Fish Bytes

No bad blood from May collision between Cousins and Posey; Helms on the Marlins' struggles; Volstad makes first start since returning

Marlins manager Jack McKeon and Giants skipper Bruce Bochy, along with players from both sides, said nothing Friday or Saturday to rekindle the bad blood between these teams from May’s home-plate collision with Scott Cousins and Buster Posey when the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year suffered a season-ending injury.

After all, San Francisco has bigger concerns than getting retribution. The Giants, two games behind Arizona in the NL West standings entering Saturday’s game, are worried about winning their division.

“That’s in the past. I don’t think anybody has even thought about it,” McKeon said. “How are they going to retaliate? They’re fighting for a pennant. They can’t afford to have anybody suspended or get in a battle.”

Former Marlin Cody Ross called the incident “water under the bridge.”

“Really, I just think they overreacted,” McKeon said. “It was a case where they were sorry that they acted that way, overreacted as time went by. I saw a couple of the Giants people at the draft. They said, ‘We probably jumped the gun.’ And it’s only natural. They lost one of their key guys, and you say things. After you say them, you wish you hadn’t said them.”

Regarding bang-bang plays at the plate, though, McKeon fondly remembered Pudge Rodriguez holding onto the ball for the last out of the 2003 NLDS after J.T. Snow steered into the catcher. Florida went on to the World Series.

“No one said anything about J.T. Snow coming in and barreling into Pudge, did they?” McKeon said. “You didn’t hear anybody then. Just us celebrating, sending them back to San Francisco.”

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HELMS: TOUGH TIMES GOOD FOR FISH

When times are tough, concentrate on the positives. That’s the approach veteran infielder Wes Helms is taking to the Marlins’ recent struggles.

"I know the fans don’t want to hear it, the front office doesn’t want to hear it and we don’t want to hear it as a team, but I’m kind of glad these young guys are going through this failure, because it can make them better in the long run," Helms said. "We would have loved to run away with this division and gone to the playoffs, but the bottom line is, were not right now."

If this failure helps this team in the long run, next year or even the next year, so these guys know how to dig themselves out of a hole quick, rather than getting themselves deeper. then you know what? We can look back on this year three years from now and say, I’m glad it happened, because these guys got better from it. It made them better players.’ Sometimes you’ve got to be knocked down on your butt to become a better player or a better person in life. This right here can better all of us in the long run."

Helms, who indicated his interest in managing or coaching after his playing career ends, said tough times show “what you’re made out of.”

“Are you going to go out there and do what you do, or are you going to try to get better?” Helms said. “You don’t want to say it’s fun to watch, but it is fun to watch guys struggle and then all the sudden see them make the adjustment and get out of it. That’s what’s fun about this game.”

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VOLSTAD SEEKING CONSISTENCY

McKeon provided a simple answer when asked what he is looking for from Chris Volstad on Sunday, when the righty makes his first start since being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans: “Seven, eight, nine innings out of him, really. Throw strikes. Make them hit the ball.”

Volstad, who made three starts for the Zephyrs and went 1-1 with a 4.42 after being optioned on July 23, provided an equally straightforward answer about what he hopes to accomplish.

“Consistency within the game, and putting together a stretch of innings in a row, as opposed to having three good innings and one bad,” Volstad said. “Or starting off really bad and putting the team in a hole. It's just the consistency part of it.” 

McKeon said “hopefully history repeats itself,” referencing Volstad’s demotion last year and subsequent success in the second half.

Volstad added that, though he didn't make any major mechanical adjustments to his delivery, his arm slot tended to waver when he struggled. As a sinkerball pitcher, when his arm slot climbs, his pitches tend to flatten out. He wants to work down in the zone.

"It wasn’t a whole game where my arm slot would be out of whack," Volstad said. "Obviously I would have those good innings and those good games mixed in there, so it’s just a matter of consistency and doing it every time, as opposed to 75 percent of the time or not in the first inning and then being right in the next four innings."

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TONIGHT'S LINEUPS:

Marlins: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Alfredo Amezaga, 2b; 3. Logan Morrison, lf; 4. Mike Stanton, rf; 5.Greg Dobbs, 3b; 6. Gaby Sanchez, 1b; 7. Bryan Petersen, cf; 8. John Buck, c; 9. Javier Vazquez, p

Giants: 1. Cody Ross, lf; 2. Jeff Keppinger, 2b; 3. Pablo Sandoval, 3b; 4. Aubrey Huff, 1b; 5. Nate Schierholtz, rf; 6. Orlando Cabrera, ss; 7. Aaron Rowand, lf; 8. Chris Stewart, c; 9. Tim Lincecum, p

Former Marlin Cody Ross returns to Sun Life Stadium; Updates on Hanley, Vazquez and Cameron

It’s no secret the Marlins have struggled at home this year, posting a 24-39 record in their last year at Sun Life Stadium. But why have the Fish been so bad in their not-so-friendly confines?

“There’s no reason. It’s not the fans. It’s not the park. It’s not the heat,” veteran infielder Wes Helms said. “Whatever excuse somebody can come up with, I can come back with, ‘You know what, the visiting team has to play here too.’ So there’s no rhyme or reason to it. We just stink here. And that’s the bottom line.”

But Cody Ross, who spent parts of five seasons with Florida and returned to Sun Life Stadium for the first time on Friday since the Giants claimed him off waivers last August, offered an interesting perspective, commenting on the challenges of playing in “some of the worst conditions” in the big leagues.

“Here, it’s tough. It really is a grind every day. People say, ‘Oh, you’re playing Major League baseball, how could it be so difficult?’” Ross said. “First of all, you’re playing in a football stadium. Which I was just thinking about earlier today, this is a beautiful stadium. As a football stadium, the place is packed. It’s awesome.

“But not for baseball. It’s not good. Even when you get a good crowd of 25,000 people, it looks like there’s nothing in the stands. Not to mention the weather, rain delays and the humidity. It just takes a lot out of guys, day in and day out. I can remember I couldn’t wait to go on the road. 

Such seems to be the case for the Marlins, who have compiled a 31-23 record away from Sun Life Stadium. Logan Morrison offered a third explanation to the same question Wednesday night after the Fish lost their seventh straight game in South Florida, saying it was the quality opponents the team has faced; for example, the Marlins were swept by St. Louis and Atlanta, and they opened a three-game set with San Francisco on Friday — all at home.

But Ross, who said he knows some Florida fans by name, appreciates the difficulties facing both players and spectators.

“I remember back in 2007, maybe it was July or August,” Ross said. “We had come off of a good roadtrip, and we were a couple games back. I was thinking, ‘Man, we have a chance to get some fans when we get out here.’ And it was crickets. I understand. If I was a fan, it would be tough for me to come to games here too, because you don’t know what kind of whether you’re going to get, you don’t know if you’re going to have rain delays. Stuff like that. But the ones that do come, I can say they’re die hard. They love the Marlins.

“It’s tough to come to the field every day and not have the energy behind you,” Ross said. It’s crazy when I play in San Francisco and I get a base hit and the crowd roars. I had never heard that before. Here you hear a little bit, some clapping. Go on the road and get a base hit, it’s silent. So when I went to San Francisco and you get a base it, ‘Wahh!’ It’s like, what did I do? What just happened? I only got a base hit.”

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• Mike Cameron, scheduled to start in center field on Friday, was a late scratch because of soreness in his right knee. "He was a little sore, so we didn’t want to take a chance," manager Jack McKeon said. "We were going to give him a day [off] tomorrow, so we just decided to give him a day today. ... His knee was a little bit sore. He goes at it pretty hard, so we figured we give him a day today."
• Javier Vazquez flew home to his native Puerto Rico earlier in the week to tend to a family medical emergency — McKeon said Vazquez’s wife had surgery but is OK — and he was originally scratched from Saturday’s scheduled start, but Vazquez rejoined the Friday and felt fine during a workout, so he will pitch as planned. "[Vazquez] has probably our most consistent guy," McKeon said. "he’s got to the point where he’s using his fastball, making them hit the ball. Once again with all the guys, in spring training they don’t get enough work. Certain guys need more work than others. And now that he’s pitching regular and doing a heckuva job, he’s not afraid of throwing those pitches. ... [Vazquez] is going to go tomorrow. He wants to pitch, so go to it. Ready to go."
• McKeon said he expects Hanley Ramirez, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder sprain after Wednesday’s game retroactive to Aug. 3, to return the first day he’s eligible, Aug. 18 in San Diego. “I kind of believe he’ll play. If I can read him, it looks like he wants to play," McKeon said. "He’s the only one that can tell us if it’s still sore or what. But if it needs no activity for a few days, he’s got a chance to get that. And he’s getting worked on and getting his treatment all the time. ... He really didn’t want to go on the DL. That’s one of the reasons we kept him off, because he kept telling us he would be ready."
• Marlins’ top prospect Matt Dominguez was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a right hamstring injury. The 21-year-old third baseman was hitting .260 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI for Triple-A New Orleans.

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TONIGHT'S LINEUPS:

Marlins: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Alfredo Amezaga, 2b; 3. Logan Morrison, lf; 4. Mike Stanton, rf; 5.Greg Dobbs, 3b; 6. Gaby Sanchez, 1b; 7. Bryan Petersen, cf; 8. John Buck, c; 9. Ricky Nolasco, p

Giants: 1. Andres Torres, cf; 2. Jeff Keppinger, 2b; 3. Pablo Sandoval, 3b; 4. Aubrey Huff, 1b; 5. Cody Ross, rf; 6. Orlando Cabrera, ss; 7. Aaron Rowand, lf; 8. Eli Whiteside, c; 9. Matt Cain, p

Jack McKeon encouraged by Mike Stanton's improving approach

Though the Marlins were mired in the middle of a six-game losing streak entering Wednesday night’s finale with the Braves, arguably the most exciting thing to watch during that stretch for manager Jack McKeon has been the growth of budding star Mike Stanton.

The 21-year-old outfielder walked three times in Florida’s 4-3 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday night, reaching with a base on balls for the ninth time in the last four contests. In 28 August at-bats, a small sample size, Stanton had posted a .486 on-base percentage.

“That’s basically a sign of growing up,” McKeon said. “He’s being more patient, but also he’s being respected by the pitchers in the league. Before he was striking out on those pitches and now he’s saying, ‘Hey, put the ball in my zone or I’ll take a walk.’ That comes with maturity, and I’ve seen that now the last two weeks where he’s really improved in his pitch selection and approach.”

Stanton’s nine bases on balls this month come on the heels of an 11-walk July, which set a new monthly high in his short big-league career.

“Just trying to get better pitch selection is all [I’ve been doing], no huge change,” Stanton said. “Same approach as I’ve had, just actually doing what I’ve been trying to do, rather than being too anxious or getting myself out, which I’ve been tending to do every night. Just trust yourself more and know that they’re not going to throw cookies over the plate.”

In his first full season in the majors, Stanton has cut his strikeout rate by 4 percent, increased his walk rate by 2 percent and managed to bump his slugging percentage by almost 20 points, according to fangraphs.com.

“They’re pitching me the same, I’m just not swinging at everything like I used to be, and that’s just what I need to keep on doing for the remainder [of the season],” Stanton said. “You can’t look for walks. You’ll be taking yourself back to the dugout if you do that. You’ve just got to trust yourself.”

And that’s exactly what McKeon has noticed recently from his young slugger.

“I try to tell him, that’s what Ted Williams old theory was: 1 for 3 and a walk, 2 for 4 and a walk,” McKeon said. “And the times I talked to [Williams], he said, ‘If they’re not going to throw it over the plate, I’m not going to swing and get out. I’m not going to swing at their pitches. Throw it over for me to hit.’ That’s what he said he was able to hit .300 all those years. He wasn’t greedy. But it’s not easy. We can sit and talk, but when you get to that plate, you want to hit.”

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TONIGHT'S LINEUPS:

Marlins: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Alfredo Amezaga, 2b; 3. Greg Dobbs, 3b; 4. Mike Stanton, rf; 5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b; 6. Logan Morrison, lf; 7. Mike Cameron, cf; 8. John Buck, c; 9. Anibal Sanchez, p

Braves: Michael Bourn, cf; 2. Martin Prado, 3b; 3.Eric Hinske, 1b; 4. Dan Uggla, 2b; 5. Jason Heyward, rf; 6. Alex Gonzalez, ss; 7. David Ross, c; 8. Jose Constanza, lf; 9. Brandon Beachy, p

Logan Morrison fills in at first base as Gaby Sanchez gets day off

After an hour-long rain delay, it looks like Tuesday's game will be played after all. There seems to be a break in the radar, and the first pitch is scheduled for 8:20 p.m.

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Logan Morrison played 407 games at first base during his minor-league career, but it took 153 big-league contests for Morrison to find himself at his natural position.

With everyday first baseman Gaby Sanchez in the middle of a 4-for-26 rut to start August, manager Jack McKeon opted to give Sanchez “a little mental rest,” while shifting Morrison into the infield from his normal left-field spot on Tuesday.

“[Morrison] has been a pretty good first baseman in the past,” McKeon said. “Everybody says that’s his best position, so we’ll give him a crack at it. And also give Gaby a day to sit back and relax and get mentally prepared.”

Morrison played mostly first base while in the Marlins’ farm system, getting two starts in the outfield in 2009 before moving to left field for 19 games in July 2010 prior to being promoted. The 23-year-old said he has taken ground balls during infield practice before games a few times this season to keep sharp and provide McKeon with versatility.

“I’m not going to be fielding any behind the back or anything, or any flips behind the back, I don’t think,” Morrison said. “Maybe in a couple days or so.”

Morrison, who suffered a spike wound just above his right kneecap that required five stitches on Sunday, said he feels comfortable with the exception of bending and squatting, which requires a full knee bend.

“Less wear and tear on his running, hard running in the outfield as opposed to first base,” McKeon said. “He’s better at first tonight than he is in the outfield with his leg.”

Still, McKeon said he would have been comfortable playing Morrison in left field, if he decided to go that route. But McKeon said it was important for Sanchez to clear his head, as the All-Star has hit .215 with 12 RBI in 79 at-bats since the break.

“I think [Sanchez] is trying too hard,” McKeon said. “He’s got to get back to his old self again and stay within himself. I think he’s had a few bad outings, so he’s trying to do too much. Just take a night. Sit on the bench with me.”

Sanchez said that, from watching his swing on video, he has been connecting with the ball just a tad late. But he said he feels good and his health is not a concern.

"I have been hitting balls good, hitting balls bad, still getting some hits. It just happens. Nothing else really to it," Sanchez said. "Small little things throughout a time period takes away a couple hits here and there. I don’t feel bad at the plate. I feel fine. It’s just one of those things."

A day off should allow Sanchez time to clear his head, McKeon said, recalling a moment earlier in his managerial career.

"I’ll never forget when I was managing San Diego and we were playing the Mets one day, and they gave Keith Hernandez a day off," McKeon said. "[Hernandez] came out and he said, ‘Boy, that is the best therapy you can get. Sit and take a day off when you’re trying so hard to do your job that you’re not being successful.’ He said the best thing that ever happened was taking a day off — he called it a mental day."

With the lineup tweaks and injuries plaguing several players, Tuesday marked the first time all season that every member of Florida’s starting infield was different than the Opening Day starting four. Hanley Ramirez continues to recover from a strained left shoulder, while Omar Infante and Donnie Murphy are on the disabled list.

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TONIGHT'S LINEUPS:

Marlins: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Alfredo Amezaga, 2b; 3. Greg Dobbs, 3b; 4. Mike Stanton, rf; 5. Logan Morrison, 1b; 6. Mike Cameron, cf; 7. Bryan Petersen, lf; 8. John Buck, c; 9. Clay Hensley, p

Braves: Michael Bourn, cf; 2. Martin Prado, lf; 3. Freddie Freeman, 1b; 4. Dan Uggla, 2b; 5. Chipper Jones, 3b; 6. Alex Gonzalez, ss; 7. David Ross, c; 8. Jose Constanza, rf; 9. Brandon Beachy, p

Marlins are 5-20 when Hanley not in lineup, and he's not in it tonight

     Hanley Ramirez hasn't had a good season by any definition. But this much is becoming clear: purely from the standpoint of wins and losses, the Marlins are a better team when he's in the lineup than when he isn't. They are 5-20 when his name isn't on the lineup card and 50-39 when it is.

     Ramirez will miss his fifth straight game tonight due to a sprained left shoulder, and it appears he'll miss at least a couple of more games based on comments he made to reporters this afternoon. He's not the only regular sitting out tonight's game. Left fielder Logan Morrison is also on the bench with a spike wound to his left knee, one that resulted in five stitches after yesterday's game.

     "When he comes to bat, he determines a lot of things that are going to happen," manager Jack McKeon said of Ramirez's influence on the rest of the lineup. "He has an impact (on everyone else)."

     During the St. Louis series, which resulted in a four-game Cardinals sweep, the Marlins 3-4-5 hitters -- Mike Stanton, Morrison and Gaby Sanchez -- went a collective 11-45 with a grand total of 2 RBI.  3-4-5 counterparts on the Cardinals -- Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman -- were 21 for 51 with nine walks and 12 RBI.

     "They're the guys that beat us," McKeon said of the Cardinals' Big 3. "But they've got a little more experience than we have. And, maybe expectations were too high on these guys (Stanton, Morrison et al) coming in and tearing up the league."

      Morrison is available to pinch-hit tonight, McKeon said, and will probably return to the lineup on Tuesday. It appears that Ramirez is at least two or three days away from returning.

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      You had to figure Dan Uggla wasn't going to hit .190 all season. But a 28-game hitting streak? Are you kidding? His longest streak with the Marlins was 12 games last August. But 28? Halfway to Joe Dimaggio's mythic 56-gamer?

      The Braves' second baseman brings the majors' longest hitting streak into tonight's series opener against his former team.

      Uggla is tied for the third-longest hitting streak in Braves history, behind only Rico Carty (31 games in 1970) and Rowland Office (29 games in 1976).

     "It's not something you explain," Uggla said of his streak. "It's one of those rare things that happens. You just roll with it, go out and play and have fun. That's what I've been doing. It wasn't a big deal when it was still in single digits, around 11 or 12-game mark. Now it's like, crap, this is fun. I don't want it to end."

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     Marlins lineup: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Alfredo Amezaga, 2b; 3. Greg Dobbs, 3b; 4. Mike Stanton, rf; 5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b; 6. Mike Cameron, cf; 7. Bryan Petersen, lf; 8. John Buck, c; 9. Brad Hand, p.

    

McKeon: "Let's go to instant replay"

    As one would expect, the Marlins were not at all happy with the blown call in tonight's first inning when Rafael Furcal's sinking liner was ruled a base hit. Replays showed that Mike Stanton made a clean catch. Two batters later, Albert Pujols cranked a two-run homer, making the botched call a decisive one in the Marlins' 2-1 loss to the Cardinals.

    Jack McKeon didn't mince words when discussing the play aferward.

    "Like I told the umpires, you got four guys out here and four guys can't see it. Maybe that's another reason we ought to have instant replay," McKeon said. "They gave me the courtesy of checking all four umpires, but to no avail. No question it was the difference in the ballgame. You're not going to criticize the umpires or rip 'em because it's a tough job. But, on the other hand, we got to get these plays right. We can't have it consistently three and four times a week, the questionable stuff. Let's go to instant replay. It's tough when it comes down and it's the deciding run of the ballgame.

    "We get kicked out of the game, or the players perform poorly and don't do the job, they're sent out. But there's no consequences if they continue to make bad calls. That's a tough job. I'm not going to single out that guy (first base umpire Vic Carapazza). He had a bad night. We all make mistakes. But when you come down to losing ballgames and you've got three or four guys out there and all of them can't see it, then we ought to go to instant replay."

    McKeon also wasn't too tickled with the pitch Ricky Nolasco threw to Pujols for the home run.

    "Don't let these guys beat you," McKeon said of the Cardinals 3-4-5 hitters. "You saw (Chris) Carpenter. He didn't let our big games beat him. He was concentrating on where he was going to be smart with his pitches. And if he walked them, he walked them. But he wasn't going to throw up slop and have it hit out of the ballpark, a 74 mph pitch."

   

   

     

Welcome back, Alfredo Amezaga (w/video)

      Yep, you read right. Alfredo Amezaga is a Marlin again. The Marlins have announced that they acquired the versatile Amezaga him from the Rockies in exchange for minor leaguer infielder Jesus Merchan. And they're not wasting time with him.

        The Marlins have placed Amezaga on their 25-man roster and designated Joe Thurston for assignment. Amezaga is starting tonight at second and batting second for the Marlins. Amezaga was a member of the Marlins from 2006-09 before undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee and ending up in the Rockies system.

       It hasn't exactly worked out for Amezaga in Colorado. He didn't play at all in 2010 and spent most of this season at Triple A Colorado Springs, where he hit .305.      

       Amezaga can play pretty much anywhere on the field, though reports are he's gained a bit of weight and is better suited for either second or third rather than shortstop. Clearly, this was a move designed for depth, especially now that there's a hole at second base due to the injury to Omar Infante.

      Meanwhile, Hanley Ramirez remains out of the lineup.

      Marlins: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Alfredo Amezaga, 2b; 3. Mike Stanton, rf; 4. Logan Morrison, lf; 5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b; 6. Greg Dobbs, 3b; 7. John Buck, c; 8. DeWayne Wise, cf; 9. Ricky Nolasco, p.

      Hear what Amezaga had to say on his first day back in South Florida:

Injury woes mount for Marlins

      As expected, the Marlins placed second baseman Omar Infante on the 15-day disabled list today, called up infielder Joe Thurston from Triple A New Orleans, and transferred outfielder Scott Cousins to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Thurston on the 40-man.

      That means that five of the nine players in the Marlins' Opening Day lineup are now injured, with four of those -- Infante, Chris Coghlan, Donnie Murphy and Josh Johnson -- on the disabled list. Hanley Ramirez remains out with a sprained left shoulder, though Jack McKeon was hopeful he could be back in the lineup as early as Saturday.

       McKeon has Thurston in tonight's lineup, playing second and batting seventh. The 31-year-old Thurston [see stats] was enjoying a good season at New Orleans, where he was hitting .303 with an on-base percentage of .401. He has not played in the majors since 2009. Interestingly, his last big-league action came with the Cardinals -- tonight's opponent -- where he played in 124 games, mostly at second and third base, for St. Louis. He has also played left and right fields.

       Meanwhile, as I look down on the field, the coaching staff has Wes Helms out early, positioning him at second and having him practice turning double plays. Helms took over for Infante at second when he left last night's game with a fractured right middle finger.

       McKeon has done some shuffling with the lineup:

       Marlins: 1. Emilio Bonifacio, ss; 2. Greg Dobbs, 3b; 3. Mike Stanton, rf; 4. Logan Morrison, lf; 5. Gaby Sanchez, 1b; 6. Mike Cameron, cf; 7. Joe Thurston, 2b; 8. John Buck, c; 9. Anibal Sanchez, p.

Omar Infante Fractures Finger, Headed to DL -- Thurston On The Way

     Huge blow for the Marlins tonight as Omar Infante is out indefinitely after fracturing his right middle finger while diving for a ball in the third inning. Spoke with a Marlins official afterward, who said Infante would be placed on the 15-day DL

     The Marlins will be calling up Joe Thurston from Triple A New Orleans.

     Infante is not only the only Marlin to play in every game this season, he's been one of their hottest hitters of late. Infante went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles on Thursday and is hitting .411 since the All-Star break.

     But now it appears the Marlins will have to do without him, at least for a while. Thurston is hitting .316 with a .406 on-base percentage for New Orleans. To make room for Thurston on the 40-man roster, the Marlins could transfer Chris Coghlan to the 60-day disabled list.

     Infante was diving after Skip Schumaker's grounder in the third when the ball hit his right hand. Infante grimaced in pain as a trainer went out to look at him. But he remained in the game and singled in the fourth, before exiting in the top of the sixth.

     With Emilio Bonifacio thrust into duty at shortstop due to the absence of injured Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins turned to Wes Helms to take over at second.

Ozzie Guillen: "It (would) be an honor to manage the Marlins"

      The Marlins have a few more pressing issues at the moment -- like trying to find a way to win at home and announcing naming rights for their new ballpark -- than the endless speculation about whether Ozzie Guillen will be their manager when they open the 2012 season in their new digs.

        But, that possibility was raised again when Guillen openly discussed the matter in an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Graham Bensinger.

       In it, Guillen mentions the Marlins directly: "If it's time for me to go to the Marlins, I will go with a lot of class; it (would) be an honor to manage the Marlins." However, he also said, with regard to his present employer -- the White Sox of Chicago -- "I want to be here."

       At any rate, see, listen and judge for yourself in this sit-down interview.