It’s a living thing
Guaranteed Rate Field holds blood drive, gets help from former slugger Kittle
Like baseball fans everywhere, Ron Kittle longs for the sights, sounds and smells of the game to return.
“The (smell of the) hot dogs, the popcorn, I kind of miss that,” the former White Sox slugger who is now a team ambassador said Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “I miss the people I work with every day and I see on a regular basis. The sound of the bat, the ball, waving to somebody and the excitement for the little kids.”
Kittle was at the ballpark Friday helping for a larger cause by donating blood. The 1983 American League Rookie of the Year is helping in the effort to maintain a supply of blood in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Baseball is important but also living is important,” Kittle said. “I was asked if I was interested and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ Any time you can help out a cause. This is worldwide.”
The blood drive was part of a partnership with the American Red Cross and Anheuser-Busch to utilize arenas and stadiums nationwide as temporary blood-drive centers. The Sox said there were 100 appointments Friday.
Cari Paller, a season ticket holder, was one of the participants.
“That was very emotional because I’ve been counting down,” Paller said, “opening day is my Christmas Day, so just coming to the park and walking to the patio area, which is another home away from home. I’m having flashbacks of memories that we all should be here watching games. Usually, this is where I would be with my friends hanging out. So to see people out giving blood in that area was a little surreal at first, but it felt good to be there at the same time.”
Paller said she felt compelled to donate after hearing blood was in demand.
“I immediately thought to contact the Red Cross and find out where there’s a location where I could do it,” she said. “At first, it was going to be at Navy Pier and then White Sox Charities sent out an email and I thought, ‘It couldn’t be a more perfect place for me to come and give blood, at my second home.’ ”
When the Sox will return home remains up in the air. One of the proposed options, according to a recent report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, included having the Sox and Cubs in the same division.
“Cubs and Sox in the division if they start playing, boy, you don’t think social media will be strong on that,” Kittle said with a laugh. “Cubs fans and Sox fans, they don’t get along real well, anyway. That would probably make for a whole season itself, seeing the remarks.”
Whatever the arrangement, Kittle is eager to watch the Sox in action after a busy offseason.
“The White Sox look like they had a pretty doggone good roster out of spring training,” Kittle said. “I’m excited to see them come back and play some baseball, if it happens.
“They are going to make the right call. I don’t know what the right call is going to be, but I’m going to be rooting for the new 2020 team because I think they have some great players and everybody was looking forward to coming back to Chicago.”