the United States for more than twenty years, so he understands and speaks fluent English.  He seems desperate for any kind of excuse possible.

I am all for Guillen's "telling it how it is."  I love his sincerity and his passion for baseball and life in general.  However, Guillen better exercise better judgment in his choice of words the next time he disagrees with a reporter, fan, coach, or player.