April 10, 2012

For a mere $40,000, you can sit down to dinner chez George Clooney...

... and raise money for Barack Obama.

Hey, I see from that link above, Clooney is copying Meade's beard.

Speaking of beards, we were singing "Motorpsycho Nightmare" this morning:

I had to say something
To strike him very weird
So I yelled out
“I like Fidel Castro and his beard”
Rita looked offended
But she got out of the way
As he came charging down the stairs
Sayin’, “What’s that I heard you say?”

I said, “I like Fidel Castro
I think you heard me right”
And ducked as he swung
At me with all his might
Rita mumbled something
’Bout her mother on the hill
As his fist hit the icebox
He said he’s going to kill me
If I don’t get out the door
In two seconds flat
“You unpatriotic
Rotten doctor Commie rat”
What touched us off was that story about Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, who got suspended for 5 games for saying (supposedly) that he loves Fidel Castro.

What’s that I heard you say?

41 comments:

Leland said...

Ozzie does need a shave. Dude looks like he was just pulled out a spider hole. But I respect him for praising Castro in South Florida. If the new stadium doesn't bring in the fans, at least a sympathetic manager might help.

bgates said...

I respect him for praising Castro

So you're pro-tyranny, then.

Curious George said...

"Leland said...
Ozzie does need a shave. Dude looks like he was just pulled out a spider hole. But I respect him for praising Castro in South Florida. If the new stadium doesn't bring in the fans, at least a sympathetic manager might help."

Pretty sure Castro won't let Cubans leave to attend Marlin games. And there aren't many easier ways to get dead than praising Castro in Miami.

Curious George said...

"...Clooney is copying Meade's beard."

Nope. Meade is sporting a Van Dyke, Clooney a full beard.

rcocean said...

"I respect him for praising Castro"

Well, after all he kills and imprisons the "right kind" of people. So its OK.

leslyn said...

If I had 40K it would be worth it for me. I don't care who the money goes to.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Castro is a big baseball fan..

What’s that I heard you say?

Oh oh.. now I've done it..

I better go into hiding.

Sorun said...

There is one good thing about Clooney. He's going to make gray beards popular with the ladies. Sweet!

Quaestor said...

Althouse wrote:
What touched us off was that story about Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, who got suspended for 5 games for saying (supposedly) that he loves Fidel Castro.

Supposedly in what sense? Supposedly because it's Time Magazine that reported the comment? Plausible perhaps considering the ruinous decline that publication has imposed on itself. Or supposedly because Guillen spoke the words attributed but intended them as sarcasm? Given the tenor and substance of his apologies offered today I can't see any way to justify the "supposedly" part.

The Unknown Pundit said...

If Ozzie had been hired to manage the Dodgers instead of the Marlins, his kind words for Castro would have likely endeared him to some of the smart set in Hollywood.

Quaestor said...

Leland wrote:
But I respect him for praising Castro in South Florida.

Since when is stupid respectable? Yeah, I know, since shiloh started his habit of commenting here... But outside of that special case how do you defend that thesis?

Quaestor said...

Castro is not only a fan of baseball, I believe he once tried out for the old Brooklyn Dodgers back in late 1940s. Somebody check a source other than Wikipedia...

Whatever, still that's hardly a reason to love the vile old tyrant. There were plenty of baseball fans who starved and tortured POWs on the Burma Railway

Ann Althouse said...

"Supposedly in what sense? Supposedly because it's Time Magazine that reported the comment?"

I'm just reading the linked article, and I don't see a direct quote from Guillen. I see:

"Time Magazine reported that Guillen said he loves Castro and respects him for staying in power so long."

And:

"Guillen has been accused of saying he loves Castro, but when asked at the news conference if he loves the former Cuban dictator, he said, "No.""

Okay?

Quaestor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Unknown Pundit said...

It does seem that strong-arm pols are popular with a good number of people in South American countries. Ozzie is from Venezuela as I recall, so perhaps expressing his admiration for Castro shouldn't come as a surprise.

Or more likely, he merely answered a question with political implications without considering or even recognizing the political implications of his answer. Poor bastard.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I am staring to agree with Mad Man re his disdain for people being perpetually outraged. Ozzie has always been a loose-lipped cannon but this punishment is excessive.

edutcher said...

Meade looks a little like Trotsky (stay away from axes) there.

And you don't say nice things about Fidel in South Florida. Gotham, maybe, but not Miami.

PS Not enough money in the world to make me sit down with Clooney, much less Zero.

PPS Quaestor, right about Fidel and the Bums.

Quaestor said...

It's possible that by making those remarks to Time Guillen hoped to curry favor among the social set who are both well-heeled enough to afford dinner at with the Clooneys and hold opinions likely to find a warm reception there. I'll wager any thugocrat with $40K and a bad word to say about GWB would get a broad smile and a hearty handshake from George Clooney and friends.

Toad Trend said...

Castro, Che, Obama.

Sympathetic heroes, to those that just don't understand history.

Count Ozzie the motormouth as among the clueless. The fact that he said what he said IN MIAMI is a fatal case of a lack of self-awareness.

As for Clooney, isn't he really just a better-looking version of Sean Penn???

Meade said...

Castro went 0 for 5 last night against the Brewers.

cubanbob said...

leslyn said...
If I had 40K it would be worth it for me. I don't care who the money goes to.

4/10/12 1:59 PM

Unfortunately zero will be at fundraiser in my little town later today at some sleaze bag's home tying up traffic and generally inconveniencing everyone. And you can get him cheap, it's only $15,000 per person.

As for Ozzie, what a POS. Heard him this morning in spanish saying how it was all a big mistake and taken out of context..........

Known Unknown said...

"As for Ozzie, what a POS. Heard him this morning in spanish saying how it was all a big mistake and taken out of context.........."

The only thing (after seeing the full quote) is that Gullien was praising Castro's resilience, and that no one had taken him out lo these many years.

Guillen often runs his mouth ahead of his brain, but I've always enjoyed the fact that he's um, colorful, where most other managers are completely boring.

DADvocate said...

Another guy with more money than brains supporting Obama.

Salamandyr said...

I take a second to no one in my despite for Castro, but what exactly did this person do to get suspended for?

Nothing he stated was criminal, or reflected on the game of baseball, so why should he be penalized professionally for this? Are we gonna suspend people for believin astrology too?

Robert Cook said...

"Castro, Che, Obama.

"Sympathetic heroes, to those that just don't understand history."


What's so sympathetic about Obama?

The Unknown Pundit said...

Salamandyr --

I take a second to no one in my despite for Castro, but what exactly did this person do to get suspended for?


Ozzie was suspended for actions that hurt the franshise.

He manages the Marlins, they play in Miami, it has a large ex-pat Cuban population, they don't care for Castro, and his favorable statememnts toward Castro have gotten the Miami population aggravated. There's probably a clause in his contract about not saying or doing things to hurt the franchise. This hurt the franschise, thus the suspension.

Rabel said...

Guy was just running off at the mouth and stuck his foot in it. A little like saying offhand that you admire Stalin for his killer moustache. Hitler for his cool Merc limos. Kim il Sung for his mahaarvelous choreography. Mao for, uh, his mole.


"According to the TIME story, Guillen then amended his comment somewhat: “After a second of reflection, the most unfiltered figure in baseball, if not sports, wants a do-over. ‘I respect Fidel Castro,’ says Guillen, a Venezuela native who also says he respects Hugo Chávez. ‘You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that mother—— is still here.’"

The Unknown Pundit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Unknown Pundit said...

What's so sympathetic about Obama?

He doesn't get to wear those cool military fatigues like Che and Fidel.

rcocean said...

Yep, and if he'd run his mouth off and said "Hitler was right about a lot of things" everyone would be just say it was just a silly mistake.

Yeah, I believe that, really.

edutcher said...

Robert Cook said...

Castro, Che, Obama.

Sympathetic heroes, to those that just don't understand history.


What's so sympathetic about Obama?


What's so sympathetic about Castro and Che?

Or heroic?

Sydney said...

I find George Clooney attractive, and he comes across as charming in his movies, but I wouldn't pay $40,000 to have dinner with him. No matter where the money was going.

The Elder said...

Nice hat!

KCFleming said...

$40K per plate.

Just another regular joe, a real 99%er, that Clooney fellow.

Rabel said...

rcocean,
No, "Hitler was right about a lot of things" would be completely different.

"Hitler was a great motivational speaker" would be a better fit.

Salamandyr said...

There's probably a clause in his contract about not saying or doing things to hurt the franchise. This hurt the franschise, thus the suspension.

If there is such a clause in his contract, then the news stories should note this. Even if this is the case, this is a case of a man being penalized for holding an unpopular political opinion, a simply unAmerican action.

Robert Cook said...

Robert Cook said...

"Castro, Che, Obama.

"Sympathetic heroes, to those that just don't understand history.

"What's so sympathetic about Obama?


"What's so sympathetic about Castro and Che?

"Or heroic?"


I get to echo Prof. Althouse here and ask that you bring a better game, as you obviously missed my joke.

Leland said...

Apparently my sarcasm flew over many heads. It's a shame really.

SukieTawdry said...

Lem said...Castro is a big baseball fan.

When Orlando "El Duque" Hernández pitched for the Yankees, he was asked about the pressure of playing for New York in the World Series. Hernández laughed, saying in effect "You think this is pressure? I know pressure. I used to play ball for Fidel Castro."

There isn't a celebrity alive I'd pay $40,000 to have dinner with.

Sydney said...

Is there anyone in history you would pay $40,000 to have dinner with? I am thinking maybe I would pay that to have dinner with Napoleon.

William said...

How much for a blow job from Scarlet Johannson?