repeatin04

Seems like Pudge can't get enough trying to rebuild his image in Miami. Pudge was a guest on QAM with Hank, who used his "exclusive" as another way to bash the Marlins. Pudge claimed he was offered six mil a year for two years. Well, in the Sun-Sentinel story written last week, Pudge said it was 13 mil for two years. So who knows what to think? Besides does it matter since not only the Marlins but the Orioles and other thrifty spending teams didn't come close to offering 40 mil. Pudge is a bit loose with the facts, stating on Hank's show that the Marlins lost 95 games the year before winning the Series. Well, in 2002, the Marlins lost 83 games. Of course, Hank couldn't pick up on this since he was busy gushing over Pudge's candor. Hank also misheard Pudge as saying he has been talking with Mike Redmond. Last season they talked. Pudge never said in this interview that he has been talking on the phone this off season with Redmond. I tend to doubt it since Redmond stays in Washington state. Below is part of what Juan Rodriguez wrote in the Sun-Sentinel of Pudge's previous comments to invited media members to his house. This guy can't let it go. Move on Pudge. Enjoy Detroit. From Sun Sentinel Those negotiations ended at midnight Dec. 7. That was the deadline for teams to offer salary arbitration to their free agents. Since the Marlins were contractually precluded from doing so, failure to reach an agreement meant forfeiting negotiating rights until May 1. According to Rodriguez, the Marlins offered two years and about $13 million with "ridiculous" deferrals. "I just asked them for something fair for my family, for myself, and for the club," said Rodriguez, who signed a one-year, $10-million contract in January 2003. "They offered me $6.5 million a year for the next two seasons and the way they wanted to pay me the money I don't think that was fair. They wanted to pay me $1 million this year, $2 million a year later. For me, that wasn't right." Marlins President David Samson would not reveal specifics of the offer, but he did dispute Rodriguez's portrayal. "No one on that call could possibly come away with the numbers just described to me," said Samson, who took part in a last-hour conference call with owner Jeffrey Loria, General Manager Admin Beinfest, Rodriguez, and his agent, Scott Boras. "I am very sorry that Pudge and his chosen representative choose to continue to discuss a subject when he has decided well within his right to move on with his career. We wish him the best success in Detroit." An industry source with knowledge of the negotiations also questioned Rodriguez's claim, saying the rejected offer was in fact for two years and $16 million with an $8 million option for 2006 that would have vested with a certain number of games caught. An undetermined portion of the deal was deferred. Rodriguez's contract with the Tigers breaks down as follows: $7 million in 2004, $8 million in 2005, and $11 million in 2006 and 2007. He agreed to defer $8 million of that at 1 percent interest. The Tigers also have a $13 million club option or $3 million buyout for 2007 and can buy out the entire contract if Rodriguez spends 35 or more days on the disabled list with a lower spine injury in 2004, 2005, or 2006. http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/...s_fla&fext=.jsp In this story that ran when Pudge wasn't coming back Beinfest says the offer was more than 7 mil when the team went back to the table on December 7. So someone isn't telling the truth.

Seems like Pudge can't get enough trying to rebuild his image in Miami. Pudge was a guest on QAM with Hank, who used his "exclusive" as another way to bash the Marlins. Pudge claimed he was offered six mil a year for two years. Well, in the Sun-Sentinel story written last week, Pudge said it was 13 mil for two years. So who knows what to think? Besides does it matter since not only the Marlins but the Orioles and other thrifty spending teams didn't come close to offering 40 mil. Pudge is a bit loose with the facts, stating on Hank's show that the Marlins lost 95 games the year before winning the Series. Well, in 2002, the Marlins lost 83 games. Of course, Hank couldn't pick up on this since he was busy gushing over Pudge's candor. Hank also misheard Pudge as saying he has been talking with Mike Redmond. Last season they talked. Pudge never said in this interview that he has been talking on the phone this off season with Redmond. I tend to doubt it since Redmond stays in Washington state. Below is part of what Juan Rodriguez wrote in the Sun-Sentinel of Pudge's previous comments to invited media members to his house. This guy can't let it go. Move on Pudge. Enjoy Detroit. From Sun Sentinel Those negotiations ended at midnight Dec. 7. That was the deadline for teams to offer salary arbitration to their free agents. Since the Marlins were contractually precluded from doing so, failure to reach an agreement meant forfeiting negotiating rights until May 1. According to Rodriguez, the Marlins offered two years and about $13 million with "ridiculous" deferrals. "I just asked them for something fair for my family, for myself, and for the club," said Rodriguez, who signed a one-year, $10-million contract in January 2003. "They offered me $6.5 million a year for the next two seasons and the way they wanted to pay me the money I don't think that was fair. They wanted to pay me $1 million this year, $2 million a year later. For me, that wasn't right." Marlins President David Samson would not reveal specifics of the offer, but he did dispute Rodriguez's portrayal. "No one on that call could possibly come away with the numbers just described to me," said Samson, who took part in a last-hour conference call with owner Jeffrey Loria, General Manager Admin Beinfest, Rodriguez, and his agent, Scott Boras. "I am very sorry that Pudge and his chosen representative choose to continue to discuss a subject when he has decided well within his right to move on with his career. We wish him the best success in Detroit." An industry source with knowledge of the negotiations also questioned Rodriguez's claim, saying the rejected offer was in fact for two years and $16 million with an $8 million option for 2006 that would have vested with a certain number of games caught. An undetermined portion of the deal was deferred. Rodriguez's contract with the Tigers breaks down as follows: $7 million in 2004, $8 million in 2005, and $11 million in 2006 and 2007. He agreed to defer $8 million of that at 1 percent interest. The Tigers also have a $13 million club option or $3 million buyout for 2007 and can buy out the entire contract if Rodriguez spends 35 or more days on the disabled list with a lower spine injury in 2004, 2005, or 2006.

averaging 20,000 a game is too optimistic since season tickets will be about 8,000. If a new stadium is done by March 15, attendance could be far better. If no stadium, then the sellout will kill attendance. :hat The champ

I think it would make it much more comfortable for the players to play under a roof. Forget the players. Make it comfy for the rest of us to sit and watch a game. :hat The champ

Actually the dream on video tape debuted on Fan appreciation day. It was the night we clinched a playoff berth... exactly that night! When the video showed conine hitting that 3 run jack against the phillies...wow.... It was a damn well made video. Dontrelle said something at fanfest about those games vs phillies. he said " Even though we didnt have 40,000 plus during the regular season games, you guys were the loudest 20,000 crowd that have ever been in a stadium." And it was definetely true, I have never heard that stadium so loud after 9er hit that 3 run jack...not even at a sold out dolphins game would I have heard such noise. The loudest I heard the Pro this year (and I was there for it all, lol) was NLCS Game 5 when Beckett came up to the plate in the 8th (?) inning. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was chanting Beckett, Beckett... That wasn't louder than when Gonzo homered in Game 4 or Conine threw out Snow. :hat The champ

I just wish there was a way to create a stadium that didnt look so ugly, it sucks that a simple roof over the grand stand wouldnt work because the team isnt playing in the rain. I feel like the retractable roof stadiums all look like big giant aircraft hangars, not baseball stadiums. Arizona has one of the best stadiums in the league. It's an awesome place and it has a roof. No UFOs were seen in it. :hat The champ

yeh I am going to a couple of games and I am gonna go like two hours before the game. Maybe three. Don't bother, because they won't let you into the stadium until the gates open at, I think, 11:30 a.m. for 1:05 game starts. Usually the Marlins are wrapping up BP when the open the gates to the stadium. Plus the players parking lot is gated off and the entrance to the clubhouse is within the gated complex. You can either wait for them by the entrance to the parking lot if they walk by, or just sit in the LF bleachers by the bullpen and see them there as they start to walk out prior to game time. That's where I got all my autographs last year (and I got all but 4 guys on a baseball last year!) Getting there really early isn't a bad idea. Autograph seekers are there when the players arrive in their parking lot. :hat The champ.

damn i remember them saying that beckett was going to show up after the break but i had a brain fart and went to sleep. don't hurt your arm. :hat The champ

At the Q&A Samson made it clear the Marlins are looking at a baseball ONLY stadium. Not a football/baseball stadium. Samson talked about Houston and Arizona and those places having roofs and baseball only facilities. Stuff is in the works. Who knows what or where? Buying Pro Player from Huizenga seems very far fetched and not very practical. Of course Samson would be upbeat at fanfest. He isn't going to tell a large crowd there that bought 16,000 tickets that the team is looking to move. Let March 15 come and then find out the details. All this speculation is a waste of braincells. Buying Pro Player is a bigger long shot than dealing with Don King. :hat The champ.

I will be going to spring training to see the marlins and was wondering if they are easy to get autographs from ... or anyone know any tips on how to get them in Jupiter? Any info will be great. best tip for autographs. Show up early or stay late. Pick a game where attendance will be low, Expos. :hat The champ

I think there have been more rain delays in Boston and Pittsburgh ovr the past few years. I remember reading that somewhere. Doesn't matter. The Marlins need a roof to bring in people who would rather not travel out to PPS or the OB site only for the game to be cancelled. They need a roof. Why settle for less? Might as well negotiate for everything. Building the wrong stadium would be very damaging. We saw that with the Heat and Panthers in Miami Arena. They had an arena, but didn't solve the problems. Marlins deserve an upper shelf stadium, not some pieced together stadium just to say they have a baseball only stadium. Get the stadium with the roof. Correct the problem entirely and remove the excuses of the threat of rain. :hat The champ

Aerosmith- Dream On thats the one. it was perfect before the games, particularly before game 5 against Chicago. Yeah I know one of the highlight videos was with Dream On. But they had like 3 highlight videos with those songs I listed. Dream On also is being used at the end of the movie Miracle. Since filming for that movie was in August, I wouldn't be surprised if they took the idea from the Marlins.

i checked and yea hermida never played ss. for some reason i thought i remember when they drafted him that they said he played ss in hs but projected as a corner of but i looked and never found an instance of him being a ss. Hermida was drafted as an outfielder, only played outfield. No SS. :hat The champ

the drills on the field are open to the public. These fields are in the back behind the batting cages at Roger Dean. Good chance to get autographs as players walk from field to field where they are doing their drills. :hat The champ

HOW DOES PENNY LOOK? That's the important question. Did he get in shape during the off-season or is he still customer #1 at every Bob's Big Boy in Oklahoma? He was supposed to be working with a nutritionist during the break and I hope he's shed some of his excess girth. Can anyone report? team has said Penny looks fine. Rosenthal has said that. :hat The champ and your source for this revelation is? I heard Rosie on QAM yesterday and his name never came up. Because you don't hear Rosey say something on QAM, he never speaks? Do you ever get to any of the events? At Roger Dean Stadium the other day Rosey was there. He said Penny is in great shape. Believe Berardino and not your own eyes and ears. :hat The champ

Pavano wasn't at all friendly last night at thr Roundup in Davie. Funny as it seems, while I was there Penny made a suprise appearance. Penny was very friendly and hung out with us for awhile. Pavano on the other hand was quite rude and absurd. He wouldn't even sign my friend's t-shirt. Talk about fanfest; it's more like. "I don't wanna be here, I got better things to do" kind of caravan. The fans last night were disappointed by Pavano. Phelps, Spooneybarger, Neal, & Bump were very friendly. They took their time to sign autographs and take pictures with the fans. i guess being a little bit famous makes you a cocky bastard(speaking of Pavano). Beckett is not far away from joining him. that's the problem with the caravan if a player doesn't act all giddy to meet strangers he is labeled rude and a jerk. I found it appalling that they asked for 5 buck cover to get into the roundup to see the promotion. That is ridiculous. 5 bucks for what? To get the opportunity to see the Marlins for 1 hour. There are other stops on the tour. Roundup is a ripoff :hat The champ

HOW DOES PENNY LOOK? That's the important question. Did he get in shape during the off-season or is he still customer #1 at every Bob's Big Boy in Oklahoma? He was supposed to be working with a nutritionist during the break and I hope he's shed some of his excess girth. Can anyone report? team has said Penny looks fine. Rosenthal has said that. :hat The champ

Mr. Filet O' Fish, personally I miss your rants and this one good buddy was right on the mark. I grew up a Red Sox fan, absolutely consumed by baseball (and forever broken-hearted by the Sox, at least I got to see Ted Williams) and as I said in an earlier post, either in this thread or another, the Detroit Tigers were fearsome in my youth. They came to play, every game was a war (back in the day when a homerun meant with 100% surety that the next guy up got knocked down). I for one would like to see the Tigers regain what's been missing for many years. If Pudge can help them do it, I say great! As for LeBatard and the Herald, let's face it, their coverage of the Marlins this off-season has been a subtle attempt at undermining the Fish every opportunity they had. D Lee signs with the Cubs, front page above the fold color banner. Marlins signing were relegated almost exclusively to inside the paper on a towards the back page. Their obsession with Pudge? To remind baseball fans in South Florida that he got away. You are 100% right that what transpired with Pudge has happened 100 times in the last decade. It's news because are Champs and he was a promiment face in our victory, but they overdid it bigtime. And as you said about LeBatard, his act is getting old, old, old, you hit the nail on the head. Keep posting Fishy, I for one miss ya. Come back soon. Pudge = Greed and everything wrong with sports. :hat The champ

Mr. Filet O' Fish, personally I miss your rants and this one good buddy was right on the mark. I grew up a Red Sox fan, absolutely consumed by baseball (and forever broken-hearted by the Sox, at least I got to see Ted Williams) and as I said in an earlier post, either in this thread or another, the Detroit Tigers were fearsome in my youth. They came to play, every game was a war (back in the day when a homerun meant with 100% surety that the next guy up got knocked down). I for one would like to see the Tigers regain what's been missing for many years. If Pudge can help them do it, I say great! As for LeBatard and the Herald, let's face it, their coverage of the Marlins this off-season has been a subtle attempt at undermining the Fish every opportunity they had. D Lee signs with the Cubs, front page above the fold color banner. Marlins signing were relegated almost exclusively to inside the paper on a towards the back page. Their obsession with Pudge? To remind baseball fans in South Florida that he got away. You are 100% right that what transpired with Pudge has happened 100 times in the last decade. It's news because are Champs and he was a promiment face in our victory, but they overdid it bigtime. And as you said about LeBatard, his act is getting old, old, old, you hit the nail on the head. Keep posting Fishy, I for one miss ya. Come back soon. How convenient of you to omit parts of articles to make a case you win an argument. You don't get off the hook this easily, fraud. You so boldly proclaimed the Marlins didn't contact Urbina's agent. You quote the agent in a Jayson Stark story, but then leave out the following graph where Stark writes the Marlins had no interest in spending 4 to 5 mil on a closer. As I stated, the Marlins knew what it would take to sign the guy. Clearly 3 mil wouldn't get it done. So don't throw out how bright you are picking little parts of stories to win an argument. You are the undisputed fool of these boards. Victory again to :hat The champ

that's gold Jerry, GOLD! Why do they call it ovaltine? The mug is round. The jar is round. They should call it "roundtine." BANIA! Read it and weep. Courtesy DAVE HYDE Detroit expects to see that player from April through September too. But he hit a solid-but-mortal 16 home runs and .289 last year. Detroit also wants a leader for its players and a teacher for its pitchers. That would demand Rodriguez change. Rodriguez, for instance, didn't run the daily meetings where pitchers and catchers discussed opposing lineups. Backup catcher Mike Redmond typically did this. Truth is, Rodriguez often didn't show up for these strategy sessions. -- VICTORY TO :hat The champ. You can run from me and try to get me banned. Truth be told, I was correct. There is your documentation

Great article??? That was one of the worst articles I have ever read. There was nothing substantial to it at all. Just the usual Tiger bashing ... They were the worst team in baseball and one of the worst teams in Major League history last year. What do you want him to say? I don't have a problem with him saying that. I'm sick of hearing about it, but it's true. What I didn't like was how he compared the team/city to Siberia, Iraq and Hell. That wasn't necessary. He just went overboard with it. He could have gotten the point across without going to the extremes he did. In fact, he sounds like he has sour grapes. BTW, LeBatard was on Detroit radio this morning and they were bashing him pretty good over this article. I happen to agree with TigerFan. LeBatard so loves to pour salt on the wound, to belittle, to kick someone when they're down. He's the schoolyard bully with a keyboard. Is there a baseball fan in America who doesn't know how poorly the Tiger franchise has played in the last few years? Instead of focusing on what the owner and Dombrowski and Trammell are doing to try and right the ship, to rebuild this once glorious franchise, LeBatard does to them what he did for years to the Marlins. Shame on him. I suppose Marlins fans feel a relief that LeBatard has stopped bashing the Fish. Some of you forget the hateful, unjust and erroneous things had to say about our team not so many months ago just because he felt he could get away with sticking in the knife and turning it. He was a jerk then and he's a jerk now. A leopard doesn't change its spots. Thank you Dave Hyde for proving MY ACCURATE POINTS ABOUT PUDGE NOT BEING A GOOD HANDLER OF THE PITCHERS. Note the graph about Pudge not directing meetings with the pitchers. It was Mike Redmond as I first and accurately wrote. Note how Pudge was constantly a no show. Sorry to rain on your parade. Hyde proves who was right on the Pudge debate. CLEAR CUT DECISIVE WIN FOR :hat The champ HYDE: Money talks, Pudge walks Published February 5, 2004 How many of you want to earn more money? And how many think $16 million is a decent stack of money? Does everyone not named Mother Teresa have two hands up? Well? Then you shouldn't be spitting adjectives at Pudge Rodriguez today. Greedy. Grabby. Selfish. Mercenary. Shortsighted. That's the way the former Marlins catcher is being typecast after taking a four-year, $40 million offer from the Detroit Titanics. He's going to get a ton of money. But he's going to lose a ton of games. So the typical question in these cases is: Why in the name of Faustus would he make such a deal? But let's ask the necessary follow-up question: What was the alternative? And when you look at what else was out there, this wasn't just some high-ego player raking in the final top-dollar deal of his career. Nor was this a case of a superstar taking one obscene amount of money over another simply vulgar amount, as Alex Rodriguez did in signing with Texas. This was Pudge Rodriguez looking at Detroit's money, looking what else was out there and signing on a bit reluctantly. Exactly in the manner most people would have. And don't be so sanctimonious to think otherwise, unless you're living in an abbey and have taken a vow of poverty. Detroit was so desperate to make a splash it threw far more money at Rodriguez than anyone else in baseball considered. It had no choice. Over the past decade, Detroit has become as central as Gdansk to the baseball world. You don't just lose there. You don't just freeze there. You fall off the map. So the Tigers needed a trademark name to get people back, and Rodriguez became that. And to get him they had to match most every demand he made. Lucky him. And, well, unlucky him. Because while he got the money he had hoped -- surprising many among us -- he didn't get what he no doubt wanted. Which was a competitive team to jump up and come close to that offer. The Marlins wouldn't. Their best offer was reported to be three years and $24 million, though the final year wasn't guaranteed. That sounds in line with what was reported at the time. Plus only $1 million the first year and $2 million the second year was to be paid up front, according to what agent Scott Boras says. That makes sense, too. That's how the Marlins do business. The Orioles wouldn't come close to Detroit's offer either. They reportedly were close until Rodriguez made a public comment about getting more than Baltimore's three-year, $21 million offer. The Mariners, Cubs, Dodgers -- all of them were rumored to be chasing Rodriguez. But none put a big offer on the table. Rodriguez is turning 32. He has a bad back. He had missed chunks of the two previous seasons. That's why he went to the Marlins last winter in a one-year, $9.3 million marriage that worked out wonderfully for both sides. The Marlins got a healthy catcher, a good season and an October spark plug in Rodriguez. In turn, Rodriguez rebuilt his baseball name to the point that he received the bank-breaking multiyear deal no team would offer a year ago. But while Rodriguez is a significant loss to the Marlins, let's be careful about what exactly was lost. Again, he was the motor behind the Marlins' playoff run. Big hit after bigger hit, Rodriguez was the best Marlins player through October's first two series. Detroit expects to see that player from April through September too. But he hit a solid-but-mortal 16 home runs and .289 last year. Detroit also wants a leader for its players and a teacher for its pitchers. That would demand Rodriguez change. Rodriguez, for instance, didn't run the daily meetings where pitchers and catchers discussed opposing lineups. Backup catcher Mike Redmond typically did this. Truth is, Rodriguez often didn't show up for these strategy sessions. But there are no bad guys, no bad antics, no questionable conclusions to make from Rodriguez's deal. The Marlins had some tough decisions to make, as everyone knew, and Rodriguez became a casualty replaced by a talented, unproven and less expensive Ramon Castro. Detroit did what it had to, jumping higher than anyone else. Boras always gets some blame, but he was hired to strike the best deal and did just that. Finally, Rodriguez was faced with taking a potential $40 million deal over a potential $24 million deal (potential because all deals had various out-clauses largely based on his health). Every philosopher knows not to base important decisions in life only on money. But money has to play some significance. And how many people think a $16 million difference is significant? You can put your hands down now and understand why he's in Detroit.

I don't know why you guys even try anymore....just ignore her. It's not worth it. She's akin to a troll. gee, you don't get off the hook that easily. you never addressed whether your beloved Pudge went AWOL on the Marlins last May? Let's see how much you know. :hat The champ

Beinfest said Ugie's agent never returned his calls. Post a link, because I have never seen this anywhere. What I recall was Ugie's agent stating that the Marlins FO never called them. Urbina would like to return, awaits call from Marlins By Mike Berardino Staff Writer Posted November 12 2003 PHOENIX -- If the Marlins really want Ugueth Urbina back as their closer, they sure have a strange way of showing it. Peter Greenberg, the free-agent reliever's New York-based agent, said Tuesday the Marlins had yet to call to express interest in Urbina. They have called to let fellow reliever Chad Fox know they want him back, but so far no valentines have been extended to Urbina. "The bottom line is if they are interested in him, they'll call us," Greenberg said. "If they're not interested, they won't. There's no reason for me to call. We're in no rush, but we're still hoping they will call." Greenberg said two of the Marlins' National League East rivals, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, have called so far. An industry source said the cost-cutting Texas Rangers could get into the mix as well for the closer they traded on July 11 after falling out of the race. Link Champ or Chump? You be the judgeBerardino wrote. Need I say more. :hat The champ. I don't give validity to ANYTHING with that byline. If that is where you get your news, so be it. :hat The champ

I think Loria will make it work in South Florida. Orlando can make it happen, they made a convention center happen. They made an O-rena happen not that long ago. The Devil Rays can do nothing to stop the Marlins from moving to Orlando as the Marlins have that as their secondary territory as do the Devil Rays. Tampa Bay absolutely has a say, just as the Orioles have a say on Washington DC's bid. :hat The champ

The only Marlin I know of who may be in the series is Luis Castillo. indeed, Cabrera is there. Get your facts straight. :hat The champ