Fish Bytes

Morrison said second knee surgery is inevitable; expects to be back for spring training

Barring a surprise, Logan Morrison expects he'll undergo season-ending surgery next month to fix the same patella tendon tear he was operated on last December in his right knee.

“I just know how my knee feels and I know it doesn't feel good,” Morrison said. “I want to be healthy again. I don't want to have any pain in my knee and when two of the best knee doctor's in the world say I need surgery, it's probably a good indication.”

Morrison said rehab will last six to eight months, but he should be healthy in time for the start of spring training. The Marlins have said they would like to move him to first base, but there is a possibility the team could re-sign Carlos Lee, who likes living in Miami.

Hanley returns to Marlins Park, says it's nice not to have to play hero for the Dodgers

Sporting a Dodgers cap spun backwards and a t-shirt with the "I See You" hand gesture he created not long after being traded to Los Angeles on July 26, Hanley Ramirez took a seat in the visiting dugout at Marlins Park and started fielding questions about his return to South Florida on Friday.

'Is it an emotional day for you?' the former batting champion was asked first.

"It's a wonderful day," he said with a smile. "I'm with my family. I got a chance to spend the whole day with my kids, my wife, in-laws. It was a great."

Is it weird to face the team you were once the face of the franchise for?

"It's going to be a little weird, definitely," he said. "... I was hoping we could play three games in one day and get it over with. But it is what it is. I spent seven years here. It's going to be a little weird playing against guys who were teammates for many years."

How does it feel to be playing for the Dodgers?

"Wonderful," he said. "We're one game behind [in the National League West]. We got 50 something games left. I'm happy, really happy to be here. I have great teammates and they work really hard everyday."

The Marlins were on the field stretching and preparing to take batting practice when Ramirez walked into the Dodgers dugout and answered questions for nearly 10 minutes in both English and Spanish.

When he was finished, Ramirez walked back into the Dodgers clubhouse and returned to the field with his new teammates for stretching. The Marlins were still on the field taking batting practice. They finished and returned to their clubhouse. Assistant Gary Thurman was the only person in a Marlins uniform to come over and shake Ramirez's hand and give him a hug.

Ramirez said he didn't get a chance to speak to his former teammates before the game, but planned to on the field. Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio, the two Marlins closest to Ramirez during his time in Miami, said they hadn't spoken to Ramirez recently and were going to try to leave him alone when he was in town so he could spend time with his family, which remains in Miami.

"I'm giving him some space," Reyes said. "I'll see him on the field."

Ramirez said he speaks to his wife and children on Facetime -- a video chat program on his iPhone -- every night after games. He said he's been nervous driving around Los Angeles because he's afraid he'll got lost. "There are like 15 different highways," he said. "But now, I'm getting a little more comfortable with getting from the hotel to the ballpark."

Ramirez was asked what the biggest change has been for him with the Dodgers.

"My confidence -- I'm not trying to do too many things," he said. "If I do something wrong, I'm not going to disappoint the fans or the team. I have people here that tell me all the time 'Don't try to be the hero. Everything they give you on the field, just take it and take it easy. Everybody here has your back.'"

Asked about the origin for his new team hand gesture 'I See You' and t-shirt, Ramirez smiled.

"When I got to the Dodgers, I did 'Lo Viste' for Bonifacio a couple times and it was cool," Ramirez said. "But then I spoke with Dee Gordon and he said 'Let's do something different. You're no longer in Miami.' That's when we tried to do something new and came up with this. It's all for fun."

Ramirez, who hit .246 for the Marlins with 14 homers and 48 RBI in 93 games this season, is hitting hitting .226 with one home run and 12 RBI in 14 games with the Dodgers.

> Reliever Randy Choate, shipped off to L.A. in the Ramirez deal for pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and another minor league pitcher, spent about a half hour in the Marlins clubhouse before Friday's game sharing laughs with just about everyone. At one point, a Marlins rep jokingly asked Choate if he was going to today's pitcher's meeting. 

> Bonifacio, who re-injured his thumb in Washington last weekend, said he expects to return to the Marlins as soon as his stint on the disabled list is over. He said he is going to hit off the tee on Saturday.

> Reyes, held out of the Marlins lineup Friday with swelling in his hand, said he will be back in the lineup for the Marlins Saturday.

Will fans boo or cheer Hanley Ramirez?

      Barely two weeks since the Marlins traded their "face of the franchise," Hanley Ramirez returns to Miami tonight as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez made a strong impression in his first few games with the Dodgers but has cooled lately, with only five hits in his past 36 at bats. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had him playing third base initially but has since switched him back to shortstop, his original position that was taken from him on the Marlins by Jose Reyes. Overall, Ramirez is hitting .226 with a homer and 12 RBI in 14 games for L.A.

      Ozzie Guillen said it's hard to predict how fans will greet Ramirez when he is introduced for the first time at Marlins Park.

      "Some people should love him because he had pretty good years here," Guillen said. "But he had a couple of bad incidents here, and people remember the bad things. People don't remember the good things and we will see. If they want to boo him, please bring 50,000 people here so we can hear it. I don't want just 2,000 booing him if that's going to be the point."

       Guillen said he didn't have any issues with Ramirez in their brief time together.

       "I can't say anything bad about Hanley," Guillen said. "To be honest, he couldn't put it togther for us. Obviously, there wasn't the production we were looking for. But everything and anything we asked him to do as a coach, as a manager, I think he did it. But I don't have anything bad to say about the kid at all. I don't have anything against the kid. He just didn't play good for us."

       What's your best guess? Will fans cheer, boo, or act indifferently when Ramirez is introduced for the first time during his MIami homecoming?