Emilio Bonifacio was 21 years old and in Class A, playing for the Lancaster Jethawks, and he earnestly asked his manager a question. "Skip, did you ever play in the big leagues?" he inquired.
"Yeah, a little bit," said Brett Butler, a veteran of 17 seasons, 2,375 career hits and 558 career steals. "If you listen, I can show you some things that can help you."
Bonifacio didn't realize it at the time, but he had much in common with his manager. He, like Butler, had the ability to set the tone for his lineup with aggressiveness on the bases, and in time, as Butler worked with him while he was in the Diamondbacks' organization, he became more adept at putting the ball in play and piling pressure on the infielders.
But after a while, Butler came to believe that Bonifacio more closely resembled another speedy young infielder he once had worked with -- Jose Reyes.
"He has characteristics and a personality that are a lot like Reyes," said Butler, now the manager of the Triple-A Reno Aces. "He transcended all cultures in the clubhouse.
"He is teddy bear-ish. Everybody loves him. I've never heard a bad word said about Bonifacio."
It is evident that teammates love the energy Bonifacio generates with his baserunning arrogance. In 2005, as a 20-year-old, Bonifacio batted .270 in the Midwest League. What Butler wanted Bonifacio to focus on was putting the ball in play on the ground, rather than driving the ball. He made a rule for Bonifacio: At least once a game, the middle infielder was to attempt a bunt. If Bonifacio didn't drop a bunt on his own in his first three plate appearances, Butler would order him to bunt in his last plate appearance.
But little arm-twisting was required because Bonifacio listened and asked questions and put in the effort to improve, going out to the ballpark for early work in the middle of the afternoon to bunt from both sides of the plate. If Bonifacio -- whose speed is comparable to Reyes' speed, Butler says -- could get either middle infielder to move, to change position as they tried to adapt to how quickly he got down the line, it could be a great thing for him, Butler told him.
Some fast runners are afraid of getting thrown out, but Butler found Bonifacio to be overly aggressive at times, wanting to run all the time, without enough consideration for the circumstances. However, Bonifacio adjusted.
And now he has adjusted again, in the aftermath of his trade to the Marlins. Bonifacio was moved to third base at the outset of spring training as the Marlins tried to find a place for him to hit, and he has thrived early this season, hitting .386 and scoring 12 runs in eight games. His speed has been game-changing, and the Marlins have burst out in front in the National League East, beating the Nationals, Mets and Braves on the way to an 8-1 start.
There are talent evaluators who think that eventually, opposing pitchers will stop throwing fastballs over the plate to Bonifacio and will start getting him out by pounding fastballs inside to him, mixing the hard stuff with off-speed stuff away.
"When you're in the big leagues, it's the adjustment to the adjustment to the adjustment," Butler said.
So the questions linger. When will pitchers adjust? And how long will it take for Bonifacio to adjust to the new way pitchers are working him? Maybe it started Thursday, when he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.
Or maybe not.
The Marlins now are 8-1 after thumping the Braves and closing out a sweep, Joe Capozzi writes.
Cody Ross busted out in a big way, writes Juan Rodriguez.
• Geoff Jenkins remains unsigned and continues to work out in Arizona, preparing for his next opportunity, said Damon Lapa, his agent. "He definitely wants to play," Lapa said. "I just think he's being constructively selective." Jenkins, 34, was released by the Phillies near the end of spring training. He batted .246 with nine homers in 2008, doing most of his damage against right-handed pitchers. With the Yankees having just lost Xavier Nady -- possibly for the year -- he might be a fit for New York, although general manager Brian Cashman might prefer a right-handed hitting outfielder to replace the right-handed hitting Nady; Jenkins bats left-handed.
• Washington manager Manny Acta is on the hot seat. If he were to be let go, the dismissal might be one of the more senseless in recent decades. As one rival general manager said the other day, "Can Manny Acta manage? I have no idea. How could you tell, considering the teams he's been given? How could you know anything about how he does his job?"
• From the opening of Yankee Stadium: A special opening day in the Bronx was spoiled, writes Tyler Kepner. The prices in the new park ranged from $5 to $2,625, Joshua Robinson writes. The old mystique is gone, writes Bill Rhoden. An emotional and quiet George Steinbrenner watched the first game and was applauded, Jack Curry writes. Curry's review of the park, in the same story: "It's beautiful." Joel Sherman found the new place far too quiet and wonders whether the Yankees squandered a home-field advantage.
• Looks like Milton Bradley might be facing a suspension, Paul Sullivan writes.
For the rest of Buster's blog, including the link between Sweet Lou and Governor Blago, how well David Price is doing in the minors, Ian Kinsler and the Hall of Fame, and how unstoppable the Dodgers might become, please sign up for ESPN Insider. 
• Lou Piniella got some lineup advice from infamous ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Dings and dents
1. The Royals' Alex Gordon will have hip surgery and miss many weeks. The guy who will do his surgery is the same person who did A-Rod's surgery.
2. Speaking of, Alex Rodriguez took his first batting practice and felt good about it, writes Kevin Kernan.
3. An MRI confirmed that Chris Carpenter has a muscle tear, via MLB.com.
4. A trio of Astros are dealing with back pain, writes Brian McTaggart.
5. Vladimir Guerrero has a strain and might sit out for a while.
The battle for jobs
1. Nick Johnson was moved into the No. 2 spot in the Washington lineup, Zach Berman writes.
2. David Price had a strong outing pitching in Triple-A.
Thursday's games
1. Cliff Lee was better and the Indians won the first decision in new Yankee Stadium, Anthony Castrovince writes.
2. Roy Halladay always beats the Twins, and he did it again Thursday. Toronto is 8-3. Kevin Millar has no concerns about the Jays' offense.
3. The long Nationals winless drought has ended: They won for the first time this season -- in a rout -- writes Ben Goessling.
4. The Mets' pitching woes continued, David Waldstein writes.
5. Chris Duncan had a bad day in the field but hammered the ball. In the middle of this game, Adam Wainwright did a great job of pitching out of a tight spot.
6. Lance Berkman mashed a home run in a big spot.
7. You can't stop the Dodgers; you can only hope to contain them: Their winning streak stands at five games after they hammered the Giants.
8. Jeff Niemann pitched well, but the Rays were punchless again, Joe Smith writes.
9. It turns out the Mariners are mortal after all: They finally lost a game.
Other stuff
• Adam Jones thinks the Orioles have a lineup that is better than that of the Yankees -- or the Rays, or the Red Sox -- writes Jeff Zrebiec.
• The Rangers' sloppiness could cost Ron Washington, writes Kevin Sherrington.
• The strikeout artists in the Royals' bullpen could hold the key to their season, writes Sam Mellinger.
• Some Indians found it tough to see CC Sabathia in a Yankees uniform, Sheldon Ocker writes.
• The Red Sox are glad to be going home, writes Sean McAdam.
• The Tigers' bullpen has been excellent so far this season, writes Lynn Henning.
• Adam LaRoche is Mr. April this season, Dejan Kovacevic writes.
• Jimmy Rollins is off to a slow start at the plate, as mentioned in this David Murphy notebook.
• Ian Kinsler's big day Wednesday drew the attention of the Hall of Fame.
• The Dodgers' James Loney is growing up, writes Dylan Hernandez.
• Harry Kalas knew when to use the sound of silence, writes Paul Hagen. Kalas made the game vivid for a blind fan, writes Jim Salisbury.
• The burial of Nick Adenhart joined two worlds, writes Dan Connolly.
• Saw this headline this morning and almost fell out of my chair: "Prosecutors drop bid to put Barry in jail." Good news for Barry Bonds? Nope. Not that Barry.
• I've got a morning assignment, so I couldn't get to a lot of the links. I'll be back at it Saturday.