The Miami-based Cuban American Bar Association yesterday "dropped out as a sponsor" of the Marlins' Lawyer Appreciation Night, which was scheduled for April 17 at Marlins Park, according to Douglas Hanks of the MIAMI HERALD. The organization said that it "can’t support the event" following Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen's comments about Fidel Castro to Time magazine. Miami attorney and event organizer David Rothman said that the bar groups sponsoring the event "don't have to pay anything, but only agree to promote Appreciation Night to their members." The event "consists mainly of a pre-game seminar on legal ethics" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/12). WIP-FM’s Seth Everett noted Guillen's future with the team is "going to come down to dollars." There are "major sponsors that are Cuban-based businesses that sponsor the Marlins." Everett: "If they threaten to pull out, if one of these pulls a million-dollar deal off the table, the Marlins are going to have no choice. So, even if this is a five-game suspension, the key day will be Tuesday, when he is scheduled to come back … whether or not those sponsors continue to support the team, that will ultimately decide the fate of Ozzie Guillen” (“NBC Sports Talk,” NBC Sports Network, 4/11).
A NEW LEAF: In West Palm Beach, Joe Capozzi reports Guillen yesterday "brought his damage-control tour to Philadelphia ... with an apology to his players for the distraction he created with his controversial comments." Guillen "spoke to the players for about 10 minutes at Citizens Bank Park before returning to the team hotel." Phillies Spanish-language radio announcer Rickie Ricardo said that Phillies P Jose Contreras and "other Cuban-born players have talked about helping Guillen repair his image with a program called 'United Behind Ozzie.'" Ricardo also said that he is "asking Contreras and retired Cuban players" such as P Orlando Hernandez to "record a message that could be televised on Guillen's behalf." Ricardo: "They feel sorry for him. We believe in Ozzie, because I honestly don't believe the guy is a (Castro) sympathizer" (PALM BEACH POST, 4/12). Marlins bench coach Joey Cora said, "He learned his lesson on this one. I'm pretty sure he's a better man today than he was yesterday." Cora "believes Guillen will tone down his shoot-from-the-hip style" in regards to matters outside baseball. Cora: "I'm pretty sure he won't get into this kind of trouble any more. This was big, and he felt it from the beginning." He added, "Hopefully he makes amends with the community, and he will" (Craig Davis, South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 4/12).
SHOULD I STAY, OR SHOULD I GO? SI.com's Joe Lemire wrote the Marlins "knew who they were hiring" with Guillen. His ability to grab headlines "was thought to be a positive for the club, which never expected something this extreme" (SI.com, 4/11). A N.Y. TIMES editorial was written under the header, "The Marlins Punish Political Speech." The editorial stated the team "knew exactly what they were getting" in hiring Guillen. The Marlins "may be within their legal rights, but they should have thought harder before succumbing to the cries of the mob and punishing a political statement for business reasons" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/11). FOXSPORTS.com's Jen Floyd Engel cited the First Amendment and wrote Guillen's "speech must be protected." Engel: "I defend Ozzie's right to be completely wrong about Castro and abhor what the Marlins did in response." There is a "chilling effect that accompanies Cuban-Americans bullying the Miami Marlins into suspending Ozzie for words they disagree with" (FOXSPORTS.com, 4/11). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes the Marlins "seem intent on keeping Guillen after suspending him for five games, but wouldn't they be better off if they cut him loose?" (USA TODAY, 4/12). FOXSPORTS.com's Dan Wolken wrote if Guillen returns to manage the Marlins "it will surely be in a safer, sanitized, more guarded version." Wolken asked, "If that's what the Marlins are left with after all this ... is there really a point to keeping him around?" If Guillen is no longer "a star, because he says unpredictable, brutally honest and controversial things ... then he's no longer worth the public relations price the Marlins are going to pay for keeping him" (FOXSPORTS.com, 4/11).
