Ozzie Guillen's praise for Castro opens old wounds in new Miami

Protestors rip a Miami Marlins logo outside Marlins Stadium in Miami, where Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was speaking at a news conference, Tuesday April 10, 2012. Guillen has been suspended for five games because of his comments about Fidel Castro. He has again apologized and says he accepts the punishment. / AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

(CBS/AP) MIAMI - Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen's comments professing admiration for Fidel Castro caused a bigger uproar than if the Miami baseball team had spent the entire season in last place.

In the U.S. city with the biggest Cuban-American population, Cuban exiles and politicians decried his remarks. Soon afterward, the Venezuelan manager issued a tearful, public apology. He has been suspended for five games and even faced calls to resign, though the team said firing him or forcing his resignation wasn't on the table.

All this, an outsider might ask, over a political comment?

The exile community's demographics have changed in important ways — there is less support for the U.S. embargo against Cuba, for instance. More Cubans who come to South Florida these days are doing so for economic reasons. And younger Cuban-Americans tend to have less animosity than their parents do toward Castro and his brother Raul.

For all those softer sentiments, however, the Guillen episode this week proves that when it comes to Cuba, the rhetoric and discourse remain largely in the hands of those with the most hardline positions.

Apologetic Guillen suspended 5 games for Castro comments

"Even though there is a range of opinion, only one sector of the range is mobilized to speak," said Jose Gabilondo, a Cuban-born law professor at Florida International University. "And that is the sector that is in a way the holdout from the old hegemony."

For that vocal contingent of the Cuban-American community in Miami and beyond, praise for Castro cuts deep.

"What this disrespectful comment did was rub salt on a very live wound," said Mauricio Claver-Carone, a Cuban-American attorney and human rights advocate in Washington. "It's not even a historic wound. It's a live wound of a community composed of victims of the dictatorship."

The 48-year-old Guillen was quoted as telling Time magazine, "I love Fidel Castro." In an interview conducted in English, he told the reporter he respected Castro for staying in power more than five decades, even though so many people have wanted to kill him.

At Tuesday's news conference, Guillen said he doesn't love or admire Castro. He said his words were misinterpreted — Time stands by its report — and said he did a poor job expressing in English something he was thinking in Spanish, but he said he accepted full responsibility for what he called the biggest mistake of his life.

Jay Hernandez of Miami protests outside the Marlins Stadium in Miami, Tuesday April 10, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Outside the ballpark in Little Havana, about 100 people wanting his ouster protested and chanted. Earlier, Francis Suarez, chairman of the Miami city commission, said Guillen should be fired, and Joe Martinez, chairman of the Miami-Dade county board of commissioners, called on him to resign.

It was the kind of response that seemed to recall the knee-jerk reactions to anyone with a less-than hardline viewpoint on the Cuban regime that were more common in years past.

When the Cuban salsa band Los Van Van performed in Miami in 1999, more than 4,000 people demonstrated and tossed garbage at concertgoers. Yet a decade later, the band, which has a decidedly cozy relationship with the Castro brothers, was greeted by fans at the airport and highway billboards promoting their concert.

Cuban-American political viewpoints have shifted, too: A poll of 800 randomly selected Cuban-Americans conducted by Florida International in 2008 found only 45 percent support maintaining the 50-year-old economic embargo, which bans most U.S. trade with Cuba and most Americans from visiting. Younger generations and those who came more recently were even less likely to support it.

The reaction to Guillen's comments struck more than one note: If many Cuban-Americans leave the island because of a lack of freedom of expression, some wondered, wasn't it somewhat hypocritical to limit Guillen's? Others asked why baseball teams haven't been as strict in punishing players and managers for more serious matters, such as driving while intoxicated.

For Gabilondo, who has traveled to Cuba and conducted academic research, Miami is, "still a place where before you say anything, you have to thread sixteen needles in terms of thinking of what are the possible consequences."

"I certainly feel a sense of loss about Cuba and having come to the United States," said Gabilondo, who immigrated with his family at age 5. "As a kind of respect for their pain, the calculus I follow is, how can I make the points that I think are important in a way that will produce the least amount of pain to people for whom this is an open wound 50 years later?"

That is where those on both sides say Guillen has faltered.

"He was careless," said Henry Hoyos, 50, a Venezuelan eating at a Latin cafeteria in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, where clips from Guillen's apology were being played on TV.

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman says even if his apologies are sincere, Guillen still has amends to make.

"Ultimately, the reaction is going to determine his fate," Heyman writes. "Guillen may have seemed sincere to most of us, but some in the Latin community may not be as persuaded. There have been threats of a boycott. There have been calls for his firing. Forgiveness won't come easily."

Nelson Buitraeo, a Nicaraguan who has lived in Miami for the past 22 years, said he thinks both sides are wrong: Guillen for being insensitive to the community in which he is based, and the community for not being more tolerant of other perspectives.

"This is a free country, and there has to be freedom of expression," he said. "But I'm not in agreement with what he said either."

[Durtal95]

Look, it's understandable if some of the Cuban-American community was upset and offended. Many are exiles due to Castro's revolution, plain and simple. Others still may have loved ones there who want to leave but can't, or are imprisoned, who knows. Having said that, if it was between Castro and Batista, I can't see why really cheer (so to speak) for either one. If anything, it's a lesser of two evils type of scenario, and it depends on what kind of position you were in PRIOR to the revolution really. Yes, the US gov't, and various types of organized crime (Cuban, and I think Italo-American mafia as well) benefited big-time back when Batista was in power. But the regular Cuban?? Anyway, Guillen's job is not political commentator. If he wants to do that, get a talk show or something and quit baseball. His freedom of speech is not threatened either btw; it's not any government entity that is censoring him. He signed a contract to work for a corporation; that corporation can fire or "discipline" him if they feel he is threatening their organization with his remarks or behavior. So he's free to say what he wants, yes, but he's also free to risk his job (and a lot of $) doing so. I think this will blow over, but he sure had a lot of 'splaining to do... :)

PS-- does the "Latin community" actually speak any Latin or what?? Otherwise it's false advertising; I say make them all pass a Latin proficiency exam or just stick to calling them the "Spanish-speaking community" or "Hispanic" !! ;-) lol..

[longtree-2009]

it's a free country and he should be able to say whatever he wants as long as he breaks no laws. cubans hate castro yet none of them take up weapons as rebels to overthrow castro, his family, like those in libya, syria, egypt. rebels took up arms to overthrow those leaders in the middle east. one thing is sure about fidel castro, he has outlived several presidents and has held power over cuba in spite of cubans in florida or USA sanctions.

[julianpenrod]

In fact, despite their claims of leaving Cuba bewcause they wanted freedom, the expatriots in Miami espouse the idea of dictatorial annihilation of free speech! It's just that they use the subversive route of having "private enterprise" do it! That way, it's not obviously a govenrment action, even though politicians and the corporate rich thugs are all in the same club! The scum in Miami who represent themselves as "fleeing tyranny in Cuba" are the only individuals anywhere who have openly proclaimed plans to stage a gigantic celebration when told that Castro has died! Anyone who would celebrate someone's death is someone who would feel no need to respect someone else's life. In fact, the denizens in Miami are tools of the Mafia controlled Batista government, organized crime being just another facet, along with governmen and corporations, of the attempted enslavement of humanity by the obscenely rich.

[expatriate2]

Beyond the freedom of speech issue, what's wrong with admiring Castro for some of the things he's done? In spite of a fifty year embargo that has brought suffering to many Cubans, they have developed the leading health service program in the hemisphere, reduced infant mortality by half and increased the average life span by nearly three years. He survived assassination attempts by the CIA and solidified his tiny nation into the community of Latin America. In spite of the brutal propaganda campaign against him, he survived and has strong relationships with most Latin American nations. You don't have to like him to admire what he has done.

[retiredgustav]

The Cubans are better off under Castro than they were under Bastista.

[tiredofliberals]

What? Guillen can't speak his mind? If that's the case then we are as bad as a communist country. It's fitting We have a commie president

[robert1129]

The only ones really protesting (see the picture) are the onces that came from Cuba and 1st generation. These guys have never bought Marlin tickets. All of the other Cuban Americans simply do not care one way or the other. It is a disgrace that MLB can be scared by such a small group.

[arc330]

Hey ...... this is America not Cuba and we have the right to express ourselves it's called FREEDOM OF SPEECH
and if you don't agree then just go back to Cuba or wherever the hell you came from, don't bring your traditions with you pertaining to speaking your mind.

[republicansrdumb]

I am so sick of these self important people-- belief that they can control your very soul just because they sign your paycheck. I do not care if it is Ozzie Guillen or Helen Thomas they all have the right to speak their minds in this democracy, and it is an abomination for these illegitimate Americans to use their wealth and influence to stifle freedom of expression.

[jt92202]

The Cuban-Americans (I really hate being PC, either they are American or Cuban) are outraged by this? Either they or their parents came to America to get the freedoms that they didn't get in Cuba and one of those freedoms is Freedom of Speech! They more than anyone should understand what happens when you can't state what's on your mind without being pursecuted for it and should be more tollerant then most! But for some reason they are not!! With that said:

The Marlins have rules and regs of how they want their employees to talk to the press so if Ozzie said something that he wasn't suppose to say because of his contract they have every right to do what they want to with him regarding his job!

You have the right to free speech, you do not have the right to not be offended from said free speech or have consequences to pay from what you say!! This is something the American people have forgotten, either everyone is offended or they don't feel they have to deal with the consequences from what they said!

SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY!! If you do that then stick up for what you said and don't back track because that just makes you look STUPID and UNCARING!!!

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

What do you think, MOB RULE? If you say anything good about Castor in South Florida, you're wrong. The old Cuban-America mob has such a control that down there that it makes you wonder if you're in America of pre 1950 Cuba.