{"id":44768,"date":"2025-03-28T08:27:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T08:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44768"},"modified":"2025-03-28T08:27:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T08:27:56","slug":"chuck-garfien-ozzie-guillen-honor-late-white-sox-analyst-bill-melton-before-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=44768","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Garfien, Ozzie Guill\u00e9n honor late White Sox analyst Bill Melton before season opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chuck Photo Credit: Chicago Sports Network<\/p>\n
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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 Guill\u00e9n couldn\u2019t help but think of Bill Melton.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost him back in December,\u201d said Garfien of Melton. \u201c1971 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\u2019s not with us right now.\u00a0He meant so much to me. And I just wanted to take a moment to express the loss that I\u2019m feeling and a lot of White Sox are feeling right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ozzie Guill\u00e9n then chimed in, saying that he always saw Melton with a smile on his face anytime he ever interacted with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always had a great time with him,\u201d said Guill\u00e9n. 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\u2019t, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.@ChuckGarfien<\/a> remembers his dear friend and colleague Bill Melton ahead of Opening Day on White Sox Countdown Live. \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/e0f0FuICOW<\/a><\/p>\n

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) March 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n