Right about now, Ozzie Guillen is preparing his speech to either defend or apologize for his comments about Fidel Castro.
In case you haven't heard, in an interview with Time Magazine, Ozzie made a comment about how he loves Castro and respects the Cuban dictator for staying in power for so long. Also in case you haven't heard, Ozzie is the manager of the Marlins, a team situated in the Little Havana area of Miami.
The large Cuban community in Miami is calling for Ozzie's resignation. I don't blame them. Listen, I believe in freedom of speech, and I will defend Ozzie's right to say whatever he wants... but with that freedom comes the freedom of everyone else to react to what you've said. Ozzie put his foot in his mouth, and he needs to make his apology honest, sincere, and heartfelt and that STILL might not be enough.
Many times, I find Ozzie funny and entertaining, but I think he just went too far with this one. It's not like he marched into the American Fuzzy Animal Association (does that exist? I think it should exist) and announce that bunnies are dumb. He made a worldwide annoucement that basically undermines the hearts and feelings of the community he's trying to work in. If you don't have the community behind you, you aren't going to succeed. Who do you think buys the tickets that essentially pay your salary?
The Marlins have made their move, suspending Ozzie for five games. Now it's Ozzie's turn. Can't wait to hear this apology. Some how, I don't think it'll be enough.
3 years ago
2 comments:
So pathetic they didn't just fire him outright. Then again, pathetic they hired him in the first place. Ironically, they probably hired him in part because of the built-in PR boost they'd get in the community. That worked out well, didn't it?
As a Miami kid... I have to say that he's going to get enough punishment from random people on the street. I don't know.
I don't have a real opinion on this.
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