GaryMrMets
10-25-2005, 12:47 PM
ChiSox's Guillen Likes Being Around People
By RICK GANO
.c The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - Ozzie Guillen's office door is always open and here's why: He's always walking through it because he can't sit still.
The Chicago White Sox chatty manager likes to be around people instead of hanging out at his desk, explaining why he's often in the clubhouse joking and talking with his players and coaches.
``I think the best thing with managers who go out, they make sure they (the players) don't talk about you,'' Guillen said with a smile Sunday. ``Especially when you speak two languages - or try to speak two languages - they don't know what to say.''
Then, drawing laughs at a news conference before Game 2 of the World Series, he added: ``The only guy who can't talk about me is Iguchi,'' Guillen said, referring to Tadahito Iguchi, the White Sox's lone Japanese player.
Earlier Sunday as the rain fell and Guillen sat surrounded in the White Sox dugout, he said that of all the congratulatory messages he received for leading the White Sox to their first World Series since 1959, one of his favorites came from an unlikely source - Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.
``It touched me,'' Guillen said. ``He meant it.''
CALMING EXPERIENCE:@ Jeff Bagwell waited his entire career for a chance to play in the World Series and when it finally arrived, there weren't as many jitters as he expected.
``I don't know exactly why that is. I was dying in the St. Louis series, I was dying in the Atlanta series. Of course, I haven't been playing, so I'm more of a fan than anything else,'' Bagwell said Sunday.
``That was probably the calmest I was the whole postseason.''
Bagwell got a chance to be in the starting lineup Saturday night because of the DH in the American League park. He missed 115 games this season after undergoing shoulder surgery and had not been able to play in the field.
Bagwell, who struck out against Bobby Jenks to end a late Astros threat in the opener, disagreed with the premise that maybe he's playing more for sentimental reasons because he's been limited physically.
``Second guess all you want. I think that's easy to do in that situation, but I think it's a little unfair, too,'' Bagwell said. ``I feel like I can help the team, I really do. I feel like I'm going to give a good at-bat. I'm a lot stronger now.''
FIVE RINGS:@ Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, left the World Series on Sunday to travel to Switzerland to see international Olympic and baseball officials.
``We're meeting IBAF and IOC delegates into an attempt to regain baseball's Olympic status,'' said DuPuy, who was to return before Game 3 in Houston on Tuesday night.
The IOC voted 54-50 in July against keeping baseball in the Olympics, with 53 votes in favor needed to remain. The move was effective for the 2012 London Olympics, and baseball officials are pushing for a vote of reinstatement in February.
BEARS FAN:@ When Aaron Rowand needs inspiration, he looks to the '85 Chicago Bears.
Though Rowand was born in Oregon, grew up in Southern California and now lives in Las Vegas, he's been a Bears fan for as long as he can remember. He's got Bears hats, Bears jerseys - he wore a Dick Butkus jersey to the Bulls game on Friday night - and a video that shows the victory parade the city threw after the '85 team won the Super Bowl.
``It's been so long since a Chicago baseball team has done well like that,'' the White Sox center fielder said. ``I can't imagine what it would be like if one of the baseball teams won like that.''
This is the first trip to the World Series for any Chicago team since 1959, when the White Sox lost to the Dodgers. No Chicago team has won a title since the White Sox in 1917. The Cubs' last World Series championship was in 1908.
``I was praying it would be us before the Cubs,'' Rowand said. ``It's really nice to see the whole city come together like this.''
VOLUNTEER BURKE:@ Chris Burke was in Houston's starting lineup for Game 2 of the World Series, even though manager Phil Garner was concerned about the rookie outfielder's mental state.
Garner's concerns had nothing to do with Burke's ability on the field.
``I don't know, after Tennessee lost yesterday, he's probably a little flat,'' said Garner, who also went to Tennessee. ``He's a big Volunteer.''
Tennessee's football team lost 6-3 to Alabama on Saturday.
``Getting this World Series start is probably going to go a long way in getting him over the Tennessee loss,'' Garner said.
Burke started in left field and batted seventh against White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle. In Game 1, he pinch ran and had a stolen base.
Burke homered in the 18th inning of Game 4 of the NL division series against Atlanta, ending the longest postseason game ever in that clincher. He then had a pinch-hit homer in Game 1 of the NL championship series against St. Louis, and started the last five games in that series.
THE PALE HOSE AND THE FIRE HOSE:@ Stroll out to the right-field corner at U.S. Cellular Field, kneel down next to the line and take a close look - you'll notice something neat.
Embedded in the dirt and gravel, painted pure white, is an old fire hose from the Chicago Fire Department. Same thing in left field - the hoses serve as the foul lines in deep right and left.
The hoses are cut at an angle where the outfield grass meets the dirt, and they extend all the way to the fence.
``You can hear it when the ball hits, it sounds like wood,'' said John Bounardj, a White Sox security officer who has been stationed along the foul lines for the last year and a half. ``When it hits it, it appears to pick up speed.''
A groundskeeper explained that the hose serves to hold the white paint, making the foul line clearly visible in the gravel and sand. That would be more difficult if the line were simply drawn with chalk, as the baselines are.
White Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said the fire hose is a foul-line tradition that dates to when the team played at old Comiskey Park.
10/23/05 20:28 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By RICK GANO
.c The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - Ozzie Guillen's office door is always open and here's why: He's always walking through it because he can't sit still.
The Chicago White Sox chatty manager likes to be around people instead of hanging out at his desk, explaining why he's often in the clubhouse joking and talking with his players and coaches.
``I think the best thing with managers who go out, they make sure they (the players) don't talk about you,'' Guillen said with a smile Sunday. ``Especially when you speak two languages - or try to speak two languages - they don't know what to say.''
Then, drawing laughs at a news conference before Game 2 of the World Series, he added: ``The only guy who can't talk about me is Iguchi,'' Guillen said, referring to Tadahito Iguchi, the White Sox's lone Japanese player.
Earlier Sunday as the rain fell and Guillen sat surrounded in the White Sox dugout, he said that of all the congratulatory messages he received for leading the White Sox to their first World Series since 1959, one of his favorites came from an unlikely source - Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.
``It touched me,'' Guillen said. ``He meant it.''
CALMING EXPERIENCE:@ Jeff Bagwell waited his entire career for a chance to play in the World Series and when it finally arrived, there weren't as many jitters as he expected.
``I don't know exactly why that is. I was dying in the St. Louis series, I was dying in the Atlanta series. Of course, I haven't been playing, so I'm more of a fan than anything else,'' Bagwell said Sunday.
``That was probably the calmest I was the whole postseason.''
Bagwell got a chance to be in the starting lineup Saturday night because of the DH in the American League park. He missed 115 games this season after undergoing shoulder surgery and had not been able to play in the field.
Bagwell, who struck out against Bobby Jenks to end a late Astros threat in the opener, disagreed with the premise that maybe he's playing more for sentimental reasons because he's been limited physically.
``Second guess all you want. I think that's easy to do in that situation, but I think it's a little unfair, too,'' Bagwell said. ``I feel like I can help the team, I really do. I feel like I'm going to give a good at-bat. I'm a lot stronger now.''
FIVE RINGS:@ Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, left the World Series on Sunday to travel to Switzerland to see international Olympic and baseball officials.
``We're meeting IBAF and IOC delegates into an attempt to regain baseball's Olympic status,'' said DuPuy, who was to return before Game 3 in Houston on Tuesday night.
The IOC voted 54-50 in July against keeping baseball in the Olympics, with 53 votes in favor needed to remain. The move was effective for the 2012 London Olympics, and baseball officials are pushing for a vote of reinstatement in February.
BEARS FAN:@ When Aaron Rowand needs inspiration, he looks to the '85 Chicago Bears.
Though Rowand was born in Oregon, grew up in Southern California and now lives in Las Vegas, he's been a Bears fan for as long as he can remember. He's got Bears hats, Bears jerseys - he wore a Dick Butkus jersey to the Bulls game on Friday night - and a video that shows the victory parade the city threw after the '85 team won the Super Bowl.
``It's been so long since a Chicago baseball team has done well like that,'' the White Sox center fielder said. ``I can't imagine what it would be like if one of the baseball teams won like that.''
This is the first trip to the World Series for any Chicago team since 1959, when the White Sox lost to the Dodgers. No Chicago team has won a title since the White Sox in 1917. The Cubs' last World Series championship was in 1908.
``I was praying it would be us before the Cubs,'' Rowand said. ``It's really nice to see the whole city come together like this.''
VOLUNTEER BURKE:@ Chris Burke was in Houston's starting lineup for Game 2 of the World Series, even though manager Phil Garner was concerned about the rookie outfielder's mental state.
Garner's concerns had nothing to do with Burke's ability on the field.
``I don't know, after Tennessee lost yesterday, he's probably a little flat,'' said Garner, who also went to Tennessee. ``He's a big Volunteer.''
Tennessee's football team lost 6-3 to Alabama on Saturday.
``Getting this World Series start is probably going to go a long way in getting him over the Tennessee loss,'' Garner said.
Burke started in left field and batted seventh against White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle. In Game 1, he pinch ran and had a stolen base.
Burke homered in the 18th inning of Game 4 of the NL division series against Atlanta, ending the longest postseason game ever in that clincher. He then had a pinch-hit homer in Game 1 of the NL championship series against St. Louis, and started the last five games in that series.
THE PALE HOSE AND THE FIRE HOSE:@ Stroll out to the right-field corner at U.S. Cellular Field, kneel down next to the line and take a close look - you'll notice something neat.
Embedded in the dirt and gravel, painted pure white, is an old fire hose from the Chicago Fire Department. Same thing in left field - the hoses serve as the foul lines in deep right and left.
The hoses are cut at an angle where the outfield grass meets the dirt, and they extend all the way to the fence.
``You can hear it when the ball hits, it sounds like wood,'' said John Bounardj, a White Sox security officer who has been stationed along the foul lines for the last year and a half. ``When it hits it, it appears to pick up speed.''
A groundskeeper explained that the hose serves to hold the white paint, making the foul line clearly visible in the gravel and sand. That would be more difficult if the line were simply drawn with chalk, as the baselines are.
White Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said the fire hose is a foul-line tradition that dates to when the team played at old Comiskey Park.
10/23/05 20:28 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.