Tagged: ESPN

Exciting new developments!

ozzieguillenfoundation-1Well, this is a bit weird, but it’s great to be talking to you all again. I’m finally back in the country and in the great city of Chicago! I have been watching some baseball, but haven’t been focused on one team. It’s kind of strange being able to focus on the entire league for the first time in a very long time. Since I have signed on with ESPN and ESPN Deportes for this season, I have to keep track of all the teams and stay on top of things.

I have to tell you, ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., is the place to be. The place is something to see, and being able to work with the people there is even better. Every time I go the experience gets better. They have some personalities there, and getting the opportunity to sit in on “First Take” a couple of times this year will be very fun. I’m excited about sitting in with Ernesto Jerez and Luis Alfredo. It doesn’t seem like work with those guys. I will be around for the All-Star Game and postseason, so it will be nice to stay around the game. Hopefully, you will get a chance to see and I can bring something extra to the broadcasts.

As you may have seen on my Twitter and Facebook, I’m extremely excited about bringing my foundation, the Ozzie Guillen Foundation, to the city of Chicago. We are hosting an event on May 29 at The Grid, and you can find more info on the foundation’s temporary website. It’s really a privilege to bring the foundation to what I consider to be my hometown. My hope is that I can give back just a little to the community that supported me so incredibly throughout my career. Please check it out and consider spending the evening with us if you can.

I will talk to you guys again soon. I plan on writing these more often as the season goes on.

2013 sure to be a busy year

Well, it’s been a minute since I last wrote one of these things, but I’m very excited to be back in the swing of things. I have a lot of things planned for 2013, and I hope it’s going to be a good one. Actually, I’m sure it’s going to be a good one.

My family and I just got back from a weekend in Galena, Ill. I know what you’re thinking (haha). Yes, us Latinos also enjoy the snow once in a while. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying nature – there is nothing like family.

It’s been a little weird seeing Spring Training start and not being a part of it, but I’m over it for now. I’m sure my time will come again.

I’m very excited to announce that I will be joining ESPN Deportes for their coverage of the World Baseball Classic. I couldn’t be happier and I’m looking forward to the games. I love working with ESPN; they are always first class. They know me well and I’m very familiar with them, so hopefully more things will come in the future.

We are also working hard on an Ozzie Guillen Foundation event coming this spring. It will be our first real foundation event in the U.S. and I’m excited for what’s to come. I will be able to give more details soon.

Before Spring Training is over I hope to give you all my picks for the season. Fans just need to relax during this time since nothing is certain. Hope all is well with everyone and speak again soon!

Spring Training begins

Wow! Where do I even begin? When I left Chicago snow was falling and yes, I love that! Before I left, though, I sat down with the guys from ESPN 1000 at Morton’s Steakhouse for “Lunch with a Legend,” and what a turnout. It was a great feeling seeing so many people there and I want to thank everyone that came out! Waddle & Carmen could be the best in Chicago; it was a very classy event and they ask the tough questions. There is a right way to do things and then there is a way to do things while being a jerk and sarcastic. That’s why I want to thank everyone from ESPN 1000 for always being so classy and doing things the right way.

Triple Crown Productions, Inc.

Right now I am in Miami (just got to Jupiter) and I couldn’t be happier because all of the guys are fun and loose, they just want to go out and have some fun. Or maybe it’s just because I was around Jose Reyes. Being around that guy’s energy is just contagious. During the Marlins Caravan last week we went to hospitals, schools, senior citizen centers and then had a blast golfing with the Miccosukee Tribe. Those guys can play some golf!

Triple Crown Productions, Inc.

It’s always great seeing my guys Carlos (Zambrano) and Mark B. (Buerhle). Carlos got slimmer and Mark was being his usual self. Mike Stanton is a house and Logan Morrison is … LoMo. He’s just a fun guy to be around. Hanley (Ramirez) seems ready to go, and looks like he has been working very hard this offseason. Now it’s finally time to go out there, have some fun and play ball. To be completely honest I am really looking forward to this year. I hate saying this, but that stadium is just unbelievable, there are no words to describe it! I was there with Jose the other day for a photo shoot and the guys had me rollin’ the whole time. He is just funky and I love it.

Emilio Bonifacio and Omar Infante are great together. It’s always good to see everyone hang out and get along. Looks like big boy Josh (Johnson) is ready to go as well. I just can’t wait to get out there and smell the pine tar and hear the bat hitting the ball. It sounds stupid, but that’s why we all love this game.

I want to say good luck to everyone in baseball before we get started.  I hope this is a great year and everyone stays healthy.

Also, keep an eye out for an album that I will post tomorrow of the “Lunch with a Legend” event and the Marlins golf outing!

Wrapping up the offseason

I had a great time on Monday night attending my first college basketball game and seeing DePaul play for the first time. I have to say, it was probably the most non-work related fun I have had this offseason. Wow. The people at DePaul and the fans at the game were awesome; it was such a good time. Even though Marquette had a lot of fans there, it was a close game to the end. I’m glad I had the chance to go and I will definitely be back. Who knows? I might even try to get some season tickets for next year, it was that much fun.

How many of you caught me on “Baseball Tonight” on Tuesday? It’s always a good time to catch up with Karl Ravech and the boys. Believe me; what those guys do is not easy. I have been there before and props to everyone that works in TV … that is hard work!

Here I am doing "Baseball Tonight" again! (Triple Crown Productions, Inc.)

Right now, I’m just getting ready to head down to Miami on Feb. 12 for the Marlins Golf Tournament, which should be a very good time. I saw the new stadium digitally on the new “MLB The Show” game for PlayStation 3 (my kids love that game) and wow, does the stadium look amazing on there. The stadium was sold out in the game, so let’s hope that happens a lot this year and the next couple of years. I will also be shooting a Pepsi commercial for Venezuela with Carlos Zambrano and Bobby Abreu. I will be seeing Carlos a lot this season, and I’m looking forward to it.

To be completely honest with you, I just want all this stuff to be over and to get this thing going. There’s nothing better than spring baseball. Oh yeah, and I hope to see a lot of you out tomorrow at Morton’s Steakhouse in Chicago to see me with ESPN 1000 at noon. Can’t wait!

Spring is just around the corner

How did January go by so fast? Well, February is here and I can’t believe it. And no, I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day, just in case you were wondering. February is always an exciting month because baseball is finally getting started. I can’t really remember an offseason that has been as much fun as this one, not only with the moves the Marlins have made but with the moves everyone has made. There are a lot of good teams out there and teams looking to bounce back from last year. April 4 can’t come soon enough.

I will be heading down to Miami on Feb. 13 for the Marlins charity golf tournament. I know Joey Cora has been practicing a lot so I need to get out there a few days early so I don’t embarrass myself. A couple days before that, on Friday, Feb. 10, I will be doing “Lunch With a Legend” here in Chicago on ESPN 1000 with Waddle & Silvy. I love working with those guys because they know a lot about baseball and sports in general. They treat everyone with respect and I like that. I hope to see everyone out for the event.

I finally made it to my first Bulls game of the year last week. It’s always great to see my old buddy, the guy who got me my first car in Chicago back in 1985, Steve Shanwald. I think it was a Toyota Supra (haha). The Bulls played a great game and Derrick Rose was awesome! I did see that they lost to the Heat, even though it was a great game. It would be very nice if the Bulls and the Heat face off in the Eastern Conference Finals so I can catch some games in Miami.

Back to baseball. Like I always say, every team looks good in January and everyone is optimistic and excited about their team’s chances. Usually this time of year everyone is saying the right things, but you have to go out and play the games. Everyone loves each other in February, but the key is to love each other in September. If you can do that then you are in business. Trust me, I know first hand.

It’s almost time for baseball!

I’m back! Yes, it’s good to be back in Chicago. I love my house here in the Bucktown area, and even though it’s cold, at least it isn’t as cold as it was a week ago, from what I have heard. I will be hanging around Chicago for a couple more weeks before I head down to Florida for Spring Training. Tonight I am going to head over to the United Center for the Bulls game, my first one of the year. I think they play the Bucks, who just beat Miami, so it should be a good game. On Saturday I might head over to the UFC event. I have never been to one of those so it might be a cool experience.

Now, on to some baseball stuff. Wow! Congratulations to Prince Fielder and his family. He deserves it and the Tigers definitely got better. I know Miguel Cabrera is happy. It seems like all the big-name hitters are going to the American League, thank God (haha)!

I have some things planned here in Chicago before I head out that I’m sure you are going to be interested in. We literally just set this up a few minutes before I wrote this, but on Feb. 10 I will be on ESPN 1000 “Lunch with a Legend” on the “Waddle & Silvy Show.” I’m very excited about it and it will be a good way to say goodbye to Chicago before the season starts. Hope to see as many of you out for the event as possible.

I think I am leaving town right after Valentine’s Day and I’m pumped up about it. I never thought I would say this, but I’m looking forward to seeing Joey Cora again, a lot (haha). That means only one thing: baseball is here!

Check out the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine!

How is everyone doing today? I’m still spending a few more days down here in Panama, but now we have moved to Panama City. We are at a place called the Manrey Hotel and it is amazing. I have to say, I’m actually in awe of Panama and how advanced this place it. Very impressive. I haven’t had a bad meal since we landed in this country. The food and the people are great.

Some of the Yankees guys should be getting into town either today or tomorrow to get ready for Andruw Jones’s event.  From everything I have heard, this event should be pretty awesome, and I will be sure to put up some pictures when I can. Today I may even get a chance to meet Roberto Duran. My kids and I love boxing, so that would be a real thrill!

Got some good news the other day while I was down here: The people over at ESPN The Magazine informed me through my guys at Triple Crown Productions that we got the cover of the magazine’s December issue. That’s pretty awesome news! And the fact that my lazy-ass dog, DH, made the cover, too, is even better. It looks like he got a taste of my whole mouth on the shot, too. I can’t say enough about the ESPN crew. They showed up and did their job. They were telling me that usually during shoots people can be pretty quiet. Well, as you could imagine, not me and my family (haha). I think we ended up talking more than we got photographed. You can check out some behind-the-scenes pics I posted last week from the shoot on the website. It’s an honor to be on the cover, and I couldn’t be happier that I got it. And for your sake just be happy ESPN didn’t pick me to be on the cover of their “Body Issue”. That would have been bad for everyone (haha).

So, here is the final product; the cover (with DH, of course) that hits newsstands tomorrow. Be sure to go pick up a copy and read the interview I did with Tim Kirkjian. He did a great job with the questions and I answered as best as I could.

Chris McPherson/ESPN The Magazine

Happy December everyone, and hopefully we will see you guys this weekend in Chicago or at the Winter Meetings next week. This is always an exciting time for baseball and I can’t wait to see what happens.

Thanksgiving on the beach

Well, today we head to Panama for a little time on the beach during Thanksgiving Weekend. I hope you all have a safe and amazing time no matter where you are going to be. I promised to put some pics up of my ESPN photo shoot I did last week, so here it is. I will give you a little sneak peek of the star of the show — my English bulldog, DH.

I think they ended up taking more pictures of him than they did me!

Taking a trip to Panama

I swear every time I’m in the city of Chicago I never want to leave, but its time to head for some warmer weather again! I’m going to Panama on Wednesday to relax and spend some time with my family. It’s going to be an amazing trip. I’m also there to help out — as I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts — my good friend Andruw Jones and his charity. I expect us to be visiting some schools and hospitals while I am there. Whatever they ask me to do I will be excited to do it. I will also get to see my good buddy Ruben Blades, hopefully. These people have done so much to help out the Ozzie Guillen Foundation in Venezuela, so it’s the least I can do. My foundation helps kids and their families dealing with cancer and other problems. It’s important we recognize how much these families often struggle for the simplest of things, so giving back in any way is good.

We will also be able to fit in some down time as well. This is a vacation, after all! I’m sure we will hit the beach a bunch and get a chance to check out some of the golf courses and try out my new clubs from Tour Edge. This will be my first trip to Panama, so we will get some sightseeing in as well. Anybody been there before and have something good for us to do?

I watched the Bears game yesterday. Congrats to them on the win and staying hot. It is too bad to hear about the injury to Jay Cutler and his thumb, as he was playing really well. Hopefully they can continue to play well and make the playoffs; it won’t be easy, but I think they can do it.

A couple more things before I forget: The website is going to be getting a new look here soon, so I hope you all enjoy what we have come up with. Stay tuned!

I want to say thank you to the people at ESPN The Magazine who were at my house last Friday for a photo shoot. I will post some pics from the shoot tomorrow and keep you updated on when they will run.

I hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving this week. Always be grateful for what you have and work hard for what you want. Make sure you give thanks for your health, as it should always be at the top of your wish list. As always, God Bless!

Thanks to everyone at ESPN

By now, I’m sure all of you know how great a time I had working for ESPN during this year’s World Series.  It’s something I hope I get to do again (If they let me).  I want to thank everyone who was involved for being so great to me and making sure I enjoyed my time there.  Here is a picture of me and the guys on the “Baseball Tonight” set in St. Louis:

My entire album from the World Series was just uploaded to my website. Check it out!