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Kevin Hickey, a former pitcher and assistant with the Chicago White Sox, died earlier today at the age of 56. The Chicago Tribune has a short story about Hickey, whom White Sox GM Roland Hemond called “a South Side kid made good.”
Hickey, after playing softball and semipro baseball, was discovered at an open tryout in 1978 and pitched for six seasons (1981-83 with the Sox and 1989-91 with the Baltimore Orioles). He was discovered in a coma before the Sox season opener last month.
Ozzie Guillen, the Miami Marlins manager and a part-time speaker of English, worked with Hickey from 2004 through 2011, when Guillen was manager of the White Sox and Hickey was their batting practice pitcher. When the news of Hickey’s death came out, Guillen took to Twitter to put together a beautiful, half-intelligible tribute to his friend:
very sad day for my family and sox family. my man kevin hickey go to better life rip my brother– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
i hope isa golf course in heaven and hick man par tha golf course– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
advertisementadvertisementgreat man funny guy make every mourning shine for all us my comdolence for u family buddy– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
no to manny people make this game fun the hick. man. was tha man– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
advertisementevery mourning harold baines mark salas hick man and me playing golf. for years tha was so fun to be arround then– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
i hope we can go to chicago. for the funeral.– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
advertisementadvertisementno a hit man i call the man hick is a personal way i call him. sorry guy– Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) May 16, 2012
It doesn’t make too much sense, but the sentiment’s there. Services for Hickey haven’t been announced, so it’s not clear whether they’ll conflict with the Marlins schedule.
[@rabdill / rich.abdill@browardpalmbeach.com][@NewTimesBroward / NT on Facebook]
