Fish Bites: Rough Start to 2012

The Miami Marlins did not open 2012 as they would have liked, and their fans cannot be particularly happy about the start of the season that promised so much. The Fish looked flat offensively in the first two games, and while they followed that with a positive outing on Saturday night in Cincinnati, they could not complete a series win despite taking a lead into the ninth.

Of course, rough starts like this happen often, so there should be no need to panic about a poor start. The Marlins will want to put all of the package together for a few games before frustration builds, as attracting the fans to the stadium is first and foremost for the club in 2012.

- While the Marlins were losing games, Ozzie Guillen was getting into his fair share of trouble. It turns out that, whether his team is doing well or not, he is still going to get drunk following the game.

"What I do when I go anywhere (is) stay in the hotel bar, get drunk and go to sleep," Guillen told the newspaper. "I get drunk because I’m happy we won or get drunk because I’m very sad and disturbed because we lose."

How literally can we take this comment? Does it even actually matter? I certainly do not care all that much about how Ozzie spends his time away from the field, and he seems about as orderly and put together as a crazy, ornery manager can be. But man, this is one silly comment. Furthermore, it should probably get some Marlins fans interested in finding out where the team stays just so they can go have a drink with Ozzie.

- Ozzie not only discussed his post-game rituals but also talked a little politics. What did he say that could potentially peeve south Florida fans regarding Cuban dictator Fidel Castro?

"I respect Fidel Castro," Guillen was quoted as saying. " You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that mother****** is still here."

Uhh, I'm not Cuban nor Hispanic, and I definitely will not be touching that one with a ten-foot pole. All I will say is that this seems like a bit of a mistake. To be fair, he apologized and said he meant he like Castro's survivability, not his politics and how he treats the Cuban population. I don't think that backtrack will work,

- The Marlins hosted the official, stateside Opening Night, and here is one fan's firsthand perspective. Me personally, I haven't gone yet (I plan on being there for a game or two this weekend, however). But the personal perspective about which I care the most is almost certainly that of SCWS, and he provides that here.

- Of course, not everyone can be pleased by the new park, and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman certainly was not, claiming that it was too much of a pitcher's park. Tom Tango, MGL, and others discuss this over at the Book Blog. What say you, Fish fans?

Around the League

- We will be visiting the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game set starting tomorrow afternoon (weird weekday start time, right?). The Phils just came off losing a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which included three one-run games and two tight losses. Here is the recap of the latest loss over at The Good Phight.

- Speaking of the Phillies, friend of Fish Stripes Bradley Ankrom is starting a new series entitled "Greetings from Clearwater" over at Crashburn Alley, in which he covers the team's minor league occurrences weekly. We will have a similar rundown this season coming from our own Eric Weston (EricW). Stay tuned.

At Fish Stripes

- As always, check out our weekend features on the site, including the latest Wild Pitch and our poll of the week: have you ever witnessed a player hit for the cycle?