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Post-retirement plan: Guillen a skipper, too

By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 20, 2000

CHICAGO -- He's 36 with his best days behind him, but Ozzie Guillen is genuinely excited about what's ahead.

He'd like to play several more seasons in the big leagues, convinced that with talent and savvy he still can help a team win games. "And in many different ways," he said.

And he'd really like to keep playing for the Devil Rays, even in his somewhat limited role. "I think I'm having more fun here than I've ever had in my career," he said. "My goal is to come back with the Devil Rays. That's my first, second and third choice.

"I love the city, my kids love it, my family loves it. There's a great bunch of guys here, and I think in the next two years they're going to have a real good team. They're going to have a winning attitude, and I really want to be part of that."

After that, Guillen would like to move to the end of the bench.

He wants to manage.

He knows he may have to put in some time first as a coach, and that's fine. But eventually, he wants to be a manager somewhere in the major leagues.

And he thinks he'll be darn good at it.

"If you gave me the lineup card right now I think I could manage the game," he said. "The big question to me is the behind-the-scenes stuff."

Guillen is confident he'd have no problems with the media, the players or the on-field strategies: "I think I can handle it."

And what he doesn't know about personnel matters, front-office politics and manager-general manager relations, he figures he'll learn.

"I want to have a chance," he said.

Several current Rays say they'd like to see him get the opportunity, basically because they're pretty sure he'd do well.

Longtime teammate Roberto Hernandez said Guillen's tendency to be brutally honest about himself and others would be a plus. "He's not going to B.S. you," Hernandez said. "And he's not going to sugarcoat anything."

Greg Vaughn is excited about the whole package.

"Awesome," Vaughn said. "He'd be awesome. He knows the game, inside and out. He knows all aspects.

"He knows how to have fun, which is what a team needs. He's not going to be isolated. A manager should be out in the locker room playing cards and joking around, not be isolated. He's too loud to be isolated. And he's not going to play favorites. He would be a great manager."

200-200 CLUB: There aren't many things left in baseball that only one person has done, and Fred McGriff is about to erase another one.

McGriff needs four home runs to match Frank Robinson's singularly distinctive accomplishment of hitting 200 home runs in each league.

"Any time you're the only one to do something, it's special," Robinson said. "But you have to understand that it may not last, that it won't last a lot of times, and that you have to share it with someone."

JUST WONDERING: How wide of a smile did Vince Naimoli have over recent disclosure of the financial problems in Arizona? ... Will there be much ceremony Aug. 28 when the St. Petersburg Devil Rays play what may well be the last minor-league game at picturesque Florida Power Park?

WIN-WINN SITUATION: The acquisition of Jason Tyner seems to indicate the Rays have seen enough of Randy Winn, but manager Larry Rothschild said that was not necessarily true. "I don't think Randy Winn has come to the major-league level and played the way he is capable of playing," he said.

TOOL BOYS: Infielder Aubrey Huff, now with the Rays, was named the best batting prospect in the Triple-A International League in Baseball America's annual Best Tools survey of league managers. Tyner was named best baserunner and Durham's Ryan Jackson the top defensive first baseman. Newly acquired prospect Jesus Colome was tabbed with the best fastball in the Texas League.

FINAL ANSWER: Bidders in the online auction of last weekend's old-style uniforms apparently were looking for Sox appeal. Top dollars went for the jerseys worn by Chicago's Frank Thomas ($3,950) and Magglio Ordonez ($3,051). The highest bid for a Rays jersey was $750 for Fred McGriff, with Albie Lopez second at $510. Lowest? The $172 each for Wilson Alvarez, Dave Eiland and Juan Guzman. The auction raised in excess of $42,000 for charity.

HOO-RAYS: A two-day mid-spring training trip to Mexico City with games against the Pirates is close to being finalized. ... Expect to see the Rays retain the 4:15 p.m. Saturday start times. ... Tyner plans to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

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