WASHINGTON, D.C. April 10 (DPI) — Reader comment boards today were alight with surprise by the decision to suspend Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen for his allegedly admiring comments of Fidel Castro in Time Magazine.

“This reaction to Ozzie G’s comment about Castro is so typical of people who come to our country with little understanding of what the USA stands for,” wrote a reader identifying himself as Irving Nussbaum of Boston, in one of the highest rec0mmended posts on nytimes.com. “They rush to leave a dictatorship because it infringes upon their personal freedom yet they’re willing to stifle the free speech of others when it bumps up against their political agenda.”

All of the top five recommended comments on nytimes.com focus on the irony and inappropriateness of disciplining a baseball manager about off-handed political comments. In fact, the comments, in their full context, are hardly heretical, and refer to Castro’s survival skills and little else.  Guillen, a Venezuelan by birth who is now a US citizen, is quoted as saying: “I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but the (expletive) is still here.”

The Cuban community of South Florida took exception to the remarks, just a few days after major league baseball and the Marlins franchise opened a new stadium in Miami’s Little Havana.

Comments on wsj.com also focused on the First Amendment question and respecting people’s rights to say what they want. But several too remarked on the business implications of both Guillen’s comments and the league’s decision to impose a five-game suspension on the baseball manager.  Many view the suspension as simply a gesture to an important fan base, which happens to have political views unique in the US.

But the NY Times readers, usually in a lock step of political correctness, mostly were appalled by the action to suspend a baseball manager known for making glib remarks. The top five recommended posts were remarkably unanimous in their tone:

“Apparently Florida is really into the Second Amendment but not so big on the First. “(Highest recommended, 180 recs as of 4pm)

“Didn’t those Cuban emigres come here to enjoy liberties like freedom of speech?” (151 recs as of 4pm)

“Only in Miami — the Cuban community’s influence on the US’s failed Cuba policy (like the embargoes have worked) has extended to baseball. Compared to the world’s other despots, Castro seems relatively mild, and while he’s now mostly irrelevant, you can’t deny that he has had staying power. As most of Miami’s Cuban community left the country nearly a half century ago, I’d say they should move on.” (131)

“This reaction to Ozzie G’s comment about Castro is so typical of people who come to our country with little understanding of what the USA stands for. They rush to leave a dictatorship because it infringes upon their personal freedom yet they’re willing to stifle the free speech of others when it bumps up against their political agenda. One thing the immigration laws should demand is the unequivocal acceptance of the American Constitution before granting even temporary asylum in our country. Personally, I’m sick of Cubans muscling our government to overthrow the Castro government so they can return to Cuba and relive the absolutely awful conditions that Castro helped eliminate during his People’s Revolution.” (117)

“Dumb comment, but suspending a baseball manager for political comments is just plain weird.” (105)

(Elie Mart, WSJ.com) “We, as a nation, need to grow a pair. People get offended over any nonsense someone says. If anyone says anything against Israel, “well he/she is Anti-Semite and I’m offended.” If anyone says anything against immigration, “well he/she hates Hispanics and I’m offended.” If anyone says anything against religion, gays, guns or any other hot topic, someone gets offended. My god, this is a free speech society, people will express their opinion and we should encourage that. Sometimes those opinions will be hurtful, mean, or you might just disagree with them. DEAL WITH IT. If they get you upset express your opinion, but expressing your opinion is where it should end. We cannot go around censoring people.”

(Donna Ferrari, WSJ.com) “Elie is right – this is a free speech society – I do not have to accept the things said but I will fight for the person’s right to say them no matter how stupid or bigoted it is. PC has gone too far – I want our freedom of speech protected, not monitored and censored. If you disagree, and I do, about his Castro remarks then stand up and say it.”