Every one's favorite manager Ozzie Guillen is taking a page out of LeBron James' book by taking his talents to South Beach, but not by choice. The longtime skipper of the White Sox who spent 8 seasons at the helm on the south side of Chicago and brought the franchise its first World Series title in 88 years, was dealt to the Florida Marlins with just two games remaining on the regular season schedule. Better known for his often questionable and colorful behavior, Guillen will take over the reigns of former manager Jack McKeon who turns 81 in November and plans to retire. During his 8 year tenure with Chicago whom he also played 13 seasons for making three All-Star appearances at shortstop, Guillen finished with an overall record of 678-wins and 617-losses while winning two division titles.
Guillen's White Sox who came into the season with lofty expectations after acquiring All-Star slugger Adam Dunn via free agency, finished a disappointing 2011 campaign four games under .500 at 79-83, good enough for third in the division behind the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. That didn't stop the Marlins from finding their man, however, as the former Manager of the Year (2005) was awarded a 4-year deal with the Fish. The signing of Guillen made public on September 28, means the Marlins will have a new skipper to go along with their new state of the art stadium that is expected to open its doors on Opening Day 2012, bidding a farewell to the current Sun Life Stadium in which they shared with the NFL's Miami Dolphins. The baseball-only facility built in the Little Havana section of Miami will seat 37,000 fans comfortably and will feature something the team's been so desperately in need of -- a retractable-roof putting an end to both rain delays and the sweltering heat.
The stadium, however, won't be the only makeover the franchise will be getting in 2012 as new uniforms are also on the list to help the team make the transition to the Miami Marlins. Although a name change isn't needed as much as the one their cross-town rival Tampa Bay Rays made several years ago in 2007 when dropping the word "Devil" in Devil Rays, the team is hoping the adjustment will lead to good fortune much like it did in Tampa. Something else the new ballpark will help do is increase the amount of revenue they'll be bringing in. Having been notorious for having little money to spend during the offseason, the team's payroll is expected to jump from $58 Million to about $80 Million with the Dolphins no longer around to bully them. Looking to turn the page on a new chapter in Marlins baseball, the organization says it has plans to make a splash right away in branding a new ball club, starting off with the free agent market.
Though the best part of all will be that the new stadium is sure to attract a new audience, something their old ballpark deprived them of given it's been at the bottom of the list for years in terms of fan attendance.
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