Ozzie Guillen in Trouble

[frikativ54]

For those of you who haven't heard, Guillen was suspended for five games for his praising of Fidel Castro.

The Marlins' manager said that he "loved" and "respected" the Cuban dictator but later claimed that his comments were "lost in translation."

Ozzie has since apologized and tried to make amends with the Cuban-American community in Miami.

[gingi79]

Considering there are more displaced Cubans in Little Havana than actual Havana, it would be akin to the Israeli National Soccer Coach walking around Tel Aviv claiming "Adolf Hitler wasn't such a bad guy. He had excellent interior decorating skills and a fine sense of fashion"

[David]

Lot of angles to this, including: free speech versus he's a company employee and representative, political correctness (Yes, pc isn't just a liberal thing), most people in and out of Miami knew Ozzie was going to get suspended for saying something some time or the other, Ozzie often speaks before he thinks, common sense says Miami isn't the place to praise Castro, the team knew Ozzie had a big mouth when then hired him, the team knew he's already praised Hugo Chavez, etc.

[Skizzick]

I would LOVE to start a debate about this. Cuba is one of my favorite topics of discussion and I have studied it in great detail, and even lived in Havana for a semester.

First point: I saw nothing wrong with Guillen's comments, especially considering the man they come from. He said he respected Fidel Castro because people have tried to kill him and he's still here. He didn't say he loved Fidel Castro because he imprisons innocent people or because he is a dictator. I hoped he would have some cajones and stand by what he said, but it seems the Miami Cuban population can even silence Ozzie. If he was still the White Sox manager, or the manager of any other team outside of Miami, this would be a non-issue because people outside of the Miami metropolitan area are just not that enthused with Cuban issues.

Second point: Ozzie, a native Venezuelan, has time and again praised Hugo Chavez, even appearing on radio shows with him. MLB, the White Sox, and the media said nothing at the time. Meanwhile, Chavez is often (rightfully) compared to Castro for his human rights violations and his iron fist over his country

Third point: Does anybody else notice the double standard between Fidel Castro and Che Guevara? During the Cuban revolution and while he was in office Guevara committed a lot more atrocities than Fidel Castro, and even attempted armed rebellions in other countries as well. Yet, he is seen as a hero, adorning many t-shirts across the world while Fidel Castro, who is arguably a lot more moderate and reserved than a number of his companions, is branded as a villain and any mention of him in any sort of positive sense is met with scorn, hatred, fury, and calls for firing. Seriously, you could say something like, "Fidel Castro has good taste in cigars," and half of Miami would want you fired, tarred, and feathered. I'm not a fan of Fidel Castro myself (though his passion for baseball scores some points with me and a baseball signed by him is one of my holy grails). Still, you have to view the guy from an objective standpoint.

Fourth point (though slightly off-topic): The Miami Cuban American lobby has been one of the most detrimental lobbies for American foreign affairs. You have numerous politicians and experts on Cuba saying that open relations with Cuba would end the Castro regime quicker than the embargo and anti-Cuba rhetoric that exists today (and has for 50 years). If they had their way all the time, we would likely not have had any international baseball tournaments with both Cuban and US participation. Instead, the embargo has only propped the man up and kept him in power. If the US government didn't listen to the Cuban American lobby and engaged with the Cuban government, I contend that Fidel Castro would have been out of power decades ago.

Fifth point: THE FIRST FREAKIN' AMENDMENT! A guy can say what he wants to, as long as it's within the boundaries of his opinion.

[LastingsMilledge85]

Fifth point: THE FIRST FREAKIN' AMENDMENT! A guy can say what he wants to, as long as it's within the boundaries of his opinion.

You can say what you want, but that doesn't mean it won't be subject to criticism and penalties.

[David]

I believe in free speech, but Ozzie isn't paid millions of dollars to offend his employers' customers. That would get you suspended to fired in almost any job.

The freedom of speech argument is a bit of a red herring, as he always has freedom of speech. He can repeat right now or tomorrow what he told Time today and he won't get arrested. If they fired him he'd still have the legal right to praise Castro until the day he dies. The first amendment doesn't say you can't get fired by telling the boss his wife is a hag and his kids are retards. Doesn't work that way. Of course there can be practical and occupational consequences for your words.

[sox83cubs84]

In Chicago, the media labelled such outbursts as "just Ozzie being Ozzie". I don't think that's gonna fill the bill here.

Dave Miedema

[GameUsedGR61]

I am a Cuban-American and I am not going to go into the politics of this situation. Personally, I do not like politics and hate debating it. I am all about free-speech and don't mind if he feels that way. To each his own, even though I vehemently disagree with him. One of the things I like about this country is that you have the right to express yourself .

In terms of a business stand-point, I think what Ozzie did was foolish especially since the stadium is in the Little Havana section of Miami. By saying those comments, you are actually alienating potential Cuban-American fans who may want to come to the game, especially those who never been to a game before. Plus, its also a slap in the face to the members of the Marlins organization who are Cuban: Gaby Sanchez, Cookie Rojas, Tony Perez and Felo Ramirez

Even though Ozzie has a right to say what he wants, fans have the right to voice their opinion and even boycott their games if they choose to. I am very curious to see how this turns out

[godwulf]

I'm not a fan of Fidel Castro myself (though his passion for baseball scores some points with me and a baseball signed by him is one of my holy grails).

Good to know I'm not alone in that.

[Skizzick]

The problem with this situation, like a lot of controversies in sports, is that it is the perfect opportunity for people to open up a larger conversation about the political and social nuances behind the controversies. But instead, people just want everybody to shut up, apologize, and move on. The sports media should go to other Cuban baseball players and get their take on the situation and on Cuba/Castro today. I think it would be interesting and it would get people interested in learning more.