TUCSON, Ariz. — This was one spring training trip Ozzie Guillen and several other big leaguers gladly took.
The Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks traveled two hours to Tucson on Monday to play a charity game that honored Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl killed in the attack on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Chicago beat the Diamondbacks 12-1 in the split-squad exhibition to benefit the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Fund.
"A lot of guys wanted to come here because of the cause," said Guillen, the Chicago manager.
Six people were killed and 13 injured in the January shooting in Tucson. Both teams used to hold spring training at the complex where the game was held before moving to the Phoenix area, and 7,419 fans were in attendance.
Green's father, John, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and grandfather Dallas was a former major league manager and pitcher.
The young girl's 11-year-old brother, also named Dallas, threw out a first ball, as did some of her Little League teammates. Guillen and Diamondbacks players John Hester and Tony Abreu caught the tosses.
"I'm not the kind of guy who chokes up too often," Guillen said. "I got tears in my eyes when those kids came up and shook my hand."
Among the items sold for charity were pink pins bearing Christina-Taylor Green's initials, purple wristbands and commemorative T-shirts.
Watch this video of "Christina Taylor Green: Mother of 9 y/o born on 9/11/01, interview - victim of Jared Lee Loughner".
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