[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 144 (Thursday, November 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX ON WINNING THE 2005 WORLD SERIES

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                               speech of

                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 2, 2005

  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution 
honoring a sports team that will go down in history as one of the best 
there ever was: the 2005 Chicago White Sox. For a city so rich as 
Chicago in sports tradition--and sports misery, for that matter--our 
first World Series championship since 1917 has generated fond new 
memories for a whole new generation of Chicagoans.
  Perhaps most remarkable about the team that has restored baseball 
pride to Illinois is its recipe for success: teamwork, teamwork, and 
more teamwork. Ozzie Guillen, the man who led this team of non-
superstars, is in immigrant from Venezuela whose coaching future was 
measured by some experts in terms of months. Players such Scott 
Podsednik, A.J. Pierzinski, and Bobby Jenks, who provided some of the 
series' most thrilling and memorable moments, were mostly cast-offs 
from other teams. This Chamber, and indeed this country, can learn a 
lot from the team-first principles which the Chicago White Sox proved 
are the ultimate winning formula.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm particularly proud of the manner with which the 
Chicago area celebrated our team's victory. The moment Paul Konerko 
caught the final out of Game Four, millions of Chicagoans and thousands 
of my own constituents poured out into the streets of most every 
neighborhood, and managed to conduct themselves in a wildly 
enthusiastic, yet safe and dignified manner. The victory celebration 
downtown attracted 1.7 million people and had to be held on a Friday 
because nobody wanted to wait until the weekend.
  Mr. Speaker, the world-class city that is Chicago now has another 
world championship calling card. I salute the 2005 White Sox and their 
fans, and I urge passage of this measure honoring this utterly 
deserving team.

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