Fish Bytes

Charles Barkley supports Ozzie Guillen

Saw an article in USA Today talking about a radio interview Thursday morning on The Dan Patrick Show, between host Patrick and former NBA star Charles Barkley.

Barkley said he has “reached out” to suspended Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen.

Barkley told Patrick he hadn’t spoken to Guillen, but as someone who had “made some stupid mistakes,” he understood what the Marlins manager, who served the second of a five-game suspension Thursday was going through.

“I don't condone what Ozzie said, but he's apologized,” Barkley told Patrick. “I reached out to him just to tell him to keep his head up.”

Barkley said he would have also reached out to recently-fired University of Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino, too, if he knew him.

“When you are living in that storm, you think the world is going to end,” Barkley told Patrick. “It's easy for everybody to go crazy on you on radio and TV because everybody gets the God complex when they're on television and radio, thinking like they ain't never done anything wrong. Everybody is just God, judge and jury on you and just crucifies you.''

BURRELL TO RETIRE

            The Phillies announced that former outfielder and University of Miami star Pat Burrell will officially retire next month. Burrell, who hit .257 with 251 homers and 827 RBI, will sign a one-day minor league contract and retire as a member of the Phillies.

Marlins starting lineup Thursday vs. Phillies

Lineups for the #Marlins series finale Thursday night vs. the Phillies

Marlins: Reyes ss, Bonifacio cf; Ramirez 3b; Stanton rf; Morrison lf; Sanchez 1b; Infante 2b; Buck c; Buehrle p

Phillies: Victorino cf; Polanco 3b; Rollins ss; Pence rf; Mayberry, Jr. lf; Wigginton 1b; Ruiz c; Galvis 2b; Blanton p

J.J. not missing many bats, should Marlins be worried?

     The offensively challenged Phillies and their depleted lineup (no Ryan Howard and no Chase Utley) brought a Ray Oyler-like .198 team average into Wednesday's matchup against Josh Johnson. No contest, right? Wrong. Johnson coughed up six runs on 11 hits and was knocked out in the fourth.

      That's two outings now for Johnson in which he's allowed double-digit hits -- 21 in all. Keep in mind that Johnson, until now, had never allowed more than 17 hits in any two consecutive starts. Or ponder this: Johnson gave up the miniscule total of 18 hits -- yes, 18 -- in a dazzling stretch of six starts that comprised the entire month of April last season.

      Johnson hasn't been pounded. Shredded is more like it. Of the 21 hits, 19 were singles and he hasn't allowed a home run. On the other hand, he's fanned only five batters (only one last night) in 9 2/3 innings, which is well below his normal strikeout clip.

       Yes, it's early. Extemely early. We all saw how Javier Vazquez went from an early season train wreck to one of the league's very best starters last season. Pitchers -- great pitchers -- do it all the time.

        But Johnson is coming off a season that was cut short in mid-May by a shoulder injury. He's pitching under a miscroscope, with all eyes trained on him to see how he'll bounce back. So far, two games in, the results haven't been pretty.

        Is it cause for concern?