Column: Guillen steals more headlines than games

“I work in this job for money. I don’t work for nothing. Money. That’s it. The ring? (Bleep) the ring. I don’t even wear my (bleeping) rings. I don’t.”

“You know what I saw a couple days ago? I saw a 62-foot boat. That’s what I want, and that’s what I’m going to get. People have to pay me for that. White Sox? I don’t know. Marlins? I don’t know. But somebody will pay. I want to buy my (bleeping) boat. That’s my inspiration. My inspiration is money. That’s everybody’s inspiration.”

OK, so we know what Ozzie wants out of the deal. But what should the Marlins expect for all that money?

Plenty of headaches, to name one; heartache, as measured in wins and losses, for another. Guillen would have to perform a miracle to see the postseason with the Marlins‘ habitually lowball talent _ even Tony La Russa couldn’t make a difference with their payroll _ but he will help the club sell seats in the new ballpark.

Guillen isn’t even close to Angels skipper Mike Scioscia when it comes to managing on the fly, either, but he has good instincts and a well-deserved reputation as a motivator, especially with Latin ballplayers. The Marlins are gambling that he can work his magic on shortstop Hanley Ramirez, one of the club’s few prized long-term assets, but they better remember that when it comes to building loyalty, Guillen’s great strength _ honesty _ cuts both ways.

Who can forget how he mentored Magglio Ordonez in Chicago, then turned on his fellow Venezuelan the second he bolted for Detroit and blamed Guillen for meddling in his contract talks with the White Sox?

“He thinks he’s got an enemy? No, he’s got a big one,” Guillen said at the time. “He knows I can (bleep) him over in a lot of different ways. He better shut the (bleep) up and just play for the Detroit Tigers.”

The Marlins will be paying top-dollar for that kind of buzz, a distinct change in tactics for an ownership that previously hired good company men like Joe Girardi and Fredi Gonzalez on the cheap and kept them on a short leash.

The deal is reported at four years and $4 million per. The guess here is it’s likely to last only as long as management is content with Ozzie stealing plenty more headlines than games.

___

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org. Follow him at http://twitter.com/JimLitke.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.