Overblown Nonsense

The Chicago White Sox are going to Washington today to visit with the President of the United States for a photo-op. Each year whichever major sports team wins a championship, one of the fruits of their labor gets them a ticket to the White House. Since the White Sox won the World Series they get to go this year.

What has caused a minor stir here in Chicago is that Ozzie Guillen the manager of the Sox is not accompanying his team. He had planned a vacation with his family months ago and he didn’t want to disrupt that. This has caused the idiotic and overly patriotic numbskulls to cry out in anger over this perceived snub.

Really, who gives a shit? The whole ordeal is nothing more then a photo opportunity. Sure, it is a tradition and it is an honor to be asked to go. However, if he doesn’t want to because of another commitment then really why does anyone care? It is not like he is doing this for political reasons. If he were then maybe there would be a point to all of this. Yes, I hate (and I mean I hate) George W. Bush. However, if for some reason I was asked to visit the White House. I would go and be civil simply out of respect for that office. Not for him.

About ten years ago when Clinton was in office, Mark Chumura of the then Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers refused to go to the White House because of political reasons. (This is the same Mark Chumura who years later would get caught with his baby-sitter in his hot tub on her prom night.) I don’t remember all of the flag waving, purists getting all up in arms over that.

However, when Guillen is perceived to be snubbing their guy then all shit breaks loose. Spare me. This is nothing more then these misplaced patriotism fools, missing the point. Ozzie wants to enjoy a family vacation with his wife and kids before he has to get back to work on a new season. He would rather be there then wasting his time glad handing with the President. A President he has already met, as he was a coach on the 2003 Florida Marlins.

I for one could care less if doesn’t go. It is his right. This whole situation has been completely overblown by the media in this town. Michael Jordon once skipped a white house visit for the same reasons and he didn’t catch nearly the amount of shit as Ozzie is catching. Again, that was while that pot smoking, dress staining, draft dodger was in office. So it seems to me that these assholes only care when their guy gets snubbed. Which to me, comes off as political reasons for their anger. For them to go after Ozzie, by implying he is not going for political reasons, when they in fact do have political reasons for their stance is in a word, hypocrital which is nothing new for supporters of this administration.