Marlins grab offseason hardware

Miguel Cabrera earned himself a Silver Slugger award for thirdbase and now Hanley Ramirez becomes the 2006 NL Rookie of the year.

And that last bit of info could be classified as a bit of a surprise, considering the accomplishments of his teammates, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Dan Uggla, Anibal Sanchez and Josh Willingham among them. In fact, just as impressive is where these rookies all finished up in the voting - Uggla 3rd, Johnson 4th, Olsen 10th, Sanchez 11th and Willingham 12th. Mike Jacobs put together a solid year, in his first of starting duty as well.

But it is Hanley Ramirez that comes away with the ROY hardware, showing a blend of speed and power this season while putting on a slick fielding display that shows he is a promising two way star for this franchise.

Congratulations to both Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera for their accomplishments. And congratulations to the other Marlins who placed in the rookie standings with their strong showing. This was quite a season for the Marlins as they fielded a major league record of rookies and even saw 4 of their rookie starters grab double digit wins in their first year (Olsen, Sanchez, Johnson and Nolasco).

Coaching Rotation Revisited

So, still think firing Girardi was a bad idea?

Let's take a look at some of the evidence here - nothing esoteric, just what is in plain view for all.

Girardi was interviewed by the Cubs - and it was inevitable that he was going to sign with the Cubs and coach them back to greatness, right? Well, nope. Instead, Lou Pinella was granted the managerial position. Ironically, it was Pinella who was being discussed as Torre's replacement in New York. But the Boss did a 180 and kept Torre, which probably cost his protegee his next job.

Then there is the Oakland A's situation. Hailed as the genius of all baseball, Billy Beane fired Ken Macha (again) as manager because they just weren't clicking. Macha had only guided the A's to the playoffs, where they were swept by the Tigers - probably this year's team o' destiny.

Sound familiar? It should.

Macha's firing only puts the Girardi firing in better perspective - and supports the Marlins front office's decision to let Girardi go because it was not a good working relationship. One could argue that the A's made a much more sensational move, but they will get the free pass because Billy Beane is highly touted while the Marlins front office is often berated in the media despite their very successful track record.

And if Girardi was such a commodity, why was he not hired in Chicago over Lou Pinella? He is the manager of the year for the NL and was highly touted by media pundits. He is also a one-time Cubbie and a graduate from Northwestern. Girardi was basically primed for the position and could be a welcomed asset to Cubbieland.

Yet, he was passed over.

Doesn't anyone find it interesting to ask why?

2007 Coaching Staff Round Up: part I

So, what does Freddi Gonzalez do now? Working with Larry Beinfest, they start to piece together a coaching staff.

First up: bench coach. That is going to be Carlos Tosca, a long time mentor and friend to Freddi Gonzalez. Tosca was Gonzalez's first minor league manager, going back to his single A days at Bradenton.

Tosca was going to be the bench coach for the D'Backs in 2007, since Jay Bell left the team, but has opted to sign on with Freddi and the Marlins. Although this deal has not been officially announced, it is being reported by a reputable source the East Valley Tribune.

Tosca does have some big league managing experience. He was the manager for the Blue Jays, taking over for the fired Buck Martinez, from 2002 to 2004 compiling a 191-191 record. In 2003, his only full season, he was able to amass an 86-76 record in the AL East.

At the minor league level, Tosca managed for 17 seasons compiling 932-827 record for a .530 winning percentage. He was a part of Buck Showalter's original Diamondbacks coaching staff, and was his bench coach for 3 seasons.

Tosca is also Cuban, and that will be another key comfort to have around in Miami and in a multi-cultural clubhouse where an ability to speak Spanish can only accentuate the atmosphere.

Front office gets their catch: Freddi Gonzalez

"It's a long way from Erie, man," said Freddi Gonzalez as he was introduced today as the Marlins new manager. Or was it "eerie"? Because that is what this situation has become, at best - just confounding and confusing.

The latest in the "he said" event of the summer around baseball, the rift between Girardi and the Marlins brass, resulted in his firing. Evidently, everyone has to get along to make an organization work.

And that would be the correct sentiment.

There is much going to be printed and discussed about Girardi and how well he managed this young, cheap, Marlins team to 78 wins and a wild card dash. And there is also going to be much polemic leveled at Jeffrey Loria, the Marlins owner, who is going to be villafied even more by the media who will love Girardi and despise Loria.

But it all shouldn't come as a surprise, people.

If you yell at your boss, even if you choose NOT to use curse words, shouldn't you expect the expected? Yes. Girardi knew this, he saw it coming. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the August 6th incident was just a "what the heck" moment since things couldn't have gotten any worse.

There was a power struggle when previously, there hadn't been one. The front office did their job and the management did theirs. McKeon ran the team on the field, with the players he was given. Girardi seemed to want to have more input, but that just wasn't going to happen. It disintegrated.

So, we need to all move on, but that won't happen. There will be questions, and prying and some interest in what went on. Intrigue. At the end of the day, however, all you need to know is that the right man for the job did turn up, even if he was the runner-up last year.

Loria decided to go for hand-picked Girardi, the front office wanted Freddi Gonzalez. And now that the Girardi experiment blew up, the mess has to be cleaned up and the front office started that process by going to who they wanted in the first place.

The timing is impecable. With the playoffs blasting in the forefront of the baseball universe, the Marlins, like thieves in the night, can air out the trash with as little fallout as possible. At least on a national level, where the focus will eventually shift to where Girardi will end up.

Most definetly, the Cubs have to come a knocking. And Girardi can't feel bad about that, after all the Marlins gave him his first shot and made it count by getting all this talent in the house for him to manage. So although there might be some anomosity, Girardi is actually in a better situation than he could dream.

The Marlins are, too. Gonzalez is a student of the game and has worked himself up to this point. He knows how to manage, since his mentor is one of the best in the game - Bobby Cox. His mentor also may have shown him how to hold a job for a while, too. Gonzalez is from Miami, grew up here, and knows the organization even before the current regime was in place.

So Marlins fans, if you are upset that Girardi was fired, that is fine. But you absolutely cannot deny Freddi Gonzalez your attention - after all, he is one of us. He is you - the hardworking Miamian who grew up in the community and has a love for baseball. He is a Cuban-American who represents not only the American dream, but represents Cuban-Americans as well. In time, he will be embraced - by the players, by the fans, by the organization. He is the right man for the job.

Fish Net: Marlins updates 9/28/06

Mike Jacobs takes leave

Mike Jacobs has been excused for the final series of the season, citing personal reasons. It seems he recieved news about his family and needed to tend to them. We hope all is well, Mike, you're a stand up guy and a great part of this team.

There will no doubtedly be speculation about why a leave was granted, and even with the Perry Hill situation there has been whispers that it was due in part to Girardi. But let's not make that mistake here.

2007 Marlins, World Champs?

MarlinAddict made this interesting point which I think we should chew on during the offseason as we have probably another turbulent one:

"Just for the record, and in keeping with baseball superstitions:

The Marlins best two losing seasons have been followed by their two WS championships.

Prior to winning the 1997 WS, the Marlins 80-82. We sweep the Phillies, and we're there.

Prior to winning the 2003 WS, the Marlins were 79-83. We win the series with the Phillies and we're there.

SAT question: The Marlins won 80 games before their first WS, 79 games before their second WS, how many games will they win before their third WS? Answer 78 - we win one game against the Phillies, and we're there.

Next year is 2007, and we only win WS in odd-numbered years."

LINK

No chance at .500

With the loss last night, the Marlins ended their search for a .500 season. At the start of the season, even sniffing anywhere over 70 wins would seem miraculous based on the prognostications. And with all the rookie records being set and the team in line to break its franchise record for runs scored, there is no doubt that the team was a success this year.

Girardi done as a Marlin but why?

The latest report from the Sun-Sentinel, courtesy of Mike Berardino, is that Girardi is going to be booted as manager of the Marlins at the end of the season.

Berardino cites an unamed source who gives several reasons as to why this will take place: from the incident where Loria was actually yelled at by Girardi and Tuck to stop arguing with the umpire (which has several various accounts), to personnel decisions debated internally by the Marlins front office and Girardi. There are even growing concerns about Girardi's in-game managerial skills where he has shown his inexperience most at times. For example, Abercrombie being implemented in CF at the end of a game which saw him make 2 huge errors to help blow a 4 run 10th inning lead on the Braves; bringing Josh Johnson out to continue pitching after an 82 minute rain delay which may have resulted in him landing on the DL to end the season.

But these are seemingly only reasons for Girardi's job security to come into question, not reasons to fire him.

There are a lot of mistakes that Joe has made over the course of this season that must be factored in for a rookie manager to make. Of course, the Marlins have themselves to blame for that decision since they knew Girardi had NEVER managed anywhere prior to this season.

What is puzzling however, is what precisely the level of expectation was within the organization. What was the main objective for this franchise this season and for the front office? If they had actually foreseen their success, then firing Girardi would be excusable since they expected to get to the postseason and Girardi failed to get them there.

The success that came this season was never a realistic option. Beinfest has said as much that the success of this season is a shock to them, but only in terms of wins - not in regards to the talent level of this team.

Such a comment would only undercut any endorsement of Girardi at all, the suggestion being that the manager is almost redundant. This obviously is not the case since the Marlins are working on shipping Girardi off.

Yet before we can decry "Say it ain't so, Joe!", let's not loose sight of something very important - Joe Girardi was the favorite to manage this team. He was handpicked by Jeffrey Loria a year ago and the Marlins brass were very excited in bringing him in and with the possibility of managing this team.

So what is the story here? Why exactly is Girardi being fired? For being a malcontent employee who crossed the line? For being inept and performing at an unsatisfactory level? To guide a team full of rookies above and around .500 and into the wild card chase - with only a $15M payroll - is almost unheard of. To do it as a rookie manager yourself is just short of miraculous.

Yet some feel that Joe Girardi is not the main impetus behind the Marlins success - and they would be mostly right. The Marlins are on pace to score the most runs in franchise history. They also have a guy who has grabbed 30+ saves for this organization for the 3rd straight season (each one being a different player). The young starting rotation has pitched at a very high level, too.

In other words, the talent has been there. Hanley Ramirez and Mike Jacobs were both highly touted prospects coming out of the Red Sox and Mets organizations, respectively. Anibal Sanchez was a big bonus hitching a ride to south Florida along with Ramirez - and in fact, wasn't expected to stay for too long as he was called up to make an emergency start against the Yankees in a double header. Throw into the mix Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson, Josh Willingham and you have three home grown contributors to this team. Ricky Nolasco, another Cub gift, blossomed once he took over a spot in the rotation.

The front office went out and got the talent to load up on and compete on the field. It was made easier by the capital they traded away in assets like Lo Duca, Delgado, Beckett, Lowell, Mota, Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo.

But they were also the ones that grabbed Girardi to manage this team, too.

And lots of people are going to point the finger at Loria for having a big ego or not being man enough to somehow compromise on this issue. To fire Girardi just because his feelings got hurt is a little ridiculous. I am inclined to expect a little more from Loria as well as believe he would be more tolerant of the situation if the sentiment within the clubhouse was mutual: that being it is water under the bridge and let's move on.

That is precisely the problem, however - there doesn't seem to be any sentiment for tolerance where Joe is concerned. The front office has been documented to be at odds with him for some time now in dealing with personnel choices. Joe wanted Miguel at 1B instead of 3B. He wanted Willingham at catcher. He wanted Billy the Marlin to pitch the 8th.

Simply put, time has run out and so has any tolerance from the guys who own the ball to the guy who wants to manage how it is played. Girardi doesn't seem to fit in with the franchise's philosophy at best, or its just devolved into a mud-slinging campaign between two factions. What is strange is that the team has had a very successful year, this is the kind of thing you see develop within organizations that are struggling.

Stay tuned.

Finish what you start

A tenth inning meltdown to the Braves and the Marlins' season is on life support.

Oooppss...I think we lost them.

Maybe there is a chance to resuscitate this team, but most likely they are DOA. The loss to the Braves was a defensive implosion that cost them the game and ultimately their playoff hopes. Borowski, performing his best impression of himself in 2003 with the Cubs, couldn't find the plate and when he did it was like Tball.

Still, there is no reason to respond the way they did. They lost to the Mets tonight 4-0 in what looked to be a quicker foldup than a tent in a hurricane. There was no life in this team, none of the accustomed fight we have become used to seeing from this young ballclub.

And this is even more vital to their development - finish what you start.

Even if you are down and have no chance, you still have to come to the park and play hard and be professional. That is what it is all about. They still have a goal to shoot for - finishing above .500. No one expected them to be this close to the playoffs, let alone this far under the 100 loss marker. They have done a fine job and should be commended.

Unless, they finish badly.

You cannot let your mind be distracted by plays that could have been, should have been or what would have been. You have to go out and focus on today and if this team is going to capitalize on its vast potential for next season, they have to start by finishing this season strong. The experience of being in a pennant race - even on the outside looking in - is invaluable. They will be more hardened and battle-ready next season. They will be less likely to make the boneheaded plays that have costed them their chance this season during the next season.

That is a part of their development. Joe Girardi knows this and basically said that this only means they have to win an extra game to make up for the loss to the Braves. His team responded flat tonight. He needs to find a way to rally them to a strong finish - something he needs to learn to do since he is a rookie manager with no experience.

Don't hang your heads low, guys - be proud of where you are. But don't be satisfied either. Finish strong; finish what you started.

No! Anibal Makes History

103 pitches, 6 K's, 4 BB's, 9 IP, and 0 hits. That is the line for Anibal Sanchez tonight as he chokes the Diamondbacks out of Miami and the Marlins continue to play meaningful baseball in September. And on a night that they needed a win, they got so much more.

This night belongs to Anibal "Dirty" Sanchez. Or is it Anibal the Animal? He pitched like a beast tonight, like he was playing for blood. The best illustration of this was the last better he would face - Eric Byrnes.

It was the top of the 9th, the small but hearty crowd was all abuzz. The din growing louder and louder and the excitement and emotion of everyone at the game was thickening like the night's humidity. Byrnes stepped in - 2 outs and only 1 more to go for Anibal and the Marlins to make some history on a Wednesday night in northern Dade county. Like a meteor, Anibal's fastball roared towards homeplate sizzling the air along the way. A 95 MPH heater that found the back of Miguel Olivo's glove while Byrnes twisted and contorted in vain to make contact.

This was Anibal's night.

And to think, he was a relatively obscure rookie that impressed everyone with his poise in spring training. This would prove valuable since it was for this reason he was called up to make his major league debut against the Yankees. Hey, the Marlins had to play a double header and were in need of an emergency starter after all. All Anibal did back then was impress and hold the Yankees scoreless through his 5 inning debut.

Now, at 7-2, he has a no hitter under his belt in only his 12th career start. He has a good friend in Miguel Cabrera, a fellow Venezuelan who has helped him adjust while young Anibal was away from his beloved wife. But Sanchez has made a lot more friends tonight. Well, at least in South Florida anyway.

But no nickname...

The 4th no no in Marlins history; the others being by Al Leiter (1996), Kevin Brown (1997) and AJ Burnett (2001). The Marlins are tied with the most no hitters in baseball since 1993 - with the Yankees.

But how many rookies have been able to achieve such a feat? That is what makes this young pitcher so special, as he ends the night with cream all over his face, courtesy of one Dontrelle Willis.

And it is just another reason why this 2006 Marlin team is so special. Congratulations, Anibal - you made your fans and your countrymen proud tonight.

Oh yeah, and thank you Red Sox for making that trade back in November.

I watched the whole game online (congrats MLB on your Mosaic feature). I called people and told them "something special" was going on with the Marlins game. I wouldn't even tell my girlfriend what was going on - I wrote it on my hand and showed her. Hey, I wasn't going to jinx Anibal. Not this night.

Only the 19th rookie since 1900 to throw a no hitter. And the first Venezuelan to do it.

Marlins' run is one for the books

History. In this new age of information, it is the data that you create that seems to be the next frontier of the human experience to be explored and quantified. And the 2006 Marlins are certainly creating ripples through the minds of many observers.

Never. That is the last time a team in MLB went from 20 games under .500 to over .500 in the same season. There is mention of the 1899 Louisville Colonels as the last team to do something similar - they were 22 games under .500 but finished the season under .500 at 75-77-3 - but even they did not do what the Marlins have just done.

Since May 22, back when the Marlins where 11-31, they have run the table at a 58-37 pace. They have the best team ERA in the NL at 3.99 - which is the biggest clue as to what this team has done to get where they are.

All of this on a Labor Day where the Marlins erased a 5 run deficit, their biggest of the season, to win. Borchard and Uggla brought the fireworks.

This team is hot, this team is confident. This team is historical.

They have the lowest payroll in all of baseball - $15M dollars. They are also playing the most rookies of any team out there and have the most rookies in their lineup that fans of teams have seen in a long time. They are on the verge of another record break - having three rookie position players with 20 or more home runs. They already have three rookie starters with 10 or more wins, another record.

Record after record is being taken by this Marlins team. Chronicled by the observers, this team that was pegged to lose over 100 games is now on pace to grab about 83+ wins.

So the Marlins are turning more heads than a Shakira spread these days. With this kind of perspective the only question remains - where are you?

Reality Check: Conine to Phillies

Latest from the AYFKM department (Are You F'ing Kidding Me), Jeff Conine - Mr. Marlin! - is now a Phucking Phillie.

I can't believe this garbage.

This is a travesty, a national tragedy (for the Marlins Nation, of course) and we should all be outraged.

Jeff Conine was a member of our expansion team, drafted from the Kansas City Royals and a part of the original Marlins Bandwagon that toured the state in its inaugural year. I remember going to Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville and getting his autograph (along with Orestes Destrade, Gary Carter, Benito Santiago, Rene Lachman, and Dave O'brien of ESPN fame).

I remember his home run in the all star game.

I remember his productive career as a Marlin that warranted a World Championship trophy in '97 when he had a down year - to the point that the Marlins went out and got former Phillie Darren Daulton.

And then the return - in '03 when Jeff came along and seemed to make every big play possible to get us into the wildcard. And ask the Phillies - it hurt them every time as the Marlins dominated them in almost every head to head match that season.

Now this? This is how Jeff repays us loyal Marlin fans?! By going to Philadelphia and donning that ugly reddish jersey in that little league ballpark?

The sad thing is, I don't think it will be enough for the Phillies to stay ahead of the Marlins, let alone really win the wildcard. And the exercise in futility is what has me angered most - Jeff Conine in a Philly uniform?

Might as well dress up George Washington as a redcoat.

First Johnny Damon and now this? The world is at an end, my friends.

Wildcard Chronicles: Entry 567.3

I believe it was the great Ice Cube that once said, "You can't play wit my yo-yo...". Ok, so it was in reference to a cameo appearance he made for a female rapper Yo-Yo, who drove me yo-yo with her blond weave...but I digress.

The point is, this season has been just that - a yo-yo for the Marlins. Especially in regards to their wildcard hunt.

Everytime I would write something about their wildcard chances increasing, they would relapse. Then, when I would post something about how I thought they were done with the WC hunt, they would re-emerge. Apart from driving me crazy, it has been fun so far - and continues to be.

'How the hell', the media experts are asking, 'does a $15 million dollar payroll compete for the wildcard?' Well, when you got the talent the Marlins have, you can't help but win games.

The rotation has had to learn to throw strikes and help their teams win - and ironically, it is their rookies that are doing the heavy lifting. Same with the position players - save the Miguels; Cabrera and Olivo. Then again, everyone else on the field is a rookie.

But enough of the accolades for how well this young team is playing - it is no longer an anamoly since they have been doing this all season. In fact, it is time to expect them to compete and win each game out - the teaching Girardi has instilled in them since Spring Training. We are going to compete and expect to win every time out was his basic message.

Right now, the Marlins sit 3 games out of the wildcard. They are also 3 games under .500 and have won 7 games straight now - the longest current streak in the league. Only the Giants, Phillies, Padres and Reds sit up higher on the totem for now.

And you know what? I am not going to make any predictions or analysis. For once, I am going to let the team play and let it decide where it finishes up. These young guys have to gain the experience of contending first and come to grips with it anyway. The percentages are against them, as are the pundits. But we know where that leads - since critical acclaim seems to have always been leveled against the Marlins historically. All that did was end up in mud on many-a-face for those in the media.

How fun would it be to happen a second time around here? And with a $15M payroll? It is equivical to the Beverly Hillbillies showing up as noveau-riche to a high profile social ball. The snooty establishment doesn't want to see it happen, but it just might.

The young, scrappy and poor Marlins may crash the ball.

Marlins '06 campaign: a huge success

No matter whether or not the Marlins make the playoffs, this season can already be wrapped up as a big success for the Marlins. Probably, one of the better seasons in franchise history.

Sure it isn't winning the World Series, like in 2003 or in 1997 (feel free to debate which season was bigger), but this year there was so much anxiety and uncertainty heading into the season that to end up hovering around .500 and in the hunt for a wild card berth would be nothing more than miraculous. At least if you believed the pundits at the beginning of the season.

The offseason was termed another "firesale" by the media, which was far from kind when they classified the moves and failed to acknowledge the Marlins' stance as simply a "market correction". The attendance figures for the Marlins have not been good, historically, and a lot of that can be attributed to the facility it plays its home games at.

Yet, the attendance is on pace to break the million mark, which is one facet for success when considering this franchise's goals this season. It looked bleak after the first month.

Then it happened - the Marlins started to click. Whether it was Girardi finally resolving to the fact that he had no choice but to play every young player on this roster or the Marlins front choice gave him no alternative, the Marlins started to take off when Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco wiggled their way into the starting rotation. All that happened was each of these rookie starters have garnered double digit wins, as well as lots of critical acclaim, and also helped to stabilize the bullpen. This team, built historically with great pitching from the early Dombrowski-lead days to the current Beinfest regime, started to act and look like a Marlins team that fans have come to know over the years.

With the wins came confidence. And the talk of who would win the rookie of the year campaign. Seemingly out of nowhere emerged Dan Uggla, who not only was plucked from teh Rule V trash heap, on his way to a ROY-like campaign and grabbing free tickets to Pittsburgh as an all-star. Josh Willingham had a hot start, struggled in the middle months, but has recently re-emerged as the patient hitter with excellent power over the past month of August. Mike Jacobs has continued to build on his experience throughout the season while learning to play 1B and also supplying the Marlins with left-handed power from his spot in the lineup - possessing one of the sweetest swings since Wally Joyner or Will Clark. The blazing fast Hanley Ramirez not only has shown flashes of defensive brilliance while also adapting to become a smooth double play combo with Dan Uggla, also a Marlins' tradition, he has also been a very promising offensive weapon hitting at the top spot of the lineup.

These rookies have been able to entrench themselves in the Marlins lineup everyday and secure their positions. But the Marlins have also been able to find hidden gems in Joe Borowski, who currently has 29 saves for the second most in the NL, and in Miguel Olivo, whose steady bat and defensive presence behind the plate has been crucial. Both players were veterans looking for a chance to prove themselves, and like Todd Jones last season, Borowski is a comeback player of the year candidate. Miguel Olivo may have played himself into job security.

Miguel Cabrera, on the other hand, continues to blossom and show this game that he is the top young hitter in all of baseball and has the promise to supplant Albert Pujols as the #1 hitter in the game. Currently in 2nd place for the batting title, he has started to hit more home runs (now with 100 on his career in teal) and is among the league leaders in several offensive categories. Plus he brings fun to the game and to the clubhouse, where he is recognized as a leader. Recently, he was swinging Alfredo Amezaga, another excellent find for the Marlins, in a mock dance as if they were trapped in a big band dance hall.

So, on the field, there is much to chew on for Marlin fans and plenty to be excited about. Even if the Marlins can't hold on to their current pace and stay in the wild card race, they are gaining experience and building upon an expectation to win games and compete. The lessons will only prove immense for next season, not to mention for their rookie manager, Joe Girardi, who is also gaining experience as well as accolades, on his way through his first MLB marathon season as the big chief.

Girardi and Loria rift only tip of iceberg

Was Girardi actually fired by Loria only to be "re-hired" at the last second?

Was it really over a frustrating game and series of calls against the Dodgers that initiated the so-called rift?

Did Joe Girardi actually level profanity towards Jeffrey Loria in an attempt to keep his team - and the umpiring crew - focused on the game?

Or, was it a cunning and shrewd display put on by two bit actors in a grand drama designed to steer more attention towards a bad umpiring situation?

Regardless of what you believe, and there certainly will be conspiracies about it - from the supposed make-shift press conference ready to announce Girardi's firing - lost in all of this episode is the fact that the Marlins lost three games to the Dodgers on a series of questionable calls.

And by series, I don't mean just a few bad calls within a game, I mean an entire series that had some of us here scratching our teal-colored heads and wondering if there was some grand design to keep the Marlins down.

Think about it - what if a $15 million dollar payroll outperformed all the other wild card hopefuls in the National League and actually got a playoff berth. Would that be good for the game or a horrible black eye for Commish Bud and the MLBPA (minus Bonds, of course)? Well, while you contemplate that, and that in its fullest offers up plenty of incentive, there is still the question of whether or not there was a direct effect on the series for the Marlins.

Let's just go back to the Dodger game in question, the one that has Loria and Girardi trading barbs like two heavyweight fighters before a showdown fit for pay-per-view. With the Marlins ahead 3-1 in the top of the 7th and one out, Kensing works a 2-2 count on Julio Lugo, of DRay fame, but has to leave with a sore elbow (which would later land him on the DL). In comes Taylor Tankersley who gets called immediately for two balls on pitches that were right down the middle of the plate. With bases loaded, a run forced in, Loria loses it and starts his barking - no different than any other fan in attendance - at Larry Vanover, the home ump in the third game of the series.

The night before, Joe Girardi was tossed because of arguing balls and strikes - in teh 2nd inning. What is not really kept in mind is the fact that even Miguel Olivo felt the umpire, Chris Guccione, was squeezing Josh Johnson's strike zone and he made it known to Guccione. The rest was history. Olivo simply mentioned that call was the third call, by his estimation, that was right down the middle and called a ball. Guccione overreacted - by both Olivo's and Girardi's standards, sure, but Olivo never turned to face the umpire and Guccione instead came around from behind Olivo and started yelling at Olivo.

I am surprised Zidane didn't just come out of the crowd and headbutt Olivo instead.

Again, this episode with Guccione - who has a bad reputation around MLB - got Girardi ejected. The next night, Loria is in the stands calling out the umpire's strikezone, of none other than Larry Vanover.

Now, of course there is going to be some tension in this situation. The Marlins - and Dodgers, for that matter - are both trying to get to the playoffs and have legitimate chances (ok, the Marlins are still more of a longshot, but not too much so). The pressure was on.

Clearly the situation between both Girardi and Loria - whatever you may make of it - is one based on winning. Both men want to win and put that attitude on display. The fact that Girardi may have overstepped his bounds in how he handled himself with Loria - if speculative at worst - is just putting a blur on the entire strange incident.

What we had was a series of bad calls that may have cost the Marlins a game at the very least. This isn't about sour grapes, but simply trying to pull out of the wreck something of importance: MLB umpires have had a tough go of it, and it was almost a blatant choice of negligence that was levied against the Marlins.

Perhaps there is a conspiracy to keep the Marlins far and clear of any postseason chances. Perhaps the Marlins $15M payroll and shadowy attempts at securing their new stadium have something to it. At any rate, the 'rift' in only a distracting piece of background noise and perhaps we need to focus on something else in the picture.

Besides, the Marlins open up their series on the road tonight in LA against the very same Dodgers. Let's hope the umpiring is more consistent this time. And also, let's hope to hear less about the Girardi vs. Loria face off. It's like those old Wendy's ads, "where's the beef?"

SIMF's Offseason Rx for Marlins '06

Written by SouthernIllinoisMarlinFan

Moves I'd like to see in the offseason. Some of these might not be that popular but oh well:

- Athletics get Josh Willingham, Yusmeio Petit, and Miguel Olivo
Marlins get Mark Kotsay with half salary paid and Jason Kendall w/ half salary paid

- Sign Frank Catalanotto to take over in LF.

- Sign David Riske for the bullpen.

- Resign Joe Borowski.

- Resign Wes Helms

- Sign Damion Easley,

- Trade Sergio Mitre to Tigers for Nook Logan

- White Sox get Ricky Nolasco and Jason Vargas
Marlins get Freddy Garcia w/half salary paid

Lineup:
SS-Hanley Ramirez
CF-Mark Kotsay
3B-Miguel Cabrera
1B-Mike Jacobs
2B-Dan Uggla
Rf-Jeremy Hermida
C-Jason Kendall
LF-Frank Catalanotto

Matt Treanor, Damion Easley, Alfredo Amezaga, Nook Logan, Wes Helms

Rotation:
Dontrelle Willis
Freddy Garcia
Josh Johnson
Scott Olsen
Anibal Sanchez

Chris Resop, Randy Messenger, Joe Borowski, David Riske, Logan Kensing, Carlos Martinez,
Taylor Tankersly

Reasons for moves:
Why trade Nolasco? So we can get a good year out of playoff tested Garcia and get draft picks after the year.

Reason for trading Willingham, acquiring Kotsay and Kendall, and signing Catalonotto? Kind of the same reason. Get draft picks out of Kendall and Catalanotto after the year.

Reasons for bringing in Nook Logan? Might as well have a CF with some success at the MLB level. Mitre is not needed nor wanted in Florida.

Reasons for bringing in Riske and resigning Borowski? Same as said, get draft picks after the year by letting them walk, also gives time for Delgado and Garcia to get good and ready.

Amezaga has been quite good, as has Helms, and Easley was a nice bat off the bench.

Our system, already stacked with pitching, can survive the losses of Petit, Vargas, Mitre, and Nolasco.

Trade PTBNL+$$ to BoSawx for Brandon Moss

Use the picks gained from Catalanotto, Kendall, Borowski, and Riske to even further stock the system.

Let Easley, Helms, and Amezaga walk. If draft picks can be had(doubtful) by offering arbitration, thats just gravy. Trade Nook for PTBNL.

2008 Lineup:
SS-Hanley Ramirez
LF-Mark Kotsay
3B-Miguel Cabrera
1B-Mike Jacobs
2B-Dan Uggla
RF-Jeremy Hermida
LF-Kris Harvey or Gaby Sanchez
C-Brett Hayes or Torre Langley

Grant Psomas, Augustin Septimo, Matt Treanor, Eric Reed, Brandon Moss

SP-Dontrelle Willis
SP-Josh Johnson
SP-Scott Olsen
SP-Anibal Sanchez
SP-Jose Garcia

Chris Resop, Randy Messenger, Harvey Garcia, Jesus Delgado, Taylor Tankersly, SU-Carlos Martinez,
CL-Logan Kensing.

Marlins need to play with a chip on their shoulders

The Marlins just got swept by the Dodgers and got labeled 'listless' as a result. They lost by giving up huge leads despite their stellar trio of Anibal Sanchez, Josh Johnson and Scott Olsen heading to the mound on each contest. Dodgers averaged 7.7 runs per game while the staff was able to amass a 6.33 ERA.

That just won't get it done.

But there is also the umpiring controversy, which seemed to plague the Marlins this entire series and go completely in favor of the Dodgers. Some have claimed just short of a conspiracy; others have totally bought into it.

Regardless of where you place the blame, the Marlins have to get their act together. This is the second time this season they took a step forward to only take a huge step back. They would inch closer to .500, closer to the wild card lead, but then suffer by a bad stretch of games - this time, at the hands of the red hot Dodgers.

The last time the Marlins were swept was back on May 19-21 to the Devil Rays. All they did since May 22nd was compile one of MLB's best records.

Let's hope we see something similar from here on out from the Marlins.

They do need to play with a chip on their shoulder. There was a closed clubhouse discussion reserved for only players and coaches - no media - yesterday after the sweep was completed. Girardi likened it to school, saying class was in session. I am sure some fingers were pointing towards the men in blue, as they were several questionable calls. Either way, the Marlins now are faced with a 9 game road trip where they will play the Nationals, the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers. Going 9-0 would be ideal, and get them back to .500.

But only if they play like the world is against them. And maybe, that will start, once again, right now.

Marlins making bid for Soriano

The Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the Marlins are apparently a surprise last second bidder for the Nationals' left fielder. Alfonso Soriano is going to be a free agent at the seasons' end, but is owed just over $3M for the remainder of this season. The Marlins can offer GM Jim Bowden the best pitching prospects of any of the teams looking to trade for Soriano - Reynel Pinto, Jason Vargas and Yusmeiro Petit being targeted as possibilities. It is unlikely, it seems, that the Marlins will actually land Soriano, but it does make sense.

Soriano would offer the Marlins a win/win gamble, and seems to be the type that has been a calling card of the Loria group. The Marlins would benefit offensively from landing Soriano, who most likely would man CF for the Marlins - albeit with a defensive risk built in. It wouldn't cost the Marlins any immediate pitching help - Pinto, Vargas and Petit have been unable to secure a spot mostly because the talent is overcrowding the parent club. And the scary thing is, there is more still to come.

So, most likely the Marlins won't be able to find a spot for Petit, Pinto and Vargas, who are all ready to bid for a starting spot and need to get playing time and experience now. The scenario could work out well for the short term and the long term in that the Marlins future prospects - Chris Volstad, Jose Garcia and even Brett Sinkbeil (just to name a few) - could be ready to take a spot in the rotation should the Marlins lose a starter down the line.

C'mon Loria, give Beinfest the green light to land Soriano. I think that would be an offer that could blow us all away.

Marlins young rotation gaining notice

John Smoltz recently made the comparison - favorably - of this young Marlins staff to the one he was a part of, the historic young rotation of Smoltz, Glavine, Avery and Maddux that was the staple of the early Braves' runs. Pitching was the focal point, as Smoltz noted - and it is no different with the Marlins.

But this is nothing new to Marlins fans. They saw it develop with the '97 firesale that brought in AJ Burnett and eventually Brad Penny, Josh Beckett and even Carl Pavano. That rotation was the main impetus to the Marlins championship run in '03 - with Beckett stealing the show as the Marlins shocked the world and finished the job at the Yankees' house.

Now, the Marlins have reloaded. Still around is crafty veteran Dontrelle Willis, all of 24 years of age. The rest of the rotation is anchored by Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and the emerging Anibal Sanchez.

We all know about Willis, the wide-eyed high kick lefty has grown since his sensational rookie campaign - into a Cy Young contender and a legitmate staff ace. He started off struggling this season, on the heels of a shaky WBC performance, but has picked it up of late. Over his last 10 decisions, the Marlins are 7-3 while D is 5-1.

But it is the cast of rookies that is starting to garner some well-deserved attention:

Josh Johnson, the 6'7" right hander, is 8-5 on the year with a 2.60 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .224 off of him and he is quickly becoming the #2 guy in this rotation.

Fiery lefty Scott Olsen, already getting into at least 2 incidents with teammates - not including a stern talking to by manager Joe Girardi - is showing he can bring the fight on the diamond, too. He pitched 6 innings of shut out ball against the Braves today, lowering his ERA to 3.79 on the year while grabbing his 9th win, which leads the Marlins staff.

Ricky Nolasco, the ex-Cub, was quietly cementing his spot in the rotation back as early as spring training. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz was comfortable with his abilities, and he hasn't let him down. Nolasco has started 12 games now and touts a solid 4.27 ERA on the year. Yet, at Joe Robbie Stadium, he is 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. If he can just be more consistent on the road, he could finish with 15+ wins as well.

And finally, Anibal Sanchez. After tossing 23 scoreless innings in a row, the rookie who was called up just as a spot starter is going to possibly stick wtih the team sooner than expected. His ERA is at 3.00 now, and he is 4-0 on the year with a 1.19 WHIP, despite his low K/BB ratio (18/12).

There is room for improvement - the Marlins are ranked 27th in first pitch strikes currently. They need to do a better job throwing strikes and walking less batters. The sexy K's are there - Willis, Olsen and Johnson are already over the 90 K mark. Nolasco has shown some ability to strike hitters out with 62 K's in 86IP. Sanchez probably hardly ever throws a ball straight, and will continue to keep batters off balance - so the K's will come. And they continue to learn about location and having better command, as well as letting the defense do the work for them.

Despite all the learning curves, the Marlins rookies have been able to cement the rotation, and in doing so, have also solidified the roles of the bullpen. No wonder the Marlins wins have come in bunches more of late. The future is bright, and the Marlins have definetly reloaded.

The scary thing is, they have even more talent in the minor leagues.

Wild Feelings

Looks like this Marlins team is legit, huh?

They lost two games to the Yankees - by a total of 2 run. A pitching duel broke out in game 2 of the series between Dontrelle and Moose. It keeps getting better though for the Marlins, despite losing that game they were able to see Willis stake his claim as ace of this staff. Reassuring to the Marlins faithful, but more importantly, that will be a nice lesson to keep in D's back pocket.

Then game 3 rolled around - and being shown around the country on ESPN. All the Marlins did was drop their prospect, Anibal Sanchez (acquire from the Red Sox as part of the Beckett/Lowell deal), in front of the Yankee crowd to make his debut. And he responded by helping shut out the Yankees through 6 2/3 innings - the first time the Yanks have been shut out all season and the first time since September of last season.

Even the offense seemed to bust it open tallying 5 runs for Sanchez to help secure this win.

The bullpen is not just coming together anymore, but asserting itself and becoming more entrenched in their roles. Messenger, Kensing and Borowski locking it down tight.

The elements are in the mix - timely hitting, lack of fear, total confidence, great execution - in order to give the Marlins a spot in the wild card chase. Once again.

We'll stay tuned to see what happens as the learning curve for this team seems to be much shorter than we previously may have thought.

Marlins roll with Braves sweep

This young team is starting to really come along and gaining confidence. Winning 15 of their last 21, this team was tested as the Braves came to town.

Last time these two clubs met, the Braves sent the Marlins away with 2 walk off homeruns in back to back nights.

But those are the old days. This new breed (well, still the same guys, same season...just seems like different guys altogether) is taking it to every club and will come to play anytime, anywhere.

They swept the Rockies. They fought hard against the Giants, and then took the series with the Padres. And now, the Braves have been swept.

Cody Ross has to be the biggest illustration of what this team is about. Making an excellent defensive play in left field and getting a double to score a key run, he came up to bat in the game to square around to bunt in the 10th. He was to advance the runner and set up the game winner. Instead, he got hit in the face with a fastball. Bleeding from the mouth, he left the game and watched from the clubhouse as his Marlins rallied to win the game on the next at bat.

And tonight? Ross was back, and hit a home run that was the difference in this game - the Marlins won 3-2.

The Marlins have been playing excellent baseball and are now starting to reap the rewards.

Dan Uggla, All Star

Ok, so it hasn't happened yet, but it needs to.

Marlin fans, Uggla needs YOU to go out and VOTE for him to get him on the squad! And he deserves it.

Why? Dan Uggla is one of the Marlins quietly having a very productive offensive season - and he is among the best 2B in the game. Observe:

Uggla's 9 home runs puts him in a tie for 5th among all MLB 2B.

His 68 hits puts him in 4th place...

8th with 30 RBIs...

6th with 39 runs scored...

And 8th with an .816 OPS.

Dan Uggla has shown excellent power and has already broken the Marlins all time record for dingers by a 2B. He is hitting .398 with runners on, .315 with RISP (runners in scoring position) and .316 with RISP with 2 outs. He has been a very effective defensive presence, too, turning 40 double plays to date and showing more range than perhaps was initially expected of him. With only 5 errors and a .983 fielding percentage, his defense has been above average.

He is clutch, getting hits when his team needs it. He has power and can drive in runs - hitting two home runs today against San Francisco. He plays strong defense, too. All of this for a Rule V draft pick from the D'Backs to the Marlins. Not bad scouting.

And Uggla deserves recognition. He needs to be an all-star - so go get voting.

All bull in the bullpen

Another game, another blow up.

This series with the Braves have pretty much gone that way. The offense shows up, scores some runs, and the starters keep it close. The bullpen comes in to relieve but does anything but.

I guess us Marlin fans should be positive here, and notice that two thirds of the process is starting to show up more consistently. Previously it was only the offense you could count on, now you can start to add the starters to the mix. Johnson and Willis were able to get chances at wins, Willis dueled with Hudson and won. Tonight, it was Nolasco getting his first major league start and he had to face John Smoltz.

And Ricky held his own over 3.2 innings, giving up no earned runs. Yusmeiro Petit gave the Marlins 3 more strong innings.

But the wheels came off the wagon once again. A combination of Kensing, Borowski and Messenger fought as long as they could be just couldn't bring this one home.

There looks like there is no one in this Marlins bullpen that wants the ball in pressure situations. Let alone deserves to have the ball. There is no one else left. Kranitz has his work cut out for him, but it seems like this year has been particularly troublesome. Last season, the Marlins had successful years from Vargas, Moehler, Willis. Vargas is down in AAA while Moehler and Willis have only begun to show signs of hope for this season.

The only other current active Marlins that played with the team last season are Messenger, Kensing, Johnson and Olsen. And all three saw limited action.

The veterans Borowski and Borowski, were brought in to be the dependent arms in the pen for just these crucial times. They have been inconsistent, too.

The key is patience for this young staff. From both the coaching staff and the Marlins.

But it doesn't look good right now for anyone.

Barry at the Bat

The following is just a peak into the experience of Barry Bond's chase for immortality. There will be no investigation, no urine sampling or bloodletting. No asterisks, no suggestions or speculation. And even more shocking, no pictures. Just taking a look at a player trying to put his name among the loftiest of names in sports history - Babe Ruth.

I have never been to AT&T Park, formerly known as SBC Park and even previously named Pac Bell Park. (Guess AT&T is doing big things these days...) Obviously, it's reputation as a jewel among ballparks proceeds itself and it certainly lived up to expecations. We, both my cousin and myself, set foot out of his apartment at Stanford's Escondido Village ('hidden' because it houses graduate students...) for the park. Climbing aboard the CalTran, we got to our destination after about a half an hour interspersed with chatter and me trying to read my book - which wasn't happening. After all, I am here for business, too.

Once in downtown San Fran, we stepped out to the train station and were immediately asked if we needed tickets for the game. Don't know what sold us on that, since we did indeed need tickets, considering I was wearing my Dwyane Wade black pullover (very good attire for a sunny afternoon) and my cousin was wearing his Miguel Cabrera jersey/t-shirt thing. Seemed like a good deal, but we needed cash so we headed inside the Safeway to get some dough. (We didn't want to mess with the ATM fees, so we bought some items and got cash back - I bought a bag of Doritos and a Pepsi. And the express lane moved very slowly because there was some little girl incessantly screaming, writhe in pain over her foot that was apparently run over by a shopping cart. Get used to it, kiddo. Life is tough.)

With our loot, we made for the stadium waiting to be solicited for tickets - and we found our man. He had two tickets in left field, section 137 row 5 seats 18 and 19. After consulting his map to see where the tickets where we asked how much and he said $50. As the master negotiators we are, we walked away and he said $45. We balked, then said forget it and walked. I would then tell my cousin that wasn't too bad of a deal, since we were only paying a few bucks over face value, then we went back and made the exchange. Cloak and dagger style and off we went to the game.

The park is nestled on the bay and in between some meaningless business structures. Seemed very lively, but I would hate to be working next door - day dreaming - or even have to drive around at that time of day. I didn't care, I was there to witness history.

So, we went in, smuggling our Doritos and Pepsis.

The park is nice. There are all kinds of sightlines available for you to watch the game from. If you are in line for, say, garlic fries, you can look down and see the game from behind home plate. There are plenty of TVs with the game going on, too. Speaking of TVs, walked right by Pedro Gomez - the beat writer for the Giants who seems to be on ESPN every five minutes. He seemed shorter than I imagined, but with a very large head. He was eating garlic fries...hmm...there must be something about those.

The first thing we did do, though was get settled into our seats. Very good view of the game in addition to the bleachers being ergonomically fashioned for your buttocks. You could even stand up in the LF section as there is a little walkway in front of the seats and just behind the wall. This was one spot to make my dramatic catch of ball #714.

So, the Cubs come up, big deal, and make their showing. Not why I was here.

Then the Giants get their turn.

There was so much anticipation for Bonds' at bat that the first inning offensive eruption seemed to steal the thunder. A bases clearing double left first base open. Bonds was up and so was everyone in our section. Me, I kept sitting - betting they would walk him. And Dusty did.

In fact, the game takes on a different nuance when you are rooting for a single batter to get a hit. You don't want the game to become a blowout or he could get pulled. You don't want their to be so few outs or an open base when he gets up. Only strikes and challenging pitches for Barry, please. Otherwise we will all be subjected to the chicken dance song.

Damn, those garlic fries were tempting. And I was feeling hungry...so, we got up from our seats and raced down to get some eats while the Giants were hitting. We got very scared that the Giants were going to hit around in this first inning and Barry was going to get a second at bat. Randy Winn was already up again, in the bottom of the first. But did I want to lose my spot in line and risk missing the fateful #714? What to do! Garlic fries or Bonds' home run ball?

And the garlic fries are definetly worth getting. $6 but hey, you dont get those every day. Thankfully, the Giants made their third out, and we got our food. For several days I am sure I will be tasting those delightful garlic fries. I could only imaging what life must be like in Gilroy, CA.

The rest of the game was interesting. Every time Barry would come up, we would rise. In these moments there was so much potential - to witness history, to be a part of history, to catch the ball and change the fortunes of your life. Whispers of catching the ball and gears churning inside the heads of all around about what would happen if fate dropped, literally, into their lap.

By a house. Divy up the money with my family.

But it never happened. Not on this day. There was no big scare, either, just anticipation. Barry came up, and the crowd held its breath - as did the Cubs dugout. But no fireworks.

There is so much pagentry surrounding this coming feat, too. In our section in LF, there was a man in an orange jump suit - looking more like an overgrown orange - with '8 Men In' on it. Apparently 8 guys are roaming the outfield bleachers when Barry is up to bat, with accompanying camera men, to catch the ball and document it. ESPN is apparently producing this.

There is also security, both overt and covert, as well as cameramen roaming the outfield filming everything. All for Barry's big moment.

When it happens, everyone will see it and somehow be included. Then all the opinions will be spewed forth like a roaring fire. There will be asterisks and accusations and defenses - all so finely crafted that no one will seem to have any real perception on the matter.

Which is simply a ball rotating in tiny revolutions on a particular course that only fate can disclose.

Marlins miss out on tax break, again

But there still is hope...

The Florida Marlins were tossed back, once again, by the Florida state legislature. On the table, a bill that would allow the Orlando Magic a $2M tax break for 30 seasons, along with money to be allocated to various facilities in the state of Florida to improve spring training complexes.

Both pieces of this bill will benefit professional franchises with public money, yet for some reason the legislature couldn't find it to be a 'prudent' gesture to do so for the home town Marlins. A franchise that has brought the state two world championships in less than 10 years.

On Wednesday, the Marlins scored as some Miami politicians grouped together and attached the Marlins' interest to the original Orlando bill. But a representative from Tampa, Fasano, decided he was going to squash this possibility by creating a seperate bill that would contain the original components on it in order to side-step the Marlins hopes.

This happened, and the bill was passed while the bill containing the Marlins' tax break, HB615, was essentially voted down as the legislature let time pass. And once again, Tallahassee crushed the hopes of its South Florida consituents.

There does seem to be hope, however, for the Marlins to build this new stadium in the Hialeah area. The politicians from Hialeah are highly motivated and supportive of securing the Marlins in their area. Also, outgoing governor Jeb Bush seems open to the idea of helping the Marlins efforts this time around. To get the Marlins in the Hialeah area would only help the economic development of the area and re-establish its identity within the South Florida communities.

The Marlins and Hialeah estimate to be about $100M short of the $430M it will take to build a home for the franchise. The Marlins are ponying up $212M and Hialeah is going to donate the land for the venture as well as about $100M for the project from Miami-Dade County. The $60M tax break could have helped relieve the franchise as it seeks the final lump sum. As it stands, the Marlins, with a $15M payroll, look to get an estimated $30M in revenue sharing and including profits from over the course of the season (TV revenue, advertising, etc.) could see some of that money set aside in order to help finance the new stadium.

Marlins progressing

At 4-10, the Marlins do not seem to be doing very well in the early going of this new season, but that is not entirely the case. Let's focus on run production, which is the name of the game.

Through 14 games this season, the Marlins have scored 67 runs. That is 4.79 per contest. That actually puts the Marlins at 28th in total runs scored, but in terms of at bats, the Marlins rank 29th with only 477 ABs.

That is because they have only played 14 games to this point, whereas the Reds, the leaders in runs scored at 107, have played 16 - which figures to be 6.68 runs per game. (To offer some perspective here, the Marlins just took one game from the Reds in that three game series, but also blew a game which could have given them the series. They lost 1-9, but won 12-6 and lost again 8-9 - scoring a total of 21 runs to 24 given up.)

That means, the leaders in runs scored, the Reds, are getting a run 19% of the tame they get up to bat (Rs/ABs). The young Marlins? They swim at 14%.

So, in comparison to the league leader, the Marlins have a little ways to go, but they are treading water right near the middle. Considering that most of these players are in their first year (Uggla, Ramirez, Abercrombie, Reed) and others are getting their first full time duty with the club (Willingham, Hermida, Jacobs), that is not too bad.

But more importantly, how does this year's club compare to last year's club?

They are better.

Last year's Marlins scored 717 runs in 5502 at bats, or at a 13% rate. This year's Marlins, although it is early, are scoring at 14%.

Based on that percentage, if the Marlins get 5502 at bats this season, the Marlins will score 770 runs this season. That is a figure that is up by 53 runs total.

Now, it is still very early in the season. Yet, this could be a good thing - the Marlins have already had 2 games where they posted double digit runs, and they have the potential to do it much more often than experts may believe. Hanley Ramirez is showing off all his tools, while this young season has already been hampered by an injury to big time prospect, Jeremy Hermida.

Not to mention, Joe Girardi is doing the manger thing for the first time and is still trying to figure out the roster and the best lineup for this club. It seems that Uggla is the missing piece for the #2 spot, as he continues to put the ball in play and displays pretty good power. Miguel is starting to hit again, but is still having some bad at bats. Willingham has been excellent whereas Jacobs can only seem to hit home runs. The race for CF is on, with Aguila having the most experience but Abercrombie has the most sizzle of anyone out there.

There is plenty of potential that could lead to this Marlins unit becoming a more cohesive, offensive machine. If they can manage to work out the kinks and endure through the growing pains, this offense may turn things around - and in a hurry.

Something familiar this way comes

A reunion with ex-Marlins resurrects some proper perspectives about the Marlins franchise

In November of 2005, Carlos Delgado was shipped off to the New York Mets. It was a deal that seemed to be made out of necessity, as the Marlins brass kept using the term 'market correction' in their rhetoric when discussing the move. And the possibility of future moves were painted in this light.

The media, as typical when regarding the Marlins, decided to smirk at this particular phrase, pointing out that the Marlins franchise have this sort of thing in their history, in their blood.

What they forgot to mention is that in the '97 meltdown and fire sale, it was a different regime and a different owner that was calling the shots. Dave Dombrowski, then Marlins GM (and now GM for the Detroit Tigers), was forced to do it by his owner Wayne Huizenga - who continued on the path for the fire sale despite a heart felt plea from players Al Leiter, Moises Alou, and even Alex Fernandez to re-structure their contracts to keep the championship team together.

Loria and his bunch tried their best after the '03 season and continued to keep as much of the core in-tact as they could, given their revenue constraints, for the next two seasons.

Then reality set in.

So Delgado was gone; Lowell, Beckett, Lo Duca, Encarnacion. Mota. Todd Jones. AJ Burnett (was he ever really here to begin with?). The list goes on.

There is an interesting quote from Paul Lo Duca that not only supports the current Marlins front office, but is sympathetic to their cause.

"I know Jeffrey didn't want to do this, he's a great person and a fan of the game, too. It's just something where you don't get a stadium, you're losing a lot of money, and it's a decision he had to make. He couldn't avoid it. The organization is taking too much heat for it. It's really a stadium issue. If they had a stadium, we'd still have the same team."

This quote was taken from the Miami Herald. Which is amazing considering that the Herald has seemed to turn a blind eye whenever discussing anything related to the Marlins' plea for a stadium.

Nevertheless, it is striking that Paul Lo Duca (at least according to a reader of the Herald and Sun-Sentinel may be concerned) is so supportive of the Marlins front office and what they had to do. Not just what they chose to do.

So it is that tonight, the new Marlins will face the Mets - who have several old Marlins on their roster. Ramon Castro, Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado, Cliff Floyd. Castro was a member of that '03 championship team. In fact, it was Castro that was supposed to be the replacement for Pudge once he left for the money in Detroit. That didn't work out and Lo Duca was later traded for to help patch that void. And Delgado was essentially Derek Lee's replacement - after Lee was let go following the championship season of '03 since the Marlins didn't have enough money to re-sign the entire team and keep them in place. Now, the Marlins couldn't afford to keep Delgado either.

Yet, it is Cliff Floyd that can probably relate some to this new crop of Marlins - being that he was on that championship '97 team and stayed behind to help rebuild with that '98 team. The embarassment of being called the World Champions and still managing to lose 101 games.

So, there is a lot of issues and memories that can be stirred up here with tonight's meeting. A lot of similarities in the sense that some things, at least for the Marlins, never seem to change.

Here's hoping to change. May the Marlins finally start to get things right and get the means to do so. That is the wish, it seems, even of their former players.

And let's start by beating the stinkin' Mets!

Amid good baseball, message for Marlins continues to be negative

The Marlins leave Houston with a 1-2 start to the season - which could just as easily be 3-0 if they had scored only a few more runs. Or used the amount of runs they scored (16) in a more sparing way.

And their young players are playing very tough baseball - Girardi called last night's loss the best game of the season (so far) the Marlins played. They came back from a 6-0 deficit to make a stand in the 9th where Hermida and Cabrera both fought back from 0-2 counts to give their team a shot. Willingham's broken bat squib out was the final out of the game and the last chance for the night. But it took Lidge - one of the best closers in baseball - a 28 pitch inning to get the job done.

There is no quit in the Marlins.

Despite this, the media has seemed to choose a negative stance with the Marlins - at least for the most part. Most pundits pick the Marlins to lose upwards of 100 games, choosing to overlook their talent in favor of experience. The same mistake was made in 2003 when no one picked the Marlins to go to the World Series (except yours truly...) and certainly when they got there, no one picked them to win anything at all.

Experience = wins? No, talent gives you the best opportunity to win games. And the Marlins have loads of it.

But it isn't just about the on-field product the media seems to be attacking, but the Marlins front office and their off-field activities.

The Marlins meet with San Antonio's mayor and staff on Opening Day in Houston and the media blasts them for it. Sure, this was not exactly tactful - they could have waited until the second game of the season at least - but the Marlins front office have an obligation to the franchise to secure its future, too.

And the South Florida media - by and large - neglects to be helpful at all in this process. Instead, they choose to bad mouth the Marlins. From characterizations of David Samson as some kind of annoying, inept pipsqueak (and admittedly, he does look suspiciously like a Big Boy statue come to life...), to Loria being cheap with some kind of hidden agenda to drive the Marlins franchise into the ground (whoops, winning a World Series in 2003 and re-investing money into the team's payroll for the next 2 seasons seems to be just a fit).

It was Dan Le Batard's now infamous bash of the Marlins in 2003 when they signed Ivan Rodriguez that serves as the perfect illustration for how the media has portrayed and viewed South Florida's professional baseball franchise.

Disturbingly, Le Batard likened it to putting 'breast implants on a rotting corpse'.

If that doesn't ring of the greatest optimism, it is certainly extremely more satisfying that the biggest plate of crow had to be served up to Le Batard to partake of. Not to mention a huge 'I told you so' about 100 stories high.

Mea culpa? Don't offend our Latin audience with such a trite gesture.

Hyde wrote an article spelling out why it would be more beneficial for the Marlins to trade Dontrelle Willis. He published it on Opening Day, 2006.

David J. Neal, who was more known for covering hockey for the Herald, has attempted to write about the Marlins on a couple of occasions. The most recent was a very negative look to the team's immediate future and was published on March 31st. Click Here to see the article.

The media in South Florida has been historically unkind to the Marlins - ever since their savior Wayne Huizenga decided to nuke the team only 2 weeks after winning the World Series in 1997. Unlike H-bomb's fat $2 million tax exemption, the media (unlike the government) decided to attach the actions to the franchise and not the person responsible.

No in-depth investigative report on Huizenga's claims of $20 million losses came down the pike. No real substantial questioning of Huizenga's agenda came into place. Instead, the media decided to bash the fans - who were only hesitant to come back to the game since suffering from a strike only 3 seasons prior (in 1994) and were only in the infantile stages of having a major league franchise that was just hatched in 1993.

Even Huizenga was pushing for a new ball-park in those days, remember Blockbuster park?

So ask yourselves, why is it still, now, when the situation hasn't changed for the Marlins - only the franchise owners have - that the media instead bashes the franchise or the fans and not look at the real problem? (Like, I don't know, the lease that was signed by Huizenga and John Henry - then owner of the Marlins who didn't have the money to build a new stadium for the Marlins, but somehow could sling the bread together to buy the Red Sox franchise - a lease that should be reported as some sort of criminal lease which shackles the tenet)

This is not to say that criticism is not due for the Marlins franchise. But criticism without an agenda would be welcomed. Has Larry Beinfest made some questionable trades? Yes. Not every trade is going to work out though, right Mr. Billy Koch?

Things must maintain proper perspective. The Marlins are cash-strapped and even if they sold out every game this season, they still wouldn't generate the revenue that they would need to run this franchise as, I am sure, Mr. Loria would like. That said, I don't want to see the Marlins run cheaply like the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates. These franchises, due to the revenue sharing structure and economics of MLB, have no incentive to be winning teams but instead to be run as cheaply as possibly so that they can keep getting that slice of the pie for being on the bottom rung of MLB's economic scale.

They want to get fat off the fat of the MLB's properly run franchises. And that isn't right - but that is where the game is now with Bud Selig.

Still, the Marlins deserve better. They deserve help to get a stadium built. They deserve the respect that a franchise who has brought them 2 world championships should get. The community deserves to have a tradition that is home grown, right here in South Florida, that is about winning baseball and a team that they can be proud of.

Let's hope, as fans, that the media starts to realize its own wrongs and its responsibility to its community, too. Let's hope that they embrace this team and help others to do the same. This is the only hope for the Marlins franchise and its fans for a future at all.

Marlins Open season with loss, but hope

The final score smiled 1-0 in favor of the hometown Astros, which subsequently started the Marlins season off with their first loss and officially started off Joe Girardi's managing career.

The first of many losses? That is what most of the pundits out there would have you believe.

But don't believe it.

The Marlins are young and inexperienced, and sure, they are fielding 6 rookies in their starting lineup - a modern day baseball record.

But don't bet against them either.

Blasting out of spring training with the best winning percentage is not enough, to be sure. Because, it doesn't count.

Yet, it does count for something - hope.

The young Marlins played very hard today and if not for a couple of errors on the field, and a couple of mis-timed swings, who knows how this game could have turned out. Dontrelle Willis battled with Roy Oswalt in a pitching duel that called for pure guts. Like two tomcats, each pitcher matched the other blow for blow. A couple of botched defensive plays by slick-fielding, yet still green, Hanley Ramirez may have sealed Willis' early exit.

Willis' pitch count was getting high - 107 pitches in just 5 innings. And Girardi did something most Marlin fans SHOULD be excited about - he pulled his starter.

Why is this significant? It marks a huge paradigm shift from the McKeon days of bludgeoning players towards a more scientific approach that Girardi and his staff champion.

Some may second guess Girardi for making the switch, but the young bullpen kept the Marlins in the game following with Josh Johnson - who gave up the game's only run, Joe Borowski (ok, not young at all...), and Carlos Martinez (who has some electric stuff out there). The pitching staff was able to keep this game close, but Oswalt was not having any of it and continued to go after the Marlins young hitters.

Still, the Marlins battled and created a few opportunities to score, but in the end it was just not good enough. They were not as fortunate as the Astros whose only score came on a slider that got away from Miguel Olivo. But they battled, and watching Jacobs, Hermida, Cabrera and Willingham at the plate made one feel that something was going to happen. You can feel that even though this team is young, they can play and they were never out of it.

They are well coached. They have loads of talent. But they got the loss. Still, there is hope - another 161 games to go. Who knows what the season holds in store for this team. Perhaps a miracle? Perhaps.

Marlins hot commodity in Fantasy Baseball leagues

It's that time of year again - sure, opening day for baseball, but more importantly, opening day for fantasy baseball leagues. The industry has been growing steadily, especially over the past decade. It has grown into a multi-million dollar industry and has also cemented the game into the minds of its fans.

As this new season approaches, millions will be scouring over reports of players and compiling lists in order for there final preparations before their drafts.

And it is interesting to note that several Marlins are hot commodities for these cyberspace GMs.

According to Yahoo.com, Josh Willingham, the Marlins young catcher in the rough - who will also be splitting time in LF - is one of the top 5 in their 'Buzz Index'. With 2,092 adds, he is #5 on their list and has been added to many rosters. One of the reasons is he is catcher eligible, but also because of a very strong spring and his stats from his minor league career. All indications show that Willingham is going to hit in this league.

Another hot commodity is Jeremy Hermida. The young RF put up very good numbers in his rookie campaign with the Marlins - making a strong first impression with a grand slam homerun in his first AB. He hasn't been spectacular this spring, but the potential in undeniable. He is a potential 5 tool star, in the long Marlins tradition of Miguel Cabrera and...Gary Sheffield.

All joking aside, some scouts and others around the league have taken notice of Hermida as well. A former teammate noted that he feels this kid is going to be a 30/100 guy for many years to come - even as soon as THIS season.

Let's not forget about Mike Jacobs either. Coming over from the Mets in the barrage of deals this offseason, the Marlins are penciling him in as their starting 1B. And he has been impressive in stints - he batted only .275 with 2 homers in 69 ABs, but had a .357 OBP and had 9 K's vs. 8 BB's. He shows pretty good plate discipline and the power is there (Jacobs belted 11 home runs in 100 ABs last season with the Mets). One Met scout really likes his potential hitting at Joe Robbie Stadium (oh yeah, 'Dolphins Stadium'...) and towards the RF porch.

In fact, both Jacobs and Hermida are listed as 'rookies to watch' over at Yahoo.com.

Then there is the intrigueing talent Hanley Ramirez. A highly touted prospect in the Red Sox system, he is going to be starting at SS and has all the physical tools to excel at the position. Now, he just needs to play - and play he will. Hitting .319 with 3 home runs in the spring, he has quickly impressed his coaches. With all the playing time ahead of him, he may prove to be a very smart gamble in later rounds of your draft.

Also, Dan Uggla has some potential - he is playing 2B and has demonstrated over his minor league career that he has some power. He had 2 bombs this spring.

Along with the "crusty old vets", Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins have a ton of talent that will play tough and should put up pretty strong numbers over the course of the season. And fantasy GMs are already taking notice.

SIMF's Positional Breakdown '06

Southern Illinois Marlin Fan, or SIMF as we like to call him, has taken the liberty of breaking down his projections for each position for the Marlins over the coming '06 season. Let's take a look at what his brain has eeked out...

Hello all, Spike here(or SouthernIllinoisMarlinsFan). I have been quite quiet lately, computer was being molested by trojan horse viruses. I also got a DUI and I cant drive.

But hey, my boys are dancing, hopefully to the Final Four...about time a Missouri Valley team makes it there, dont you think?

Anyway, I am here to give my thoughts on EVERY POSITION that is being battled out by our hatchlings, the baby fish, the 2006 Florida Marlins.

C: It seems that this is Willingham's job to lose. Makes sense, Olivo has only shown the ability to bat at certain times, and rarely close together. He's as streaky as a 90 year olds depends. As for Treanor, well he gets defensive, but thats about it. Jourgenson has already been reassigned to minor league camp, and Brett Hayes was hurt. Hopefully he gets well soon, he will be the guy in a year and a half IMO. Now on to Willingham. Everyone and their mother has a serious jones for this guy, and it is understandable...he puts up good #'s from the plate. It sucks he is as useful as a gargoyle statue behind the plate, but from all accounts he can hit. I seem to be the only skeptic. He put up good #'s in the minors, from the start...when he was a college product older than the competition. Then he put up great #'s in Albaquerque, in the Pacific Coast League, where Joe Dillon looked like Joe Dimaggio. In his first stint in the majors, he sucked offensively and defensively, struggling to hit .200 and showing little power. It was a minimum # of plate attempts, but it was a minimum # of plate attempts against seasoned MLB pitching. Then, his second stint, he hit well...still, in minimum attempts, but better...against other late season callups that were once again below his skill level, and he still failed to flash any real power like everyyones predicting.

Prediction: Willingham wins job, struggles to do anything useful as he is garbage behind the plate and is not the hitter everyone thinks, bitchslapped back to Carolina before May

1B: This is a more contested battle, mainly because Stokes and Jacobs are having a round of "anything you can do I can do better". Still, Stokes is unreliable and the organiztion knows this, Jacobs has shown he can do it at the MLB level. Albeit shortly. Still more than Stokes has shown.

Prediction: Jacobs wins the job, Stokes is sent back to the AA or AAA, if he stays healthy he is traded at the deadline

2B: It's Ugglas job, since theres no one else to do it and we have to keep him on the roster anyway, unless we want him to go back, which wouldn't be good since theres no one else to do it. Way to go Dan.

Prediction: Uggla's the man, at least for half a season

3B: Cabrera, nuff said.

SS: HanRam comes in with stiffer competition than anyone thought, as Andino has been fighting tooth and nail. That shows me that Andino's struggles are more to do with the situation he was called up to do last season than actual lack of talent. But still, Uggla is not a long term answer, HanRam is a potential superstar, and Andino has the ability to become a great defensive 2B.

Prediction: Hanley wins, Andino goes back to AA to work at 2B, if he shows promise and hits well, he gets to promoted to AAA for a month(give or take), if he cuts it there for a certain period of time, Andino relegates Uggla to utility duty.

LF: This is a real head scratcher, because our beloved organization rarely thinks ahead when it comes to position prospects. Still, this is a battle, IMO, between Reggie Abercrombie and Chris Aguila. Aguila has never gotten a fair shake, or at least in alot of opinions he hasn't. All things considered, neither has Abercrombie, but he is my choice here. He has more upside right now, and really there are not many options.

Prediction: The job is yours Mr. Abercrombie, I hope your as stylish on the field as the clothes you share your name with.

CF: Another battle in which Aguila will be embroiled in, but once again, he falls short. We need a leadoff hitter, and Eric Reed can hopefully fill that mold. He has the speed, and he is the top rated defensive OF in our system.

Prediction: Eric Reed, Need for Speed

RF: Jeremy Hermida...do I really need to go on?

Bench: Helms, Harris, Aguila, Olivo, Amazega

SP: There are 5 spots, and we know Willis, Vargas, and Moehler have 3 of them. Of the other two, it's a battle between Ford Pinto, "String Bean" Scott Olsen, Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Brad Penny version 2 Josh Johnson, and Sergio Mitre. Sergio Mitre has no business in the rotation, the bullpen, MLB, MiLB, or even being a hot dog vendor at a ballpark at any level. He is flat out garbage.

Prediction: Willis, Moehler, Olsen, Johnson, Vargas...until the allstar break, and then we get to see Willis, Johnson, Olsen, Nolasco, and Vargas.

Pen: The hardest part is to predict this mess. Boworski sucks, but Bowyer is not quite ready yet. Other notables include Kensing, Resop, Messenger, Bump on the forehead, Matt Herges, Kerry Lightenberg, Tankersly, Garcia, Delgado and MeGrew.

Prediction: Lightenberg, Herges, Bump, Mitre, Boworski, Resop, Messenger...until the allstar break, when the we cut lose and deal some of the losers or a few get their walking papers. MeGrew will likely start the season on the DL for a sore right eyelid or other bs, just as long as we dont send him back until we see wether our other lefties are cut out for the job. Post all star break bullpen: Messenger, Resop, Delgado, Tankersly, Kensing, Bowyer, and Harvey Garcia. And this will be the 2007 opening day bullpen, minus Bostick.

Traded or released by the break: Lightenberg, Herges, Mitre, Olivo(I'm not kidding), MeGrew, Seabol, Amazega, Stokes, Bostick, Moehler
What we will get: OUTFIELD, CATCHER, and MI DEPTH in the form of prospects. An interesting trade I heard came in the form of sending Bostick and Mitre to the Astros and plucking Hunter Pence and John Anderson from their OF rich system. Possible, maybe not likely, and definantly not discussed by anyone other than a select few baseball fans.

Anyway, I did all that predicting, threw in a few snide remarks, and have come to the conclusion that this is what our 2007 team will look like:
C-Gaby Sanchez
1B-Mike Jacobs
2B-Robert Andino
3B-Miguel Cabrera
SS-Hanley Ramirez
LF-Kris Harvey
CF-Eric Reed
RF-Jeremy Hermida
Chris Aguila, Reggie Abercrombie, Dan Uggla, Ryan Jourgenson, Jose Campusano
SP-Dontrelle Willis
SP-Josh Johnson
SP-Scott Olsen
SP-Ricky Nolasco
SP-Jason Vargas
Logan Kensing, Chris Resop, Randy Messenger, Taylor Tankersly, Harvey Garcia, Jesus Delgado, Travis Bowyer

And now to the actual rant part of this very special rant:

This 2006 team will not be good. It won't be as bad as 98, and it wont be a group of laughing stocks, but it wont be good. Manager Joe Girardi has said he wants to go young, COMPLETELY YOUNG, and starting in 07 he will get his wish. This group of vetern misfits that was stockpiled is just to ease the young guys in, until a group of youngens is set to come in and takes the place of the old wankers.

We will do one thing good this season however: play spoiler. And, still, probably not even finish last in the NL East. That spot is likely reserved for the Nationals. And, realisticially, if we play our asses off we can finish 3rd, because the Mets are not as good as everyone thinks. Their pitching staff is still complete garbage, likely worse than ours, likely worst in the NL, with Wagner and Pedro being the only ones worth more than a buffalo nickel. Their offseason acquisitions not withstanding, they are the Mets and those players are sure to have a polar opposite of a break out year. As for the spoiler part, we will do our part to keep teams that piss us off out of the playoffs. And we will also give fits, because with youth comes stubborness(i.e. we wont know we arent supposed to win...hey, worked for the 2003 team).

And, my bold prediction...we will compete, maybe fall short, of at least the wild card in 2007. And in 2008, we return to where we rightfully deserve to be, the playoffs.

Thank you, and good night.