Guillen teaches life lessons at Glen Ellyn clinic

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has a reputation for not mincing words.

On Monday, he was no different when asked by a young ballplayer at a kids skills clinic in Glen Ellyn to name his favorite player on his underachieving team.

“Right now, nobody,” he said.

After a laugh, Guillen told dozens of campers at the clinic he considers starting pitcher Mark Buehrle a good friend, but his favorite player depends on the game situation.

Guillen walked area youths through some of those game situations during two separate clinics, one at Ackerman Sports and Fitness Center in Glen Ellyn and the other at the Chicago Bulls/Sox Training Academy in Lisle.

Dozens of youths who ranged in age from 7 to 17 registered for the clinics, which were sponsored by the academy.

For 15-year-old Nick Novak, the day was a chance to hang out with the skipper of his favorite team — “It’s in the blood” — and learn from him.

“Just being around Ozzie and his fun mentality was great,” said Novak, who catches for a traveling team out of Bolingbrook as well as Plainfield East High School.

Nick said Guillen’s story of having to sit out the 1992 season because of an injury really connected with him.

“Just never taking the game for granted and always appreciating it,” he said.

Guillen held a question-and-answer session after several academy coaches joined him to teach the fundamentals of the game, including hitting, fielding and throwing. The young ballplayers also had a chance to use a swing analysis machine in Glen Ellyn.

Always the jokester, Guillen even managed to take a few jabs at his players during the camp. When camp-goers would swing and miss a couple of times, he would tease them and call them Adam Dunn, who has become notorious for his high strikeout totals.

“I hope my players don’t get mad at me,” Guillen said. “It’s all for fun, it’s all good. When you talk to the kids (and) compare to the players, they like it, even if it’s good or bad.”

But as much baseball as Guillen and the coaches covered during the camps, he also tried to impart some life lessons.

“With this thing, I’m just looking (to) have a better human being, and better kid, better son,” he said. “I don’t do this just to have a big-league player. I think it’s more important for me, when those kids leave here, how to respect their parents, how to appreciate their parents.”

Kal Fortner, 12, said he loved having a chance to play ball with Guillen.

He said the event — which he arrived at after an hour-plus drive from Beecher — also taught him a different lesson, one he said Guillen framed a little differently than his parents have.

“It’s a little different because he said respect is more important than love,” Fortner said. “And I understand what he meant because when you respect someone, you also love them.”

Guillen said the clinics give him a chance to have some fun while also giving kids a way to get active.

“I see those kids right now out here, trying to do something different and trying to be good,” he said. “I don’t expect any of these kids to be a big-league ballplayer. I hope they do one time. I expect them to have fun, take advantage of their parents (bringing them) and take advantage of the situation.”