Guillen at it again on subject of Wrigley Field
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has a love-hate relationship with the Cubs series.
"I love this game from the national anthem to the last out, that's it," Guillen said Thursday. "Besides that it's a bunch of (bleep).
"Believe me, when the game starts it's an unbelievable feeling. There's not a feeling like that, maybe the World Series."
But what Guillen could do without is the media hype and Wrigley Field, and not exactly in that order.
Guillen's disdain for Wrigley Field has been well documented, but it will be the epicenter of Chicago baseball for the next three days as the first-place White Sox and first-place Cubs go head to head.
There isn't a nook or cranny of Wrigley Field that Guillen hasn't torched over the years, and he was at it again Thursday, calling it a tourist attraction and comparing the place to the Statue of Liberty.
"One thing about Sox fans, they show up to watch the game," Guillen said. "Some people go to Wrigley Field, I'm not going to say everyone, they go to Wrigley from Europe, from Paris - they want to be a tourist.
"I'm not saying Cubs fans don't have legit fans. It's like when you go to New York and you want to visit the Statue of Liberty. It's the same thing that happens with Wrigley Field. You come to this town and everybody wants to take a look at it, go to the game and go to the ballpark and see the Cubs. Even the family I brought in from Caracas, they want to take a look at Wrigley Field."
As much as Guillen would like to say these are just six more games on the schedule, he knows how much they mean to the fans on both sides of town.
"I dislike it more as a manager, but don't get me wrong: It's a great thing for the city. It's an awesome thing for the fans," Guillen said. "It's an unbelievable feeling when you go out and the people in the street talk to you about this series, no matter if it's Cubs fans or White Sox fans.
"I don't think the New York series (Yankees vs. Mets) series is bigger than this series. With all due respect to the New York fans, this series here I can't believe it's as important to the fans. It's crazy about how people beg you to beat (the Cubs) and don't worry about the season."
In recent days Guillen has met with those players who have yet to experience Sox-Cubs, such as Nick Swisher, telling them what to expect.
"I talked to a couple players that weren't here and said it's going to be different than what you've seen in the past," Guillen said. "This is lights out."
It will be Swisher's first trip ever to Wrigley Field even though his father, Steve, was a catcher with the Cubs in the 1970s.
"I think I drove by it once and someone said, 'Oh, yeah, that's Wrigley Field,' " Swisher said. "I'm getting pretty excited about getting in there. The place is going to be electric, and we're ready for it. I've already told my dad he better have the right colors on."