Tarde pías ¿cierto?

Murder of Blanco's brother has Guillen speaking out - White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has been an American citizen since Jan. 20, 2006, but his heart still beats for his native Venezuela. On Wednesday, Guillen was heartbroken over the reported murder of Carlos Simon Blanco in Guarenas, a suburb of Caracas. Blanco was the brother of free-agent catcher Henry Blanco, who has spent the past four seasons with the Cubs. Guillen and Henry Blanco are close friends. "It's a shame," Guillen said from his off-season home in Miami . "When something like this happens, you have to wait and see why it happened, how it happened, get all the details. "But I'm from Venezuela , and I think people in Venezuela are tired of seeing this kind of (stuff) happening all the time." Guillen, who was born and raised in Caracas , still is a celebrated son in his home country despite spending much of his time in the United States . During a telephone interview, Guillen blamed the rampant violence on Venezuela President Hugo Chavez. Guillen accused Chavez - with whom he has a self-described ambivalent relationship - of spending too much time trying to stay in power by banning term limits. "I think Chavez is wasting his time on the elections instead of being on top of security," Guillen said. "Chavez wants to be the president forever, but the country is hungry for security. Nobody feels safe there." Mourning for Carlos Simon Blanco is not a new experience for Guillen. In 1993, former major-leaguer Gus Polidor was murdered in Caracas while two men attempted to rob him and kidnap his son. Guillen and Polidor were best friends. In '94, Guillen aided another close friend, big-league relief pitcher Ugueth Urbina, after his mother was kidnapped. In a strange twist, Urbina is now serving a 14-year jail sentence for attempted murder. "It's kind of weird," Guillen said. "Maybe all of these bad things have happened to me because I have so many friends in baseball. It's sad, but thank God nothing has happened to me or anybody in my family. You have to be careful with who you are hanging around with." That's especially true in Caracas , the "murder capital of the world" according to Foreign Policy magazine. Well aware of the dangers in Venezuela 's largest city, Guillen nonetheless said he's going back home today. The Sox' 44-year-old manager is heading to next week's win ter baseball meetings in Las Vegas, but he plans to return to Venezuela for the holidays and remain there for the next month. "I grew up there and I'm not scared about it," Guillen said. "I'm not running from anybody." During his 13-year run as the White Sox' starting shortstop (1985-97), Guillen enjoyed going out on the town during the season. As manager, he rarely leaves the hotel after games. Guillen is taking the same cautious approach as he heads back to Caracas . "I don't have any bodyguards or security when I go there," said Guillen, who received a hero's welcome in Venezuela after the Sox won the World Series in 2005. "I always hang out in my house when I go back. I don't go out; people come over. It's unfortunate that you have to live that kind of life in Venezuela , but I think our government has a lot to do with it. "It's kind of funny, because when something bad happens to a baseball player, you hear all about it. But it happens all the time there, every day." • The trade sending White Sox starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and reliever Boone Logan to the Atlanta Braves could officially be announced today after all physicals are completed. The Sox are expected to receive four minor-league prospects in the deal: infielder Brent Lillibridge, catcher Tyler Flowers, third baseman Jon Gilmore and left-handed pitcher Santos Rodriguez.