OT: Ozzie Guillen suspended for 5 games
He just had his press conference where (speaking in Spanish) he apologized to the Latin-American community for his comments. Here's a link to ESPN's summary of things.
"I feel like I betrayed my Latin community," Guillen said, according to ESPN's translation of his comments in Spanish. "I am here to say I am sorry with my heart in my hands and I want to say I'm sorry to all those people who are hurt indirectly or directly."
I say good for him for owning up to it and apologizing; this isn't an attitude he's adopted in the past with other comments he's made. But I feel like the Marlins suspending him is, I don't know, inadequate? I don't think that he should be fired, but it just seems odd. As an organization, you've got to send the message that you don't tolerate this, don't agree, etc., and I suppose they accomplished that by suspending him; but it just seems odd to go "Hey, you just complimented a dictator, you can't do that, we're going to suspend you 5 games." Maybe arbitrary is the word I'm looking for.
Finally, don't let anyone tell you that there's no freedom there--people bad-mouth Castro all day long;
Do they have the freedom to criticize him in the press?
How in the hell has this thread lasted more than 2 and a half hours? Did Brian forget to name a number 2 on the depth chart?
by the thinking person's sportswriter/critic Dave Zirin on all of this.http://www.thenation.com/blog/167303/big-trouble-little-havana-perilous-politics-ozzie-guillen
(well gee, that is, since we're talking about politics, which I thought was verboten in this forum...)
I'd like to thank this thread for making me reappreciate the politics ban on this blog. Miss you, politics ban.