Ozzie! Ozzie! Ozzie!…

Editor’s note: Marlin Maniac is excited to introduce their newest additions to the Marlin Maniac family! We are about to debut two new authors here at Marlin Maniac today. First off, we have Al DeGaetano. 

That’s what I usually scream when I’m at an Ozzy (notice the spelling) Osbourne concert. You get the feeling that we’ll be yelling that phrase as it pertains to new Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen; for better or worse. The Marlins have been eyeing Guillen for a couple of years now. They were waiting for him to either be fired, or for his contract to end. They are probably as amazed as we are are that Guillen lasted that long with the White Sox. His brash style sat well in Chicago; a city where the White Sox are the red-headed step child of the more famous, or infamous, Cubs. Ozzie’s rants gave the White Sox the chance to grab headlines away from the Cubs, similar to what the Jets did with Rex Ryan. That didn’t work out so well, at least not this past season as the Giants made the Jets look ridiculous.

We can see the marriage of Guillen and Marlins brass coming, but it was hard to imagine that this arrangement would work here in Miami. Unless Jeffrey Loria has totally changed his personality this marriage will end in a nasty divorce. Loria is a strange guy who loves control. He won’t be able to control Ozzie, and Ozzie won’t be able to control himself. We will get great quotes all year, along with terrific tirades directed at anyone who’ll listen. It’s a great time to be a beat reporter for the Marlins. Ozzie is journalism gold!

The rebranding of the team has no doubt been amazing. These Marlins are nothing like we’ve had in the past. New Stadium, star power, national buzz, risky hires and signings; this organization went both feet in without testing the waters. For that I applaud them. This is either an ingenious move or the biggest disaster in MLB history.