[chumdawg]

Might want to stop down and watch tomorrow's game. There could be fireworks!

Ozzie: Payback on tap if plunking persists

By Mark Gonzales
Tribune staff reporter

July 20, 2006, 11:06 PM CDT


DETROIT -- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen issued a promise to Vicente Padilla in the event the Texas pitcher intentionally hits one of his hitters Sunday, as he twice plunked A.J. Pierzynski five weeks ago.

"Believe me, if Padilla does something about it, we're going to do something about it," Guillen said before Thursday's game at Detroit. "You can count on that. I don't care if we're suspended for 100 years.

"But besides that, we're going to go out and play a pretty good ballclub, a real, real dangerous hitting ballclub, and we need to win. We have to concentrate and win games.

"But I guarantee you, if that happens, I don't know what's going to happen, but something's going to happen. Make sure they know it too. You hit people when they do something wrong, I agree with that. But you hit people because you don't like them, I don't think that's a good [way] to play the game."

Padilla was tagged for seven runs in 31/3 innings against the Sox on June 3 but beat them 11 days later—albeit with some controversy.

Padilla hit Pierzynski in his first two at-bats on June 14 but received no warning from plate umpire Phil Cuzzi. The incident was put under the microscope when rookie reliever Sean Tracey missed nailing Hank Blalock in an apparent retaliation attempt, and Guillen exploded in the dugout over his pitchers' inability to protect their fellow batters.

The umpiring crew assigned to this weekend's series already was given a "heads up" to inform them of the history between the two teams. No incidents occurred in their last game June 15.

"I don't think [the umpires] are going to warn, but they're going to say—that's every series against me—they say, 'We will be watching you, we see what you're doing, be careful,'" Guillen said. "But I'm not here for Major League Baseball. I'm here for my players, and I'm going to do everything I can and in my power to make sure my players perform in the right way and I protect them."

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