Contrite Guillen returns after suspension

MIAMI -- Ozzie Guillen emerged from the clubhouse tunnel three hours before game time Tuesday, saw the horde of media waiting for him in the dugout and uttered an expletive in surprise.

He's back.

Returning from a five-game suspension imposed after he praised Fidel Castro, Guillen rejoined the team for last night's game against the Cubs.

"I feel great," Guillen said, seated in the dugout and facing about 50 reporters and cameramen three hours before the first pitch. "It's nice to come back and do what I love to do."

The talkative, opinionated Guillen said he won't change, but added he'll steer clear of certain subjects from now on. He also said he'll be more careful about what he says around people he doesn't know well.

"My business is to talk about baseball,'' he said. "I learned a very tough lesson. You learn from mistakes. I hope this mistake makes me a better person."

Josh Johnson allowed two runs in seven innings and Heath Bell earned the save in the Marlins' 5-2 win. Hanley Ramirez broke a 2-all tie with a three-run homer in the eighth, his third.

For Guillen, the win was a relief.

"Thank God this day is over with," he said.

No demonstrations targeted at Guillen were evident, although a screaming fan in the second deck did call him an insulting name several times midway through the game.

Some fans had pledged to stay away in protest. Announced attendance was 24,544, the smallest in five games at the Marlins' new ballpark.

Guillen said what he heard from the crowd was supportive. "Everything was pretty nice," he said. "It made my day a little easier. I appreciate the way people were, not just with me but with the team."

The Venezuelan's comments about Castro in a magazine interview outraged Cuban Americans, who make up a large segment of the Marlins' fan base. Guillen apologized repeatedly at an extraordinary news conference a week ago, then began the suspension only five games into his tenure with the team.

Contrite but upbeat, Guillen said he spent his idle week at home in Miami and watched Marlins games on television, which he found weird. He said he visited with Cuban exiles and was moved by the stories they told.

"The most difficult thing was looking directly in their eyes," Guillen said. "One gentleman spent 26 years in prison. Tears came out. I asked for their forgiveness. I still feel bad because I injured many persons."