Welcome to America Ozzie!

Ozzie Guillen, manager of the world champion Chicago White Sox is now a US citizen. Among his more memorable quotes:

It's a great feeling," Guillen said. "The funny thing about this is when I won the World Series, a lot of people felt that was my dream. That was my goal, to win the World Series. ... To do this is something real special.

He called gaining U.S. citizenship "a dream come true" and said, "A lot of people fight and die to be American citizens. A lot of Latin people are dying to be where I am right now."

He said the U.S. is "not an easy country," but provides the best opportunity "to be what you want to be."

"Do you know how many people die every week just to live in this country? Hundreds," Guillen said. "That's a dream. A lot of people want to be Americans. It's not an easy thing to do."

He expects most Venezuelans to "see me the same way," although he half-jokingly acknowledged there might be one notable exception: President Hugo Chavez.
"He'll probably be mad at me," Guillen said. "I don't blame him, but it's a decision I've got to make for my family. It's a decision I've got to make for my own good. ... I couldn't care less what people think, and I'm going to do what's best for my family."

God Bless the Guillens!