After news broke that the Cubs were set to name Willie Harris their new third base coach, one of the first people who reached out to congratulate him was his former White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillén.
“It really made my night, man,” Harris said Wednesday on the Cubs Talk Podcast. “I haven’t spoken to him in a long time but for him to take a moment out of his day just to shoot me a text message means a lot. I’m grateful for that.”
Harris spent four seasons on the South Side (2002-05), the latter two with Guillén as his manager. He played a key role in their 2005 championship, reaching on a pinch-hit single in Game 4 of the Fall Classic, scoring the decisive run in the title-clincher.
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Now, the 42-year-old is back in Chicago in a new capacity as a first-time big league coach on David Ross’ staff.
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Following a 12-season big league career that also included time with the Orioles, Red Sox, Braves, Nationals, Mets and Reds, Harris joined the coaching ranks in 2016 in the White Sox farm system. He first was their rookie league hitting coach (2016) and then their advanced-Single-A manager (2017) and looks back on his time with the organization fondly, especially those seasons with Guillén.
“I love Ozzie, man. Ozzie’s going to be Ozzie and that’s what you love about him,” Harris said. “He’s not going to try and shade away to please anyone. He’s authentic, he’s going to speak his mind and I love that about Ozzie."
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Someone else Harris has a past relationship with is Ross. The two grew up about 20 miles apart in Georgia — Harris in Cairo and Ross in Bainbridge — playing against one another in high school, the minor leagues and eventually the majors. He recalled a time Ross threw him out on a steal attempt “by 10 feet.”
“That was a big mistake,” Harris said. “I’m sure we’ll have fun about that.”
Harris is looking forward to working under Ross, touting his leadership skills, and learning from the second-year skipper and 2020 NL Manager of the Year finalist. He cited Joey Cora, his third base coach while with the White Sox, as a mentor and the best he’s ever worked with in that position.
“He has a lot of the attributes that you need down there, coaching third base,” said Harris, referencing Cora’s energy and passion. “And I think that’s really the key when you go up to the plate to hit, and you look down there at your third base coach.
“You need to be looking down there at someone who you know is pulling for you, someone you know has your back all the time.”
And, looking back at his roots, the Cubs couldn't have hired somebody who knows the dynamic of the city rivalry with the Sox better than Harris.
"It’s more than just a game to the people on the field and in the front office, I’m sure," he said. "It’s more than just a game.
"It really is a big deal. It was a great rivalry to be a part of, for me, and now I’m looking forward to being a part of it on the other side — and I look forward to sending guys home on the Chicago White Sox outfielders."