Hang on to your *&%$@#% butts, it's Ozzie Time!

Game 1 of the World Series is slated to begin at approximately 7:57 EST on Fox tonight. That pretty much means that the actual game itself will probably start around 8:30, once all of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds Game 1 of the World Series is finally complete. Also, considering how postseason games usually go, the game will likely end around midnight or 1 a.m., which means you are going to get roughly five hours of sleep if you are lucky. More often than not, you would probably eschew the pre-game show because it is just white noise, and you would probably say to hell with the post-game show because it is simply too damn late. Nonetheless, my friends, the pre-game and post-game show will be worth watching this year, because the one and only Ozzie bleeping Guillen will be on the show.

All Sox fans (myself included) know about Ozzie's loose cannon and his "tell it like it is" managerial style. In fact, Ozzie has had so many tirades in front of the media that most Sox fans can point out their favorite one, much like one would point out their favorite movie in a rental store. Whether it was the Ozzie vs. Magglio Ordonez showdown in 2005 or Ozzie's most recent tirade concerning his players watching too much football after an embarrassing loss (my personal favorite, by the way), one thing is for certain: if Ozzie is happy or upset, everybody knows. He won't give you the same manufactured response that most managers will give reporters after a good day or a bad one. Ozzie speaks from his heart, and he will tell you how he genuinely feels.

It is precisely for this reason why Fox's pre-game and post-game show will be considerably more interesting this year. Not because I expect Ozzie to drop a f-bomb over the air, but because he gives baseball fans want they want to hear. They want someone who is genuine, someone who speaks the truth and will not hold back. Somebody who will praise someone when it is deserved and offer criticism when it is deserved. Someone who has a deep passion for the game and wears it on his sleeve. Baseball could use more people like Ozzie Guillen. Tonight I will watch the pre-game and post-game show in their entirety not just because I am a Sox fan, but because I am a baseball fan who wants someone to just "tell it like it is." I have no doubt that Ozzie will not disappoint.