OT: Ozzie Guillen is suspended for....

[Blakeon18]

5 games.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7795152/ozzie-guillen-miami-marlins-suspended-five-games

 

[alexrgct]

Complete an utter idiocy. Either he has the right to an opinion or he doesn't. If you feel his statements hurt your brand, fire him. If he has the right to an opinion, condemn the opinion and move on. What exactly does suspending someone accomplish?

I get that the Florida Cuban party line is the one you have to take if you want that business, but comparing Castro to Hitler is incredibly offensive on many levels. Not a socialist and not a huge Castro proponent, but the rhetoric is really ridiculous. It's not like Cuba was utopia or bastion of freedom and human rights when Batista was in power.

 

[businesslawyer]

There were two sides to the Cuban revolution. Notwithstanding the dogmatic insistence of the South Florida Cuban community that people only recognize one side.

 

[stormsurge]

I won't get into the Castro-Hitler comparisons or what Cuba was before and what it is now, or how per capita imprisonment and execution rates under Castro would make Stalin and Kim Jong-Il proud.

What matters here is that Cuban exiles feel very strongly about Castro and for good reason. Many have had family imprisoned or are imprisoned now. Others have had family executed. I have a family who gambled as a teenager in the late 60s that she could successfully negotiate region of barbed wire, armed Cuban soldiers and a minefield to enter Guantanamo Naval. She won that gamble but many others did not. My own gandmother was prevented from leaving Cuba for 10 years which my own mother permanently lost to be with her here in the U.S. It is understandable why many would have and still have very strong feelings about Fidel Castro. if you haven't lived it or had family who has or is then you simply won't get it.

Guillen is a representative of a business whose brand new stadium sits in the middle of ...Little Havana... and which was paid for in no small part by Cuban heritage residents of Miami-Dade County.Because he is a representative of a business doing business there this is not purely and simply his right to express his opinion but a matter of being sensitive to who your audience and customers are and in this case Guillen failed miserably. That's just being smart and wise. Clearly the Marlins owner, Loria, doesn't want to fire their brand new manager a few games into the season. Even for an incompetent ownership that would be laughable. So, I suspect they're trying to cut the baby in half here by punishing Guillen but keeping a successful manager and hope for a playoff run. I myself wouldn't fire or suspend him. I'd allow him to continue demonstrating his ignorance and I am certain that in this he will not disappoint.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Certainly he is welcome to his own opinion.

However…his arrogance, even ignorance(of the historic dictatorial overlap between socialism and fascism,)are w/o easy measure. He is embedded in a population that supports his employment…the least he can do is respect the established history and culture of the community. The rights of employment come with the responsibilities of employment…something many have forgotten in this era of “I have the right to”…”I am entitled to”---you fill in the blank…

Sorry for the mini rant.

 

[Stray Cat]

Bottom line, Ozzie Guillen is an idiot...the five game suspension is something the Marlins had to do to try and appear their fans, but the ultimate fate of Guillen lies in the Marlins Cuban American fans...if they decide to boycott, then say good bye to Ozzie! I hope they do.

 

[UConnCat]

I won't get into the Castro-Hitler comparisons or what Cuba was before and what it is now, or how per capita imprisonment and execution rates under Castro would make Stalin and Kim Jong-Il proud.

What matters here is that Cuban exiles feel very strongly about Castro and for good reason. Many have had family imprisoned or are imprisoned now. Others have had family executed. I have a family who gambled as a teenager in the late 60s that she could successfully negotiate region of barbed wire, armed Cuban soldiers and a minefield to enter Guantanamo Naval. She won that gamble but many others did not. My own gandmother was prevented from leaving Cuba for 10 years which my own mother permanently lost to be with her here in the U.S. It is understandable why many would have and still have very strong feelings about Fidel Castro. if you haven't lived it or had family who has or is then you simply won't get it.

Guillen is a representative of a business whose brand new stadium sits in the middle of ...Little Havana... and which was paid for in no small part by Cuban heritage residents of Miami-Dade County.Because he is a representative of a business doing business there this is not purely and simply his right to express his opinion but a matter of being sensitive to who your audience and customers are and in this case Guillen failed miserably. That's just being smart and wise. Clearly the Marlins owner, Loria, doesn't want to fire their brand new manager a few games into the season. Even for an incompetent ownership that would be laughable. So, I suspect they're trying to cut the baby in half here by punishing Guillen but keeping a successful manager and hope for a playoff run. I myself wouldn't fire or suspend him. I'd allow him to continue demonstrating his ignorance and I am certain that in this he will not disappoint.

You are correct that Ozzie will not disappoint. Marlin ownership may discover that the 5-game suspension is not enough.

These latest statements are not the first by Ozzie about Castro. In a 2008 interview he said he "admired" Castro's ability to survive in Cuba while also condemning his philosophy. (BTW, Ozzie has also said how much he likes Venezuelan president Chavez.) One would think the Marlin organization was aware of these comments and would have had a conversation with Ozzie and stressed to him that similar comments about Castro would offend the very community the team is trying to win over. But the guy has demonstrated time and again that he has no filter.

 

[alexrgct]

So, bottom line, Ozzie doesn't know his audience or care. Your choices are either fire him on the principle that he hurt your brand or take a principled stand for free expression, which, you know, is kind of an important part of this country's history/culture, even if a business doesn't have to honor it.

Instead, the Marlins have done neither. The result will neither placate those who would squelch any rational dialogue about the history of Cuba, nor will it help encourage the free and frank exchange of ideas that this country was founded upon. Basically they want to keep the coach they hired and hope this all blows over when the next story hits the news cycle. Pretty cowardly, IMO.

 

[BrianBoru]

So, bottom line, Ozzie doesn't know his audience or care. Your choices are either fire him on the principle that he hurt your brand or take a principled stand for free expression, which, you know, is kind of an important part of this country's history/culture, even if a business doesn't have to honor it.

Instead, the Marlins have done neither. The result will neither placate those who would squelch any rational dialogue about the history of Cuba, nor will it help encourage the free and frank exchange of ideas that this country was founded upon. Basically they want to keep the coach they hired and hope this all blows over when the next story hits the news cycle. Pretty cowardly, IMO.

Freedom of speech does not come free of repercussions. If you're going to say something controversial, have the guts to take the heat and stand behind it. If there has been any cowardly conduct, it's been by Ozzie for not having the guts to stand behind his words and explain why he admires and loves Castro so much. Instead he drags out the old "I was misquoted", "the translater didn't understand what I meant", "it was taken out of context". If you work for a company with a public profile, you risk being fired or disciplined if you put you employer in a bad light. BTW - this wasn't the first article which quoted Ozzie saying he admired Castro.

 

[DishNSwish]

I have no problem with the suspension, because that's all about economics, not politics.

But for Bud Selig to chime in about it was warranted and baseball's "social responsibilites" when the man sat beside Castro and watched a game, is just ridiculous.

 

[businesslawyer]

Freedom of speech does not come free of repercussions. If you're going to say something controversial, have the guts to take the heat and stand behind it. If there has been any cowardly conduct, it's been by Ozzie for not having the guts to stand behind his words and explain why he admires and loves Castro so much. Instead he drags out the old "I was misquoted", "the translater didn't understand what I meant", "it was taken out of context". If you work for a company with a public profile, you risk being fired or disciplined if you put you employer in a bad light. BTW - this wasn't the first article which quoted Ozzie saying he admired Castro.

I disagree. Whatever one thinks of Castro, it is hard to believe that society is served when people want to boycott people at their jobs for their political views and statements. I'm not saying the Cuban community doesn't have the right -- of course they have the right. But this country would be a better place if people didn't care whether a TV star or athlete or manager disagreed with them on healthcare and global warming.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

One thing that some here need to realize is that victims of Castro were not solely Batista supporters. The handful of wealthy who fled before Havana fell warrant no sympathy. Those who make up the the Cuban communities in southern Florida, greater NYC and a few other spots in this country were not among those who fled early.

 

[Scotter]

I thought his explanation for the translation mistake was actually compelling, although unfortunately it will likely fail to resonate with the vast majority of people that are unfamiliar with Ozzie and/or have no experience with speaking in a 2nd language. And there are some class/educational factors as well.

What he said was that he was thinking in Spanish and failed to translate his thoughts to English correctly. And having watched Ozzie play and manage for the White Sox for about twenty years I believe that. He speaks English, but doesn't have enough command of the nuances of English vocabulary to accurately convey his thoughts. After three days of dealing with the fallout he still couldn't find the English words to actually convey what he was trying to say accurately. I think his 2008 comments more accurately reflect what he was saying about Castro. And I don't think those comments are much different from what the average American would say about Castro given their limited knowledge. In fact you can even remove the 2nd language aspect and think about the words an average American with no formal education would use to talk about Castro and it could just as easily get misconstrued because they don't have a full command of the vocabulary of their 1st language or deep enough knowledge of what they are talking about. And many of the same issues of language and education are present with the segment of the population upset by Guillen's comments. Ozzie as usual created an interesting situation for himself.