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Spanish-language analyst gets dad's OK to be critical on air
Teddy Greenstein | Inside sports media
May 23, 2008
Ozzie Guillen Jr. is not as outrageous as his father, which puts him in a class of about 6.5 billion people.
"I don't think I'm as crazy and outspoken as he is," Ozzie Jr. said from the White Sox's dugout Thursday afternoon. "But I think he passed on the honesty gene."
Ozzie Jr. takes that trait into his two broadcasting jobs—color analyst for Spanish-language La Tremenda (WRTO-AM 1200), which is doing 35 games this season, and the host of a Sunday night show on WSCR-AM 670 that airs from 10-11.
That show is also in Spanish, but Guillen often gabs en ingles with Score hosts such as Laurence Holmes.
"He gets sports radio, but he doesn't get it," Holmes said. "I consider myself a radio geek, but he's not bogged down by the idea of: This is how you do a radio show.
"And he knows a lot. His Rolodex of players is unbelievable: Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis. And I know Brian Urlacher is in there. And if you spend five minutes with him, you can tell why. Being around him is a lot of fun."
Ozzie Jr., who's 23 and has a year left to earn a sports marketing degree from Columbia College, loves his job(s).
"It's every guy's dream to talk sports and get paid for it," he said.
But it can be a challenge when the team you're covering, your dad's team, is heading south.
Ozzie Jr. says he'll never "bash" anybody, but … "Our job is to second-guess. That's what we're here for. That's the beauty of the game. You can always do something different."
For example, Ozzie Jr. wondered why his father the White Sox manager did not replace center fielder Nick Swisher with Brian Anderson in the eighth inning of Gavin Floyd's near no-hitter against Detroit last month. Edgar Renteria singled to right-center to torpedo Floyd's bid.
I asked my dad: "Why wasn't B.A. in the field? Not that he would have made that play, but in a game that close, you want to have your best defensive team in.
"That's something my dad has been supportive about. He says: 'If you think I make the wrong move, you should comment on it. You shouldn't always be positive about the team because then you're being biased.' "
Guillen Sr. has returned the favor, stressing that his son needs to be thoroughly prepared for broadcasts—and that he better not call him "dad" on the air.
"When I was on his show," Guillen said, "he was saying, 'my father, my father ...' I told him: 'Just say the manager of the White Sox.' "
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