A major league manager expressed his admiration of a former head of state and was met with a 5-game suspension. Fidel Castro is not an MLB-approved strongman - could we imagine such a penalty for expressing admiration for a dictator who did far worse, such as Pinochet? Would the same punishment have occurred if Guillen had been manager of the Tigers?
Two snippets from the MLB.com article:
The Marlins announced Guillen's suspension, which will begin
immediately, in a statement prior to the press conference.
"The Marlins acknowledge the seriousness of the comments attributed to
Guillen," the team said in a statement. The pain and suffering caused by
Fidel Castro cannot be minimized, especially in a community filled with
victims of the dictatorship."
The Marlins announced Guillen's suspension, which will begin
immediately, in a statement prior to the press conference.
"The Marlins acknowledge the seriousness of the comments attributed to
Guillen," the team said in a statement. The pain and suffering caused by
Fidel Castro cannot be minimized, especially in a community filled with
victims of the dictatorship.""Major League Baseball supports today's decision by the Marlins to
suspend Ozzie Guillen. As I have often said, baseball is a social
institution with important social responsibilities. All of our 30 clubs
play significant roles within their local communities, and I expect
those who represent Major League Baseball to act with the kind of
respect and sensitivity that the game's many cultures deserve.
"Mr. Guillen's remarks, which were offensive to an important part of the Miami community and others throughout the world, have no place in our game."
I'm waiting for the day someone in baseball expresses warmth towards former U.S. president Truman, and gets suspended for their insensitivity to the Japanese community.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20120410185532992