MLBSports & Politics

Ozzie Guillen Apologizes For Saying He Loves Fidel Castro

Sike! as the kids would say — Ozzie Guillen does not love, or respect, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Which is good, because for a second there, it sounded like Ozzie Guillen was saying something crazy, as Ozzie Guillen always does, but now we can all rest assured knowing that Ozzie Guillen did not mean it.

The new Miami Marlins manager was quoted in Time as saying he respects Castro, the long-time ruler of socialist Cuba. The divisive figure (meaning Castro) is none too popular in Miami, which boasts a large population of Cuban exiles. And so, once again, the divisive figure (meaning Guillen) proved highly susceptible to saying things that piss people off, this time by praising the Cuban leader.

From the Miami Herald:

“I respect Fidel Castro,” Guillén is quoted as saying in the online article. “You know why? Many people have tried to kill Fidel Castro in the last 60 years, yet that [SOB] is still there.”

It should be noted that this love and respect for Fidel stems mostly from Ozzie being impressed that the dude hasn’t gotten killed yet. But athletes (and the people who coach them) have to tread very lightly when it comes to politics, and Ozzie Guillen has no idea what treading lightly is.

And so, Guillen issued an apology, which came after the Marlins organization released a statement saying “There is nothing to respect about Fidel Castro,” among other niceties to placate the local Cuban community.

“I’m against the way he [Castro] treats people and the way [he has treated] his country for a long time. I’m against that 100 percent,” he said. “…The way this man [has been] treating people for the last 60 years.”

It’s unfortunate that every single feeling that anybody in the public eye expresses must now be cross-examined and apologized for. Yeah, Miami is probably the worst place to say this — that’s like walking into Fenway Park and saying “I’ve always admired Derek Jeter.” But if the Marlins weren’t expecting Ozzie to be Ozzie, they shouldn’t have signed Ozzie. It comes with the territory. The Time article is aware of this fact — otherwise, they wouldn’t have led off with the words “I love Fidel Castro” in an article ostensibly about a baseball manager.

In fact, is this even news? Have I wasted my time writing this? Ozzie saying offensive things — not groundbreaking journalism. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.