And the Miami Marlins have started to play in their new stadium.
It is supposed to be a time of great optimism.
However, the Marlin's manager Ozzie Guillen, already notorious for blunt statements, has gotten more notorious.
photo from ESPN
Ozzie Guillen
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/10/guillens_pro_castro_candor/singleton/
There’s not much reason to doubt that baseball manager Ozzie Guillen admires Fidel Castro. He said so five years ago in an interview with Men’s Journal. When asked to name the toughest man he knew, Guillen replied, “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.’’
No one cared about that macho thought because Guillen was skipper of the Chicago White Sox at the time. As the newly hired manager of the Miami Marlins, Guillen repeated the notion to Time last week–”I respect Fidel Castro,” he said. “You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still there”–and he found himself on the brink of unemployment.
Remember, Guillen said this as a manager of a Miami sports team!
Miami has plenty of Cuban-Americans, a large number of whom ran for their lives after Fidel Castro took over Cuba!
In other words, Guillen insulted his team's fan base! He insulted his customers!
For that he got suspended for 5 games!
I would have fired that guy ON THE SPOT! Many Miami Cuban-Americans want him fired!
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However, there are some fools out there who say "Ozzie Guillen has the Freedom of Speech, how dare his critics want him fired!
One of those fools is Dave Zirin, a radical left-wing sports pundit who works at the radical left-wing magazine The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/blog/167303/big-trouble-little-havana-perilous-politics-ozzie-guillen
Let’s leave aside the rather glaring irony that the politicians, sports commentators and Cuban exiles want to show their love of freedom by taking Guillen’s job for the crime of exercising free speech
But this issue is bigger than Guillen and it’s bigger than Cuban exiles who dream of returning to a smoldering “free Havana,” with Castro’s head on a pike. It’s bigger than the petty hypocrisies of those who stand for freedom by denying it for others
Look at this nonsense of "Cuban exiles want to show their love of freedom by taking Guillen’s job for the crime of exercising free speech"
The Cuban exiles ARE NOT asking that Guillen be put in prison for his pro-Castro comments! They are asking that he be fired!
Just as if you were a customer and a retail worker said "you look fat in that dress", you want that worker fired, right? Even if all that retail worker did was use the wrong words!
And that retail worker WOULD GET FIRED if the managers find out!
Freedom of Speech WAS NEVER about protecting privilege of employment when you say stupid things!
Freedom of Speech DOES NOT PROTECT YOU FROM CRITICISM!
So Ozzie Guillen had the Freedom of Speech to say good things about Fidel Castro. And I got the Freedom of Speech to call him a "sack of stuff you wouldn't dare eat!"
Freedom of Speech is a 2-way street!
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Dave Zirin, being a Radical Left-winger, takes the issue of Fidel Castro WAY TOO LIGHTLY!
photo from the Nation
Dave Zirin,
the man who takes Castro's reign of terror lightly
Radical Leftists love to say crap like "yeah Castro tortures people, but that's minor stuff! He's so great because he brought socialized health care to Cuba"
These Radical Left wingers tend to be the same folks who whine about President Bush being a "torturer" and a "war mongerer"! Nevermind that neither Kanye West nor the Dixie Chicks were imprisoned or tortured for their criticism of President Bush! And there was no machine guns used on anti-war protests during Bush's presidency! The critics of Fidel Castro were not so lucky!
And the Radical Left are the same folks who get angry when someone says good things about Chilean fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet's free-market policies!
Argue what you want about socialized medical care systems. However, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Sweden have such systems through a democratic process! They didn't have people escaping for their lives like what happened when Fidel Castro took over Cuba!
And to be fair, the United States, India, Botswana and Turkey were all able to introduce a more free-market economic system through a democratic process. It didn't have people escaping for their lives like what happened when Augusto Pinochet took over Chile!
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And now back to Dave Zirin, he has also made a vicious smear on the anti-Castro Cubans in Miami
http://www.thenation.com/blog/167303/big-trouble-little-havana-perilous-politics-ozzie-guillen
But what’s crazier? Guillen’s views on Cuba or the fact that an aging coterie of people who mourn for the strong hand of Fulgencio Batista control the political debate in South Florida?
Fulgencio Batista was the dictator of Cuba before Fidel Castro took over! There was some corruption going on during Batista's reign! However, under Batista, there WAS NOT tons of Cubans escaping for their lives!
When Castro took over, there were people who thought "hey, maybe things would be better now that Batista is gone"
But Castro was WORSE than Batista! He was a communist, who confiscated all property from private ownership. Those who publicly objected were tortured, imprisoned, and even murdered!
Even former Castro allies who took "hey Castro, you're going too far" got tortured!
A commenter gave it straight to Zirin
"We’ve seen rallies, demonstrations and walkouts at dozens upon dozens of high schools in Florida alone. Even more remarkably, this resistance has found expression in the world of sports. An impressive group of NBA players from Carmelo Anthony to Steve Nash to the leaders of the NBA Players Association have spoken out and called for justice. " -Dave Zirin on the Travon Martin incident.And another commenter said this to Zirin
Dave Zirin, pretend that George Zimmerman was named Fidel Castro. Now, pretend that instead of killing one innocent person, he killed thousands. Your previous articles seem to indicate that you support those who speak out against injustice. Perhaps you should try a little consistency. Otherwise people might get the wrong idea and start to believe that you're just an apologist for human rights violators.
Another thing, my family was exiled to this country long ago by the bloody Castro regime. We're proud to be Americans and respect this country's institutions. Please don't slander Cuban-Americans by trying to insinuate that they're yearning to substitute one dictator for another. It's untrue, it's a cheap shot and it's unbecoming of you based on some of the better articles I've read of yours in the past. Every American of Cuban descent that I've ever met (granted I'm not from Miami) has spoken of their his or her desire to see democracy take hold on the island. Were you attempting to make a point that the current dictator was better than the prior or that Cuban Americans lack grounds to oppose Castro's dictatorship? I'd like to know.
Now, as for Ozzie. He can say whatever he wants. I like the guy. But this was one of the dumbest PR moves I've ever seen because he broke one of the cardinal rules in business: don't insult the customer!
<< an aging coterie of people who mourn for the strong hand of Fulgencio Batista control the political debate in South Florida?>>
Do you know how many people who fought against Batista and initially supported the revolution against him are in Miami today??? That is not including those that have been purged via state violence, torture, intimidation, or murder.
Just because you oppose one totalitarian dictatorship, does not mean you yearn for whatever came before.
Under your reasoning, Trotsky was a Czarist, Robespierre a Monarchist, etc., I have agreed with many if not most of your blog posts, but in this case you are obviously completely ignorant on the topic.
Yes, like I mentioned, many former Batista opponents who thought "maybe Castro might be better" ended up running for their lives when they found out who Castro really was!
That Dave Zirin would insult those people shows want a punk he truly is!
It takes a certain type of punk to mock victims of torture! Dave Zirin is that punk!
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I remember listening to ESPN Radio's talk show host Colin Cowherd on this issue!
photo from ESPN
Collin Cowherd
And that it is human to be very emotional against SOMEONE WHO KILLED AND TORTURED YOUR FAMILY! For the Miami Cubans, that someone is Fidel Castro!
