Ozzie Guillen: Players should support reported Arizona plan

Former Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen believes it's a player's duty to participate in baseball games once it's deemed safe to do so, regardless of whether they agree with the reported proposed plan to host all contests in Arizona.

"I'd have no choice," Guillen said when discussing what he'd do if he was still a player, according to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune. "If everybody is playing, why not me? I'm no better than the game. If MLB says we're gonna play and the president of the United States says we can play, who is one player to say no? That's your job. I don't think you can be selfish when you see a lot of people want sports because they make money out of that. That's something people have to think about."

Guillen added that it's not just the players, owners, and fans who are weathering the storm without baseball.

"Players have money. The owners have money. There are a lot of people behind the scenes suffering," he said. "People who park the cars, work in the stadium. They need baseball more than anybody, more than the players. Some people live check-by-check, day-by-day."

Opening Day was originally slated for March 26 before MLB postponed it due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league and the players' union have had discussions about how the 2020 season can be salvaged.

Prior to spending eight campaigns as the White Sox bench boss and one shepherding the Miami Marlins, Guillen was a three-time All-Star shortstop over parts of 16 major-league seasons.