Every radio host thinks they could manage an MLB team, but how many managers believe they could host a radio show? This isn’t just a whimsical thought; Amon-Ra St. Brown asserted that podcasting is more challenging than running routes. Ozzie Guillén echoed this when he claimed that managing an MLB team is easier than hosting a daily radio show, at least for him.
Guillén reinforces the idea that your local afternoon drive co-host could craft a lineup and push the right buttons with far less stress than preparing a radio show. During his appearance on Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score on Wednesday, the former White Sox manager emphasized that, while he’s transitioned firmly into the media, he does not envy the daily grind of radio hosts. Since 2019, Guillén has been with CHSN (formerly NBC Sports Chicago), and given the White Sox’s disastrous 2024 season, he was arguably the only engaging element on their broadcasts.
For Guillén, managing a team feels easy and being a postgame analyst is a breeze, but hosting a radio show? That’s a different story. “Real good radio people do their job every day, and it’s not easy for that many years,” Guillén noted, as covered by Barrett Media. He recounted a conversation with Ozzie Jr. about the commitment required from these hosts to engage fans consistently. For Guillén, managing felt natural due to the unpredictability of the role, providing daily excitement.
However, he wouldn’t trade that for the challenge of waking up at 6 a.m. five days a week to maintain high energy. “To me, it’s easy to go manage every day because every day is going to be different,” he said. “Yet, you have people criticizing you; you have people agreeing with you. You got people who think they’re smarter than you. This is just crazy, man. I tip my hat to you guys because working that day in and day out is not easy.”
Working under Jerry Reinsdorf posed challenges too, but Guillén’s experience wasn’t scrutinized under the intense spotlight of modern social media. He mostly opted out of a return to the White Sox, seeming more like Eric Mangini casually throwing his name in the hat for a coaching position than Rex Ryan eagerly pursuing one. If they reached out, he’d be open, but he acknowledges that the current scrutiny is quite different.
“With social media and everything, people sit in their basements, making comments,” Guillén expressed. “You must be careful with what you say and do. You know, when you work on TV, radio, or whatever, you’re walking on eggshells.” He keeps a personal archive of all his broadcasts at CHSN, with his wife recording every game—not to study, but to cover himself, akin to a coach studying film. In today’s climate, where one out-of-context soundbite can cause outrage, he is less focused on perfection and more on avoiding backlash.
It turns out, the man who once managed a World Series champion is more concerned about getting roasted for something said on air than for a bullpen decision. And honestly, who can blame him?
