Chuck Garfien, Ozzie Guillén honor late White Sox analyst Bill Melton before season opener Photo Credit: Chicago Sports Network

On Thursday, the Chicago White Sox started their 2025 season with hopes of moving forward from a disastrous 2024 campaign. But on the pregame coverage leading up to the game on Chicago Sports Network, the returning studio team of Chuck Garfien and Ozzie Guillén couldn’t help but think of Bill Melton.

Melton, who passed away this past December at the age of 79, spent the first eight of his ten-year MLB career with the White Sox, being named to the American League All-Star team in 1971. Later in life, Melton returned to the organization as a TV analyst, a role he served in first for WGN in 1995 and later for NBC Sports Chicago until his retirement in 2020.

As we enter a new season, Chuck Garfien made it a point to speak about his longtime colleague just before first pitch on Thursday afternoon.

“We lost him back in December,” said Garfien of Melton. “1971 home run champion, I did pregame and postgame shows with him for over a decade. There is a photo with Mayor Daley back in the day. Special personality, that booming voice. He felt like he had two families. His real family, his blood, the Meltons. And his other family was the White Sox. All of us who worked with him and all of you watching has spent many Opening Days with Bill Melton. I cannot believe he’s not with us right now. He meant so much to me. And I just wanted to take a moment to express the loss that I’m feeling and a lot of White Sox are feeling right now.”

Ozzie Guillén then chimed in, saying that he always saw Melton with a smile on his face anytime he ever interacted with him.

“I always had a great time with him,” said Guillén. I never saw him without a smile on his face. You always see him with a smile on his face. I wish I could say on-air what I always call him. I can’t, I would lose my job. But he was the best man to have around. I remember he would come down to talk to Robin Ventura. He was a great home run hitter. He was a great third baseman. But he never showed you what he was. Very humble, very low-key man. You sit with him for ten minutes, you would need water because he was so funny. Last time we saw him at the studio, everything was great. We we got the news, it was kinda hard for us to swallow.”

Clearly, Melton has had a profound impact on both Garfien and Guillén, both professionally and personally. Given the fact that it is the first Opening Day that Melton is no longer with us, it’s understandable that both Garfien and Guillén were emotional in reliving his death.

On a positive note for the White Sox, the organization certainly did Melton proud in their matchup against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, coming away with an 8-1 victory to get their season started on the right foot.