Hanley Ramirez and Cody Ross share a birthday today. Cody is turning 29, while Hanley is 26. We send our best wishes to both, as well as Ryan, whoever he is. Perhaps one of you guys can wish for Josh Johnson to get paid?
Image via wetakethecake.com
Via Fish@Bat, I found out yesterday that the new Marlins stadium will include a $2.5 million feature (below) that utilizes animatronic Marlins to celebrate a home run. You can view a video of the proposed design at the Sun Sentinal's website (embedding is disabled, unfortunately). I think it looks pretty interesting, reminiscent of a bizarro old-timey carnival display.
But I have one suggestion that would put the feature over the top into the realm of legendary design. Let's crossbreed one of the animatronic Marlins with the giant Jason Taylor robot featured at the 2007 Dolphins-Giants game in London (below). The two would create an awesome merman, no? If I had decent photoshop skills, I would mock up a design, but instead you will have to use your imagination.
Let's make this happen, people. You can e-mail the Marlins front office at fanfeedback@marlins.mlb.com.
The Marlins have non-tendered super-utility man Alfredo Amezaga, feeling he was too big of a risk coming back from microfracture surgery on his knee. The team could still conceivably sign him at a lower price after March 2 (as per MLB rules), but as Craig points out, Amezaga has "a lot time to prove to the other clubs he is good to go while the Marlins are sitting on the sidelines." So goodbye, Fredo. Your stats were never good enough to start, but you did everything you could for the team, even making yourself Miguel Cabrera's personal celebration dance specialist. You will be missed.
Cue Neil Young...
If you haven't heard by now, tonight news broke via ESPN.com that negotiations between the Marlins and Josh Johnson have reached an impasse and that no long term deal figures to be signed soon. He will most likely sign a one year deal for 2010. He will remain under club control until the end of the 2011 season, at which point he is eligible for free agency.
This is not-so-good news. I tried to warn people via Twitter, message boards, and word of mouth, that just because there were reports during the season that the team would offer JJ a long term contract this winter, didn't automatically mean he would sign off on it. Josh and his agent are smart and know if they take a mini-gamble and bank on no serious injury or dip in performance, that a huge payday is coming and it won't be Jeffrey Loria signing the checks.
"It seems to me that based on his age and performance, Josh falls into that group of two or three starting pitchers out there whose next contract could very well exceed $100 million,"
- Matt Sosnick (Johnson's agent)
Ugh. Marlins and $100 million just don't go to together. I doubt they would trade him as early as this year, but 2011 now figures to be very interesting. For now, I suggest we all just do our normal Marlins-thing and just enjoy his dominance as long as we can and trust that the organization will either get him signed eventually or get full value in any potential trade. That, and Dave and I will begin penning his Marlins Diaspora post.
Fish@Bat informs us that Renyel Pinto is in a bit of legal trouble. This will seriously affect next year's revision of the Renyel Pinto Flow Chart...
The votes are in, and Chris Coghlan has been named National League Rookie of the Year in a very close race. Congratulations to Chris.
Coghlan joins former Marlins winners Dontrelle Willis and Hanley Ramirez.
UPDATE: Rob Iracane is mad, because Andrew McCutchen didn't win the award and Rob's a Yankees fan and now that he can't be mad at Melky Cabrera or something he needs to direct his anger somewhere else so this is where it landed also what's the point in telling everyone that baseball writers are idiots, it's kind of like calling the sky blue...zzzzzzzzz
Baseball America listed the top ten prospects in the Marlins organization last week. You can read their analysis here. What I found interesting, though, was BA's projected 2012 Marlins lineup:
In case you're bored, below are some Marlins trivia quizzes from Sporcle.com.
Well that was quick. The Marlins figure to have a busy offseason and they wasted no time making their first move. They have cut the cord on the Jeremy Hermida balloon and are letting him float up to Boston (unless he's hiding in the 400 level of Landshark Stadium). In return the Red Sox are sending us a couple of average pitching prospects, both lefties I think.
We've had a good time ribbing Jeremy for his lofty LOB numbers and then being elated by his few clutch homers. The truth is, he has never lived up to expectations. He was a first round pick, and was often reffered to as our best prospect. He also hit a grand slam in his first major league plate appearance, which hadn't been done in 100 years. That probably set the fans' bar pretty high. But, he was often injured and underperformed. A good second half in 2007 gave new hope that he would put it together and be a let's say Jayson Werth-like player. Wrong. He was reduced to a platoon role this year in the outfield and struggled. Did I mention he isn't the best of fielders?
So now the question is who will be the next to go? Dan Uggla is probably the biggest candidate and safest bet. We'll keep you posted.
Read more...Your 2009 Playoff Bracket Contest Winner is Adam Smoot, with a whopping 15 points after correctly picking the Yankees to defeat the Phillies. Congrats Adam, drop me an e-mail and we will sort out your prize selection and delivery.
Read more...
So, should I be happy the Phillies lost the World Series, or mad that the Yankees won?
Pedro faces Pettite, and PLEASE GOD END THIS SERIES ALREADY! Your other television options are below.
, by Fred Kaplan. Kaplan looks at a number of touchstone events from 1959 which set the stage for the major cultural, political, and technological shifts of the 1960s. He examines the worlds of computer science, jazz, literature, and geopolitics, among others, in a concise, quick read.
Read more...
Cliff Lee faces AJ Burnett tonight. Perhaps the Yankees will clinch tonight and get this series over with. Here's what's on tv.
, by Alan Taylor. Taylor masterfully chronicles the life of William Cooper (founder of Cooperstown, NY and father of novelist James Fenimore Cooper), using his life as a vehicle to examine the radical social and economic changes taking place during the early years of the American republic. His writing is quite accessible, and this book won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1996.
Read more...
Last night we came very close to what us Marlins fans wanted in this World Series, a win for mother nature. But alas, the game was only delayed and not postponed. Anyway, it's game four tonight in Philadelphia and here is the suggested TV viewing.
, by Steve Fainaru and Ray Sanchez. These journalists chronicle the opening of Cuba to Major League Baseball and tell the story of El Duque Hernandez's journey from Cuban pitching phenom to political dissident to refuge to Major League stardom. Also features Livan prominently, which makes up for the entire chapter of Yankees highlights.
Read more...
Tonight is game three, but it's a Saturday and it's Halloween, so you really should go out. Because of that, the TV options are quite limited. Sure you can always find some Law and Order reruns but there is not much in the way of new programming. So if you must stay home and pass out candy, we have just one suggestion other than the World Series that are worth watching on TV.
8:00pm: College Football - Two huge games that have national championship implications. Texas pretty much controls their own destiny and they will travel to Oklahoma State. In the other matchup, Oregon hosts USC in essentially an elimination game in the Pac-10 race. The games can be found on ABC and ESPN2, check your local listings. If you aren't into football, then check the HBO's.
Below is Dave's book recommendation.
Tonight's book recommendation is A Confederacy of Dunces
Tonight it's Pedro vs. AJ Burnett, but on the plus side, Thursday is like the best night on television week in and week out. Besides, AJ hates Jack McKeon, so to hell with him.
. This book cemented Sarah Vowell as my literary crush -- she is deliciously nerdy. Vowell explores various destinations surrounding the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley, musing on history, memory, and kitsch, all with some George Bush bashing for good measure.
Read more...
CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee will square off in Game 1 tonight, and here are your alternatives:
, by Erik Larson. In it, Larson intertwines a history of the building of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with the tale of H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who preyed on young women during the fair. Larson deftly balances historical storytelling with an examination of a shrewd psycopath who took advantage of his surroundings to build a small business empire and take advantage of skyrocketing demand for cadavers from the burgeoning American medical school system. I'm making my way through this currently, and have enjoyed it thus far.
Read more...
This year's Worlds Series matchup is one of the worst in recent memory for Marlins fans, featuring the Phillies, a major divisional rival, and the Yankees, the scourge of South Florida sports fans. We've seen both teams in the World Series over the past decade, but at least they faced another team we could root for. But this year's matchup is almost as bad as the Mets-Yankees matchup in 2000. All we can do is complain that the Yankees bought the pennant and the Phillies benefitted from a very weak National League, and both grievances only make us look petty.
What are Marlins fans to do? Not much, unfortunately. Aside from rooting for an act of god to postpone the series (which I guess would be sort of unethical), our options appear to be limited to apathy. Such is life sometimes. At the very least, we can live with the fact that last year's Phillies World Series victory eventually gave us a great episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia...
From the inimitable Joe Posnanski:
Babe Ruth on steroids (and with a better workout plan) might have hit 100 home runs in a season. And Josh Gibson, with no color barrier, might have hit 120. And Walter Johnson with a split-fingered fastball might have struck out 400 in a season. And Zack Greinke, transported to 1968 Detroit, might have had 30 wins and a 1.33 ERA. And Duane Kuiper, in Coors Field, might have hit .300. It's a great game, this baseball. So many possibilities.Read more...
From the AP, the Cubs appear to be on the verge of finally being sold, but first, they will have to suffer the embarrassment of bankruptcy:
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, a step that will allow their owner to sell the baseball team in an $845 million deal.
The filing in Wilmington, Del., was anticipated and is expected to lead to a brief stay in Chapter 11 for the Cubs. A hearing was scheduled for Tuesday in front of the judge who has been handling the bankruptcy of the Cubs' owner, Tribune Co.
The Cubs' filing is part of the Tribune Co.'s plans to sell the team, Wrigley Field and related properties to the family of billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder of Omaha, Neb.-based TD Ameritrade.
Tribune, which also owns the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, filed for bankruptcy protection in December, but the Cubs were not covered in the filing. The team's run through Chapter 11 could last mere days, enough to protect its new owners from potential claims by Tribune creditors, said Ira Herman, a bankruptcy attorney with Thompson & Knight.
Tribune bought the Cubs in 1981 for $20.5 million from candy maker Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Tribune announced plans to sell the franchise in 2007, but got tripped up by the recession and the collapse of the credit markets.
It has agreed to sell the Ricketts family a 95 percent stake in a deal that tops the record $660 million paid for the Boston Red Sox and its related properties in 2002. Tribune Co. is keeping the remaining 5 percent.
Major League Baseball's other owners have approved the sale.
The Cubs' bankruptcy filing is not the first in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles were sold in a bankruptcy auction in 1993 after owner Eli Jacobs filed for Chapter 11. The same happened to the Seattle Pilots after the 1969 season. The new owners moved the team to Milwaukee and changed the name to the Brewers.
The National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes, a franchise that has yet to make a profit since moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1996, filed for Chapter 11 protection in May.
This has been your This Week in Schadenfreude.
The offseason is upon us, so let's hand out some awards and superlatives. On with the memories with some awards I made up...
Dontrelle Willis Out of Nowhere Award, given to the player who was completely off the radar in Spring Training that made a big impact on the team: Chris Coghlan. Who knew Coghlan, who had never played a game in left field until the night before he was promoted to the big club, would flourish in the position? Coghlan wasn't even on my radar before the season, but what he lacked in buzz he made up for with performance, solidifying the leadoff spot and getting some Rookie of the Year consideration along the way.
Jorge Julio Award, given to the new addition to team who completely flopped: Emilio Bonifacio. Things went downhill quickly for Bonifacio after his inside-the-park home run on opening day, as he posted a .309 on base percentage this year, eighth-worst among NL qualifiers.
Darren Daulton Deadline Dandy, given to the best midseason acquisition: Nick Johnson. Johnson was the perfect hitter to place between Coghlan and Hanley Ramirez, when he was healthy. Hey, it's not like Luis Ayala was getting this award.
Next Member of the Marlins Diaspora, self explanatory: Dan Uggla. Congratulations on another great year with the bat. Unfortunately, you have priced yourself out of the Marlins' 2010 payroll. And when Emilio Bonifacio replaces you, hits .215, and costs the Marlins their season, Jeff Loria will blame Fredi Gonzalez and fire his ass. Way to go, Dan.
Bret Barberie Bizarre Boo-Boo: given to the player with the weirdest injury of the season, named after the time former Marlin Bret Barberie missed a game due to a case of habanero juice in the eye: Jorge Cantu. Everyone's favorite sassy senior had to leave the Marlins' June 10 game against St. Louis with a bout of the dizzies. The problem was caused by his cholesterol medication. Cantu is 27 years old, which may make him the youngest person in America to take cholesterol medication...
On with some other, more generic awards...
MVP: Hanley Ramirez. No explanation necessary.
Best Pitcher: Josh Johnson. The only pitcher you could count on to give a quality start.
Biggest Surprise: Chris Coghlan. In a deep farm system, Coghlan was not the first player you would have expected to make an impact for the Marlins, but he did.
Biggest Disappointment: Four-way tie for Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller. Before the season, Ted said "The top three of the rotation [with Johnson] has a chance to be great... they don't need to be all stars now, just decent." I said "None of the Marlins' pitchers will get any Cy Young consideration, but not because they didn't deserve it." Josh Johnson held up his end of the deal. The rest, not so much.
It's playoff time, and while the Marlins will be watching from home, we can at least follow the lucky children of the Marlins Diaspora who managed to make the playoffs with another team. Here's the lucky few who made it to the playoffs:
NY Yankees: AJ Burnett, P
Minnesota Twins: Mike Redmond, C; Carl Pavano, P
LA Angels: Darren Oliver, P
Boston Red Sox: Mike Lowell, 3B; Josh Beckett, P; Alex Gonzalez, SS
LA Dodgers: Juan Pierre, OF
St. Louis Cardinals: no former Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies: Paul Bako, C
Colorado Rockies: no former Marlins
As you can see, it is not a great list, with the exception of the Boston Red Sox. But on the plus side, we will get to see some former favorites on a big stage. And if Carl Pavano can make some big outs for the Twins against his former Yankee employers, all the better.
It looks like my chances of winning my own contest are quite good, as only Adam Smoot of Bright Orange Seats and Tom Green of 4th and Fail gave us their playoff picks. You can view everyone's picks and point totals as the playoffs move on here. Some interesting points to note:
The Twins and Tigers are about to start their one-game playoff, and once the game is over, you will have little time to fill out your playoff brackets.
Here is a blank bracket to be used if the Twins win tonight, and here is a blank bracket to be used if the Tigers win tonight.
To keep managing this thing simple, please send me your picks in a list so I can enter it into a quick spreadsheet, which I'll link here before the playoffs start. Full contest rules are here. You have until the first game starts to e-mail me [davidhill126-at-gmail-dot-com]. Good luck.
On a related note, Slate released their annual "surface-level guide to the postseason," which you can read here. A quick-reference guide that I can use to insult Yankees and Red Sox fans? I'm in.
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez will keep his job. His sources say that Fredi was never in any danger of getting fired, but I believe that about as much as I believe OJ is innocent, which is to say you cannot trust Jeffrey Loria, who is, as Israel Gutierrez calls him, "George Steinbrenner with an empty wallet."
I have a feeling that it will be a long offseason for Marlins fans...
Chris Coghlan, heading home.Note: The final Week in Review of the 2009 season will be posted later today.
You can read the rest of his take here. For the record, this is the same front office that considered Emilio Bonifacio to be worthy of starting at third base and hitting leadoff. And they think Fredi was the problem this year. The front office has complained about Gonzalez's handling of late-game situations, but Gutierrez points out that the Marlins were 30-20 in one-run games this year, so what exactly are they concerned about (except for the decision to platoon Matt Lindstrom and Leo Nunez in the closer spot, which was essentially forced upon Gonzalez when the front office failed to acquire bullpen help for the stretch run)?If it's true that Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is on the verge of being replaced, and team president David Samson did nothing to dispel the rumors that have suddenly circulated, then Jeffrey Loria has officially become a meddler.
And not just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill delusional owner who wants so badly to win that he will more than occasionally make a mockery of his organization.
No, Loria would be worse. He would be the delusional owner who wants to win so badly that he makes a mockery of his organization -- but doesn't spend any money in the process.
He's a persistent beggar and a demanding chooser. He's George Steinbrenner with an empty wallet.
It would be a joke, really, that the owner who dishes out the lowest payroll in the majors replaces the manager who guided his team to 87 wins and a second-place finish in the division. Especially when even the most optimistic of baseball experts considered the Marlins a sleeper team with a decent starting rotation and little else.
The Marlins brass, however, considered this team playoff caliber. And now those unrealistic expectations are about to cost Gonzalez his job?
It's beyond ridiculous. It's profound in its stupidity.
Marlins players openly joke about the looming salary slashing. "Happy trails to you, Danny Boy!'' Ross Gload said to Dan Uggla. "You're making too much money. I hope we get a good pitcher for you.''via the Miami Herald
The time has come for some end-of-season reflection, so here are my thoughts on the 2009 season. Last year, the Marlins were considered to be a bit of an overachieving team, finishing 84-77 despite a Pythagorean W-L of 81-81. 2009 was a similar story, with the Marlins currently sitting 86-74 with a Pythagorean W-L of 82-78. Indeed, were it not for a dismal month of May, during which the team went 9-20, the Marlins could have very easily made the playoffs in an alternate universe. So while I am disappointed 2009 did not go better, I also understand that the Marlins played a bit above expectations.
I won't rehash all the failings of the team in 2009, from the bullpen nightmares to the inconsistent starting pitching, but will instead use 2009 as a guide for what the Marlins need to accomplish to improve in 2010.
Offensively, the Marlins appear due for a dropoff next year. At this point they have scored the fifth most runs in the National League while posting the fourth highest OBP and fifth highest OPS (and that was with Emilio Bonifacio starting most of the season!). But it appears highly likely that the team will lose at least two of the trio of Nick Johnson, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu to free agency and/or arbitration. While it is possible that their numbers can be replaced by some of the younger players due to come up in 2010 (Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison, ?), I'm not so enthusiastic that the offense will necessarily continue humming along next year.
That is not to say all hope is lost. The Fish still possess Hanley Ramirez, one of the most talented players in the game who creates runs no matter who is batting around him. And Chris Coghlan has turned himself into an effective OBP machine hitting leadoff. If an effective hitter can take residence between the two in the lineup (perhaps Maybin?), then the Marlins will trot out a formidable top of the order every day next year. Hopefully the front office doesn't try to convince themselves that Bonifacio could start at second if Dan Uggla does not return.
But as we learned this year, a good offense cannot win the division without consistently effective starting pitching. Not to get all Joe Morgan here, but aside from Josh Johnson, the Marlins' rotation in 2009 was a bit of a roller-coaster ride. Ricky Nolasco struggled out of the gate, and never fully recaptured his effective 2008 form. Chris Volstad showed promise, but gave up 29 home runs over the same number of starts, which limited his effectiveness. Andrew Miller and Anibal Sanchez battled injuries all year, and Sean West showed flashes of brilliance but struggled with his control, walking 44 batters over 103 innings. All six of these pitchers had some great outings during the year, but they were all too often punctuated by disappointing outings, with the exception of Johnson, who proved himself worthy of at least one lame Photoshop.
If the Marlins wish to compete next year, they will need to get more quality starts out of their rotation. They got 73 through the first 160 games of 2009, which puts them at 13th in the NL. To me, this is the most important statistic to watch in 2010, as it will tell you how well the young pitching staff will be at logging low-scoring innings.
Then there is the bullpen. Though the team has publicly said they are comfortable bringing back Matt Lindstrom and Leo Nunez, I'm not convinced. We'll see what they have to say after the dust has settled on the 2009 season and Fredi Gonzalez does not have to worry about keeping the clubhouse peaceful. The Marlins had some good success from 2004-2006 picking up closers off the scrap heap (Armando Benitez, Todd Jones, even Joe Borowski) and letting them pitch; perhaps it may be time to try that again (although they are always liable to end up with another Jorge Julio/Kevin Gregg situation...).
Until all the offseason roster shake-ups are done, I am loathe to make any predictions about next year. Nevertheless, I feel I am justified in being optimistic about 2010.
The Fish defeated the Braves 5-4 last night, but with Colorado's win over Milwaukee, the Marlins are officially out of the playoffs. So let's just go with Neil Young for the last time this year.
The Idea
It's a playoff bracket. I think you understand the concept. All Marlins/South Florida sports bloggers are invited to participate, as are commenters. I will mock up a rough bracket as soon as the final playoff spots are secured.
The Rules
Anibal Sanchez throws a shutout against the Phillies.Thanks, Brad.
Meanwhile, I thought it was really sweet of Fredi Gonzalez to pay tribute to his former mentor, Bobby Cox, by getting ejected on the night Cox announced he will retire at the end of the 2010 season. I can think of no better homage.
Tweet courtesy of el Tomas Verde
Great come from behind win for the Marlins last night and I couldn't resist nominating Brad Lidge for this week's Schadenfreude segment. Lidge recording his astonishing eleventh blown save of the season. Below is his line from last night, which ended with him walking of the mound after allowing a game tying RBI single to Jorge Cantu and a game winning RBI single by Brett Carroll.
MLB released 2010 schedules for every team the other day. Read more here. The Fish open 2010 at Citi Field against the Mets and close the season with three home games against the Pirates. That will come in handy if they are in a pennant race that goes down to the wire. They will also do a home-and-home with the Rays.
That's all I have to say about the 2010 schedule.
This Week in Schadenfreude has nothing to do with baseball, but I couldn't resist.
Ted and I have long been die-hard fans of the University of Miami's football team, ever since we started attending games in Orange Bowl with our parents in 1991. Like all Canes fans, we harbor a special distaste for Ohio State University (if you don't know why, don't ask). So you can imagine my joy when I read Chris Brown's takedown of Jim Tressel today at Dr. Saturday. Read it, and try not to break into uncontrollable giddy laughter.
Image via The 7th Floor.
Not to get all Uni Watch, but the preferred nomenclature is Los Marlines.| PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 27 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | .409 | .481 | .682 | 1.163 |
The Baseball Reference Stat of the Day blog (an essential read) informs us that Hanley Ramirez is 19 hits short of becoming only the second player in MLB history to post multiple 200-hit, 20-home-run, 20-stolen-base seasons. He accomplished this feat in 2007, and is now sitting with 181 hits, 22 home runs, and 24 stolen bases. With 22 games remaining in the season, the 200-hit mark is certainly doable.
Who was the other player to achieve multiple 200-20-20 seasons? None other than Vada Pinson, who coincidentally was the Marlins' first base coach in 1993. Vada did it thrice, in 1959, 1963, and 1965. The two are in good company, as Vladimir Guerrero, Hank Aaron, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays, Lou Brock, Bobby Bonds, and Kirby Puckett all posted a single 200-20-20 season. See the full list here (major h/t to BR).
Image via vintagecardtraders.org
In the seventh inning of tonights Marlins-Mets game, the Marlins had a runner on second with two outs and the pitcher's spot coming up to bat. Fredi Gonzalez sent up Ross Gload to pinch hit, and then the Mets did something inexplicable: they intentionally walked Gload to get to Chris Coglan, he of the .309 batting average and 47 hits in August. At that moment, Ted and I had the following exchange on gChat (edited for spelling and grammar, of course):
Dave: Why would the Mets intentionally walk Ross Gload to get to Coghlan, the hottest non-Hanley hitter in the lineup?Ted: It was the last dumb thing on the Mets' checklist of things to accomplish this year.Dave: Well put.
Ted: Like a scavenger hunt.
Dave: They walk Gload to get to Coghlan, who singles, then they have to face Johnson and Hanley, who both single. Why are they so scared of Gload?Ted: Well he has been extraordinarily good as a pinch hitter, but I'd rather to pitch to a .300 pinch hitter than a .300 everyday guy.
Our good buddy Lowell got hit by a Patrick Misch pitch in second inning of yesterday's game against the Mets and gave a provocatively suggestive pose for the photographers. This photo made the Wall Street Journal's Pictures of the Day column. Click on the photo to see a larger version, then try not to picture it next time you get busy.
You're welcome.
AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams via WSJ
With the hope of making a potentially Marlins-free playoff season interesting to us Fish fans, Ted and I are holding a South Florida/Marlins blogger MLB playoff bracket competition this October. It will function a lot like a March Madness bracket, with a few tweaks thrown in to make things interesting. We will be contacting the bloggers in our Rolodex soon, but readers will be welcome to join in on the action. As with the Trade Pool contest, the winner will receive a 12-pack of sudsy beverages of their choice. Unlike the Trade Pool contest, this time there will be an actual winner.
We will open the competition and provide a full run-down of the rules during the last week of September, so you can wait until then to fill out your brackets.
Cameron Maybin robs Christian Guzman.
Ted and I have begun compiling a glossary of terms useful for understanding Marlins fandom. We have posted a link to the glossary in the sidebar. Here is another link.
There are only five terms in the glossary at the moment, but we are open to adding more, and welcome reader suggestions (unlike those elitists at the O.E.D.). Some guidelines for suggestions:
Hanley is getting reinforcements.Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
PA AB R H HR RBI BB BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
Dan Uggla 683 611 105 172 27 90 48 .282 .339 .480 .818 112
Hanley Ramirez 700 633 119 185 17 59 56 .292 .353 .480 .833 116
Miguel Cabrera 676 576 112 195 26 114 86 .339 .430 .568 .998 159
Livan Hernandez, RHP
Played for Marlins: 1996-1999
Other Teams: San Francisco (1999-2002), Montreal/DC (2003-2006), Arizona (2006-2007), Minnesota (2008), Colorado (2008), NY Mets (2009), DC (2009-present)
Marlins fans know him because: He was the MVP of the 1997 NLCS and World Series, striking out 15 Atlanta Braves in an epic Game 5 of the NLCS that year. Livan was a fan favorite, as he defected from Cuba, where he was a promising pitcher on the national team, in 1995. When accepting the World Series MVP trophy at Joe Robbie Stadium, Hernandez, whose English was still weak, beamed, saying only "I love you Miami."
Everyone else knows him because: In addition to his postseason heroics for the Marlins. Livan had good stints with the Giants and Expos, becoming and innings-eater for both teams and making the NL All-Star team in 2004 and 2005 as an Expo/National. He also won the Silver Slugger award for pitchers in 2004. Livan started two games in the 2002 World Series for San Francisco, but lost both, only going a combined 5 and 2/3 innings while giving up 9 earned runs.
Best Marlins moment: Livan was the face of the Marlins 1997 team. It is difficult to overstate how much he meant to that team, winning 9 games down the stretch and dominating the Braves when the series was tied 2-2 (subbing for an ill Kevin Brown, to boot). Though I must admit, Moises Alou should have won the World Series MVP...
If anyone were to acquire a Chuck Carr Starting Lineup Figure and give it to me for the holidays/birthday/etc., I would love that person forever.
Just sayin...
H/t, image via Sharapova's Thigh.
The dumb nerds visionaries at Baseball Reference have answered the prayers of many lazy baseball bloggers and made their data tables embeddable. Now it is ridiculously easy for me to point out that Emilio Bonifacio is terrible at getting on base.
Emilio BonifacioProvided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Year Tm G PA AB H BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
2009 FLA 115 494 449 113 33 93 .252 .303 .310 .613 63
Two things happened in the past 48 hours:
Exhibit A: Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla went all Jeff Kent/Barry Bonds on each other Tuesday, with Uggla questioning Ramirez's commitment to the team and implying that Hanley pulled out of Tuesday's game to preserve his league-leading batting average. The incident was later played down as "family business."I have a feeling that at the end of the month, I will look back to these two incidents and (myopically) consider one to be an omen of how the month of September played out. Which will it be?
Exhibit B: Wes Helms hits a walkoff home run Wednesday night after Leo Nunez gives up a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning. Afterwards, Craig Minervini receives word via a text message from the man himself that Nick Johnson is rejoining the team and is "good to go."
© Blogger template The Professional Template II by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009
Back to TOP
