Rick Morrissey Takes Offense

Ozzie Gullien seems to have ruffled Rick Morrissey's feathers a little bit. Here's what happened: after an interview, Oz ran into an old friend and greeted him in the following playful way

"Hey, everybody, this guy's a homosexual! He's a child molester!"

I completely understand how this would make someone who lived through the 90's uncomfortable. As a sports writer, RM has a sort of candor that you wouldn't see froma seasoned pundit.

[Oz] sometimes makes you squirm. Other times you shrug at Ozzie being Ozzie. During spring training, I heard him tell a Japanese man that he was a such-and-such "sumo wrestler." The man laughed. Does someone have to be offended for words to be offensive?

RM is about 10 years too late with this sentiment. I have my finger on the pulse of America, and this this is exactly the kind of hyper political correctness that everyone is getting sick of. Ironically, RM displays a remarkable lack of sensitivity towards Venezualian culture

Guillen says he comes at it from a Venezuelan perspective.
"My wife's nickname in Venezuela is Negra (Spanish for "black") because she's the darkest in the family," [Oz] said. "But here in the United States, the past is real strong [with slavery]. We don't have the past in Venezuela that you have in the States. I understand. But in my country, we treat people like human beings. It's something you have to learn in this country." ... In Ozzie's world, life is to be lived fully, people are to be embraced and jokes are to be made. Problem is, not everyone gets them.

Indeed.