CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen reacted angrily during Friday night's postgame news conference when asked about a report on a sports website that quoted him as saying he would not undergo the sensitivity training that commissioner Bud Selig ordered.
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Guillen was fined Thursday and ordered by Selig to undergo training after an obscenity-laden tirade against Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti in which the manager used a derogatory term that describes someone's sexual orientation.
When asked about the report after the game, the manager responded with a lengthy diatribe in which he said he first needs to take English classes "to understand what they're talking about" and threatened to "start being nasty with the media" if they continued to ask questions about it.
"It's a really uncomfortable situation for me," Guillen said after the White Sox beat Houston 7-4. "I don't need this job. It's hard every day. ... If someone tries to play games, I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong guy."
Guillen got up and walked out of the interview room. A few minutes later, he said through a team spokesman he will undergo the training.
Guillen has said he did not mean to offend homosexuals and has apologized for using the word. But he stands by his criticism of Mariotti, who was not at U.S. Cellular Field when Guillen chastised him.
Mariotti had criticized Guillen's handling of pitcher Sean Tracey. The rookie could be seen distraught in the dugout last week in Texas after Guillen became angry when the White Sox didn't retaliate for catcher A.J. Pierzynski twice being hit with pitches. Tracey was sent to the minors.
Guillen was also angry with Mariotti for calling for the Cubs to fire manager Dusty Baker and replace him with TV broadcaster Bob Brenly.
Guillen was back in the dugout Friday after serving a one-game suspension, a punishment for reliever David Riske hitting St. Louis' Chris Duncan with a pitch Tuesday night after two White Sox were plunked. Riske is appealing a three-game suspension.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing a Cardinals source, said the team became convinced during Wednesday's game that a camera in center field was tipping pitches to the White Sox -- a notion that Guillen laughed off. The White Sox won the first two games 20-6 and 13-5, then managed just one hit but beat the Cardinals 1-0 on Jim Thome's home run Thursday.
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