MarlinsNation

When Hanley Ramirez eventually returns to Miami in Dodger Blue, what kind of recognition will he get from the crowd?

Apparently, those left behind to pick up the pieces of a franchise being characterized as a “disappointment”, a “failure”, or having a “fire sale” have nothing to say, except relief.

If Greg Cote’s article is right, Ozzie Guillen bluntly calls out Hanley for his lack of production. In fact, to quote the quotable one, Ozzie was asked what Hanley’s absence would mean to the lineup, “Nothing. Because he wasn’t producing.” Even Larry Beinfest admits some problems, “We’ve had some challenges with him.”

Before this is characterized as some spin-doctoring, remember that the Marlins do have a past shadowed with problems from Hanley. And, to be honest, it is self-inflicted. Maybe the Marlins pandered to him a bit too much. It was Jeffrey Loria who did surprise him with jewelry. Also, looking back at Fredi Gonzalez’s attempt to discipline Hanley may have been the straw that broke the fish’s back. From Heyman’s article:

We can only guess as to how many times Gonzalez has covered for his petulant star before, but Marlins people say it has happened quite frequently. “It seems to be an annual thing with him,” said one Marlins-connected person. Ramirez’s maturity level is said by people around the team to be nowhere near even his 25 years, and he’s earned their disrespect through previous misdeeds, many of which were cagily obscured by Gonzalez.

There is a history here with Hanley and his tantrums behind the scenes with the Marlins. Many are starting to point this out, which begs the obvious question – why now? Like Ozzie says, “When you winning, everybody look better to you, even your wife. When you losing, everybody hate each other.”

Despite the pointing of fingers over Hanley’s actions while he was a Marlin. the fact is the Marlins still have a season to play and have to find ways to win games. They weren’t doing it with Hanley here, so they might as well get it going without him. We’ll see if the attitude really has changed with this team and if they can salvage the season.

Share what you think about the Hanley deal on our group forum.