“From the moment he joined this organization in spring training 1985, Ozzie Guillén has been one of a kind.
“Retiring his No. 13 is a very fitting honor for a man who thrilled White Sox fans as an All-Star player and delivered a World Series trophy as a manager.
“We celebrate his accomplishments today by forever retiring his number alongside all of the other White Sox greats.
“Ozzie’s energy, charisma and passion are contagious, whether he is interacting with a security guard in the parking lot, teammates like Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk or Tom Seaver, one of his players, or when he is speaking to fans each night on the pre and postgame shows. His leadership during the 11-1 postseason run by the 2005 World Series champion White Sox will never be forgotten by our fans, and we celebrate today the first Latin American manager who proudly raised the World Series trophy in front of millions of Chicagoans.
“When our scout Jerry Krause recommended Ozzie to then general manager Roland Hemond, we had no idea what we were getting. ‘I think we acquired a jockey,’ Roland told me back then after Ozzie first reported to spring training. In 2003, when we were searching for a manager, then general manager Ken Williams said to me that he had found his man, adding that, ‘I’m going to fight you if you don’t let me hire him.’
“I asked, ‘Who?’ And he replied, ‘Ozzie Guillén.’ The rest is White Sox history, and we celebrate it, and him, today.”