Ozzie Guillen Said Something Crazy About Fidel Castro

Ozzie Guillén said he loved Fidel Castro. Can you believe it? Guillén said he respects Fidel Castro. Are you hearing this? In Miami, with a large demographic of people who have fled Cuba to get away from Castro, people are losing their shit. Or, at least, we are being told that people are losing their shit. I have no way of confirming that real people, with real problems give one flying fuck about what notorious gasbag Ozzie Guillén has to say about Fidel Castro because no one seems to have asked any Miami residents. Nonetheless, here we are, talking about a "considerable controversy."

Do you know why Guillén respects Castro? From the tone of these articles it must be because he supports a socialist dictator who has deprived his own countrymen of the most basic of human rights—causing those countrymen to flee to places like Miami for a better shake. Right?

"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."

Oh, wait a second, that's got nothing to do with politics. That's just a new spin on Guillén's typical macho, tough guy bullshit. That didn't stop the Miami Marlins from absolutely freaking out and throwing gasoline on this tiny flame, in case it was in danger of becoming a non-issue.

"We are aware of the article. There is nothing to respect about Fidel Castro. He is a brutal dictator who has caused unimaginable pain for more than 50 years. We live in a community full of victims of that dictatorship and people in Cuba are still suffering."

Thanks to this ridiculous, ridiculous scandal, Ozzie Guillén was forced to apologize and, ironically, address politics for the first time in the whole mess.

"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."

There you have it. Ozzie Guillén is "100 percent" against Castro. Happy? I'm not Cuban, nor have I ever been to Miami so I don't know how this played out among that population, but I would just say this: forgive your manager, he knows not what he says. Look at the rest of the quote in Time (subscription required). Scattered along with the "I love Castro" is more of Guillén being a doofus. Whether it's expressing his love for bullfighting, downplaying sports psychology or telling your wife she smells bad, it's Ozzie Guillén at his worst: dumb and unfiltered.

We can all agree Guillén says some pretty stupid things. This whole episode is nothing more than "Exhibit Z" in the case of Ozzie Guillén against smart things said and if you are taking this guy seriously, you deserve whatever stress he causes. Miami Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen stumbles into fuss over Fidel Castro [Miami Herald] Ozzie Guillen apologizes for Fidel Castro comments [Chicago Tribune]