Ozzie Guillen Could be Fired Over Fidel Castro Comments

Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is no stranger to controversy.

He became known for saying provocative things as the White Sox manager. In 2006, he came under fire for calling columnist Jay Mariotti an offensive name. A few years later, he got in trouble for saying Japanese players were treated better than those of Latino descent.

Now, Guillen has said something that could cost him his job.

In a recent interview, Guillen made some comments about Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

I respect Fidel Castro, said Guillen. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here.

In Miami, with its huge anti-Castro Cuban population, the manager's comments have some in the media calling for him to be punished.

Fox Sports baseball writer Ken Rosenthal wrote that Guillen should be suspended for a month. Keith Olbermann has said he thinks the MLB should suspend Guillen as well.

Is it possible that Guillen could face an even tougher punishment and be fired?

Guillen is in his first year with Miami, but it's not unheard of for a manager to be fired after a short time because of controversy. Wally Backman was fired just days after the Diamondbacks hired him to be their manager, after it was discovered that he had financial and legal troubles.

If the Cuban community in Miami puts enough pressure on the Marlins, Guillen could be out of a job.

Guillen plans to publicly apologize for his comments on Tuesday at a press conference.

In Chicago, Guillen was ultimately fired because his team didn't win enough games. Now he may not get the chance even to fail with the Marlins.