CHICAGO — Robin Ventura was easing his way back into baseball with the Chicago White Sox. Hired as an adviser to player development director Buddy Bell in June, it afforded him just the right mix of work and time with his family.
When Ozzie Guillen asked out of his contract near the end of the season and eventually ended up in Florida, Ventura was as surprised as anyone.
And when general manager Ken Williams and Bell talked to him and broached the possibility of succeeding Guillen, he was initially taken aback.
He mulled it over, discussed it with his wife and after a meeting with Williams decided it was the right move.
“I started to put my foot in the water with Buddy. I was easing my way back in,” Ventura said. “Now it seems I’ve jumped all the way back in. I jumped right in the deep end. I can swim, though.”
Ventura has a good sense of humor and a well-rounded perspective on the game. Fiery as Guillen? Nope. But he’s had his moments too.
Who can forget the time he charged the mound after Nolan Ryan plunked him with a pitch in 1993? Once there, Ryan applied a quick headlock and administered several punches before players from both teams reached the confrontation.
He becomes the 39th White Sox manager, a list that includes 17 who played for the team. The Associated Press
