Guillen, rather, considers it a privilege that his three kids are often with the team – either playing catch, helping players with Spanish-to-English translation, or just hanging out.

"Having them around me, with them loving baseball the way they love baseball, I think there's not that many people in this game that are lucky enough to do it like I can when I'm around my kids almost every day in the summer," said Guillen, whose boys Ozzie Jr., Oney and Ozney range in age from 22 to 15.

The lifestyle of a Major League Baseball player can be very rewarding, from the fame and fortune to the personal and team glory that comes with success.

"That's something about this life that nobody knows about, about baseball players or any athletes," Guillen said. "We don't spend enough time with our families."

"You miss the summer," said Widger, 35. "You miss your son's baseball games. You miss taking your kids to school. You miss birthdays, Father's Day, Mother's Day, my birthday. You miss most of everything. But it's all part of the business; you give up that because you get this lifestyle. You get to play this game that everybody loves."

Widger, who will make about $650,000 this season, has earned several million dollars playing baseball since debuting as a pro in 1992. He was a key reserve, backing up A.J. Pierzynski, on the 2005 World Series champions.

The victory celebration a season ago caused him to miss Ashlynn's birthday, which is in late October. Widger also cannot be there for most of C.J's baseball games and Ash's dance or ballet activity at home in New Jersey. And Widger does not want to remove his kids from their friends and grandparents, so they only sporadically visit him here and on the road.

"If you sit here and dwell on it and complain about it, then you're almost saying you don't like this lifestyle and you don't appreciate what you have," Widger said.

While a little more cautious these days – he might use the Cubs' dugout fence as a jungle gym – the littler Baker occupies as much of his dad's time as possible. Darren and his mom, Melissa, spend most of the off-season and some of the summer in the Bay Area.

"Oh, man, it means a lot when he's here," Dusty Baker said. "I miss 'em when they're gone. That's probably the toughest part of all. Especially after losses, because he'll tell me stuff like, 'Dad, don't look so sad in your interview' on the dais, or be sure to 'have good posture,' or 'dad, it's not so bad.' I mean, they pick you up. Wins or losses, those kids love you."

Houston's Craig Biggio hates losing, too. In a 20-season career, the seven-time All-Star has nearly 3,000 hits – including more than any major leaguer since 1994.

Biggio someday probably will make baseball's Hall of Fame, but no amount of professional success can ease the disappointment of missing his 6-year-old daughter, Quinn, playing softball.

"As a dad, it's painful because you want to be there to help them," Biggio said. "You want to be there, when they have a good day, to pat them on the back and, when they have a bad day, to pat them on the back and tell them it's going to be better."

"She's a single mom and a divorced lady for eight months out of the year," Biggio said. "It's rough. You do a lot of carpooling ... and thank God for the Blackberries and the text-messaging. It's not just her, it's all the moms. It's a rough grind."

Guillen, as manager, is in a position to shape a club's policy on kids. Some teams are restrictive. Guillen is not. Sox players often can be seen leading, carrying and/or dragging their sons around the clubhouse. Girls any older than infant age stay outside.

"I tried to spend the most time with [the kids] in the summer when they traveled with me," Guillen said. "It's something you kind of feel guilty about. The kid's crying because you're missing all of these different things coming up."

"It's great, probably one of the things I appreciate most about Dusty," said Maddux, who also has a 12-year-old daughter, Amanda. "That he allows the kids to go out on the field and to be shagging [fly balls during batting practice] with your kid, is pretty special."

"I think that's something you're working on every day," Maddux said. "Even when you're away from the kids, you're still thinking about them and what you can do to help them out along the way."

Todd Walker, who has two small children who soon will be of school-age, says the off-season is prime time for daddy-kid overload. Which is just fine with him.

"In the off-season, you have nothing but time, and my time is consumed by my kids," Walker said. "I spoil them with love and attention. As much as I can.

"In the off-season, you've got four months that you can spend a lot of time with them. It's a vicious circle, though, because when you can't do it any more [come spring training], it makes it harder on them. They're so used to having them around."

Cleveland's Aaron Boone and one of his brothers, Brett, practically grew up in clubhouses in Philadelphia and Anaheim, where their dad, Bob Boone was a catcher.

"It was a great way to grow up," said Boone who, at 33, is four years younger than Brett. "I felt a real strong connection with my dad, because he was home for four or five months, straight. We lived where he played, so it was home a week, gone a week. He was around and around a lot, going to all of my games. And it was all I knew, but I felt that he was always there."

"I didn't have a lot of things that I'd see a lot of spoiled kids have," Boone said. "I never needed anything, but I wasn't the kid with the new car. Always had enough money for lunch and things like that. Had a nice prom. It was all I knew and it was great."

Konerko's boy, Nicholas, was born a few days before he hit a go-ahead grand slam in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. Konerko said he was fortunate enough be with his wife, Jennifer, to witness the birth.

"Inevitably, in our job, you're going to miss some things, good or bad," said Konerko, 30. "That's the price you pay, but most people would trade you. To be retired in your late 30s or be 40 years old and not have to worry about working again, and ... to be able to spend the rest of their time with their families, I think most people would trade for that."

"Luckily, there have been no first words [or] first steps yet," Ohman said. "[But] the anticipation of not being there for things you don't want to miss – it's not a fun thought.

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