(Chicago Mayor) Daley caught off base when it comes to invites (Guillen vs. the White House)

Chicago Tribune ^ | February 11, 2006 | Mike Downey

[Chi-townChief]

Richard M. Daley is as wrong as a man could be in knocking Ozzie Guillen for skipping the team's scheduled trip Monday to the White House.

The mayor should be ashamed of saying, "I don't care who you are. Maybe you think you're too important."

What a cheap shot after everything Guillen has done for this city.

I hope this isn't Daley's way of getting even for a joke Guillen recently made. On his test to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, one of the questions Ozzie had to answer was this: "Who is the mayor of Chicago?"

"Me!" he said.

Daley's dad once did a lot to put a man in the White House: John F. Kennedy. I do not think provoking Guillen is the way to put him there.

Somebody better explain a few things to the mayor about how "precious" this invitation is.

For example very few of the Florida Marlins' players went to the White House on Jan. 23, 2004. Juan Pierre, A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett were there, but a great many of their teammates were not. They had a schedule conflict, just as Guillen has now.

Guillen, however, did go. In fact, George W. Bush that day singled out the Marlins coach, congratulating him on accepting a new job "where you can bring a world championship to the South Side of Chicago."

Which he did.

So since he already has been there, why can't Guillen simply let Jerry Reinsdorf, Ken Williams and Sox players represent his team this time? The guy has a family obligation. Daley is a family man himself. He owes Guillen an apology.

Or will the mayor chastise World Series stars Bobby Jenks, Freddy Garcia, Tad Iguchi and Scott Podsednik next? None of them can make it to the White House either.

[Chi-townChief]

Which is one way to look at it; the other, of course, would be like a German-American baseball star like Lou Gehrig running off to see Hitler (another 'progressive' leader at the time) with the World Series trophy in '36, '37, or '38 and then saying he was too busy to see old Frank Roosevelt in Washington.

[skaterboy]

He went once and was going this time but the WH has rescheduled twice..people cant sit and wait

[misterrob]

The 2004 Red Sox came out in force for their White House visit. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Bush had a lot of supporters on the team but plenty of front office people were there despite their support for Lurch.

I don't care who you are, when you are invited to the White House, you go.

[RWR8189]

Don't worry, Dusty will be there next year...

[Chi-townChief]

What I find more objectionable is how Ozzie grabbed to trophy and ran off to the waiting arms of lefty maniac Hugo Chavez before we even got to see it here in Chicago.

[Chi-townChief]

LOL - somehow I don't think Dusty would even have made it with the '27 Yankees let alone the current north siders.

[IRememberElian]

I don't care who you are, when you are invited to the White House, you go.

Why? Bush works for us, not the other way around.

One of my favorite sports memories was when Tiger Woods refused to let Clinton use him as a mascot in '97.

[tallhappy]

Whatever. Pot calling kettle black. Appropriate for the city of the now and forever Black Sox.

[tallhappy]

One of my favorite sports memories was when Tiger Woods refused to let Clinton use him as a mascot in '97.

Well, he's using him today.

PGA golfer Tiger Woods, right, gets applause from former President Bill Clinton at the opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, Calif., Fridays, Feb. 10, 2006. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

[IRememberElian]

Yuck!

[kjo]

Yeah? And how's Dusty gonna get the Yankees job?

[KurtZ]

I imagine that Ron Gardenhire and the Minnesota Twins will have no problems showing up at the White House after they win the World Series this year.

[Bookie1066]

Bears - 1986

White Sox - 2005

Cubs - Not in Gods life time

[Figment]

"Don't worry, Dusty will be there next year..."


I haven't kept up with baseball news this offseason,when did Dusty leave the cubs?

[stylin19a]

Seems it's the other way around. Woods is using x42i

[bodzini]

Daley said in the Chicago Sun-Times that he was "dissappointed" that Ozzie and others from the Sox organization did not make the trip. Not nearly as dissappointed as we Chicagoans were when we found out that $40 million dollars of our tax money ended up in the hands of Daley's friends, in exchange for no work in the Hired Truck Scandal. UNBEKNOWNST to daley, of course!

Maybe Ozzie realized his mistake with Chavez and did not want to appear on stage with Chicago's dictator.

[daku]

as a South side resident and proud White Sox fan Iam compelled to declare:

ozzie and his commie boy toy chavez can go and f' themselves

[misterrob]

It's a respect for the office of the President and also an acknowledgement for the fans.

I remember whan that idiot Mark Chmura of the Packers refused to go the White House due to his disdain for Clinton then turns around and gets busted at an underage party doing inappropriate stuff with minors.

[yobid]

Right on!

[wrathof59]

They are the reigning World Champion White Sox