The ship has begun to sink in the South Side

I have to say, when I called for Ozzie Guillen to shut up so his team could play, I was betting on being the one with the controversial opinion; you know, going against the grain and stuff.

But now that the White Sox ship is quietly sinking (and fast), I have cemented my conviction that the season is all but lost. And Ozzie’s mostly to blame.

The Sox just lost their third outfielder, Darin Erstad, to an ankle injury that may put him out the rest of the season. On top of that, the team has been shrouded with controversy all thanks to the Media Circus that surrounds A.J. Pierzynski – most of which is simply made up by the MSM itself.

But now, el bocón mayor, Mr. Big Mouth himself, Guillen is pouring salt on the wound:

“I think we’ve got a great ballclub that can compete. … It’s up to them how far we can go. I think the talent is there — the people Kenny put together give us a chance to win this division, but we’re not playing up to our level.

“There’s no doubt about it, we have better talent than we’ve shown.”

Guillen spread the blame for his team’s struggles.

“It’s everybody,” he said. “It’s not fair for me to say this or that is wrong. Overall, when you’re losing, it means nothing is working.

“We haven’t put everything together yet. It’s the players, coaches, manager, everybody. We’re not doing our job. We’ve got to come here day in and day out and battle.”

And then there’s this article in USA Today.

Something bothers me when Ozzie is publicly worrying about his job. Anyone remember when he said that if the Sox won it all in ‘05, he’d quit? Sure, he was bluffing, but what about now?

You’re the manager, the experienced veteran, why instill insecurity on your team by wondering whether you’ll get fired or not when the team has expressed confidence in you by stomaching your antics?

I don’t want to pin it all on the manager, though. Before the season started I felt like Kenny Williams bet too much on Scott Podsednik, and once he landed on the DL, Williams had to scramble to get Erstad. (But now, after Podsednik’s second injury and Erstad’s bum ankle, the other utility outfielder, Pablo Ozuna, busts his leg as well. All three lead-off candidates gone.)

Granted, Williams has now taken a “hands-on approach” to scouting, meaning he realizes a shake-up is due at the very core of the team. But at this point, the White Sox have to admit they’re not going anywhere (as much as I hate to agree with Jay Mariotti, he’s right).

Bullpen isn’t anywhere close to what they were supposed to be, they’re 2-4 with a whopping 8.44 ERA and 3 blown saves in the last 19 games.

The starters have done their share; but the offense has not.

The Sox have 2 picks of the first 100 in this year’s draft. Buehrle contract year? Dye understands the nature of the business?

White flag…white flag…white flag…