Texas’ visit to the Cell tonight marks Sammy Sosa’s first game in Chicago since his abortive tenure with the Orioles in 2005, and to hear White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen tell the tale, the disgraced slugger deserves a hero’s welcome. Unless you think he deserves otherwise. From the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley.

”Sammy did a good thing for the city,” Guillen said. ”I’m not going to say Sammy put the city back on the map, but he might have. Every time we wear a uniform, the Cubs or the White Sox, we represent Chicago. We don’t represent the North Side, the South Side or the West Side. We represent the city.”

Unlike Jim Thome’s situation in Cleveland, Sox fans have had a recent history of welcoming back their own — even those who left for free agency such as Thomas and Robin Ventura. But Sosa was Public Enemy No. 1 as a member of the Cubs, which will be a hard sell for Guillen.

”All the stuff he did out there, corked bat? He’s not the first one to use it,” Guillen said. ”The thing they accuse him? We don’t know.

”Sammy do more good stuff in baseball than bad stuff, and we have to respect that. The Cubs should be proud of him. I’m not going to say they treat him bad, but a lot of people turn their back on him when he need it. Maybe that’s his own fault.”

Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the opening of Shea Stadium, and with the clock ticking towards the venerable toilet venue’s implosion, Loge 13 has been launched in honor of the Mets’ home. Much as I enjoyed the nostalgia trip, I hope I’m not rude in suggesting some of professional wrestling’s big moments at Shea received short shrift.