What Is Miami Marlins Skipper Ozzie Guillen Getting Punished For?

By Ryan Gaydos

Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is one of the most outspoken managers in Major League Baseball today and this time his mouth has gotten him in trouble. The Marlins have handed Guillen a five-game suspension for his comments he made in Time magazine regarding Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Guillen was quoted saying:

“Fidel Castro, he’s a bull—- dictator and everybody’s against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him. Everywhere he goes they roll out the red carpet. I don’t admire his philosophy. I admire him. I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here.”

Guillen also said that he loved Castro as well.

However, what is this five-game suspension really about? Fidel Castro took away the freedom and lives of many Cubans for over 50 years. One of those freedoms included free speech. By the Marlins suspending Guillen, you are taking away his freedom of speech, something that he is known for through his managerial days all the way back to when he was the Chicago White Sox manager.

Guillen had some major clashes with White Sox general manager Ken Williams a few years back. Guillen also repeatedly went on rants that included a lot of vulgar language that Guillen was not suspended for it.

There is a reason why Guillen was punished and that was because he was offending the Cuban population that makes up most of Miami. Its a double standard when it comes to politics.

Baseball and politics needs to be separated and I think that although Guillen may have come off as “loving” Castro and is now portrayed as a Communist and anti-Cuban and anti-Latin American even. If Guillen “loved” George W. Bush he may just come off looking stupid. Bush claimed that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which sparked a war that lasted over a decade and took the lives of many American soldiers and Iraqi citizens.

Guillen even clarified his comments by saying that he respected Castro for never giving up and not dying after so many assassination attempts. There’s a difference between respecting the philosophy that Castro used and respecting him for not dying. That’s where everyone has to see the line.

Guillen’s comments were taken out of context and therefore it should not have resulted in a five-game suspension.

Follow Ryan Gaydos on Twitter @RyanGaydos or like him on Facebook.

Read these other stories on Ozzie Guillen:
Ozzie Guillen Suspended 5 Games For Insensitive Remarks
Ozzie Guillen: Why Ozzie Being Ozzie Has Run Its Course
Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen Under 5-Game Suspension After Castro Comment

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