http://www.suntimes.com/output/sox/cst-spt-sox08.html

Sox on White House's agenda

 

February 8, 2006

 

White Sox players and front-office officials are preparing to visit the White House for a South Lawn ceremony tentatively scheduled for Monday, team sources said. The White House is expected to confirm the visit today or Thursday.

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen, who long ago planned a vacation to the Dominican Republic, will not attend the ceremony. Former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas also confirmed he will skip the visit.

 

But chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Ken Williams are expected to lead a contingent that will include most of the 2005 White Sox, including center fielder Aaron Rowand, who was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for slugger Jim Thome this offseason. Reinsdorf knows President Bush from Bush's days as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1994.

 

The White Sox should face plenty of good-natured ribbing. When the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who were coming off their first World Series title since 1918, visited the White House last March, Bush greeted them by saying, ''So, like, what took you so long?''

 

Expect the same kind of greeting for the White Sox, who ended a drought that stretched to 1917.

Good for Arow, you know how much he will miss the Sox. He must be dreading going to spring training, knowing his buddies will be reveling in a year-long World Series celebration.

Frank is such a sourpuss. Come on this is the chance of a lifetime, one that he will probably never be privy to again, and he blows it off. One day in the distant future he will look back on all this crap and realize what he is missing.

I love that we're gonna get hand me down Red Sox jokes according to the article.

I love that we're gonna get hand me down Red Sox jokes according to the article.

 

The question is...what are they going to say next year?

The question is...what are they going to say next year? 

 

"You again?!"

Frank is such a sourpuss.  Come on this is the chance of a lifetime, one that he will probably never be privy to again, and he blows it off.  One day in the distant future he will look back on all this crap and realize what he is missing.

 

It's probably better that he doesn't go.

It's probably better that he doesn't go.

 

Unfortunately, you are probably right.

Frank is such a sourpuss.  Come on this is the chance of a lifetime, one that he will probably never be privy to again, and he blows it off.  One day in the distant future he will look back on all this crap and realize what he is missing.

 

Maybe he doesn't like the president.

 

What I'm wondering is if new players will be attending the ceremony. I mean, don't you have to win a ring to visit the White House? It would be kind of messed up and kind of awkward if guys like Thome and Mackowiak showed up.

Is Shingo going to be there?

I love that we're gonna get hand me down Red Sox jokes according to the article.

Something about Sammy Sosa too, I bet.

Is Shingo going to be there?

Heard he is going to bring the frisbee.

I do not have a problem with Frank not going.

 

Did Pedro go with the Red Sox?

 

It's too bad that Ozzie is not going, but probably saves him from getting arrested by the Secret Service when he does something nuts, lol.

I wonder if Ozzie has any political views that are preventing him from going to the white house, God knows that Hugo Chavez and George Bush dont like each other too much.

I don't think Ozzie likes Chavez either.

I heard Rowand accepted an opportunity to speak about the White Sox, but instead of directing praise towards the team , will bring up his hatred for the Iraq War. Afterwards, we'll debate whether or not it's appropriate, since the war did happen to occur during the 2005 season--thus making it an important backdrop to our championship run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding. Trying to incite trouble. Although I believe Cindy Sheehan is a HUGE White Sox fan, and deserves an invitation to the event.

Edited February 9, 200620 yr by Flash Tizzle

I heard Rowand accepted an opportunity to speak about the White Sox, but instead of directing praise towards the team , will bring up his hatred for the Iraq War. Afterwards, we'll debate whether or not it's appropriate, since the war did happen to occur during the 2005 season--thus making it an important backdrop to our championship run.

Just kidding. Trying to incite trouble. Although I believe Cindy Sheehan is a HUGE White Sox fan, and deserves an invitation to the event.

speaking of politics, flash tizzle, you're avatar is ridiculous...

speaking of politics, flash tizzle, you're avatar is ridiculous...

 

Why? Doesn't Flash have the right to express his views?

 

 

Wait ... there is something ironic about this.

Why?  Doesn't Flash have the right to express his views? 

Wait ... there is something ironic about this.

LOL

 

edit: for the record...i agree with flash...i think a lot of people don't understand the context of those cartoons from denmark.

Edited February 9, 200620 yr by bmags

"so....what took you so long"

 

HAHAHAHAH oh boy! they PAY speech writers for this?

since the war did happen to occur during the 2005 season--thus making it an important backdrop to our championship run.

 

Umm the "WAR" has been over since 2003, haven't you herd?

Edited February 9, 200620 yr by DABearSoX

http://whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/ar...t=.jsp&c_id=cws

 

Chisox.com article, a little more inclusive on who'll be there and who won't.

Well, apparently Mayor Daley is making a big stink about those who will be absent. Personally, I don't see what the big f***ing deal is...but thats just me. Its a photo-op for christ sake.

 

Guillen skipping White House trip irks Daley

 

Guillen skipping White House trip irks Daley

 

By Gary Washburn

Tribune staff reporter

Published February 9, 2006, 11:04 PM CST

 

Mayor Richard Daley tried not to criticize the man who guided his beloved White Sox to a World Series championship last season, but he acknowledged Thursday he is "disappointed" manager Ozzie Guillen and some other members of the team won't travel to the White House to be honored next week.

 

Daley is a Guillen admirer and rode with him in the city-sponsored parade after the Sox won last October. Guillen a few days later visited City Hall, where he and the mayor posed for countless photographs before the Sox skipper was honored at a City Council meeting.

 

But Daley clearly was not happy on Thursday with the news that there will be less than 100 percent participation at the White Sox's White House visit.

 

"I don't know who you are," he said. "Maybe you think you're too important. I think Ozzie is on vacation or something. I mean, that is up to him. But you don't realize how precious that is, and very few Americans have ever been in the White House. To me, that is a privilege for anyone to be."

 

Unmentioned was the fact Guillen, a native of Venezuela, is a brand-new American citizen. He was naturalized last month, with some fanfare.

 

Daley spoke at a news conference at the Chicago Lawn District station where he unveiled a new prototype police car.

 

Noting the assembled officers, the mayor reckoned that if any of them got a call to visit from President Bush, "they would be walking down there. … They would get there some way."

 

Sox spokesman Scott Reifert said Guillen means no disrespect.

 

"We have gone back and forth [with the White House] on confirmation of a date," Reifert said. It was "maybe the second or third week in January" that Feb. 13 became solid, he said.

 

Guillen will be with his family on vacation in the Dominican Republic at the time.

 

"He kind of wanted to lay low and not do anything for a week or two before the … grind of the season," Reifert said.

 

As a coach for the Florida Marlins in 2003, Guillen visited the White House after the team won the World Series, Reifert pointed out.

 

Ald. George Cardenas (13th), a native of Santiago, Durango, Mexico, sided with the mayor.

 

"I think that is something that is very important, national pride, and also for Chicago," he said.

 

Daley, who will be with the team on the upcoming visit, has been a periodic White House visitor.

 

"If I get invited … you better believe I am on that plane," he said. "I mean, what a great privilege.

 

"How would you like to go to the Oval Office? That is a great honor."

 

In November, Guillen took the World Series trophy on a private jet furnished by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on a trip to his native country, where he was honored.

 

Chavez is a strident critic of Bush, and vice versa. But Reifert said politics never entered the discussion when the White House visit was brought up to the Sox manager.

 

Daley and Bush seem to be members of a mutual admiration society despite being members of different political parties.

 

"I respect this president," Daley said. "I respect his family and his public service."

 

The Sox will have a travel party of 55 to 60 on Monday, including Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, general manager Ken Williams, coaches, other team employees and 23 players, Reifert said. About 30 players were eligible to go.

 

The team had hoped to arrange a date after SoxFest in late January "because a big chunk of our guys would be here, and we looked into a charter [plane]," Reifert said. "[but] that didn't work into the president's schedule, which is obviously more important [than the Sox schedule]"

 

Besides Guillen, those who will be missing include outfielder Scott Podsednik and second baseman Tadahito Iguchi.

 

Podsednik is on his honeymoon and Iguchi is being honored by his hometown in Japan and was unable to change the date, Reifert said.

 

Previous White House visits by local teams have stirred interest and a little controversy.

 

When the Bulls made the trip to Washington to see President George H.W. Bush after winning the NBA championship in 1991, Michael Jordan was among the missing. And when reporters asked him about it later, he didn't mince words.

 

"I don't care who the president is," he declared. "It's none of your business. If you want to ask me what I did, I don't have to tell you. I have to live my life the way I want to live it."

 

Then there was the more jovial flap in July when about half of Northwestern's national championship women's lacrosse team arrived at the White House wearing informal flip flops as footwear.

 

gwashburn@tribune.com

They wore flip flops to the White House? Only in America.

Daley needs to give Ozzie a break. The guy probably gets to spend time with his family all of 2 months out of the year.