MIAMI (AP) — On his first full day with the Florida Marlins, new manager Ozzie Guillen has already joined Miami’s political conversation.
Guillen bristled Wednesday at the suggestion he was a fan of his countryman, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The topic arose because Chavez is unpopular with many Venezuelans living in Miami.
Guillen said he has never spoken to Chavez. The manager, in fact, appeared on the Venezuelan leader’s national radio show twice in October 2005, when Guillen led the Chicago White Sox to the World Series title.
Guillen became a U.S. citizen in 2006, and he has been more critical of Chavez in recent years.
