The Ozzie Guillen Thread

[Malman]

Any word on coaching staff? We know Cora is coming...who else? Walker? Baines? The return of Jeff Cox? Perry Hill staying? Need a pitching coach...thoughts?

[McKeon]

I want Mark Wiley back as the pitching coach. The last three winning seasons the Marlins have had Wiley has been the pitching coach.

[Namaste]

McKeon, what does your sig imply?

[Ramp]

that we have rainbow jerseys

[McKeon]

I'm not a big fan of the rainbow-esque logo.

[Namaste]

McKeon, the logo you have in your avatar looks like a sticker a 4th grader would put on his spiral notebook.

McKeon, the negative nancy act doesn't work well here. You're with us, or you're against us.

[HUGG]

Says the only guy who said anything negative in the Ozzie Guillen thread.


<3

[Ramp]

oooooooh

[Namaste]

I was obviously referring to Overall Negative Nancyness (ONN)

c'mon

[Beef]

Negative Namaste

[jOOj]

We need Delightful Daft.

[Branch]

Negative Namaste

We need Delightful Daft.

Simply excellent.

[Party]

Marlins’ bold, expensive move for Ozzie Guillen encouraging for fans

By Israel Gutierrez
igutierrez@MiamiHerald.com

The Marlins are about to bring in a man who will immediately take the title of largest sports personality in town, and it won’t even be close, even though his primary responsibilities will be tedious tasks like filling in a lineup card and calling the bullpen.

They’re bringing in a manager in Ozzie Guillen who litters every sentence he speaks with words inappropriate for children or network TV.

They’re bringing in a leader of men who just Monday said money is what drives him, not silly, worthless championship rings, and he wanted to manage for an organization that would pay him enough money to buy a 62-foot boat.

That’s Guillen, the Venezuelan former Marlins third-base coach who is leaving Chicago after eight rant-filled years to direct the Marlins in their new stadium.

He loves to speak, has no clue what the word “filter” means and has been credited with both motivating the White Sox to a World Series title in 2005 and being little more than an entertaining, big-mouthed nuisance since.

But here’s why it’s so encouraging that the Marlins have chosen this man, have chosen to pay this man, to be their next manager in this crucial era:

Hiring Guillen is, at the moment, the most glaring signal the Marlins can offer to show they’re willing to not just spend to improve their on-field product, but that management is willing to change its ways if it means creating a winning product.

This is an organization that has constantly rid itself of players before they have to pay them large dollars. And it is the organization that parted ways with Joe Girardi because he clashed with owner Jeffrey Loria despite the fact he turned in a Manager of the Year season.

But paying Guillen a reported $4 million a year, which would make him one of the highest paid managers in baseball, would signal that the purse strings will be loose now that the new stadium is set to open.

And taking on Guillen despite the probable headaches that come with him also would indicate that winning is now more important than personal squabbles over relatively meaningless issues.

You wouldn’t think the Marlins are naïve enough to believe Guillen alone is going to draw fans once the new stadium has lost some of its luster. So you would assume that major on-field personnel moves will follow.

There already are suggestions that Carlos Zambrano, another short-tempered Venezuelan, will want to join Guillen in Miami, and that the Cubs would be more than willing to pay a portion of his salary next year in a trade to ensure he’s off their hands.

Aramis Ramirez is another name, and another Cub, tied to the Marlins in a potential trade now that Guillen is on board. And even before the Guillen news, the Marlins were said to be among the teams willing to bid for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder in free agency.

Now, it might not take a splash as big as either Fielder or Pujols to signify that the Marlins are indeed willing to spend again (signing either one of those players to enormous contracts might simply not be a smart baseball move for this team), but at least you know the Marlins are willing to do something.

You know that because of Guillen.

Because there’s no other direction that the Marlins would go after bringing him in. Why in the world would the Marlins pay him what they’re supposedly going to pay him knowing that Guillen and losing are about as harmonious as gasoline and cigarettes?

There is, of course, going to be a fear factor that comes with Guillen.

Will his style of managing drag the club down rather than lift it? Will his harsh approach be bad for young, impressionable players such as Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison? And is any of it really worth it when you consider just how much, or little, of an impact a manager truly has?

“He can have a lot of weight as far as fueling success, he can also have a lot of weight in terms of negative thoughts, and that can turn into a lot of losses,” Morrison said, speaking about managers in general and not specifically about Guillen. “But as far as game management, you can’t reinvent the wheel on that.

“As far as winning and losing games, I think that a team can take on the personality of a manager.”

Is it necessarily a good thing if the Marlins take on Guillen’s personality?

“We’ll find out,” Morrison said with a smile.

And that’s the point. The Marlins are making a big splash, and they’ll eventually find out if it was the smart move.

They’ll learn if Guillen being a relatable manager helps. If he can connect with Hanley Ramirez and help him recover from this forgettable season. If his direct approach with the younger Marlins will bring out the best in them. If Guillen can help draw some free agents this way.

Or they’ll learn if their first major decision entering the 2012 season will blow up in their faces.

But isn’t it a lot more fun to question bold, expensive choices like this one?

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/2...#ixzz1ZDhc7Nuv

Mike Berardino, Sun Sentinel columnist
9:13 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2011

MIAMI GARDENS— A little over three months ago, on the day Jack McKeon took over the listing Marlins, Ozzie Guillen sent his former boss a congratulatory text.

Still the White Sox manager at the time, Guillen punctuated that message with five words that brought a smile to McKeon's face then and should have the same effect on Marlins fans today.

"Now go kick some a--."

I don't care what happened on the South Side of Chicago.


I don't care if the "Blizzard of Oz" finally (predictably) wore out his welcome — with the front office, with some players — because of his nonstop yapping and thirst for controversy.

I don't care if the White Sox consistently disappointed since winning the 2005 World Series in Ozzie's second year on the job, making it back to the playoffs just once in the past six years.

I don't care if he's a walking insult machine, an equal-opportunity offender, a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode come to life.

I don't care if he speaks before he thinks, uses too much profanity or completely lacks the sort of social filter expected in polite society.

All I know is Oswaldo Jose Barrios Guillen is the right man at the right time for this Marlins franchise.

So they gave the White Sox a couple of minor leaguers, including hard-throwing Jhan Marinez, to speed things along?

So they're reportedly giving the Golden Beach resident a four-year contract at an astounding (for the Marlins) $4 million a year to run their last-place ballclub?

So what?

Seems like a steal to me.

I'm not sure his name alone is enough to pack the Marlins' new ballpark after next season. Only winning can do that in this short-attention-span baseball market.

But I'm pretty confident Guillen, 47, will do what it takes to make the Marlins relevant again, both on the field and off.

Start with the clubhouse button-pushing.

Hanley Ramirez, get ready to meet your worst nightmare.

Or, if you open your heart and your mind, maybe your new mentor.

Just ask Alex Gonzalez.

Back in 2002, when Ozzie began a memorable two-year stint coaching third base for the Marlins, this town's underperforming shortstop was the young man known as "Sea Bass" for his propensity to mope.

From the day he got here, Ozzie made Gonzalez his pet project.

Goaded him. Prodded him. Opened his fellow Venezuelan's eyes to the possibilities.

Twenty months later, Gonzalez became one of the Marlins' World Series heroes with that Game 4 walkoff homer against the Yankees.

"The best guys I ever had dealing with Latin players were Ozzie and Sandy Alomar [Sr.]," the retiring McKeon said Tuesday. "They were your friend, but they weren't afraid to get on you and tell you, 'That's not acceptable. You're better than that.' Guys respond to that."

Maybe the same thing happens for Hanley now that Ozzie's back in town.

Or maybe the two don't mesh and Hanley ends up on the trading block by next summer.

With Ozzie, you never quite know what's coming next.

Just know this: The guy is a winner.

Honest to a fault. Fearless, too.

Back in 2003, he'd walk up and down the Marlins' dugout, pushing buttons.

"He spoke his mind, didn't hold anything back," said Lenny Harris, a key reserve on that team. "There was no sugarcoating anything. Reminded me of Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon that way. He'd tell you what he wanted and he expected you to fulfill it."

That's leadership, a trait Guillen has shown since he was a skinny young shortstop in Chicago and Jeff Torborg decided to make him a White Sox co-captain along with 42-year-old Carlton Fisk.

"I thought about Ozzie as a manager from way back," Torborg once told me. "Because of his quickness of mind and his spirit, his enjoyment of the game. This guy is really a dynamo."

Welcome back, Ozzie.

Now go kick some a--.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/f...803,full.story

[Miamarlin21]

I like that ending a lot.

[Party]

BY CLARK SPENCER

CSPENCER@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Ozzie Guillen will be announced as the Marlins’ next manager at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Sun Life Stadium.

Guillen is expected to receive either a three- or four-year deal, but for less than the $4 million annual figure that has been reported.

Guillen, who has managed the Chicago White Sox since 2004 and won a World Series title with the team in 2005, was released from his contract on Monday.
In compensation for Guillen, the Marlins will send a pair of minor leaguers, infielder Ozzie Martinez and right-handed pitcher Jhan Marinez, to the White Sox.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/2...#ixzz1ZFuoV5v6