Ozzie Guillen is done after one season with the Marlins. (Getty Images)

Last offseason the Marlins threw around big bucks to bring people in to wear their new uniform, but this offseason they’re spending money for people not to wear their uniform.

The Marlins fired manager Ozzie Guillen on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the team.

“After careful consideration following the disappointment of the 2012 season, we decided to dismiss Ozzie,” said Marlins president Larry Beinfest in a statement released by the team. “Our managerial search begins immediately and our hope is that a new manager, along with roster improvements, will restore a winning culture.”

The Marlins went 69-93 in 2012, finishing last in the National League East. Last week the team traded Heath Bell to Arizona, absorbing $8 million of the $21 million left on his contract. Guillen had three years and $7.5 million left on his contract.

In nine years as a big-league manager, Guillen has a 747-710 record and won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005. The Marlins traded two prospects to the Sox at the end of the 2011 season to acquire the rights to Guillen. The team hoped the Venezuelan manager would connect with the Latin American community in South Florida. Instead, he alienated them early in his tenure by making positive comments about Cuba’s Fidel Castro. He was suspended five games for his comments.

Brandon Marshall’s 7-yard TD catch, a pair of Robbie Gould FG’s and a stifling D give the Bears a 13-7 win over the Lions. Shutout for most of the game, Detroit scores a TD late in the fourth but can’t recover its onside kick.

There was a big gasp going through Soldier Field as Jay Cutler writhed in pain on the field. He got up and the defense provided a big lift.Cutler returned after bruising his ribs, and Brian Urlacher made a key fumble recovery to help the Bears hold off the Detroit Lions 13-7 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.It was certainly not an easy night for the NFC North leaders, particularly their quarterback, but they came away with the win after a week off and possibly buried Detroit (2-4) in the process despite getting a major scare along the way.That happened in the second quarter when Cutler was sacked by Ndamukong Suh and ultimately wound up going to the locker room to have his ribs examined.Cutler came back to start the second half and was 16 of 31 with 150 yards and a touchdown in the game, but with the defense locking down the Lions, the Bears (5-1) prevailed. It was a huge blow for last-place Detroit, a team many expected to contend for the division championship after making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.The Lions simply never got in gear, and when they had chances, they blew them. The biggest came early in the third quarter, when Joique Bell fumbled at the goal line with the Bears leading 13-0. Urlacher recovered and the Bears hung on from there, sending Detroit to its fourth loss in five games.Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 81 yards and scored a touchdown on the Bears first possession. Matt Forte ran for 96 yards, and with the defense doing its part again, the Bears never really were threatened in this one.It was a rough night for the Lions, with Matthew Stafford going 28 of 46 for 261 yards after leading the late charge in last week’s win over Philadelphia. Calvin Johnson had trouble shaking the Bears’ Charles Tillman and finished with three catches for 34 yards. He dropped a deep pass over the middle on the game’s first possession even though he was wide open.The Lions lost receiver Nate Burleson to a knee injury in the third quarter on a hit by Tim Jennings after a catch.There weren’t many scares for the Bears, with one big exception.They were leading 10-0 in the second quarter and had just taken over at their 26 when that happened.Cutler, who had his helmet ripped off on a hit by Suh after a run last year at Soldier Field, got driven to the turf by him on an 8-yard sack. He came up kneeling and holding his head as trainers tended to him, then ran to the sideline.Jason Campbell came in for one play, but Cutler returned right after that and threw an incomplete pass on third down before they punted. But after Julius Peppers recovered a fumble by Mikel Leshoure to stop a Lions threat, Campbell was behind center. Cutler was having his ribs examined, but he was back out there to start the second half, some fans cheering as he trotted onto the field.They were really roaring moments later when Stefan Logan fumbled trying to catch Adam Podlesh’s punt. Zack Bowman recovered it for the Bears at the 27, and that led to a 21-yard field goal by Robbie Gould to make it 13-0 after Cutler had two passes broken up with the ball on the 3.The Lions lost Burleson after a 16-yard catch near midfield on the next possession but drove all the way to the 1 before Bell turned it over. As he lunged over the pile, Henry Melton poked the ball out and Urlacher made the recovery to keep the shutout going. D.J. Moore extended it when he picked off Stafford near the goal line in the closing minutes. The Lions finally scored when Stafford connected with Ryan Broyles on a 12-yarder with 30 seconds left.Early on, the Bears looked like a team bent on solidifying its spot on top of the division while burying the Lions.They struck on their first possession, with Forte getting some big blocks and breaking through a hole on the left side for a 39-yard run to the 7, and Cutler connected with Marshall on the next play to make it 7-0. Gould added to it with a 39-yard field goal late in the quarter, after a 24-yard scramble by Cutler and personal foul by Detroit’s Corey Williams against Earl Bennett on the play put the ball on the 21. By then, there had already been some chippiness, with players pushing and shoving after a fair catch Logan on a punt.It was hardly a surprise, given the way the emotions boiled over last year at Soldier Field. The Bears won that game 37-13, but the lasting image wasn’t Stafford getting picked off four times. Or, Devin Hester returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown.It was Stafford grabbing Moore by the helmet and throwing him to the ground near the Lions sideline after Jennings picked off a pass, setting off a confrontation between players from both sides and putting the ribbon on a heated game.

SOUTH BEND, Ind.– Theo Riddick pounded his way for a career-high 143 yards and Cierre Wood added 114 yards as fifth-ranked Notre Dame overpowered a Brigham Young defense that entered the game third in the nation against the run, earning a 17-14 victory on Saturday.Riddick had runs of 55 and 27, the two longest rushes of his career, to pace Notre Dame (7-0), which is off to its best start in a decade and has a big game ahead against No. 10 Oklahoma next week. The Cougars (4-4) fell to 0-3 on the road as they surrendered a season-high 270 yards rushing.Backup quarterback Tommy Rees, starting in place of injured Everett Golson, completed 6 of 7 passes in the first quarter for 86 yards and a touchdown, throwing four of those to Tyler Eifert. But Rees missed his next seven passes and the Irish attempted only three passes in the second half.Rees’ only completion of the second half was a 31-yard pass to TJ Jones with a little more than a minute left in the third quarter. Riddick ran the ball up the middle for 19 yards to the BYU 5. Three plays later, George Atkinson III scored on an end around, cutting inside BYU safety Joe Sampson for the touchdown to give the Irish the 17-14 lead.BYU had a chance to regain the lead on the next possession after an Irish penalty. On a third-and-16 from the BYU 10, the Irish stopped BYU quartereback Riley Nelson. But nose guard Louis Nix III was called for grabbing Nelson’s face mask.The Cougars drove to the Notre Dame 31, but Nelson was sacked for a 9 yard loss. Moments earlier Cody Hoffman was wide open for what would have probably been a touchdown, but Nelson’s pass wasn’t close.Nelson was 23-of-36 passing for 177 yards with two interceptions and two TD passes.On Riddick’s 55-yard run from the 37-yard line, he ran into a pile at the line of scrimmage, put his hand down to keep his balance and then broke out of the pack before being caught by cornerback Jordan Johnson at the 8-yard line. But the Irish ran three straight running plays for a gain of 1 yard and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Kyle Brindza to cut BYU’s lead to 14-10 late in the third quarter.Brigham Young took advantage of Notre Dame mistakes to open a 14-7 halftime lead. After going 17 quarters without giving up an offensive touchdown, Notre Dame gave up two in a span of 2:18. Jamaal Williams set up the first score, rushing for 43 yards on five straight carries. He was thrown to the ground out of bounds on the final 21-yard run and Notre Dame safety Matthias Farley was called for a personal foul.On third-and-goal, Nelson threw a touchdown pass to Hoffman, who was wide open in the back of the end zone after three Irish defenders covered receiver JD Falslev. That touchdown ended a streak of Notre Dame holding opponents without a touchdown on 11 straight drives into the red zone.BYU got the ball back three plays later when a pass from Rees bounced off the hands of DaVaris Daniels, deflected up and was intercepted by Kyle Van Noy, who returned the ball to the Notre Dame 30. After Notre linebacker Daniel Spond was called for holding, Riley ran the ball for an 8-yard gain to the Notre Dame 12. After a 10-yard pass to Ross Apo, Nelson then threw a 2-yard TD pass that Kaneakua Friel caught as he went to the ground.Notre Dame had a chance to tie the score late in the half after Riddick’s 27-yard run, breaking two tackles and carrying three BYU defenders for the final 10 yards to the BYU 14. But the drive stalled and Brindza missed a 28-yard field goal wide right. He missed a 40-yard field goal on Notre Dame’s opening drive of the game.Notre Dame dominated the first quarter statistically, outgaining the Cougars 120 yards to 40, but led only 7-0. The Irish scored on Rees’ 4-yard TD pass to Tyler Eifert. Next up for the Irish, their toughest challenge yet next Saturday, at Oklahoma.

EVANSTON—Taylor Martinez threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns and Northwestern blew a chance to beat Nebraska for the second straight year, falling 29-28 on Saturday.The Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) rallied from 12 down in the fourth, taking a one-point lead when Martinez hit Ben Cotton with a 7-yard pass with just over 2 minutes left, and hung on when a 53-yard field goal attempt by Northwestern’s Jeff Budzien barely missed wide right with 1:10 remaining. That kept Nebraska in the thick of the Legends division race after being blown out at Ohio State two weeks earlier,and hurt the Wildcats chances.The Cornhuskers can thank Martinez for that. He led them to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and completed 27 of 39 passes in the game, helping Nebraska rack up 543 yards of total offense.Quincy Enunwa added 110 yards receiving, while Kenny Bell caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Ameer Abdullah ran for 101 yards on a day when Rex Burkhead left with an unspecified injury after a short run early on.Venric Mark led Northwestern (6-2, 2-2) with 118 yards rushing, including an 80-yard touchdown that made it an 11-point game early in the third. Trevor Siemian threw for two touchdowns but was just 15 of 35 for 116 yards as the Wildcats lost for the second time in three games.Things were looking good for Northwestern until the closing minutes.Quiet in the first half after rushing for 182 yards against Minnesota the previous week, Mark broke through a massive hole in the middle early in the third quarter on that 80-yard run, making it 21-10.Martinez made it a five-point game when he ran it in from the 3 with just over a minute left in the third, the two-point conversion run failing. But Northwestern’s Mike Trumpy made it 28-16 early in the fourth following a gutsy decision to go for it on fourth-and-inches at the 5. Kain Colter bounced off the pack and spun for a 2-yard gain to keep the drive going, and Trumpy ran it in on the next play.Nebraska quickly responded with an 80-yard scoring drive, Martinez’s 7-yard pass to Taariq Allen capping the drive and drawing loud cheers from the large contingent of Cornhuskers fans. They were really roaring after Cotton caught the go-ahead TD pass, and so was he, for that matter. He stood in the back of the end zone and let one out as teammates mobbed him.Nothing was easy about this one, but Nebraska could at least breathe a little easier, particularly after that 63-38 loss at Ohio State.For NU, the chances of making the Big Ten Championship Game are all but gone with two losses.

AKRON—Jordan Lynch threw two touchdowns and rushed for two more as Northen Illinois routed Akron 37-7 Saturday in Mid-American Conference action.Lynch finished with 223 yards on 20 of 33 passing and threw touchdown passes of nine and four yards.Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-1) held a 13-7 lead before Lynch’s 15-yard touchdown run gave the Huskies a 20-7 advantage at halftime.After Lynch’s second touchdown pass pushed the lead to 30-7, his second touchdown run, this time a 35-yarder, created the final margin.Lynch, who finished with 131 yards on the ground, has rushed for 100-plus yards in each of the Huskies’ last six games.Akron (1-7, 0-4) struggled to move the ball, gaining just 194 yards on 65 plays from scrimmage.NIU has won 16 of its last 17 games. Its last lost was by one point to Iowa in the 2012 season opener at Soldier Field.

NEW YORK—The clowns Gary “Beavis” Bettman and Donald “Butthead” Fehr continue to strike their miserable issues on NHL Fans!

In a move that was expected following Thursday’s CBA meeting in Toronto, the NHL announced Friday it has canceled regular-season games through Nov. 1.

The league had previously canceled the first two weeks of the regular-season schedule, and the latest games to hit the chopping block brings total missed to 135.

It’s still possible these games could be rescheduled if a deal can be finalized over the next week.

The owners and players exchanged proposals over the past week with the NHLPA presenting the league three separate offers Thursday. Commissioner Bettman said the proposals from the players represented a step backward and that he was thoroughly disappointed with the lack of progress.

He also said it seems like the two sides are still speaking different languages.

After making a proposal of its own on Tuesday the NHL said it was hopeful to start a full 82-game schedule Nov. 2, and that any delay past Oct. 25 would result in the cancellation of signature events on the NHL schedule. Those events could include, but not be limited to, the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the NHL All-Star game in Columbus.

The fact the league didn’t cancel games beyond the first of the month at this point still leaves open the possibility that a full season can be salvaged. The league said an 82-game schedule starting Nov. 2 would require teams to play an extra game every five weeks.

Don’t buy it, it’s not happening anytime soon unless Bettman and Fehr are eliminated, and since the Owners and Players respectivly think these two goofs are both geniouses.

Nate Robinson scored 24 points and Richard Hamilton added 23 to lead the Bulls in a 100-94 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Joakim Noah scored 16 points for the Bulls (2-2). Robinson started in place of Kirk Hinrich, who sat out with a sore right thumb.Brandon Jennings, Samuel Dalembert and Mike Dunleavy each scored 13 points for the Bucks (2-1), who shot 41.9 percent from the field. Rookie John Henson exited with a left knee injury and did not return.The Bucks pulled to 94-91 after a 14-4 run capped by Beno Udrih’s two free throws with 3:02 left.Robinson responded with a jumper, and Hamilton and Carlos Boozer each hit two free throws to put the game away.Milwaukee pulled within six in the third quarter, but the Bulls answered with a 13-3 run for a 79-63 lead.The Bulls last trailed 30-29 late in the first quarter, but Robinson hit a 35-footer before the buzzer for the lead for good.Nazr Mohammed scored eight points during the Bulls’ 17-2 run to open the second quarter, extending the margin to 49-32.

Dusty Baker has agreed to a two-year contract extension. (US Presswire)

CINCINNATI—The Cincinnati Reds and manager Dusty Baker have agreed to a two-year contract extension, the club announced Monday afternoon. The announcement will be made Monday at 3 p.m. ET news conference in Cincinnati.

“In Dusty’s five seasons here he’s taken us to the postseason twice and has proven he can lead our teams to championship-caliber play on the field,” Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini said in a statement. “He’s the right manager to continue the building process that will take us deeper and deeper into the playoffs in the future.”

Baker, 63, led the Reds to a 97-65 regular-season record, winning the NL Central. This success was despite losing superstar first baseman Joey Votto for a significant amount of time in the second half of the season. Baker himself missed 11 games late in the season following a ministroke.

The Reds blew a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five NLDS to the Giants, but they were without ace Johnny Cueto, who left Game 1 injured and had to be replaced on the roster by fifth starter Mike Leake.

Baker has been managing for 19 seasons with the Giants, Cubs and Reds. He has gone 1,581-1,432 during the regular season, winning five division championships. He has been the National League Manager of the Year three times (and has a shot at winning a fourth this season).

One thing that Baker is missing as a manager? A ring. He has won one pennant, with the 2002 Giants, but lost the World Series to the Angels.

Dusty is the ONLY Cub Manager to win a Post Season series since 1906, and he took the Giants to game 7 of the 2002 World Series. The Reds remain a contender for 2013, while the Cubs are light years away from GETTING to the Playoffs, much less the World Series.
Were mistakes made in the 2003 Playoffs,and even during the ill-fated stretch run in 2004? Of course, but it’s as much a Players issue as anything.

SOUTH BEND—TJ Jones made a reaching 7-yard touchdown catch in overtime and No. 7 Notre Dame stopped Stanford inches from the goal line to beat the 17th-ranked Cardinal 20-13 Saturday.After Jones and Tommy Rees gave the Fighting Irish (6-0) a seven-point lead in OT, Stanford (4-2) drove to a first-and-goal at the 4.Stepfan Taylor ran for 1 on first, 2 on second and inches on third down. That left one play from inside the 1 and the Notre Dame defense, led by Carlos Calabrese, stood up Taylor and pushed him back. Taylor kept reaching and turning, and ended up reaching the ball across the goal line, but the officials ruled it was too late. The play had been stopped.The celebration had to wait for a replay review. It was close, but the call stood. The fans completed storming the field, and the national title hopes in South Bend remained alive.

“Our defense is incredible,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said.

Rees relieved Everett Golson after the sophomore took a helmet to the head during Notre Dame’s game-tying field goal drive late in the fourth.In the overtime, Rees lofted a 16-yard pass to Theo Riddick to convert a third-and-8 to the 7. On the next play, he threw behind Jones on a slant and the receiver reached back for a sliding two-handed catch and a 20-13 lead.Then the Fighting Irish defense, which has now not given up a touchdown in four straight games, made it stand. Almost half the field was covered with Notre Dame fans, as rain poured down during the postgame celebration. They didn’t seem to mind. Toss another victory into Notre Dame lore.

NOTES—Notre Dame hosts BYU next Saturday…The Irish are now 4-8 lifetime in Overtime….The last time the Irish started 6-0 was in 2002….ND is 18-9 lifetime vs Stanford.

ANN ARBOR—Denard Robinson overcame his mysterious first-quarter injury and then brushed aside the Illini almost as easily.Robinson threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores, leading No. 25 Michigan in a 45-0 win over the Fighting Illini on Saturday.The Wolverines (4-2, 2-0 Big Ten) got a scare when Robinson left the game with an undisclosed injury late in the first quarter. He missed just one-plus possessions, though, and returned to score on a 6-yard run — his second of four touchdowns — to put Michigan up 17-0 late in the first half.

“It was just a boo-boo,” said Robinson, declining to say what sent him out of the game briefly. “It’s all good. It didn’t bother me at all.”

Robinson threw two TD passes, ran for two scores and accounted for 287 yards, giving him 10,000-plus career yards on offense.He was 7 of 11 for 159 yards and connected with Jeremy Gallon, who turned a short toss into a 71-yard score, and perfectly lofted an 8-yard pass to Devin Funchess in the end zone.Robinson ran 11 times for 128 yards — his 18th career 100-yard game on the ground — and the highlight was a juke-filled, 49-yard run that put Michigan ahead 24-0 early in the second half.

“He made people miss tackles,” Fighting Illini coach Tim Beckman said. “He’s a very, very good football player. He had a sensational game.”

The Wolverines were also pretty good on defense. They had their first shutout since beating Minnesota 58-0 a little more than a year ago and held Illinois to 134 yards of offense with just 13 yards after halftime.

“It’s embarrassing,” Illinois center Graham Pocic said. “We can’t put it all together.”

Michigan also made plays on special teams with freshman Dennis Norfleet returning a punt 42 yards, not giving up a yard on four punts, allowed no more than 21 yards on a kickoff return and connected on its only field goal.

“It’s probably as complete as we played,” Wolverines coach Brady Hoke said. “But it’s not nearly good enough.”

Michigan gave its fans a lot of reasons to cheer on a chilly, rainy day, but the fans cloaked in maize and blue ponchos were loudest when it was announced that rival Michigan State lost earlier in the day at home to Iowa. The Wolverines will host the Spartans (4-3, 1-2) on Saturday, hoping to snap a four-game losing streak in the series, but insisted they won’t start thinking about that matchup until Sunday.The Fighting Illini (2-5, 0-3) had their starting quarterback, Nathan Scheelhaase, knocked out of the game because of concussion in the second quarter.Scheelhaase completed two passes for 4 yards and ran six times for 34 yards, including a 23-yard gain in which he was injured when he landed face first in the turf when Jibreel Black hit him from behind.

“I grabbed Nate when he came off the field and he said he was all right and wanted to go back in the game,” Beckman said. “But he did some things that proved he wasn’t all right. Our doctors made the right decision.”

Scheelhaase was replaced by Reilly O’Toole, whose two turnovers in the third quarter helped Michigan pull away. O’Toole was 5 of 10 for 25 yards and lost 8 yards on five carries.In the first half, Illinois had chances to keep it close.Beckman chose to attempt a 50-yard field goal – instead of going for a fourth-and-4 from the Michigan 32 down by 10 points – and Taylor Zalewski missed the kick, ending the drive in which Scheelhaase was hurt. The Illini turned the ball over on downs on their next possession when running back Donovonn Young was dropped for a loss by Kenny Demens on a fourth-and-1 from the Michigan 41.The Wolverines turned the lopsided game into a rout with 21 points in the third, turning two turnovers into TDs and forcing the Illini to lose 9 yards in the quarter.On Illinois’ first snap of the second half, O’Toole threw an interception to Demens and the linebacker returned it 13 yards to the Illini 27 to set up another TD. Toole avoided getting sacked by Jake Ryan later in the third quarter, but held onto the ball long enough for the outside linebacker to get back to him to force a fumble at the Illinois 6.Fitzgerald Toussaint, who had 62 yards rushing on 18 carries, scored on a 2-yard run two plays later to put the Wolverines ahead 38-0.Michigan put backup Russell Bellomy, who replaced Robinson when he was hurt, came back in and promptly fumbled the ball away on the first drive of the fourth quarter.Later, Bellomy handed off to Thomas Rawls up the middle and the backup running back did the rest, breaking two tackles on a 63-yard run to give Michigan a 45-0 lead later in the fourth.Just before kickoff, college football’s winningest school unretired the jersey worn by former President Gerald Ford. The Wolverines let linebacker Desmond Morgan to wear No. 48 with a “Michigan Football Legends,” patch and he made a tackle on Illinois’ first play.