Soflasportsnut

Low to mid 60's, assuming D-Train and Cabrera aren't traded.

Great breakdown, Teal Shadow! That's some solid analysis. It's gonna be fun watching these guys develop over the next few seasons. Seemed like yesterday watching guys like Beckett, AJ, Penny, Castillo, Gonzalez, Lowell, and D-Lee go through a similar development after the first house-cleaning. Provided the team doesn't sign anybody, I wouldn't be surprised if Bowyer was the main set-up guy or closer next year. Perhaps Sanchez or Petit can make this team as a #5 starter. The starting rotation is that wide open this year. Shortstop, 2B, and CF are gonna be open auditions as well should the team not bring in any outside help. You could probably throw catcher in there, too. I wouldn't label Treanor a "slam dunk" by any stretch. Should be exciting.

Hotcorner, Good stuff! Would you mind if I used those quotes in my upcoming Girardi piece? I'll link back to this thread, of course. Looking forward to the Joe Girardi era!

Some good notes thus far. I hope it is not too late to get in on this. I recently did a piece on Jack on my page at marlins.mostvaluablenetwork.com. Admin, I would appreciate it if you could forward it to him: Jack McKeon, Thanks for the Memories

I thought that going into this series, a split at a minimum was vital. Now that they've got it, they gotta get greedy and try to get one more during these next two games. It was important to take the first two, with the pitching match-ups skewed in our favor. Now the Marlins have to try and steal one against Clemens or Pettitte. A.J. and Clemens is an interesting matchup. AJ has been roughed up in each of his last four starts. Clemens meanwhile hasn't won since Aug. 7. Something has to give here. My take? AJ has a good chance of turning it around. Houston has struggled offensively. I believe they have the lowest BA in the majors in the month of September. If AJ is going to have a "bounce back" game, it'll be this game. Pitching against the Rocket should also increase his focus. From an overall team standpoint, the team appears very focused. I think the entire roster understands what's at stake here, so I'd be surprised if we saw a slip-up or a "let down."

Reading between the lines, Carl wants to put himself in a winning situation for the next 4-5 years, and would love to sign with a team where he could have a mentor. The Marlins' proposed 4 yr$32M contract is a solid offer, but my gut feeling is that if a team like the Red Sox offers similar money, he's gone. With the Marlins, he's the main veteran guy on that staff. On a team like the Red Sox, he has a guy like Schilling (and possibly Pedro) that could serve as mentors. Add to the fact both team's financial situations, and the writing could be on the wall. Listening to his agent, he didn't seem too confident that the Marlins will be in a position to win for the long term. Again, this is all speculation and the way I see the situation. But all things considered, I see him opting for the Sox or Yankees, simply because of that tangible factor that both teams provide.

According to Shapiro, 17 teams have shown interest in Pavy. Check out the interview: http://rope.weei-am.fimc.net/audio/111204ScottShapiro.wma

LET'S GO RED SOX!!! (*clap clap clap clap clap*) LET'S GO RED SOX!!! (*clap clap clap clap clap*)

Red Sox!

It's pretty much over now. Even if we win out, that still might not be enough to make the playoffs. Just take solace in the fact that this will be the first time in team history that they've had back to back winning seasons. We're a team headed in the right direction.

Third Cubs-Marlins game postponed because of Hurricane Frances Preview - Box Score - Recap September 4, 2004 MIAMI (AP) -- The Florida Marlins postponed Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs as Hurricane Frances crept ashore on the eastern coast of Florida. The Category 2 hurricane already had forced the first two games of the three-game series to be postponed but the Marlins waited until Saturday to make a decision about the third game. The series was not rescheduled, but Marlins officials assured fans the games will be played at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. Likely makeup dates are Sept. 20, the only common off day between the clubs, and Oct. 4, the day before the playoffs begin. ADVERTISEMENT The Marlins trail the Cubs by 2 1/2 games in the race for the NL wild card. The Cubs will remain in Chicago, where they open a three-game series against the Montreal Expos on Monday. The Marlins are off Monday before hosting the New York Mets for three games. The Cubs and Marlins will then meet for a three-game series beginning Friday at Wrigley Field. There was no immediate announcement on pitching rotations. But both clubs were expected to use Friday's planned starters -- Chicago's Carlos Zambrano and Florida's A.J. Burnett -- for their next games. Forecasters expected the storm with 105 mph top sustained winds to come ashore late Saturday or early Sunday somewhere along the middle of the state's Atlantic coast. The arrival was about a day later than earlier predictions, a delay that forced the postponement of dozens of sporting events across the state.

They realistically need to go 5-1 against the Cubs now. Even four out of six against the Cubs only gains you two games in the standings. This team has put themselves in a position where they not only have to win series, but they have to sweep series. Oh, and tomorrow's game is a MUST win.

It's funny, about 1/5th of his RBIs this year have come from grand slams.

Is the magic back? Time will tell...

I think all in all, he's gotten the job done against lefties. As mentioned in this thread, lefties were hitting .161 against him for the year... Having said that, the guy shouldn't see the light of day against righties.