Justin Miller and his infamous tattoos get some ink in Inked Magazine (including photos).

Congrats to Ricky Nolasco who was named the National League Co-Player of the Week (he is sharing the award with some guy from the Pirates).

Ricky went 2-0 this week with a 1.23 ERA, dominating two good teams (Philadelphia and Tampa Bay). In last night’s game against Tampa, he struck out 12 and was one out away from the Marlins’ first complete game since 1962 [Update: For those who didn't realize it, that was a joke. The Marlins are on course to set the MLB record for the most consecutive games without a complete game. The last Marlins complete game was on September 10, 2006 when Dontrelle Willis shutout the Phillies 3-0]..

Jacque Jones was designated for assignment this evening. He didn’t hit much and frankly showed no signs of returning to form. He is smart enough to know it:

Jones, 33, took the news surprisingly well, especially since he’s hitting a combined .147 in 116 at-bats with the Tigers and Marlins this year. He was smiling in the clubhouse, saying he needs to “get his head together.”

Robert Andino is back up giving the Fish another infielder while allowing Cody Ross and Alfredo Amezaga to continue their good work in center field.

MLB.com revealed the details of Hanley Ramirez’s contract:

Ramirez will make $5.5 million in 2009, and the deal bumps up considerably in the upcoming years.

By coming to terms now, the Marlins will lock up Ramirez through his arbitration years (2009-2011), and then three more years, where he could have qualified for free agency. For those three seasons, the shortstop will earn $23.5 million.

The Dominican Republic native will get $15 million in 2012, $15.5 million in 2013 and $16 million in 2014

There is no signing bonus or no-trade clause so the Marlins didn’t take a huge risk on this already discounted deal. The deal will be formally announced Saturday morning at the Orange Bowl.

A fan over at the MarlinsBaseball Forums says he received the flyer below at his home calling fans to the Orange Bowl area Saturday at 11 AM. Seeing that the Marlins, the City, and the County are all listed, it makes one wonder whether the ballpark will be revealed. It is also a good opportunity to announce Hanley Ramirez’s new contract.

We all know that Hanley Ramirez is about to sign the big deal once the team returns to South Florida. That being said, it’s nice to see some confirmation when Hanley’s website posts this video:

We had read some rumors that the Marlins were looking to lock up key players (namely Hanley Ramirez) but we didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

So on to the big news:

According to a high-ranking Major League Baseball source, the Marlins have reached a tentative agreement on a six-year, $70 million contract with their star shortstop. The deal is not expected to be formally announced for at least a few days.

At an average of a little over $11 million, the current Marlins ownership did something they haven’t really done before:

They normally don’t lock up players through their arbitration years, along with buying out a few years of free agency. But they did so with Ramirez, who has accepted the leadership role on a young franchise.

The Marlins renewed Ramirez’s 2008 contract for $439,000.

As early as Spring Training, the Marlins began internal discussions on how to retain Ramirez for the long haul. There was a thought to wait until after the season, but with each passing day, the Dominican Republic native’s market value kept rising.

This should be great news for Fish fans as we not only get to cheer for Hanley in the future but it also shows that ownership is committed to winning with our talented lineup. Maybe all the naysayers in South Florida and throughout baseball will finally give us a break. This also demonstrates that the team is certain the ballpark is a done deal. Despite some of the facts, we hope they’re right.

I wasn’t able to pick it all up, but Mike Jacobs announced the lineup for FSN today used the following nicknames:

• Hanley “H2R” Ramirez
• Josh “The Hammer” Willingham
• Jorge “Cannot” Cantu
• Mike “Robo” Rabelo
• Alfredo “The Fly Mexican” Amezaga
• Mark “I can dunk on you” Hendrickson

Another win for the first place Marlins, this time riding a strong performance by Mark Hendrickson and surviving another outfield blunder. Great play by Josh Willingham to save a game tying homerun.

In unrelated news, Mike Rabelo was activated off the DL and Paul Hoover was sent down to AAA.

Nice article in the Rock Mount Telegram about the Carolina Mudcats and the impressive line up we have in AA. They played their opener against the Montgomery Biscuits (I kid you not).

Eight of the top 11 prospects in the Florida Marlins organization are with the Double-A team, and it was easy to see why this group is thought of so highly.

Starting pitcher Chris Volstad was efficient, giving up one run in six innings.

Cameron Maybin, the crown jewel of the system, might have struck out twice, but he had a pair of singles and a stolen base.

Shortstop Manuel Mayorson hit a double and scored, stole a base and took several hits away from the Biscuits.

Chris Coghlan, the best hitter for average the Marlins have in the minor leagues, was 3-for-4 and as impressive at second base as Mayorson was at short.

The Mudcats won 7-1.