The speculation of Aaron Rowand’s potential return to the White Sox began when manager Ozzie Guillen was digging through his office looking for scouting reports and came across a mix tape Rowand gave him in October 2005.
“Aaron’s always been a very special guy, and the tape brought back a lot of good memories,” said Guillen. “I think we may need a guy with his heart and choice in music back for this year.”
The tape started off predictably enough with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” the unofficial mantra of the Sox ’05 championship run. The set list then took a very sentimental turn, with “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together.”
When confronted about the sappy nature of some of his selections, Rowand defended himself. “Mariah was very big that summer,” he said.
Even though the White Sox are currently carrying more outfielders than any team would need, the memories resurfaced by Guillen’s discovery may lead to a roster spot for Rowand who was traded to the Phillies more than a year ago.
“Aaron was the heart and soul of our championship team, and this mix tape proves that,” said Guillen. “Do you think Brian Anderson would take the time to tell his manager how he feels? I don’t think so.”
