marlins4eva

The biggest problem in the country is religious nuts who are trying to destroy separation of state and church to force all their extreme values on the rest of the population and censor everything.

I haven't been here in forever, but this disgusting trade made me so mad I wanted to post. Talk about overpaying! Beinfest is being played for a fool and emptying the minor leagues of lots of talented players. When the Marlins can't afford their current players, there won;t be many in the minors to replace them at Beinfest's current pace. Why would you trade a quality prospect like Bautista for Jeff freakin' Conine. Is Beinfest on crack? Conine's an old man, and if Bautista reaches his potential the Fish will look like fools. I don't care so much about Levinski. This is awful. What a bad trade and it will be even worse if the Fish miss the playoffs. Here is a good analysis of the trade I found: "The Marlins traded RHP Denny Bautista and RHP Don Levinski to the Orioles for Jeff Conine late last night. I'm absolutely stunned. I'll even go as far to say I'm flabbergasted. The Mike Lowell injury not only hurt the Marlins' chances of making the playoffs, it's now hurt their future, too. Unbelievable. I think Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan have many compromising pictures of GMs. They have to. They continue to pull off good trades. Remarkable trades. Denny Bautista was my Marlins #1 prospect. He's a 20-year-old Dominican righty with a lightning-quick arm. He can be electric at times. He has a chance to be a #1 starter in the majors. That's how much I like Bautista. I can't believe the Marlins would trade a prospect the caliber of Bautista for Jeff Conine. Flabbergasted. Don Levinski ain't too shabby of a prospect, either. The 20-year-old right-hander throws a hard sinker that can tear up righties. He has a hard time commanding this pitch, though, thus he can struggle mightily. Still, his raw stuff is very good and he projects to be a #2 or #3 starter in the majors. Bautista and Levinski for Jeff Conine. Flabbergasted. Conine is a winner. He plays the game right. He gives you everything he's got. He can play LF, 1B, and 3B. He's a positive player. Is he a differencemaker? No. He's a good complementary player. The Marlins just panicked. I hope they make the playoffs just so that they get some kind of reward for giving up Bautista and Levinski. They paid a hefty, hefty price to stay in this wildcard race. Flabbergasted." I agree 100% with this analysis. If the Fish wanted to deal Bautista and Levinski, they should have got an impact player. They could have gotten more than Jeff freakin' Conine. Disgusted! Boo on Beinfest, the fool GM of MLB. Everyone knows they can steal prospects from the Fish!

Who cares about Hoffman being out if there are no games to close out? Their pitching is near the bottom of MLB this year. I know this wouldn't happen because the Pads are getting a new stadium, but I was just throwing a name of a team out there. They always talk about the same old suspects being contracted: the Expos, Marlins, Rays, Twins etc.

a.looper(can't save a game without allowing a run). b.almanza(he's done bad and should be in the minors with nu?ez he suck's). c.pudge(can't hit if it depended on his life,piece of crap). and that is the answer to why marlins suck!!!!!!!!!! :angry :banghead Could you please put together an original thought? You're killing my brain cells. I am sick of all these doubters saying that the Marlins suck! Where were you all during the Expos series? Yes, we have a few bad players, but what team doesn't? It is a team effort!

I don't know if this has been posted, but I will post it anyway. I know it's not new news for people to talk about the Marlins being contracted, but someone who knows as little about baseball as Gammons? The guy should stick to his one true love - the BoSox! Thursday morning on Tony Kornheiser's ESPN Radio show, he said that 4 teams should be contracted when this current collective bargaining agreement expires. He named the Rays, Marlins and White Sox as teams that should be contracted because of low attendance! I've got news for this guy; the state of Florida will not let the Marlins or Rays get contracted. Why not contract a bad team like the Padres?

The offense must pick up or the pitchers will have to throw shutouts to win. There's no way you can win scoring as little runs as the Fish are. If the Marlins trade Lowell, there will be even more trouble.

I stole this from another site, by BA thinks the Marlins pick will be ... 16. MARLINS. Florida prefers riskier high school talent and has focused on Allison, Danks, Lubanski, Milledge and Miller. The first four on that list are likely to be snapped up, leaving Miller to the Marlins. PROJECTED PICK: Andrew Miller. Also the rest: 1. DEVIL RAYS. Tampa Bay's camp was split down the middle over whether to take Weeks or Young. Weeks, the NCAA career batting leader and a five-tool talent, would join shortstop B.J. Upton (last year's No. 2 overall pick) to form a potential all-star double-play combination. Young has been the best hitter at his age for years and put on a massive power display at a Tropicana Field in front of Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella. The stalemate will likely be resolved by which player's price tag is most amenable to Devil Rays ownership's bottom line. Outfielder Ryan Harvey, a local product, also is in the team's mix but he's viewed only as an insurance policy if Weeks' or Young's demands are out of the Devil Rays reach. Industry sentiment has the Rays settling on Young. PROJECTED PICK: Delmon Young. 2. BREWERS. If the Orioles are unable to sign Loewen, their first-round pick a year ago, his line of suitors will begin with the Brewers. Loewen's price tag has been rumored as high as $6 million, but Milwaukee needs power arms and there isn't a pitcher on the board with a higher upside than the 6-foot-6 lefthander. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash have Canadian roots and would like to add the highest-drafted Canadian ever, even if they have to wait out Loewen all summer. In the unlikely event that Loewen signs with Baltimore, the Brewers would consider Weeks or possibly righthander Tim Stauffer. PROJECTED PICK: Adam Loewen. 3. TIGERS. The struggling Tigers are desperate for immediate help and would be best served by taking a college pitcher like Loewen, Stauffer or righthander Kyle Sleeth. But if Weeks is on the board, the Tigers wouldn't pass on the best five-tool talent in the draft. PROJECTED PICK: Rickie Weeks. 4. PADRES. San Diego almost certainly will take a college pitcher, with the only debate being whether it's Stauffer or Sleeth. Stauffer, the draft's most polished pitcher, would help the Padres sooner, but GM Kevin Towers witnessed his poorest outing of the year. San Diego almost certainly will draft Tony Gwynn's son Anthony in the second round, if he's still available; and sign last year's second-round pick Michael Johnson, if Clemson is eliminated from NCAA regional play before the draft. PROJECTED PICK: Tim Stauffer. 5/30. ROYALS. The Royals have targeted a position player with the fifth pick, and will not hesitate to select the multi-talented Harvey. Kansas City's penchant for raw high school talent will also lead it to consider third baseman Miguel Vega, righthander/shortstop Adam Jones or outfielder Tim Battle with the 30th pick, compensation from the Braves for the loss of free agent Paul Byrd. PROJECTED PICKS: Ryan Harvey (5)/Miguel Vega (30). 6. CUBS. After taking arguably the best college pitchers in the last two drafts (Mark Prior and Bobby Brownlie), the Cubs zeroed in on Sleeth and Stauffer. But Tulane first baseman Michael Aubrey's all-around hitting ability won over GM Jim Hendry. PROJECTED PICK: Michael Aubrey. 7. ORIOLES. Besides Loewen, the Orioles failed to sign Sleeth and Stauffer out of high school in 2000. They won't hesitate to take another stab at Sleeth if he's available, but also have followed righthander Jeff Allison and outfielder Chris Lubanski closely. If the Orioles should eat up a sizeable chunk of their budget by signing Loewen by the May 27 closed period, they could look to a cheaper, more budget-conscious pick in this spot, like outfielder Brad Snyder. PROJECTED PICK: Kyle Sleeth. 8. PIRATES. Scouting director Ed Creech prefers high school players and locked in early on lefthander Andrew Miller. When he faltered, the focus shifted to Allison, the most dominant amateur pitcher in the country this spring. GM Dave Littlefield likes lefthander Paul Maholm and may push Creech to take a college pitcher who can contribute quicker. PROJECTED PICK: Jeff Allison. 9. RANGERS. Prevailing sentiment has the Rangers taking college pitching, with Maholm and righthander Brad Sullivan likely targets. But scouting director Grady Fuson will deviate from his normal college-first approach if the right high school player is available. Outfielder Lastings Milledge could be that player; he may have better all-around tools than any high school player in the country. PROJECTED PICK: Lastings Milledge. 10. ROCKIES. The Rockies would dearly like Sleeth, a Colorado native, to slip through to them but that possibility is remote. Instead, they'll focus on a bat with Aubrey, Lubanski and third baseman Ian Stewart on their short list. PROJECTED PICK: Ian Stewart. 11/18. INDIANS. Allison, Lubanski and lefthander John Danks are at the top of Cleveland's wish list. If, as expected, the Indians go with a hitter first they'd be more inclined to look at a pitcher 18th, a compensation pick from the Phillies for the loss of free agent Jim Thome. If Cincinnati fails to sign Markakis before the draft, the Indians wouldn't hesitate to take him. Miller is another possibility in that spot. PROJECTED PICKS: Chris Lubanski (11)/Nick Markakis (18). 12. METS. The Mets have the same three players on their board that the Indians do--Allison, Lubanski and Danks. They would also consider Cornell if he gets a clean bill of health. PROJECTED PICK: John Danks. 13. BLUE JAYS. Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi is a disciple of the new emphasis on plate discipline and is fixated with third baseman Brian Snyder, a consensus second- or third-rounder who starred last summer in the Cape Cod League. If Ricciardi can be talked into taking a more conventional first-rounder, shortstop Aaron Hill would be a solid compromise. But college pitching is the team's biggest priority with Maholm the preferred target. Sullivan and Markakis are other candidates. PROJECTED PICK: Paul Maholm. 14. REDS. Cincinnati's approach to the draft is almost always muddled, and this year is no different. The Reds wanted to sign Markakis, a 23rd-rounder last year whose stock soared this spring, but his price tag makes that unlikely. If they don't sign Markakis, they're prepared to pay market value in this spot and consider players like Milledge, Sullivan, third baseman Eric Duncan or righthander Ryan Wagner. On the chance they do sign Markakis, which was expected to cost them upwards of $2 million, then they'd almost certainly be forced to take a budget-conscious pick with righthander Jason Hirsh a primary candidate. PROJECTED PICK: Eric Duncan. 15. WHITE SOX. The White Sox have targeted college position players in this spot with outfielders Brian Anderson, Brad Snyder and Gwynn, and catcher Mitch Maier drawing their closest scrutiny. PROJECTED PICK: Brian Anderson. 17. RED SOX. The new Red Sox regime has joined the list of teams looking almost exclusively at college players and emphasizing plate discipline. That puts Brian Snyder in their mix, along with Hill, Maier, outfielder Shane Costa and third baseman Conor Jackson. But they've also shown a keen interest in Houston Cougars righthanders Sullivan and Wagner. PROJECTED PICK: Ryan Wagner. 19/29. DIAMONDBACKS. The Diamondbacks prefer a college player with the 19th pick (compensation from Seattle for Greg Colbrunn) and a high school selection with the 29th. In an ideal world, they would take Arizona products Anderson and Brandon Wood with the two selections. But chances are good that Anderson will be gone at 19 and they may be forced to jump on Wood with that selection to guarantee his selection. Hill, Sullivan and outfielders Carlos Quentin are compromise possibilities at 19, and righthander Dennis Dove at 29. PROJECTED PICKS: Brad Sullivan (19)/Brandon Wood (29). 20. EXPOS. Montreal's unique ownership structure may force the Expos to spring an unconventional pick like Hirsh, Battle or lefthander James Houser. But if Cornell is healthy and still on the board, the Expos are prepared to make a serious run at him. PROJECTED PICK: Marc Cornell. 21. TWINS. This draft is loaded with premium lefthanded-hitting high school players like Duncan, Stewart, third baseman Matt Moses and outfielder Ryan Sweeney. The Twins were hot on the trail of all of them. PROJECTED PICK: Matt Moses. 22. GIANTS. San Francisco lost its normal first-round pick (26th) to Oakland for signing Ray Durham, but gained the Astros' selection for free agent Jeff Kent, improving their overall position by four spots. The Giants rarely go by the book in making their first selection, but righthanded pitching is a top priority. They were one of only a couple of teams tracking righthander Craig Whitaker closely in the first round, but also paid close attention to Cornell, Dove, Jared Hughes and Scott Baker. PROJECTED PICK: Craig Whitaker. 23. ANGELS. The Angels have had a longstanding interest in Hill, a player they drafted out of high school. On the chance he goes to the Blue Jays or Diamondbacks and is off the board, the Angels will look to Jackson or Wood. PROJECTED PICK: Aaron Hill. 24. DODGERS. The Dodgers favor high school players as much as any organization in the game. Milledge was at the top of their list all spring, but they prepared for his being unavailable by bearing down on Battle, Miller, Moses, Stewart, Sweeney and lefthander Chuck Tiffany. The Dodgers have a track record of taking Iowa players, and Sweeney is expected to be the best player on their short list still available. PROJECTED PICK: Ryan Sweeney. 25/26. ATHLETICS. The A's unique emphasis on statistics has drawn them to college position players like Costa, Jackson, Maier, Quentin and the Snyders--Brad and Brian--with at least one of their back-to-back picks. They'll also consider lefthander Abe Alvarez if Wagner and Sullivan are gone. PROJECTED PICKS: Conor Jackson (25)/Brad Snyder (26). 27. YANKEES. A lefthanded bat tops New York's wish list with Duncan, Moses, first baseman Vincent Sinisi and outfielder David Murphy in their sights. The Yankees typically take a conservative approach in the draft but may gamble on Sinisi, whose signability is clouded by several factors. His talent warrants going in the top half of the first round. PROJECTED PICK: Vincent Sinisi. 28. CARDINALS. St. Louis has paid close attention to Stewart and righthander Ian Kennedy, teammates at California's La Quinta High, but is expected to settle on a safer college player like Alvarez or Murphy. PROJECTED PICK: David Murphy.

Dontrelle Willis now has an ERA of 7.07. That's way too high and an indicator that he was rushed. I'm willing to give him more time, but wish he could have learned in the minors. I'm just asking who could come and replace Dontrelle in the rotation? I don't know that the Fish have anyone in the organization that can perform batter. When is Redman coming back?

Thanks for the info. It does seem to be a draft weak on premium talent, but I think that Millidge would be a good pick. I looked up a little on him and he seems to have all the tools. Gammons (the master of misinformation) says that it could go like this: 1. Tampa Bay: Delmon Young (OF) or Rickie Weeks (2B) 2. Milwaukee: Adam Loewen (LHP) 3. Detroit: Weeks/Young (whichever one is still on the board) or Tim Stauffer (RHP) 4. San Diego: whoever isn't picked out of Weeks, Stauffer, or Young. 5. Kansas City: Ryan Harvey (OF) 6. Cubbies: Kyle Sleeth (RHP) Then he said it is anyone's guess.

Rays Amazingly enough.. the Rays team Batting Average is .271 and the Marlins is .264... oh and White Sox: .248.. get some facts first :mischief2 Dt your joking right? Your saying you would pick The Fish to beat The Sox because The Fish's average is higher? The Fish could easily beat the Sox. They are not a good team and Kenny Williams is one of the worst GMs in the league. You have to look at pitching stats as well though.

Rune, I don't think so. Have you watched the WSux play? Well, I have and they are an old team that can't hit with a very unreliable pitching staff. Buehrle hasn't been good for them this year, and the only consistent one has been Loaiza (lowest ERA in AL.) They can't score runs right now and continue to have their ars handed to them by the Blue Jays, Twins. Mariners etc. Their defense is weak as well. The only reason they are in third is because they are in the weakest division in baseball. If they didn't play so many games vs. the Indians and Tigers they would be a lot worse off. DurableTear, I know you like the Rays but they have no pitching. McClung has been okay for them and that's it. A lot of the players on their team aren't a part of the future either. Guys like Easley and Ordonez won't be around. I really like Huff, Baldelli, Crawford and Hall. I think they have the start of something but they are still one of the worst teams in the AL. The point of my response was not to argue about specific teams, but to say that other teams are more of a mess.

Guys, I realize you are frusterated with some of the hitters on the team, but I don't think it's as bad as you are making it seem. The Fish are not the Mutts (I don't care if they are ahead), Padres, Brewers, Rays, White Sox, Pirates, Orioles, Tigers or Indians. Those teams are disgraces. Things are not as bad as you make them seem. Look at the good. I do think that D. Lee needs to be moved down in the batting order and Pudge has to produce if he wants to bat where he wants. Pudge wasn't needed IMO. A wasted signing for Beinfest/Loria.

I think that the Marlins have enough speed on this team. Pudge and Castillo provide a lot of speed at the top of the order already. I don't think that the Fish need a leadoff hitter.

Hey! I was wondering with the draft so close, has anybody heard anything about who the Marlins are looking at drafting? Who are the top prospects in this draft? I've heard this isn't a very deep draft, but the Marlins should get a pretty good player with pick #16 IMO. What do you think: should the Marlins go the high school or college route? I think Hermida is struggling at A ball right now.

Marlins need some better people working in the promotions office. First the mermaids and now this. I agree with the person who said couldn't they have gotten fakes. It is amazing to me that these professionals wouldn't think about that it is illegal to tamper with coins.

First of all, didn't we fire Billy the Marlin? Nope we didnt. We fired the person in the costum but we got another BIlly the Marlins that is cheaper. I know i got your point why did we hire those cheerleaders, we could of kept the Old John Ruth (Billy thr Marlins) Yeah, that's what I meant; I just realized I didn't state it right. I like the old Billy better. I don't have a problem with cheerleaders in general, but they don't belong at baseball games. They look out of place. I realize that they are not a focal point, but for a team that cries poverty, it is funny that they would hire cheerleaders who don't do much. Send the Mermaids to the Dolphins games. I have never heard of cheerleaders at baseball games. Marlins management needs to come up with better ways to lure people to the park.

I really hope Torborg gets fired. He is in over his head. I really hate how he abuses the young pitching staff (esp. AJ). They're all going to blow their arms!

I have no idea if this has been discussed before, but I want to put my 2 cents in on the topic. First of all, didn't we fire Billy the Marlin? So we get rid of the mascot because we don't want to pay him, and hire a bunch of cheerleaders to come to the games. Who has ever heard of cheerleaders at a baseball game? Loria and Samson, notice no other MLB teams have them, they have mascots like you are supposed to. When I attended that game, I and the people sitting next to me were in shock and embarassment that the Marlins management would do something so tacky! There are no cheerleaders in baseball! Get rid of the Mermaids and bring Billy back. Cheerleaders do not fit a baseball atmosphere. Does anyone else agree or think that this is tacky? PS Sorry if this has been discussed; I have been away for a while.

Martin, Venafro sign with Devil Rays March 28, 2003 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- It didn't take Al Martin long to find work after being released by the Florida Marlins. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed the 35-year-old outfielder Friday, shortly after Florida let him go when he refused to sign a form giving the Marlins advance permission to demote him to the minor leagues. The Devil Rays also signed left-handed pitcher Mike Venafro and claimed outfielder George Lombard off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Right-handed pitcher Brandon Backe and outfielder Jason Tyner were optioned to Triple-A Durham, and left-handed reliever Cedrick Bowers was reassigned to minor league camp. Martin, like Venafro, agreed to a one-year contract. He hit .342 this spring for the Marlins with four doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. He last played in the majors two years ago for Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella in Seattle. Martin hit .240 with seven homers, 42 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 100 games for the Mariners in 2001. He has a lifetime average of .278 with 129 homers, 459 RBIs and 171 stolen bases in 1,132 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and Mariners. Venafro was released by the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. He appeared in eight games this spring, going 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA. He has pitched in 259 games, all in relief, during his career with the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. Venafro, 2-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 47 games for the A's last year, has a career record of 13-10 with five saves and a 4.06 ERA. The 27-year-old Lombard was a second-round draft pick of the Braves in 1994. The Tigers acquired him last June and he hit .241 with five homers, 13 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 72 games the rest of the year.

Gammons gets on my nerves. Everything he writes is about the BoSox. He should just be their team analyst. And about Tejada. I just can not see the Fish affording him esp. since he wants a long term deal (like 8 years, did he say?). Ticket sales may be up, but they are not good compared to most of the rest of the league. Also, since the Fish don't have a staduim, they don't have revenues coming in that way. I just can't see it happening, although it would be nice.

If he puts up bad number and is terrible again.. I'd release him.. since 1999 he hasn't done anything that's worth keeping him.. btw why did I say release instead of trade him? Cause I doubt anyone is stupid enough to trade for Alex Gonzalez. I think theres is teams that would trade for Alex like Tampa they traded for Ordonez whos even worse than Alex. The Rays or D-Rays or Tampa Rays.. whatever.. are a flat out joke.. so it's normal that they would acquire crap. LOL! Just to add to my Tampa rant, in the offseason they signed all the players that were nontendered by other teams. I'm talking about stiffs like Travis Lee, Chris Truby, and Lee Stevens (who they released). The only thing they have a clue on is releasing Greg Vaughn. And their front office is a joke as well. Chuck LaMar plus Cam Bonifay (who ruined Pittsburgh) and Syd Thrift (who ruined Baltimore)! LOL! I just get a laugh about them. I really want them to turn it around, them being the hometown team, but right now they are an embarassment to the City of Tampa and Florida.

what ever happened to a starter actually being expected to give you a good 7 innings each time out? That was when rookies were 26 years old and spent two years in bullpen after five years in AA/AAA no matter how good they were. We rush ballplayers, especially pitchers. In a more perfect world, Beckett and Penny would be in our bullpen learning their trade from more mature Glavine-like arms. AJ, well AJ's stuff is so fabulous he'd always find a way into a starting slot, but the other two guys careers may ultimately be shortened because they didn't spend enough time in the minors. Every time I look at Beckett I think of David Clyde. I personally hope we don't see Domtrelle for at least two years. I know, I know, I'm ducking ! I agree. I think we are abusing these young arms - especially Burnett - the number of pitches he threw last year was ridiculous! Beckett should still probably be in the minors or the pen in a perfect world, but now he is the opening day starter because of injuries. I think we will see Dontrelle soon. I saw an article where the front office was talking about how he could be ready this season and and for sure for 2004. I wish he would stay down in the minors though.

I think the Marlins could suprise the league. That is if the pitching stays healthy (and I'm not optimistic about that). Besides that, the only problem is the division we play in. Every team in it is good! Why can we go and play in the NL or AL Central (except obvious geography reasons)? We could really win a lot of games in those divisions!!

I think the D-Rays might be interested in that. Ordonez has no offense whatsoever. Pinella has been begging the front office to get someone who can hit. I'm not saying Gonzalez can, but he's better than Ordonez. I live near Tampa and you are right - that team is an absolute joke, the worst in the majors without a doubt. Have you even seen their roster? It's a joke the players they are calling "regulars"! In Spring Training, the team has a .232 batting average even when some of the pitchers they are facing are minor leaguers. That's the worst of any club by a large margin. I wonder how bad it will be when the regular season starts; it's almost too ugly to think about. Their "ace" Joe Kennedy gave up 9 runs in 2 innings of work last night! They have no pitching or hitting (save Huff). Lou P. is gonna go nuts this season. I'm going to watch games just to see how mad he gets. The only thing going for TB is that they play the O's 19 times, that should get them at least 9 wins.

Ahh, the battle of the no attendance teams! BTW, who started for each team?