At Shortstop // Sox' Guillen Relishes Role as Team Leader

SARASOTA, Fla. Sometimes the personality is so overwhelming thatit overshadows the talent, the voice so overbearing that it drownsout the ability.

But there's more to Ozzie Guillen than his verbal jabbing withFrank Thomas, his lecturing of Wilson Alvarez and his tutoring of RayDurham.

"I think it's overplayed, how he talks," Sox manager Gene Lamontsaid. "People lose track of how good a player he is."

Guillen most commonly is portrayed as the White Sox' acrobaticfixture at shortstop, the veteran leader who has played in 94 percentof his team's games since 1986, not including his injury-shortened1992 season.

But since Guillen came back from knee surgery in 1993, hiscareer has been on a steady ascent. Suddenly, there are newthresholds to cross.

Entering his 11th season, Guillen is looking to hit .300 for thefirst time in his career.

"If I swing at better pitches, I can do it," Guillen said."I've learned from (hitting coach) Walter (Hriniak) that every at-batcounts. But like I tell him, once you hit .300, everyone expects youto hit .320.

"But hopefully before my career is over, I'll be able to doit."

Guillen credits much of his resurgence to the maturity gainedafter spending most of 1992 in rehabilitation. When he returned in1993, he hit .284 and set career bests in home runs (four) anddoubles (23).

Last season, he hit .288, the highest average for a Soxshortstop since Bill Almon batted .301 in 1981.

Who knows if Guillen would have broken the .300 barrier if thestrike hadn't halted play Aug. 12? He was hitting .337 after theAll-Star break and had received his first intentional walk in threeyears.

"It seems like he's always gotten a lot of big hits for us,"Lamont said. "But I just think he's a better hitter now.

"He still has at-bats where he swings at wild pitches, but hehas worked his behind off and he's stronger. I think he's stillgoing to improve."

Guillen, 31, has no lingering fear about his knee. And he'sintent on reinventing his game.

"When you get more experienced, it makes it easier to play thisgame," Guillen said. "I'm not going to panic when I'm in a slump. Iwork every day on my hitting. And I don't believe in luck. I haveto be a better hitter because I work hard on it."

No doubt, there are some personal incentives. Guillen is athree-time All-Star, but his last appearance in the game was in 1991.And he has won only one Gold Glove.

"I've been robbed of a lot in this game, a lot of Gold Gloves, alot of All-Star Games," Guillen said. "But you can't worry aboutthings you can't control. Now I just want to win. And the onlything I need in baseball is to play in a World Series."

Which leads to Guillen's mouth. Most often, it's a pleasantdiversion to his teammates in the clubhouse. Sometimes it'sirritating in content and repetition, but it always stems fromGuillen's desire to win. That will never change.

"You have to make winning a habit," Guillen said. "My job is tomake sure the young guys grow up the right way because they don'tknow how lucky they are to play for a winning team.

"I was on a lot of horse(bleep) teams, and it's no fun coming tothe park every day. I have to make sure everyone appreciates that.I have to make sure that never slips away. So if they listen to me or not,it's always for the team's good."

Guillen's newest project is Durham, a rookie second basemanheralded as the next Joe Morgan. Guillen has been through 16 secondbasemen since he took over at shortstop 11 years ago, but never has acombination appeared so potent.

"I've played with guys the White Sox made second basemen, guyswho shouldn't have been there," Guillen said. "(Durham) is the firstnatural second baseman, and he could be the best.

"I told Ray, `You're going to appreciate me or hate my guts.You have that choice.' He has the best tools of anybody to ever playsecond for us. But that doesn't mean he's going to be the best second baseman."

Guillen, who is signed through 1997 with a club option for 1998,also thinks about his place in White Sox history. But there is morework to do, and his discipline at the plate is next on his agenda.

A notorious free swinger, Guillen struck out once every 11.1at-bats last season. If that ratio improves, Guillen might be a .300hitter in 1995.

"But I'm not going to change Ozzie Guillen, the player, just tohit .300," Guillen said. "I'm never going to let personal goals getahead of winning. For the last two spring trainings, we've come herewith a chance at winning the World Series. And you don't know hownice that is."