That doggone Ozzie Guillen, man, you’d swear he was still a player. Just the energy that he has. He’s got one of them bling-bling rings, and he’s determined to take the White Sox to the next level.
As a manager, that’s a tough job to come into. Chicago is thirsting for a championship. Both sides.
We’re a result of a team that goes from not spending money to
being able to spend some money and actually getting good players when it was hard to get good players here. Forty-three-and-119 is not exactly inviting.
You learn the do’s and don’ts, and there were a lot of don’ts last year.
I said from the get-go I want to be here when it’s bad and I want to be here when we’re popping champagne.
I always had that enthusiasm coming up, but I kind of lost it when I got called up in ’96 with the Cardinals and La Russa was the manager. His style of play doesn’t call for smiling, keep everybody enthused. It’s more like a military approach.
When I got traded to the Reds, the first couple of workouts I was very straight-faced. Didn’t say too much. Barry Larkin pulled me aside and goes, “I know you like to have fun playing because we’ve seen it.We see you working hard, but if you don’t start smiling, I’m going to start digging in your wallet.”
He(1) always had a smile on his face, and people hated him. He doesn’t hit a home run–“You’re this, you’re that, not worth the money.” Can’t do that to a person.
He’s(2) fresh off the World Series. Everybody saw it. Everybody wants to get there. He commands respect.
My dad switched from the Army to the Navy, not staying any more than three or four years anywhere. In that aspect, I always knew how to meet new people and adjust to different places, so baseball’s perfect, as far as that’s concerned.
I grew up knowing what the military stood for for the country. You have celebrities saying this and that about Bush’s choices. Say what they want. It’s all an opinion. But that’s why people joined the forces: to defend the country. That’s the oath they’re sworn into. Me being a baseball player, I would like to support them any way I can. They look up to us as athletes and entertainers. The least they should know is that we as athletes are fans of them. We support them.
When I was 12, I was about 185. I played one year of Little League. They wouldn’t move me up, but they wouldn’t let me play with kids my own age.(3)
Now that I’m getting older, I went from the world famous “We can’t find a position for this guy” to “Oh, this guy plays many positions for us.”
They loved me.(4) Before BP, I always talked to the ones in left field. They’re great. They had regular jobs, but boy, they know how to play hooky and get to those day games at Wrigley.
At the end, I’d say, “If you want me to turn around and laugh, you’re going to have to ride me hard during the game.” I loved it.
Money is a problem-solver, and a problem-maker.
I’m proudest of being able to stay up here in the big leagues, being able to raise my family and be kind of a guidance for my brother.(5)
Mike Gallego, 1996, right after I got called up, first road trip was in L.A. Living in Ventura County, the neighboring county, all kinds of family and friends were coming. Mike Gallego, right before we went to play, goes, “I want you to remember this: Baseball is what you do, it’s not who you are.”
– – –
1: Ken Griffey Jr.
2: Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez.
3: Because other parents feared he’d hurt someone.
4:Wrigley Field fans.
5: Delmon, drafted No. 1 overall by Tampa Bay in 2003.
