Ozzie and His Big Mouth

Marlins' Manager Ozzie Guillen is known for being outspoken.  He hasn't been in south Florida for long at all and is already sparking controversy over his remarks.  This time Guillen is in trouble for praising former Cuban Prime Minister and President Fidel Castro. 

Recently Ozzie said that he loves and respects Castro for staying in power for so long.  A preposterous comment that seems to have offended half of the city of Miami.  This comes as no surprise considering how much of a melting pot that Miami is.  The city is notorious for having a large Cuban-American population.

Due to his comments Ozzie was suspended for 5 games without pay today.  Some local officials have even demanded that Guillen be fired for his harsh comments.  Ozzie is no stranger to controversy, in Chicago he said numerous things that offended people.  Fortunately for him, Chicagoans often overlooked Guillen's obnoxious behavior because he brought the White Sox their first World Series championship in 88 years by winning it all in 2005.  He became the first Latino manager to win a World Series.

Ozzie finally wore out his welcome after 8 seasons of managing the team.  He and GM Kenny Williams butted heads a few too many times and it ultimately led to the team making a change this past off season.  People in south Florida aren't as forgiving though.  Ozzie hasn't been in town that long at all and the only accomplishment he has thus far in Miami is running his mouth as usual and offending more people.

Guillen shouldn't be fired for him comments about Fidel Castro.  His 5 game suspension without pay was enough of a punishment.  He has shown remorse for his ignorant comments and is clearly embarrassed for putting himself in such an awkward position so early in his tenure in south Florida.  Ozzie will continue to be outspoken, it is his shtick.  He believes in speaking his mind, no matter how asinine the things that come out of his mouth are.

This is a free country and we are granted the right to say what we want.  In Ozzie's case, he is a public figure in a city full of people of Latin American descent.  If he doesn't watch what he says in the future, it may be a short run for him in Miami.  There is nothing wrong with speaking your mind in a politically correct way.

Ozzie needs to learn that people like enthusiasm not stupidity.  He knows how to be the intriguing, enthusiastic manager, but must learn how to keep his ridiculous comments to himself.  Perhaps this rude awakening is just what he needed to learn his lesson.