A former professional baseball player teared up on the Fourth of July, passionately describing what his U.S. citizenship means to him.
“It’s special,” said retired Major League Baseball All-Star Ozzie Guillen during an interview on Pre Game Live with host Chuck Garfien.
“People, they don’t know how hard that is. How many people die … How many people want to be American. It’s [an] honor for me,” the teary-eyed Guillen continued.
As the retired star was speaking, a video of him becoming a citizen in 2006 played in the background. Garfien pointed out how emotional his guest had become from watching the video.
“Why are you so emotional and tearing up about this?” the host asked.
“Opportunities, man. Opportunity opened the door for me and have been great. I’ve been living in this country for a long time, me and my family — at a great cost. It opened the door for them to be who they are,” Guillen responded.
“I’m a very tough guy, but seeing that, I know how it means to me and my family,” he concluded.
An emotional Ozzie Guillén reflects on the day he became an American citizen in 2006.
“It’s special. People don’t know how hard that is. How many people die … How many people want to be American. This is an honor for me.” @OzzieGuillen ?? pic.twitter.com/ify8wan8zb
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) July 4, 2021
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Guillen, 57, was born in Ocumare del Tuy, Venezuela, and joined the MLB at 21 years old.
His career spanned nearly 2,000 games across 16 years, playing most of those in the American League with the Chicago White Sox. He was a three-time All-Star before retiring in 2000.
He later became a coach for the Chicago White Sox, leading them to a World Series title in 2005. Guillen was named the World Series Champion Manager, MLB.com Manager of the Year, and the Baseball America Major League Manager of the Year that same year.
