Ozzie Guillen vows to be less patient

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MIAMI -- With his team in last place, Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen says he'll make at least one change in his approach next year: He'll be less patient with injured players.

"Same philosophy, less bull," Guillen said Wednesday. "That's going to work better."

As the Marlins stagger toward the end of a disappointing season, Guillen said he has been unhappy with players undergoing lengthy rehabilitations. He said players sometimes have waited weeks before accepting the organization's advice to undergo surgery, and pledged that the practice no longer will be tolerated.

“

It's time for this organization to move on and be tough on the players. We're not going to go through, 'OK, let's wait for another month. It might be better.' It never happens.

” -- Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen

"It's time for this organization to move on and be tough on the players," Guillen said. "We're not going to go through, 'OK, let's wait for another month. It might be better.' It never happens.

"Agents and doctors and different opinions make guys take a different way. Now it's time for the Marlins to take our way. I don't care about opinions. That's the way we're going to do it from now on."

Guillen expressed particular impatience with outfielder-first baseman Logan Morrison, who was limited to 93 games this year because of knee trouble and faces another operation next week. Morrison plans to be ready for the start of spring training.

"I hope he's healthy," Guillen said. "I expect everybody here to be healthy for spring training and ready to go, because if not, they're going to be surprised."

Guillen also mentioned utilityman Emilio Bonifacio and reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo. Bonifacio has been on the disabled list since last week with a right knee sprain and likely will miss the rest of the season. If he needs surgery, he should have it soon, Guillen said.

Oviedo has been on the disabled list since July with a right elbow sprain and won't pitch in 2012.

Guillen said he doesn't want a repeat of this year's spring training, when Morrison and slugger Giancarlo Stanton nursed injuries and weren't ready for the start of the regular season.

"Not when I'm here," Guillen said. "Guys play bad, have surgery, rehab, and I'm the one who is going to get fired. We paid them a lot of money for them to play for us. They've got to respond to us -- to the Marlins."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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