Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes are going to great lengths to show everyone that they are totes best buds and not mortal frenemies. After posting Twitpics of their Playstation matchups, the two have upped the ante by getting matching dye-jobs:
The Marlins -- now the Miami Marlins -- have gotten a complete overhaul. Public opinion seems to be mostly along the lines of "Those sure look silly," but here's a little secret: Uni Watch thinks they look pretty good, especially the home whites. Sure, they used too many colors, but Miami is a colorful town, so why not? And did anyone -- seriously, anyone -- really love the old design? Yes, there are a few problems, mainly involving the ginormous cap logo and the absolutely brutal uni numbers, but I bet those get tweaked in a year or two. When you look at the whole package, the feeling here is that it's not so bad.We're guessing you might not agree with Paul Lukas' assessment of the old uniforms (since so many people are apparently in love with teal), but we were never truly wed to them either.
Via YouTube user MrSand0880, here is a video of the Marlins' home run display in action.
How did we not know about this? Henceforth this blog will refer to Jeffrey Loria and Samson as Big Stein Jr. and Lil' Napoleon.During his short-lived, tumultuous stint as an executive with the now-defunct Montreal Expos, his brash style earned Samson a nickname: Little Napoleon.
Not gonna lie, I love that. Athletes can handle trash talk - they hear it all the time. Owners and GMs, however, rarely get it, so any heckling they receive is more likely to be noticed and or hurt them. Samson got GREAT value for his heckling.He grew up in New York a fierce Knicks fan. While other fans might razz the point guard, Samson would heckle the general manager or owner — always from seats close to the floor.
That quote will stand out to many, but that is far from unique among professional schools. Anyone who's been to law school or business school (or grad programs in humanities and social sciences) has a few former classmates who could pull the same trick, barely preparing but still standing out in discussions by virtue of some forcefully-articulated opinions. They are often universally resented. No shocker to me that Samson was one of these dudes."I can tell you that David did not come to class prepared all that often," said Cardozo [Yeshiva Law School] professor David Rudenstine, who had Samson in his Federal Courts class some two decades ago. "But David would have strong, well-informed opinions. It was always a marvel to me that he could strike me as someone who was skating on top of the material, but had very precise and perceptive opinions."
Claude Raymond: Too awesome for words. Read more...At the end of each season in Montreal, the Expos would stage a ballgame for staff, the radio host said. Former pro pitcher Claude Raymond — an icon still in Montreal — would take the mound for both sides. One year, Samson came down to the field, grabbed a bat, and dug in, his tie flung over a shoulder.
"Raymond threw one right at him," Melnick said. "He drilled the Expos' president."
Afterward, Melnick insists, the pitcher was "treated like a hero by most of the office staff."
If you put all your money on Spring Training Game 8 in the "Guess Ozzie Guillen's First Ejection" pool, you just won big. Guillen got thrown out of the Marlins' 5-3 loss to the Red Sox Monday after arguing a foul ball call with the first base umpire. Ozzie get worked up in a Spring Training game? Shocking, I know.
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Guillen did not see or hear Valentine's remarks, but asked how he would have reacted, Guillen made his feelings clear.First of all, I LOVE Ozzie talking in the third person. He cannot do that enough. Secondly, it's been far too long since a Marlin had a beef with Bobby V (the last one I can remember is Cliff Floyd way back in 2001). Glad to see that tradition come back to the fore.
"I don't see it. I would have told him to go and [expletive] himself, too," said Guillen, with a laugh. "That's the way Ozzie Guillen is."
The trusty Buster Olney reports:
By the way: The Marlins have talked about presenting a big, crooked number in a contract offer to Giancarlo Stanton, sometime soon.This is of no surprise, obviously, but it is indeed good to hear from a reliable reporter that the Marlins are working on giving Stanton an extension, so he can keep giving male fans extensions inside their pants. Carry on.
As for Marlins trying to extend Giancarlo Stanton...haven't even reached out\empties bucket of ice water down my pants
Of politicians the team dealt with during the stadium planning process, Samson said they were "not the intellectual cream of the crop." This assessment extended to everyone else in South Florida. "We're not the smartest people in Miami," he said. "If you're in this room, you're instantly in the top 1%."Seriously, dude? You've already won by out-crooking the crooks in local and state governments, there's no need to rub it in. Read more...
Of the Marlins' new stadium in Little Havana, Samson thinks the team will thrive even if no one shows up to their games. "We don't care if nobody comes," he said. "We'll play in front of nobody, and we'll have all the money."
So to summarize, Samson thinks his customers are dumb and unnecessary for the team's success. He embodies the fan-unfriendly persona the team has assumed in the decade since Jeffrey Loria bought the team.
Thank God! I was starting to worry I would go a whole game without hearing some Pitbull.This seems like as good a time as any to reveal our new favorite gif:
— fakemarlinsfan (@FakeMarlinsFan) March 7, 2012
According to MLB rules, hitters must be able to see the ball leave the pitcher's hand without any interference. This is why MLB stadiums do not have any field-level seats in straightaway centerfield.The team says MLB has given the okay, and I'd be surprised if that okay is rescinded once the season starts. Opposing left-handed hitters will definitely complain to the league about it (because there is no reason not to), but keep in mind that MLB represents ownership, not the players. Unless other owners raise a fuss about it, this issue will die a quiet death, methinks.
Though the team is adamant that it received clearance from the league regarding the structure, a few players on the team think it could still be a problem when play begins at the new stadium.
"I won't be the only left-handed hitter saying something" Marlins utility infielder Greg Dobbs said ominously to the Miami Herald on Sunday. "If other teams have a problem with it, they're definitely going to voice their concern to the league."
This piece will probably upset the masses, but we feel it is necessary. Mike Giancarlo Stanton is getting a lot of press recently, from both local and national media. Most are predicting another extraordinary season from him, and why not? By many measures, he is joining elite company by slugging this well at such a young age.
Then you run across headlines like this (albeit, a Bleacher Report concoction):
Why Mike Stanton Will Win 2012 NL MVP
It isn't a long piece, but I can condense it into three simple sentences. Basically, Stanton is has accomplished a lot at a very young age. Plus, he is improving his walk and strikeout rate, which should make his numbers even better. Also, the Marlins should be good, so he'll get more exposure.
The writer failed to mention the biggest reason why Stanton, or any other NL player for that matter, will win the MVP; Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder now reside in the American League. This is on top of the fact that the argument isn't all that convincing, despite the lofty headline.
Stanton had some very interesting stats in 2011, as compared to his 2010 rookie season. He had very significant jumps in ISO (.248 to .275), wOBA (.355 to .378), and wRC+ (118 to 138), despite his BABIP falling from .330 to .314. Why? Mainly because he simply hit for even more power, and also had marked improvement in his strikeout rate and walk rate (up to 11.6%) last year.
There are a couple problems though. First, his K-rate remains very high (27.6% last year). It's trending in the right direction, but at least for now, Stanton is a power hitter who will rack up a bunch of K's. Because of this, pitchers will continue to challenge him, and while he had a much improved walk rate in 2011, that should level off.
There is also a troubling sign about his plate discipline. Mike swung at more pitches out of the strike zone in 2011, and he made contact on significantly fewer of those pitches. His overall swinging strike percentage rose as well. It's strange that those numbers would get worse, while most of his offensive statistics got better, but it's worth keeping an eye on, pun intended.
What does all this mean? Stanton should still be an absolute boss this year and worthy of much admiration. If you look at his FanGraphs page again, the five projections for the 2012 year all have him showing slight improvement in the major hitting categories. But, a .275 hitter with 40 home runs (no matter the absurd distances they will travel) is not a league MVP candidate. Instead, let's just enjoy the kid and not heap to much pressure on him. kthxbye
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