Marlins suspend Guillen 5 games
Praised Cuban dictator in magazine interview
By QMI AGENCY
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  The Marlins suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games after he praised Cuba's Fidel Castro in a magazine interview. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)
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The Miami Marlins have suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games, stemming from comments he made about Fidel Castro.
Guillen, in a Time magazine article, praised the controversial former Cuban leader for his longevity.
The Marlins immediately came under attack from Miami's Cuban-American community. Some Cuban-Americans -- who left their homes to escape Castro's dictatorial regime -- have demanded that Guillen be fired.
"The Marlins acknowledge the seriousness of the comments attributed to Guillen," the team said Tuesday in a statement. "The pain and suffering caused by Fidel Castro cannot be minimized, especially in a community filled with victims of the dictatorship."
Guillen, a native of Venezuela, apologized Tuesday, saying in Spanish: "I'm sorry that I hurt a city, and a community. "I did so without any intention. I feel like I betrayed my Latin community. I'm here to say I'm sorry with my heart in my hands. And I want to say I'm sorry to all the people I hurt directly or indirectly."
Guillen had told Time he loved Castro and respected his ability to maintain power for a long time.
"I was thinking in Spanish and said it wrong in English," Guillen said Tuesday. "I didn't say it correctly. What I wanted to say was I was surprised Fidel Castro stayed in power so long, considering what he has done."
