Miami Marlins: Jeffrey Loria Cements Status As Most Ignorant MLB Owner As Marlins Fire Ozzie Guillen

The Miami Marlins fired manager Ozzie Guillen yesterday after just one season. While I cannot say that I saw the move coming, especially after Miami traded their overpaid and outspoken closer, Heath Bell, to start with a fresh start in the dugout by dealing the player who criticized the manager most. While I felt that move was a clue that Guillen would get one more year at least to turn things around, I also cannot say that this came as a huge surprise. After all, can anything truly be a surprise when it involves the Marlins and their ignorant owner, Jeffrey Loria? Seriously, they do not get any more moronic than Loria. He has got to be one of the worst owners in all of professional sports. He has absolutely no idea how to successfully run a Major League Baseball franchise. The fact that not only does he not know that, but also surrounds himself with some of the most clueless front office executives on the planet further illustrates the problem. Loria has hired and fired four managers since the 2006 season. They include Joe Girardi, Fredi Gonzalez, Edwin Rodriguez and now Guillen. I am not including Brandon Hyde and Jack McKeon, who took over for Rodriguez in the middle of the 2011 season. They were replacements. In Girardi and Guillen, they both have a World Series ring as a manager. Gonzalez led the Atlanta Braves to the playoffs last season. Loria has dismissed so many people before ever truly giving them a chance. But even worse may be that he just doesn’t even know when he has made a bad decision in the first place. Everyone knew that this wasn’t going to work in Miami with Guillen. Loria wouldn’t allow it. Guillen is controversial and outspoken. While that is not always a bad thing, it had no chance of working with Loria. Truth be told, I guarantee you that Loria would have preferred to have fired Guillen during the first week of the season following his comments regarding Fidel Castro. I don’t know what made him stick with Guillen for the season, but this move was a long time coming. Now, I am not saying that none of this is Guillen’s fault. The Marlins had their worst season in 13 years, although they had more talent than they had over that similar time span. But the Marlins never handle their business the right way. They signed Jose Reyes before even telling Hanley Ramirez that the move would force him to third base. They then went on to trade Ramirez for much less than they could have gotten for him had they just waited  a few more months. After that deal, the Marlins had one of their classic fire sales, with the only difference being that it did not happen the offseason after the team won a World Series. When Miami hires its’ next manager, it will technically be the fifth one put in place since 2010. I would not envy whoever the team chooses, as it is almost guaranteed to not end well, as long as Loria owns the team and Larry Beinfest and David Samson are running the show. They may as well have been the trio in The Three Stooges movie remake last year. They are certainly baseball’s version. Good luck to the Marlins and their next manager. They are going to need it. And don’t feel too bad for Guillen. Miami still has to pay him $7.5 million over the next three years to sit on his couch and watch his former team continue to make unintelligent decisions. Brilliant.   The post Miami Marlins: Jeffrey Loria Cements Status As Most Ignorant MLB Owner As Marlins Fire Ozzie Guillen appeared first on Hardball Chat Baseball Blog.