CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Ozzie Guillen came back home Friday.
The manager who in 2005 led the White Sox to their first World Series title in 88 seasons, Guillen was a guest at SoxFest for the first time since he quit his position with two games left in the 2011 season.
The accepted narrative regarding Guillen's messy exit was that he and executive Kenny Williams had a deteriorating relationship. That was true, but there was more to it than that. The truth of the separation also involved a disconnect between Guillen and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
Guillen and Williams buried the hatchet several years ago, with Guillen calling them "cool." The disconnect with Reinsdorf is what kept Guillen from working around the team previously.
Last fall, Guillen asked for a sitdown with Reinsdorf. Among the topics that were broached was Guillen's desire to make amends and rejoin the White Sox in some capacity. Guillen and Reinsdorf had another conversation before the end of December. The talks set the stage for Guillen being welcomed back at SoxFest.
"I am very excited and very pleased," Guillen said about his return to SoxFest this weekend. "I am also very humbled to be back with my family. I am back with the people I grew up with. I am back with the people I have known for so many years. I was in Venezuela doing a terrible job of managing, and I said, 'If this doesn't work out, I want to be back in Chicago.' I talked to the (White Sox's) PR department and before I left, I talked to Jerry about it. I told him I wanted to be back here and be invited to SoxFest. Brooks Boyer (market executive), Scott Reifert (communications executive) and Billy Russo (communications manager) of the team did a great job making this happen."
The problem between Guillen and Reinsdorf stemmed primarily from how left to become the Marlins' manager. As the White Sox were going nowhere in a 2011 season in which they went 79-83, Guillen's relationship with his bosses more and more with each disappointing month. It appeared the Marlins tampered with Guillen by expressing interest while he was still managing the White Sox. And in the mind of the White Sox's front office, the feeling was that Guillen did nothing to dissuade the Marlins' aggressive recruiting attempts.
Guillen resigned from the White Sox with two days left in the 2011 regular season and accepted a four-year, $10-million deal with the Marlins. He lasted just one season in Miami. His Marlins went 69-93 in 2012.
As for Guillen's relationship with Reinsdorf now?
"Jerry is like my father," Guillen said with a show of emotion. "He always is going to be like my father. He is a guy that signed me to my first long-term contract. He is the guy who gave me a chance to play in the big leagues and a chance manage in the big leagues. You are always going to have on and off things with your parents and your kids. That stuff is over with, and we talk all of the time. The last couple of months, we have been talking and everything is cool."
What happens next for Guillen is unclear. He has done work for ESPN Deportes and has a weekly appearance on 670 The Score during baseball season. In 2018, he did some pregame and postgame work on White Sox broadcasts for NBC Sports Chicago. He could be part of the broadcast team moving forward, sources said.
Guillen was asked if a return to the organization is possible.
"I want to, I definitely want to," he said. "I have a job right now. I want to bring my granddaughter to the games. I raised my kids being White Sox fans. Now I want to raise my granddaughter as a Sox fan."
Guillen would love to manage an MLB club again, though he made clear that his eyes on in the White Sox's dugout.
"We have a manager, and I respect him," Guillen said. "I did not come here to look for a manager's job. I just came here to help the organization the best I can. I can do TV and make easy money talking about baseball. That is the best job I have had. You get paid to talk. I love that."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
