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The Spectacle Blog
This is foot and mouth even for Miami Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen. Saying you love Fidel in Miami is like going to an NAACP convention and saying you’re a big fan of Bull Connor. No way of telling how many thousand Marlins tickets Ozzie just unsold.
Ozzie’s charm earns him a lot of latitude. As it should. And of course the guy isn’t a geo-political thinker and probably has no clue about what he said. But this one will almost certainly cost him, and the team. There are some things Cuban-Americans in Miami — a huge fraction of the Marlins’ ticket-buying audience — just will not forgive.
Too bad Ozzie’s Castro comments were made with more clarity than most of his pronunciamentos. Ozzie is one of those guys, like Casey Stengel or Sparky Anderson, whose rhythms are fun to try to unspring. Unfortunately, this time Ozzie was crystal clear. Especially since anyone who knows Ozzie knows he’s no friend of dictators. How long would Ozzie last in Castro’s Cuba?
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More Blog Posts by Larry Thornberry
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/04/09/ozzie-steps-in-his-mess-kit
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Bob| 4.10.12 @ 1:33AM
He's going out of his way to apologize to the Cuban community in Miami, taking what would have been his day off tomorrow in Philly to fly down to Miami and personally apologize. I'd say the Cuban community should accept his apology with the condition that he's now on a short leash.
On the other hand, if Marlins Park attendance doesn't meet expectations this season, Marlins Execs can point to Guillen as the cause, making him a convenient scapegoat.
Marc Jeric| 4.10.12 @ 3:55AM
I do place a bet on a baseball game from time to time - after all, I live in Las Vegas. But to bet on Miami with that loudmouth Guillen - never!
Cpm| 4.10.12 @ 4:42AM
I wonder why everybody was boycotting the Marlins last season, it's not like anybody was going to their games then. Now the Marlins have a convenient scapegoat if attendance remains down. You have to wonder why a reporter would be asking a major league manager about Castro anyway, unless, knowing Ozzie's reputation he set him up.
RJ| 4.10.12 @ 4:50AM
I don't know why anyone would love a dictator. Saying that you do is not something that can be fixed by an apology, because statements like that most likely reflects the speaker's believes and the apology is just damage control, promoted by the PR people. There are too many phony apologies in this world. I think we just have to factor in that Ozzie loves Fidel Castro. A sad thought.
David W| 4.10.12 @ 9:16AM
Don't most members of the now leftist Democratic Party love dictators? After all, that is the way they will be able to create their utopia - free government everything and the rich forced to pay for it... until the rich decide to move to a nicer country.
RJ| 4.10.12 @ 12:49PM
Yes, the do, Dave and it shows how different their thought process is from ours. Modern "liberalism" is not constrained by law or reason, as evidenced by the liberal defense of Obama Care. And regarding the left's love of dictators, do you remember the Time magazine cover of Fidel Castro, entitled the Lion in Winter?
Cpm| 4.10.12 @ 2:00PM
Ozzie doesn't 'love' Fidel Castro despite your assurances to the contrary. He commented on Castro's longevity. He's trying to express himself in his second language, which he's never had much success in doing, particularly to a reporter from Time magazine.
gsm kopen | 4.10.12 @ 8:13AM
Great blog
Shane| 4.10.12 @ 10:51AM
Why didn't he just also say he always admired Kim Jong Ill?
albert constantine jr.| 4.10.12 @ 12:09PM
Other things Ozzie can say to broaden the fan base in South Florida:
“I disagree with Hitler’s policies, but didn’t those Nazi uniforms look sharp?”
“Have you ever met anyone from the Dominican Republic who wasn’t a dope dealer or a ball player? How come we don’t have any of the latter?”
“The two people whom I most admire are Mother Teresa and Mao” (Alright, on this last one, he might be auditioning for Anita Dunn’s former position in the White House).
raynnc| 4.10.12 @ 1:43PM
Who and what Ozzie is is obvious to the most casual observer. Presumably the management/ ownership group of the Marlins is included in that category. So any form of "punishment" they would impose upon Guillen for statements about Castro are absurd given his previous utterances of support of and fraternity with, for example, "monkey-boy" Chavez down Caracas way.
Boycotts notwithstanding, it might be tough for any intelligent fan to financially support a team that is a confused as this one.
Kingofthenet| 4.10.12 @ 1:52PM
He mas merely giving the devil his due, he even called him a son of a bitch.
Occam's Tool| 4.10.12 @ 2:32PM
Hey, everyone knew Ozzie behaves like a loud-mouthed ass at times. The Marlins made certain allowances for him, I'm sure. If the star of the team had screwed up and Ozzie called him a sheep shagger (less politely), I'm sure there would have been no problem.
But you don't piss on your fans. Please. THAT was not in the allowances, and he's supposed to make fans feel welcome. That was moronic. Suspension deserved.
Mike| 4.10.12 @ 3:29PM
I deplore Castro, and any positive comments about him.
However, exactly on what basis is saying that something that would enable the team to give him a suspension?