For Ozzie Guillen, devastated by what he was seeing on TV in the aftermath of the double earthquake that has ravaged his beloved Venezuela, the impulse was to shake a figurative fist at the sky.
His wife, Ibis, talked him out of it.
“My wife said, ‘Don’t ask the question why,’ ” he told his partner, Chuck Garfien, on their White Sox postgame show. “Why did this happen to the same people again?”
Is there a better known Venezuelan in the United States than Ozzie Guillen? Classical music fans might argue Gustavo Dudamel, the charismatic conductor who soon will lead the New York Philharmonic. Carolina Herrera is an icon of the fashion world. There are 511 players who were born in Venezuela who have played in the big leagues, according to Baseball Reference, including some of the game’s biggest stars: Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana, Salvador Perez, Ronald Acuna Jr., Dave Concepcion, Jose Altuve. The only Venezuelan in the Hall of Fame is a former Sox star, Luis Aparicio, a nine-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop.
But for more than four decades, Guillen has been a colorful presence — as a player, a manager and now, in an unexpected third act in Chicago, co-starring with Garfien on one of baseball’s best studio shows.
Every winter, almost without fail, Guillen has returned home to spend the offseason in Venezuela. He and Ibis raised their three sons — Ozzie Jr., Oney and Ozney — there when they were not here.
One place in particular played a huge role in Guillen’s life: La Guaira, a port city, resort town and sports fishing paradise until the nation’s political chaos and economic collapse caused anglers to look elsewhere for their blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish.
La Guaira is known for its baseball, too: Tiburones de La Guaira — the Sharks of La Guaira — have been the pride of the city, winning the Venezuelan Winter League championship eight times. As their manager in 2024, Guillen guided the Tiburones not only to the Venezuelan championship but to the Caribbean Series title, as well.
“I played all my career, all my life, on the La Guaira team,” Guillen said this past weekend during a break in his TV duties. “That’s why that little town means something to me. I grew up in baseball playing for that club, admiring that club. I played there since I was 16 years old.”
It is La Guaira that has found itself in the crosshairs of natural catastrophe, 27 years apart. Guillen was in Venezuela in 1999, when mudslides consumed La Guaira, resulting in the deaths of more than 30,000 people. He and Ibis were directly involved in relief efforts there.
“My wife was unbelievable, putting food together to feed so many people,” said Guillen, who responded to the mudslides by establishing the Ozzie Guillen Foundation (OG13.org).
Then, Wednesday night, in a span of just 39 seconds, two earthquakes slightly three miles apart — one magnitude 7.2, the other 7.5 — struck northern Venezuela just west of La Guaira and the capital, Caracas, causing widespread damage.
As of Monday morning, the death toll was an estimated 1,450, a number that experts say is probably a vast undercount. A preliminary analysis estimates that about 60,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Rescue crews from all over the world, including the U.S., have responded.
And Guillen feels helpless, because he is not there.
“I feel like my hands are tied,’’ he said. “I wish I could bring an airplane there.
“I love that country. It is so beautiful. So, so special.”
One of his sisters lost a home. So did a nephew. All family members are safe, he said. He grieves for those who have lost their lives, and those who are mourning.
In the U.S., if you lose your home, insurance provides a safety net. In Venezuela, if you lose your house, you lose everything you worked so hard to have and spent years working toward.
His foundation is accepting donations. He said Chicagoland already has responded. A number of local restaurants have organized drop-off spots for supplies. White Sox Charities has swung into action, coordinating with Guillen’s charity to prepare a coordinated response.
Christine O’Reilly, executive director of White Sox Charities, is acutely aware of the Venezuela-Sox connection that goes back to another splendid shortstop, Chico Carrasquel, and includes Aparicio, Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Freddy Garcia and current Sox utility player Luisangel Acuna, younger brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr.
“The entire White Sox family is devastated by this tragedy,” she said, “and I think it’s going to take a long time for the country to recover and the people to recover. . . . All of our hearts are hurting.
“But we really stand on the shoulders of our fans, and I know they’ll be at the ready to contribute and help support once we are able to put some finishing touches on what that might look like.”
In tragedy, a note of hope.
“I am 62 years old,” Guillen said. “And I have never seen the country come together like this.”