In Which We Are Already Penning JJ's Diaspora Post

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.

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Runaway Renyel

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...

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Congratulations Lowell!

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

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Not Funny, Baseball America

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:

Catcher: Kyle Skipworth
First Base: Logan Morrison
Second Base: Chris Coghlan
Third Base: Dan Uggla
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez
Left Field: Isaac Galloway
Center Field: Cameron Maybin
Right Field: Mike Stanton
No. 1 Starter: Josh Johnson
No. 2 Starter: Chad James
No. 3 Starter: Ricky Nolasco
No. 4 Starter: Chris Volstad
No. 5 Starter: Sean West
Closer: Ryan Tucker

Apparently, no one at Baseball America has heard of the Florida Marlins, because their is no way that Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, and Ricky Nolasco will all be on the team by the time 2010 rolls around. At least half of that quartet will join the Marlins Diaspora in the next two years.


h/t: FishStripes

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Trivia

In case you're bored, below are some Marlins trivia quizzes from Sporcle.com.

• Name the Marlins' 2003 World Series roster
• Name the Marlins' 2009 roster
• Name the Marlins' all-time Opening Day lineup

And from YardBarker.

• Marlins career home run leaders
• Marlins career ERA leaders
  

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So Long, Jeremy

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.

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Playoff Bracket Results

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.

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I am confused...

So, should I be happy the Phillies lost the World Series, or mad that the Yankees won?

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World Series TV Guide: Game 6

Pedro faces Pettite, and PLEASE GOD END THIS SERIES ALREADY! Your other television options are below.

• 7 EST Heat at Wizards (ESPN). The Heat attempt to bounce back from last night's loss to the Suns.
  
• 8 EST Bill Cosby receives The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor 2009 (PBS - encore presentation at 9:30). Featuring classic Cosby clips and tributes from Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Sinbad, and jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath(!). I saw Bill Cosby at the University of Florida in 2002. He killed.
  
• 9 EST Modern Family (ABC). It's the best new comedy on TV this year (with apologies to Community).
• 9:30 EST Income Property (HGTV). Featuring, for the ladies, the deliciously Canadian Scott McGillivray.
• 10 EST Top Chef All Stars Dinner (Bravo). Food porn at its finest.

Tonight's book recommendation is 1959: The Year Everything Changed, 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.

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World Series TV Guide: Game 5

Cliff Lee faces AJ Burnett tonight. Perhaps the Yankees will clinch tonight and get this series over with. Here's what's on tv.

• 8 EST Idiocracy (Comedy Central). Mike Judge (of Beavis and Butthead and Office Space fame) wonders aloud what would happen if stupid people continued to outbreed smart people over the next few centuries. Spoiler Alert: Bad things happen. This movie has developed a nice afterlife on DVD after flaming out in theaters, and rightfully so.
  
• 8 EST Man vs. Wild (Discovery). Bear Grylls is in Belize, where he encounters a 9 foot boa constrictor. I bet he turns it into a shelter.
• 8:30 EST Monday Night Football (ESPN). The Saints take on the Falcons. It's Drew Brees against Matt Ryan in a classic matchup of bland quarterbacks with little personality.
  
• 9 EST Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern (Travel). Andrew is on the Gulf Coast this week. You know what that means: nutria!
• 10 EST Mad Men (AMC). In case you missed last night's episode. Apparently, something happened to President Kennedy.
• 10:30 EST For Rent (HGTV). I'm still trying to understand why HGTV would target the notoriously cheap renter demographic.

Tonight's book recommendation is William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, 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.

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World Series TV Guide: Game 4

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.

• 8:00 PM The Amazing Race (CBS). Yes, it's a reality show, but it's won many Emmys and has a lot going for it. You get to see people in different parts of the world doing wacky tasks and you can really feel the competition between the teams. About once a year I end up watching an episode because I landed on it channel surfing and didn't turn away.
• 8:00 PM Catch Me If You Can (TNT). I haven't seen it, but it also won some awards and got good a good reception since it's 2002 release. Plus, Leonardo DiCaprio is in it, which may please some female viewers
• 9:00 PM Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). If you haven't gotten into this show, you are missing out. I understand it's not everybody's cup of tea but if you need laughs and outrageous plot lines, this is it. Bonus: the episode will also air at 10PM
• 10:00PM Mad Men (AMC). I admit, I haven't hopped aboard this fad yet, but everywhere I go, I hear about how great it is. Tonight might be a good time to check it out.

Below is Dave's book recommendation.

Tonight's book recommendation is The Duke of Havana: Baseball, Cuba, and the Search for the American Dream, 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.

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