Bob CollinsAlthough some sports stars got credit recently for speaking out about the killing of Trayvon Martin, it’s still good business for the athlete to stick to athletics and cliches about athletics.
Two sports “stars” bear witness to it.
First, Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen — not much of a shrinking violet before a microphone — has been suspended by Major League Baseball his team for speaking out — apparently favorably — about Fidel Castro. That’s not something you do in Florida.
He told Time Magazine, “I love Castro.” It didn’t help that Time buried the story behind an online paywall, leaving only the incendiary sentence available for the audience.
“It’s like going to New York’s Jewish district and saying, ‘Hitler wasn’t so bad. He managed to stay in power for a few years,’ ” veteran Spanish-language baseball announcer Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, who fled Cuba at age 17 and lived in Miami for five years.
Today, Guillen paid the price:
Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, on the other hand, didn’t take the bait when it was offered today.
A few months ago, Thomas refused to go to the White House for a ceremony honoring the Stanley Cup champions, because he disagrees with the role and size of government.
At a media gaggle about the team’s upcoming playoff series, Thomas didn’t miss a beat when a reporter tried to stir up trouble:
Tim Thomas is no fool.
