Last month, Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen found himself at the center of an intense controversy in his new place of work when he told Time Magazine, “I love Fidel Castro.” A firestorm ensued and there was a time we wondered whether or not Ozzie would be able to keep his job. There are still likely many fans of the team and residents of Miami that would like Guillen gone and weren’t satisfied with the five game suspension he received. After all, saying how much you respected the harsh Cuban dictator for being able to withstand such intense opposition is pretty outrageous no matter where you say it, let alone Miami.
In the middle of the controversy, Ozzie Guillen held an emotional press conference to apologize for his comments and basically save his job. He profusely promised to do anything to make up for the mistake he had made, saying this:
“I’m here on my knees to apologize.”
“I’m very sorry about the problem, what happened. I will do everything in my power to make it better. … When you make a mistake like this, you can’t sleep.”
Less than a month after those seemingly heartfelt words, Ozzie Guillen was asked a question about the controversy dying down by Sportstalk 610’s Paul Gallant in Houston with the Marilns visiting the Astros. You can judge if Ozzie’s response to that question is that of a man who has truly learned his lesson and is doing everything in his power to make the situation better.
He tells Gallant to “f*cking grow up motherf*cker”…
For his part, Gallant wasn’t fazed by Ozzie’s profanity-laced rant at his question…
I love Ozzie Guillen. Dude is fiery and passionate. I’m legit honored that he told me to f*ck off today when I asked him bt Castro comments
— Paul Gallant (@PaulGallant610) May 7, 2012
Gallant’s question was completely natural and totally within the realm of reason. Does Ozzie Guillen really expect everyone around baseball to develop short term memory loss and forget that he said he loved Fidel Castro?? Are we really supposed to forget him begging and pleading for people’s forgiveness? Are we really supposed to forget that he pledged to do everything in his power to make it right? If Ozzie Guillen’s behavior wasn’t so blatantly offensive and shocking, his words advising Gallant to grow up would be laughable.
I just wonder whether Ozzie Guillen would tell anyone in Miami that was affected by his comments or suffered at the hands of Castro, the ones to whom he promised to do “everything in his power to make it better,” to go f*ck off as well. It’s nice to know that Ozzie Guillen hasn’t learned a thing or changed a bit.
