MIAMI ? Dontrelle Willis, wearing an oversized Brian Urlacher Chicago Bears jersey, strolls into the Florida Marlins clubhouse.

 

He greets everyone as if he were at his high school reunion. He hugs. Slaps palms. Waves. And can't stop smiling.

 

"Just look at him," veteran reliever Matt Herges, 36, whispers from the other side of the clubhouse. "This guy was a 22-game winner last year. He has just one win (in the last 52 days). And he acts like we're in first place. He's our letterhead. If he started complaining or feeling sorry for himself, it would be contagious. It would bring down this whole clubhouse. It would be brutal just like it was in Montreal. But he refuses to let it happen."

 

Willis, 24, is the last star still standing from the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship team and the only Florida player making more than the major league average salary. All-Star first baseman Derrek Lee and staff ace Josh Beckett are gone. So are infielders Luis Castillo and Mike Lowell, and starters Brad Penny, A.J. Burnett and Carl Pavano. All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez came and went. Center fielder Juan Pierre was dumped off in Chicago, joining Lee. Even manager Jack McKeon departed.

 

"I feel sorry for Dontrelle because I went through the same thing in Montreal," San Francisco Giants right fielder Moises Alou says. "You're winning one year, and when you show up in spring training the next, everyone is gone. You wake up every day wondering if you're next."

 

This day, the rumor has Willis being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Last week it was the Arizona Diamondbacks. And the New York Mets were the flavor of the day last month? Or was it the Yankees?

 

"I get 'em all mixed up," Willis says. "But I don't pay attention. What for? My friends keep calling and say they hear I'm going here. They hear I'm going there.

 

"Well, I'm still here. I'm still wearing a Marlins' uniform. I don't have my suitcases packed and sitting by the door. I'm going to keep thinking I'm going to stay here until they tell me something different."

 

Down and way out

 

The Marlins, at 20-34, have the second-worst winning percentage in the National League. Willis has won two games all season, winning last Friday in Colorado after going seven weeks and a career-long eight starts without a victory. His dearest friend, Pierre, was part of the fire sale last winter when he was traded to the Cubs. Dolphin Stadium is an empty orange tomb averaging a major-league low 11,532 fans a game.

 

And with Willis and his fianc?e buying a house in Aventura, Fla., it figures he could be traded before his newspaper subscription starts.

 

"I don't read the papers, anyway," Willis said. "I already know what happened in our game. And if it's another rumor about me being traded, I don't want to hear it. I'm trying to stay cool."

 

Says Marlins manager Joe Girardi: "I think it can be distracting for a player if you let it be. But I think he finds it entertaining at times. Every three days it's a new place.

 

"But don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's frustration. Things haven't gone his way this year. And he wants to do well as badly as anyone I've ever seen."

 

The biggest revelation is that despite the losing, lousy attendance, and playing with 18 rookies this season, Willis wants to stay.

 

Sure, he realizes that with a 2-6 record and 4.72 ERA, he is costing himself money. You think when he goes in looking for a raise from his $4.35 million salary this winter, the Marlins or an arbitrator will remember he was 22-10 with five shutouts and a 2.63 ERA last season, finishing runner-up in the Cy Young voting?

 

"It doesn't matter. This is where I want to be," says Willis, who has a 2.40 ERA his past four starts. "This is the organization that gave me a chance, that brought me to the big leagues. This is home. And I'm having a lot of fun here.

 

"I'm not accepting failure, but I'm not going to let this control me, or dictate my personality, either."

 

Says third baseman Miguel Cabrera, a two-time All-Star who's earning $472,000 but could earn 10 times as much in salary arbitration this winter: "There's really no reason for them to trade me or Dontrelle. We both love it here. This is going to be a good team by the end of the year. And next year, we'll be very, very good.

 

"So why would you want to trade us?"

 

Not tipping their hand

 

The Marlins are keeping coy about their plans. General managers persistently inquire about Willis each week, but Marlins general manager Admin Beinfest says they have not engaged in a single trade discussion.

 

Could that change at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline? Perhaps.

 

Can they promise Willis will be wearing a Marlins' uniform in 2007? No.

 

Owner Jeffrey Loria won't guarantee Willis will remain a Marlin until they're legitimate contenders again. He believes they'll make another World Series run in 2008, and strongly indicated that Willis will be around through at least this season.

 

"I don't see why he wouldn't stay here all year," Loria says. "We're paying his salary. That's no problem. So there shouldn't be any question why we wouldn't keep him now.

 

"We don't know what's going to happen in the future, but a lot of people could learn from him. He's classy. He's a winner. And his personality is so electric that you want to be around him to catch some of the sparks.

 

"I don't want to make a unilateral decision here. We're going to have to take everything on its own merits. But we know that a new ballpark is a necessity for the long-term survival of this franchise."

 

This, after all, is still a business. And these are the Marlins, stuck in a football stadium, with a bad lease, little revenue and no hope of a third championship until a new ballpark is built.

 

"It will be devastating if they trade Dontrelle," says Marlins season ticketholder George Evans, 53, a Miami lawyer. "He is the Marlins. To trade him now would just break our hearts.

 

"Then again, we're used it around here."

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl...htm?POE=SPOISVA

"There's really no reason for them to trade me or Dontrelle. We both love it here. This is going to be a good team by the end of the year. And next year, we'll be very, very good.

 

"So why would you want to trade us?"

:notworthy :hat :thumbup

gotta love Dontrelle... with a trade we could probably get more talent (if 3 prospects played out like they should)... but you really cant replace this guy

dontrelle has a fiance?

dontrelle has a fiance?

 

 

Yep. Former bartender at North Miami Beach ale house :thumbup and my god is she hot !

Anyone have a picture of D-Trains fiance

You can not replace the D-Trains character and winning attitude in the clubhouse. His winning attitude and energy is contagious in the club house. The D-Train can not be replaced.

dontrelle has a fiance?

 

 

Yep. Former bartender at North Miami Beach ale house :thumbup and my god is she hot !

Come on man, you know better than that...... you can't make a post like that without pics!

Cabs was also on the 2003 World Series team.

No pics...but she had cute dimples, curly brown hair, brown eyes, nice tan skin, perfect natural looking body and I swear to you all that she once came with me to amatuer night at thee doll house ! :thumbup

gotta love Dontrelle... with a trade we could probably get more talent (if 3 prospects played out like they should)... but you really cant replace this guy

 

 

Can we stop saying that dontrelle should be traded for the right package?????!!!!

 

Who cares if we got 2/3 good prospects for him. His attitude and help in the clubhouse with all this young guys is unvaluable. Talent and being good does you nothing if this youngsters aren't motivated.

 

What did we do with all the talent we had last year??? Having players that are happy with the team and are class act like d-train can't be replaced.

I dont think anyone wants to trade him, but they are just realists around here after all that has gone down.

 

 

Personally I think not trading him and miggy would be a great sign for the future

"It will be devastating if they trade Dontrelle," says Marlins season ticketholder George Evans, 53, a Miami lawyer. "He is the Marlins. To trade him now would just break our hearts.

"Then again, we're used it around here."

 

That made me cry :lol . Its so true.

It is pointless to trade for prospect if D-Train and Cabrera are very young. With a 15M payroll, don't you think that is low enough????

It is pointless to trade for prospect if D-Train and Cabrera are very young. With a 15M payroll, don't you think that is low enough????

 

 

if he were to be traded it wouldnt be about payroll it would be about someone giving up guys that could get us to our goal much quicker, our goal being a 2008 playoffs and 2009 WS.

 

With our stock pile of pitching makes the ability to move willis possible if we get back a CF (elite), Catcher (elite) and another position prospect.

 

Does anyone really want to trade willis? No, but if we can get some team to give us 4 top 50 prospects for him? It would be hard to pass up if you can get 3 future all stars back.

 

miggy on the other hand is a never to be traded player, I dont care if we were offered puljos, I would say no.

Our pitching rotation will be wreck with Willis gone. We should be consider fortunate that our rotation is being solid recently.

miggy on the other hand is a never to be traded player, I dont care if we were offered puljos, I would say no.

 

 

I agree with that 100%. Miggy is going to be ours forever.

It is pointless to trade for prospect if D-Train and Cabrera are very young. With a 15M payroll, don't you think that is low enough????

 

 

if he were to be traded it wouldnt be about payroll it would be about someone giving up guys that could get us to our goal much quicker, our goal being a 2008 playoffs and 2009 WS.

 

With our stock pile of pitching makes the ability to move willis possible if we get back a CF (elite), Catcher (elite) and another position prospect.

 

Does anyone really want to trade willis? No, but if we can get some team to give us 4 top 50 prospects for him? It would be hard to pass up if you can get 3 future all stars back.

 

miggy on the other hand is a never to be traded player, I dont care if we were offered puljos, I would say no.

 

You should know better. What happens if any of those rookies starters JJ, Ding, or any other get really good just like dontrelle and they trade them too 2/3 years down the road? If you are thinking of the future and how good we can be also think of other possibilities.

We're basiclly going to become a farm team for Boston if this is your strategy of how to run the team.

All I'm saying is that d-train attitude and what he's teaching this young guys can't be replaced. Sure, you can get very good prospects for him but we have seen already specially last year that talent is not the only key to a good team when there is no chemistry and players are not happy.

gotta love Dontrelle... with a trade we could probably get more talent (if 3 prospects played out like they should)... but you really cant replace this guy

 

 

Can we stop saying that dontrelle should be traded for the right package?????!!!!

 

Who cares if we got 2/3 good prospects for him. His attitude and help in the clubhouse with all this young guys is unvaluable. Talent and being good does you nothing if this youngsters aren't motivated.

 

What did we do with all the talent we had last year??? Having players that are happy with the team and are class act like d-train can't be replaced.

 

thats what i was saying, dude... calm down, haha.

Willis, 24, is the last star still standing from the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship team

Miguel Cabrera says Hi.

Willis, 24, is the last star still standing from the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship team

Miguel Cabrera says Hi.

As soon as I read that line I stopped reading the article. Obviously this writer has no clue.