Tagged: World Series

It’s time to move on and see what’s next

Well, that was a long vacation in Spain. What a great trip I had over there; I got to spend some time with some of my now my ex-players. It was great to spend such a great time with some great people. I had the opportunity to go to a Real Madrid game and see some bullfights, a lot of bullfights actually. Unfortunately, when I got back, I was the one that got the horns.

I received that phone call that nobody wants to get. It was short and to the point. I went to Miami to win and to be there awhile. That was the plan, but they chose to go in another direction. Money is great, but that’s not what it’s all about. Regardless of what I may say, anyone who knows me at all knows that I’m a competitor, I’m a winner, and I want to win more than anything. I like to keep my word, so I like to go out there and compete. That’s why I love this game so much.

I don’t think I have ever missed a season or not been affiliated with a team since I started playing baseball. Even in 1992, I was part of a team. So, once February rolls around, I’m sure this is going to be a very new feeling for me. With great friends and family I’ll get through this and be better for it.

I want to thank everyone again for all of their support. Even the people who were happy that things ended up this way, thank you as well. My love and respect to you. Thanks to all those who have called me to show their support, even people from my former teams like the Braves and the White Sox. I really appreciate it.

Congrats to the San Francisco Giants and Bruce Bochy; what an amazing job you all did. Congrats to all the Venezuelan players who represented Venezuela in the World Series and made us proud.

Now it’s time to move on and see what’s next for me in my life. Always move forward and never look back.

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!

What a World Series!

What a World Series. Wow! Looking back, I just can’t believe all the crazy things that happened during that Series. It was definitely fun to watch and fun to be there in that environment with ESPN. I can’t say enough how awesome everyone was there and I look forward to working with them again in the future. Well I guess it’s not up to me (haha), but I would definitely like to do it again.

Congrats to Tony LaRussa and the Cardinals. It’s not about who is the best team, it’s about who gets hot at the right time, and the Cardinals proved that. On the other side of it, I was very proud of Ron Washington and the whole Texas Rangers team for battling through everything and almost being on top.

After the Series I went to New York to watch my good friend Ruben Blades perform along with 8 Y Mas. What an amazing concert, but even more amazing was the snow! It was not very fun, but I can tell you the drinks made it a lot more interesting (haha).

Right now, I’m back in Venezuela doing some things for my foundation, the Ozzie Guillen Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to helping kids dealing with cancer and their families. This is without a doubt the best part about being a “celebrity.” Just the fact that we can help to give back and make such a huge impact on people’s lives means more to me than anything else. I’m also here to support my buddy Carlos Zambrano and his Home Run Derby that is going to take place in Puerto Cabello, close to the beach. We are also filming a Pepsi commercial down here with Carlos and Bobby Abreu. Here are some pictures:

After all of these activities we are headed back to Miami for the unveiling of the new Miami Marlins logo. To be honest with you, I haven’t seen the logo yet but I am very excited.  I have heard a lot about some leaks and I don’t know what is true and what is not. I have heard some good and some bad things, but I can’t wait to see what they have done with it … let’s hope for the best!

Back in St. Louis

Back here in St. Louis for Game 6, but I am wishing this weather could be more like Texas! Isn’t it just amazing how every move in the World Series gets talked about? It’s the biggest stage in our sport. There is so much pressure on every pitch and every move that when something goes wrong, it becomes a major deal.

This experience has been awesome so far. It has been very cold for us working on the ESPN set in St. Louis, but overall it has been great to be around all the guys.  John Kruk, Curt Schilling, Barry Larkin, Karl Ravech, Aaron Boone, and the list goes on and on with these great guys. They have a lot of fun and know a ton about baseball.

Texas was great and for the most part all of the games have been incredibly exciting.  The best games are the low scoring ones, and basically that’s exactly what we have had so far. For me personally, live TV never gets easy, but I love the fact that we are doing a lot of segments with different people. I even got a chance to sit next to Boomer (Chris Berman). What a voice and a great guy. That guy can do it all. Baseball, football, it doesn’t matter.

I will continue to Tweet you guys updates and pictures here from St. Louis. I’m just very blessed that I get to be a part of the World Series. It’s time to bring out the long underwear again after we had no use for it in Dallas.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Series so far:

Karl and I on the ESPN set getting ready to talk some baseball (Triple Crown Productions, Inc.)

Stepping in the broadcast booth for ESPN Deportes in Texas (Triple Crown Productions, Inc.)

I’m back and ready to cover the World Series

I’m baaaaackkkkk!!! Don’t think just because I have been out of the country I haven’t been following some baseball. I know what’s been going on in the playoffs and all over the place.

On that note, ESPN has asked me to help them out during their World Series coverage, and I gladly accepted. I’m honored and excited to work as an analyst this year along side my man John Kruk and Barry Larkin. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I guarantee lots of laughing. Make sure you tune in; you just never know what’s going to happen. I will also be on SportsCenter a couple of times, so the whole thing should be a blast. Being around baseball is what I love and it’s what I always want to be doing. This is the second best way to be around the World Series; I’m just glad they picked me and wanted me to come on board.

Congrats to all the teams that made it. The Tigers — with all their injuries — put up an amazing fight. They deserve a lot of credit with all they had to put up with. I’m not surprised about Texas because they are a very good team. I’m happy for Wash (Ron Washington) and Michael Young since he has been their leader for so long. I’m a big fan of his.

I am a little surprised at how good the Cardinals’ bullpen has been. Wow. Tony LaRussa and his staff have done a great job working those guys in. As for the Phillies, I thought they would have moved past St. Louis with their pitching, but it wasn’t meant to be.

New teams and new cities getting excited about their teams is a good thing for baseball. If the Cubs pull off that deal for Theo Epstein, it would be awesome for them. The city of Chicago would definitely appreciate it, and he has a great history of winning, as we all know.

Also, I want to say great job by A.J. Pierzynski and Tito (Terry Francona) on FOX. They are doing a great job working with a great staff. Don’t think I forgot about Spain either. What an amazing time, but you guys have probably heard enough about that! See you at the World Series. I’ll be the guy in the nice suit (haha).  Let’s hope it goes seven games. Why not? I’m torn because I was an American League guy, but now for less than a month I am a National League guy.

Who do you think will win? That’s why they play the games. Feels good to be back in the U.S.!

Q&A before heading to Detroit

I always have time to answer your questions. Trying to enjoy this off day before we head on over to Detroit. I want to thank everyone for their respect and support. I hope you enjoy asking the questions as much as I do answering them. Here you go:

Q: Ozzie if you really see this, Hi from Maggie 🙂 — Maggie P. (Chicago)

A: Hi Maggie, thanks for checking out my site.

Q: A warm greeting Ozzie from Guyana, as a Latin player what was the toughest part of playing in the United States? – Siul P. (Puerto Ordaz, VE)

A: The hardest part for me was learning English and getting accustomed to the culture in the United States.

Q: Hey Ozzie! Not a question, just wanted to say I saw your interview with your comments about Sean Penn and your other thoughts and I wanted to tell you that YOU are a real American and I appreciate your viewpoint! Keep it up, Bro! — Chris S. (Murrieta, CA)

A: Well thank you for calling me a real American. I appreciate that and I spend more time here than I do back home.

Q: Hi Ozzie. I wrote you a couple of weeks ago asking for a series win against the Twins and on cue you provided the sweep! Anyway, when you played what was your most memorable season? — Brandon H. (St. Paul, MN)

A: Thank you. When I played I think that going to a World Series was always a goal and dream of mine. But I had a lot of memorable seasons.

Q: Will you be managing the Sox in 2012? — Terry F. (Chicago)

A: I hope so.

Q: Ozzie: First off, thank you for continuing to be the Chicago White Sox manager. My first question: What can be done to change our won loss record being worse at home? I feel this is the make or brake part of making the playoffs. Second: Do you think some players were pushing themselves to hard to improve in their hitting? I am just surprised at all the inconsistency this year by the team. Good Luck with the rest of the season! — Larry W. (Wheeling, IL)

A: Well I hope we continue to play better at home but I’m not sure exactly why it has gone the way it has. We did just win two of three from the Twins and that’s kind of rare so we will see what happens. Guys work hard everyday to get better and so do the coaches, no one is ever satisfied.

Q: Hi Ozzie. Because of you, my wife LOVES the Sox. We recently bought one of your game worn and signed jerseys from the Sox.  You’re the best. Thanks for everything and being you. Jennifer and Matt S. — Matt S. (Chicago)

A: Thanks man I hope she liked the jersey!

Q: Hello Ozzie. My question is: We usually have the best seat in the house when we question balls and strikes on TV. How is your view from the dugout (can you tell if it’s a good pitch?)? Also, can you watch replays and see if umps are squeezing our pitchers? — David B. (Bridgeport)

A: Usually my angle is not the best but I have been in the game so long that I know if it’s a good pitch or close to a strike. No I don’t check the monitors but usually I send someone to check and see how close it was.

Q: Ozzie – with the Cubs general manager position open, there has been some talk (largely ESPN, the Chicago Tribune, and the Sun-Times) suggesting the possibility the Sox could promote Hahn to GM in order to prevent losing him. How do you think Rick Hahn would perform as a GM? — Eric B. (Moweaque, IL)

A: I think Rick Hahn is a great baseball man. Very smart and well respected. I think he will do a great job wherever he decides to go, he does a great job for the Sox.

Sparky, the World Series and the offseason

CHICAGO — What’s up, everyone?I finally made my way back to Chicago and
thought I’d share some things with you all. Man do I love this city,
even though I’m freezing my butt off!

Unfortunately, yesterday the baseball community lost a true legend. Sparky Anderson
was a great man and will truly be missed. I was lucky enough to watch
Sparky manage my favorite teams and player of all-time. Growing up in
Venezuela, the only games I was able to watch were those of the
Cincinnati Reds teams of the ’70s (especially the ’75 and ’76 teams) and
my favorite player, Dave Concepcion. I was also fortunate enough
to play against him when he was in Detroit and would be blessed one day
to have as many rings as he does. A lot of people have been asking me
if I have any Sparky stories, so here’s something I remember — even
though it might be hard for some of you to believe it. Sparky Anderson
intentionally walked me twice in my career to pitch to Sammy Sosa.
Yes, the same Sammy Sosa who hit over 600 home runs — although back
then he still had his Jheri curl and was a little darker (hahaha). Sparky was a great baseball man and will be missed.

I want to congratulate the San Francisco Giants, especially Aaron Rowand, Juan Uribe and Bruce Bochy.
My experience at FOX was awesome, and I can’t thank everyone enough.
But seeing those guys celebrate is what makes me excited to come to
work. I hope I can do it again some time soon. I love this game so much,
I want to be around it whenever I can. Both the front offices of the
Giants and Rangers need to be applauded. I got to the World Series in
’99 with the Braves and know what it feels like to lose. It takes a lot
to get there, and those guys should be proud. I watched a little of the
parade in San Francisco and it was great. those guys won because they’re
carefree spirits. They play the baseball I like to play.

Now that I’m back in Chicago, I plan on seeing a couple of Bulls games like I did last night. (Thanks to all the fans who came up and said hi.) I live close  to the United Center and enjoy supporting the young kids they have, like Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. Plus, I have always been a fan of basketball.

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I
also want to go see a Bears game, but I’m not sure it will be here in
Chicago. Us Latinos will freeze out there in this weather. I am planning
on heading down to Miami to see them play the Dolphins. It will be a
lot warmer, but don’t worry, I will be rooting for the Bears. When I’m
in Miami, I enjoy golfing a lot and watching my youngest son, Ozney,
play at his Junior College. I think I’m going to crash at his place and
make him cook for me or something (hahaha). I have a lot of good friends who live in Miami in the offseason. I play golf with Joey Cora a lot and get to see Freddy Garcia
and his kids, who are a part of my family. Even though we try to relax,
we always end up talking about baseball. we Guillens live baseball
24/7, and I even named my dog “DH” after my good friend Harold Baines.   

I hope you all got a chance to check out the Jimmy Kimmel
joke about me. If not, you can look at my previous post. It’s very funny
stuff. I read all your questions and comments, and I love it, so please
ask me anything. Don’t be scared (haha). Maybe you guys can
teach me something. It never hurts to listen to advice. Now it’s time to
go relax this offseason with a little music, the beach, and of course
baseball because the chaos never stops!

Talk to you guys soon, very soon.

— Ozzie  

Q&A: The DH, Omar, Big Red Machine,  Venezuela

ARLINGTON — I promised to answer as many questions as possible. We’ve got some good ones on here already. Keep them coming!!

Q: Do you think Omar Vizquel has a chance to be a good manager for a baseball club?
A: Omar, I think, will be good at anything he does because he is a professional and very respectful. He knows the game, and if he wanted to be a manager, I would support him. 
Q: What is it like going from player to manager? 
A: Being a player was easier for me because I would only worry about myself all the time and do the best I could. When you’re a manager, you have to deal, every day, with 30 players and a whole staff. That’s what makes my hair gray (haha). 
Q: Who was your favorite teammate? 
A: I had a lot of great teammates, but my two favorite were Harold Baines and Joey Cora. 
Q: As an American visiting Venezuela, what are the coolest things to do/see? 
A: You have to visit Los Roques, Canaima, the Tepuis, Pico Bolivar and Merida. Catch a winter-ball game — Caracas vs. Magallanes is very good. 
Q: If you were commissioner of baseball, what are some of the things you’d change? 
A: I would make both leagues use the DH one year and no DH the next year so there is no more complaining about it. 
Q: As a manager, what is your favorite “road trip” city and why? 
A: My favorite cities are Seattle because of the food and San Francisco because it reminds me a little of Caracas, where I grew up. 
Q: If you could start your career in baseball all over again, what would you do differently? 
I wouldn’t change anything because I think things have gone very well, and if I’ve made some mistakes, those things happen for a reason. 
Q: In comparison to when you first started playing in the big leagues, do you believe racism is still a factor with new Latin ballplayers? 
A: First and foremost, there’s always going to be racism, not just in baseball but in the entire world. But now it is much easier, and the conditions are better in the Minor and Major Leagues. When I started, there were very few of us Latin ballplayers. But now, there are many Latins in the game. But I also speak English now — not very well, but I speak it. 
Q: What’s up with the fact that the only [critical member] of The Big Red Machine (I understand why Pete Rose isn’t in) who hasn’t been enshrined in the Hall of Fame is David Concepcion? 
David has been my favorite ballplayer since I was growing up, which is why I wear No. 13 in his honor. I believe the reason he hasn’t gotten in is because the writers who vote for the Hall of Fame think David wasn’t any better than many other ballplayers. But that’s solely their opinion. 
Q: Did you want “El Toro” [Carlos] Zambrano on your team?
A: “El Toro” is my friend and a very good pitcher. Like everybody, though, he just made a mistake. But they gave him another chance, and I think it’s going to go well for him in Chicago — just not with the White Sox. I wish him the best. 
Q: Would you consider being a civil rights spokesman after your career in baseball? 
I love politics, and I read a lot about it. Like you all know, I have opinions about everything, but at the same time, I stay on baseball and on television. Me, politics? I doubt it. But you never know (haha). 
— Ozzie