A Cubs fan says farewell to Ozzie

Well, it's been fun Ozzie Guillen.

Plenty of White Sox fans have an opinion on the longtime skipper who led them to a World Series title and announced yesterday he was leaving, most likely for warmer waters in Florida. Some are happy.

Others are sad. Many have mixed feelings.

As a Cubs fan, it's more like saying farewell to the crazy distant uncle whose antics you could enjoy from after, admiring all he accomplished while also kind of glad you haven't had to live with him. We had our own crazy uncle in Lou Piniella for a few years, but without the World Series trophy to go with it, and that makes all the difference.

I have a bobblehead doll of Ozzie Guillen that I received when I attended a White Sox game with my wife and her family. (All of whom are huge White Sox fans. I feel like a Montague among Capulets at times.) For some reason, I decided to keep it despite liking more than half of the American League better than the White Sox. (American League teams I like less: Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, Mariners.

I am glad the White Sox beat Houston in the World Series, though.) What can I say? It was fun to make the doll's head bobble while imagining Ozzie saying crazy things at a press conference. I don't know what I'll do with it now. It'll probably end up in a Goodwill bag in the coming year, which seems appropriate on a couple of levels.

Chicago certainly will be more boring without Ozzie. He singlehandedly made the White Sox interesting for this Cubs fan. Because let's face it, without Ozzie, the White Sox simply aren't that interesting of a team.

From the national perspective, nobody really stands out on the White Sox. The biggest personality on the team probably belongs to A.J. Pierzynski, who is about as enjoyable to a Cubs fan as barbed wire.

Their most consistent player has been Mark Buehrle, who seems like a really nice guy, but certainly doesn't make you ooh and ahh with his pitching. And the rest of the team seems to be composed of an odd mix of underachievers (Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, etc.) and grindy overachievers. Buehrle seems to be the only guy who plays to his mean.

But then you add in Ozzie and suddenly you have crazy quotes and rants coming from an inexhaustible supply somewhere deep in his soul.

His Monday announcement was filled with these, such as one of the reasons he needed to leave was to make more money so that he could keep his boat and its captain. Seriously, his boat and his captain. I mean, where else can you find that kind of honesty and inanity in one place? He's like that third-party political candidate who sometimes make sense, but also sounds nuts, and despite kind of liking the candidate, you just can't bring yourself to vote for him or her.

The White Sox probably will be better off without Ozzie. They have a talented team that just hasn't been able to put it together the last few years. Sometime a new voice can go a long way. And it's always more fun in Chicago when either the White Sox or the Cubs are good. (And I'm not holding out too much hope for the Cubs next year.)

From an entertainment aspect, though, it will be sad to see him go. So, as a Cubs fan, I bid you a fond adieu, Ozzie Guillen. Your antics had the curious affect of helping me to forget the woes on the north side, even if just for a bit. And for that, I am grateful.