My Dinner with Ozzie

By: Mike Carter

I was asked by Kelly a few weeks ago if I had ever met or spent any time with Major League baseball people.

I am fortunate enough to have two amazing siblings, Ryan and Carrie. My younger brother Ryan works in the liquor distribution business, and is not only highly skilled in his work, but very connected in the Chicago area. Because of those connections, I was able to have dinner with White Sox manager (at the time) Ozzie Guillen. The year after, I was able to have dinner with Cubs’ manager Dusty Baker and members of his coaching staff, including Sonny Jackson, Gary Matthews and Larry Rothschild.

Both of these were amazing experiences. These were “industry” dinners where people rub elbows with these guys, but maybe don’t know much about them, other than their high-profile jobs.

Anyone who knows me knows first and foremost, I am a diehard White Sox fan. So having dinner with Ozzie Guillen, a year after the miraculous World Series win in 2005, was a life highlight.

I waited out the other folks at the dinner, maybe 15-20 other people. I had questions that I had memorized that I wanted to ask; his influences, having worked with guys like Jack McKeon and Bobby Cox. I had followed his playing career and didn’t have much question about that. It was more along the lines of, tell me how you think of these situations. Explain to me the philosophy. What guides your decision-making process?  Who was the best player you played with? Against?

I have to say this: Ozzie is a brilliant guy. He is emotional and can be volatile, sure, but he knows his stuff. He asked me, “who are you again?” And then said to me, “You know your stuff.” I was so pumped to be recognized by a major leaguer who felt I knew anything about the game. It was refreshing and also extremely validating. I have put so much time into this game, and to be told by someone who played and managed at the highest level that I knew what I was talking about, and won the biggest prize in all of sports, was an amazing feeling. I hope that doesn’t sound too odd. But after I got over being awestruck, I was really asking him questions without much reservation.

The thing about baseball is this: if you know, you know, and the people at the highest level recognize the difference between the casual fan and the rabid fan. I may not have played at a very high level, but I understand many of the nuances of the game. At these dinners, once the casual fans have talked a moment, gotten their picture and autograph, they move on to talk to their friends. I want to talk baseball. I want to know things. I want to know what the mindset is at the game’s highest level. Ozzie commented at one point, “you know more about where I have been than I do.” Of course, he was joking, but there was no way I was letting that opportunity go to waste, even if I seemed stalkerish. I did tell him that the White Sox winning the World Series was one of the most important events in my life, but otherwise, I wanted to know what he learned from Jack McKeon and Bobby Cox. What was the biggest difference between players in his time and players today? Did he think the guys he played with were better players while today’s guys were better athletes? What was it like growing up in Venezuela and then coming to the United States as a teenager? He regaled those who wanted to listen with stories all night. It was a magical evening.

As Ozzie spoke about his roots, and how they made gloves out of milk cartons, cardboard and such, and how badly players in Latin America want to get here to play baseball, I thought about how lucky I was to grow up when and where I did. There were always kids to play baseball with; always kids to go play a pickup game in the street or in the local parks. I was lucky to have a supportive family that fed my habit; I always had a good glove, a ball, a bat, and the permission to go and play. The world has changed so much in 30 years. I drive around my town and don’t see kids playing pickup games except in small pockets. It makes me fondly recall my youth, before there was Internet or cell phones, when people talked to each other directly and not from behind a screen.  I was lucky to be a kid when I was, living in Chicago, surrounded by like-minded kids.  And you know who you are, fellas. Thank you.

The same was true when we met Dusty Baker and his staff. Dusty was a cool customer.  He liked to talk, not as much as Ozzie, but was cordial and visited with everyone who wanted to speak with him. “Sarge” Matthews and Sonny Jackson were affable as well.  Dusty talked about Hank Aaron reverentially, and played with some of the all-time greats. The most interesting part of that evening was talking pitching with Larry Rothschild, who is as good as it gets as a pitching coach at the MLB level. He was originally from Chicago, so we talked about Chicago things a bit. He’s currently the pitching coach for the stacked San Diego Padres. This is a guy who was a two-time World Series champ as a coach, in 1990 (the Reds) and 1997 (with the Florida Marlins).  As you would imagine, he had forgotten more about pitching than I will ever know. He also coached in New York for the Yankees, after his eight-year stint with the Cubs. While with the Yankees, his pitchers led the AL in winning percentage, strikeouts and first-pitch strike percentage. Think about the pitchers he coached in his career: Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux, CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Mariano Rivera. Maybe you have heard of some of them.  😊

He told us of his mantra: repeatable deliveries, meticulous preparation with pitchers and catchers, creating game plans to follow, and talking about command.

In fact, I think he enjoyed the conversation as well, because at the end of the night, he gave my brother Ryan his phone number to stay in touch about tickets to games in the future. Ryan is far more talkative and engaging than I am, and it was a great night. It was really special to share that night with Ryan, and so special to be able to attend.

Here’s the heart of the matter for me. There are millions of baseball fans all over the world. Have you ever had someone tell you, “you have to meet so-and-so, he’s such a fan of the game” and then meet them and be somewhat disappointed? Where that person didn’t meet the hype? I bet we all have.

We all want to test what we know against the knowledge of others. Eating dinner, a couple of times with Ozzie Guillen and Dusty Baker was an amazing gift from my brother. I tested what I know with people who have played, coached, managed and won at the game’s highest level. After being starstruck for a moment or two, my list of questions popped into my brain, and I asked away, and they obliged me and those of us who cared to pull up a chair and talk about the best game in the world.