‘The Franchise’ on Showtime teams up with Miami Marlins

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‘The Franchise,’ Showtime’s sports documentary series that probes the behind-the-scenes happenings of a professional baseball team, will return for a second season -- with the Miami Marlins as the focus.

Last season, the series put the spotlight on the San Francisco Giants as they defended their World Series title.

The Marlins recently acquired several all-stars, including Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell and Carlos Zambrano, who will join up with established Marlin stars Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson and Mike Stanton.

Outspoken manager Ozzie Guillen will likely be a key character in the series, which is also expected to examine how the team deals with a name change (from the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins), the construction of a new stadium and the unveiling of dramatically new uniforms.

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