Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan accused the South Siders of stealing signs during a three-game June mauling in which the White Sox outscored the Cardinals, 34-11.
Detroit felt Justin Verlander was tipping pitches, following the White Sox third straight drubbing of the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young candidate in the American League. Even John Henry, Boston's owner, made a statement that he thought the White Sox were stealing signs at home while watching a game they were playing against the Yankees, a comment made in an article running in the Aug. 10 edition of the Boston Globe.
Apparently, Guillen had heard enough.
"Good, I hope it keeps happening," said Guillen of the cheating allegations. "What happened in the playoffs and World Series? We won 1-0, 2-1. We won so many one-run games, more than anyone in baseball.
"You look at our Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters, they are the best in baseball. If we're cheating, how come we don't help Brian Anderson or [Juan] Uribe? If we're going to cheat, we're not just going to cheat for a few guys. Why is Brian Anderson having such a hard time to perform?
"[Jim] Thome has 30-some home runs just because? He has 30 home runs every year, off the bat. We're cheating on the mound? Our pitching staff gets beat up once in a while. They're mad. They can't admit that a Latino kicked their [tail].
"Then, the owner in Boston, he said we were cheating," Guillen added. "He doesn't even know what a field looks like."
This particular diatribe didn't stop there. It also included praise for Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire, who Guillen said he simply worries about competing against and doesn't look for reasons why his team lost to the Twins. He also reminded everyone of his support for the Twins back in April -- even after the White Sox swept a three-game series in Chicago.
His most pointed commentary, though, might have been saved for the NL Central -- a division against which the White Sox posted a 14-4 Interleague record. Guillen reiterated how facing pitchers such as Johan Santana, C.C. Sabathia, Verlander and Kenny Rogers prepares a team to face lesser competition.
And in Guillen's esteemed opinion, the NL Central features far lesser competition.
"If we played National League teams, the Central Division, we might win 150 games in that league," Guillen said. "They think I cheat? The American League Central? That's baseball right here. Go hard one after another.
"I don't know about the other [National League] divisions, but the Central? Oh, please. We went to Cincinnati, and what's his name, [Aaron] Harang? That's the best guy we faced. The American League Central dominates because we have the best pitching."
Guillen's statements were variations of earlier-expressed sentiments. But with Guillen, no two interview sessions ever feature the same exact material.
