Strike 3

I remember the commercials... "AND KEVIN BROWN IS ON TOP OF THE WORLD!" lol They are all impressive, but If I had to pick a favorite... its obviously going to be Anibal, while Kevin Brown had the best chance of getting a perfect game, and pitched the best. That was Al Leiter.

Great time tonight. After that first inning Ricky had amazing control! We all want to see the complete game but Holliday totally had Ricky's number and I had no problem with the decision especially since we haven't seen scary Gregg in a while. Fireworks were even better tonight and The Bangles were fun. I'm liking Baker and not missing Trainor. Hanley was very disappointing at the plate but did have a great defensive play. It seemed odd to have 2 triples in one inning and neither one by someone named Hanley.

I have to go with Al Leiter's on May 11, 1996. It was the first and that alone makes it even more special. I may be biased because it was the first no-hitter I ever saw in person and Al was my favorite. I remember the nervousness and excitement as if it were yesterday. It was not televised and I've always wanted a copy of it but it doesn't seem anywhere to be found. I have a ball signed and dated by Al and it remains my favorite piece of memorabilia. Those who were not around and only caught a glimpse of Al during his 2nd stint with the Fish at the end of his career have no idea just how bad-ass that cutter was and what a fighter he was. Always a gentleman and always especially nice to the fans. There's a great story about Al and his wife having lunch that day at a Chinese restaurant because the place where they usually ate at was closed. His fortune cookie said "tonight you will be on top of the world." He put it in his pocket and after the last out Joe Angel said "Al Leiter is on top of the world!"

Listening to Beinfest on Marlins on Deck seems like they're not planning on getting a catcher. That's what you heard? I was watching and it sounded to me like he said the complete opposite and that they would continue to try and upgrade. He didn't say crap...I knew the same before watching that interview that I did after. Exactly!

At the end of the day I'm more than quite alright with this. I did get caught up in the excitement of it and Manny does bring excitement to the plate. It had people buzzing big time about the Marlins and that's always good to see. Still, I didn't want to see the Fish give up too much for a rental or cause disruption to a team that clearly seems to have a tight comfort level even if that rental was Manny. What I am disappointed about is that we didn't upgrade they way I would have liked. I also hope this doesn't create any kind of negative backlash or buzz-kill for the Marlins.

Hmm, the PBP said the exactly opposite thing today. So did the Herald.

He is due to break out of it i don't know if the Derby messed it up since he was using Cantu's bat but he will break out of it It started before that. He's been cold since he came back from his injury and I don't think it has anything to do with Cantu's bat.

Hopefully this won't be misunderstood. Except for Ricky, I thought for most of the game tonight we played like sh*t. We won, it glosses over the horrendous situational hitting, the poor fielding, and for a moment here and there we looked like an American Legion team playing UM. I can't count how many times I said to myself tonight, "Had enough Admin? Are you finally ready to do something about this #^%*!. It's your team you have three days to fix it." Playing the result you come away with a completely different take on the game but I think we absolutely lucked out with this one. Some nights you play well enough to win and don't, tonight this one was payback from the baseball gods. You're right. They were fortunate they got more chances to make up for it. Most nights you don't get the extra chances and I agree it's easy to overlook it in the afterglow of a win. The sloppy play and the crap situational hitting is maddening and you can only push your luck for so long. I do, of course, give them credit for what they did right in the end but I completely get what you're saying.

Anibal starts Thursday, you have to think this callup is someone else until then. Bullpen arm maybe? That would be my guess.

I hope we see pre-break Ricky because the Mets have been sizzling hot. Every team finally loses. Their bats have been on fire of late. It's not just that. They're playing with a renewed sense of purpose and confidence. There's nothing that would make me happier than to see the Fish break that confidence.

I hope we see pre-break Ricky because the Mets have been sizzling hot.

Surprisingly AAA.

Is it confirmed that Anibal is taking the roster spot? No, nothing's been announced yet.

I actually think being ignored/not taken seriously/disrespected (take your pick) works well for the team. Being underestimated seems to be motivational and gives them that "us against the world" mentality. That said, as a fan, I can't help but notice that the Marlins are often an afterthought, if that. Last night they went through Touch 'Em All, spoke at length about multiple HR games and did not include Hermida in that conversation. As we all know, many of our wins turn into a story about the other team. I think the other teams and players are fully aware that the Fish are to be taken seriously and it's only an issue with the media. All in all, I think it helps more than hurts where the team is concerned so I don't let it bother me. I still have out-of-towners tell me that the Fish came out of nowhere in 2003. I always say no, actually they did not. That team certainly thrived on surprising people.

Cards win! :thumbup

I believe he is a Hitting coach for the Nationals yes

Does anyone else think this thread is about Lenny Harris every time they see the title? Absolutely! "Lenny" has to be Lenny Harris. Len Kasper is not Lenny!

All those strikeouts would have looked a helluva lot more hideous without a win. Definitely a real good start by Volstad, awesome job by the pen, clutch hit by Cantu (again). I think I have to go with Hermida on this one. Also, how refreshing is it to see good defense? No doubt the Cubs played great defense but it sure is a welcome treat to see it from our guys!

One thing I don't like is Jacobs batting clean-up. It doesn't make sense to me at all. Drop him about 3 places in the order and he doesn't look nearly as appalling.

Yeah, we've always spanked in the TV ratings. Of course THAT won't ever make it into all of the multiple articles that are written to trash the Marlins fans. You do understand they never talk about the other teams' TV ratings either. They only talk about actual attendance figures. Which is the way it should be. Teams get ZERO $$ from the cost of your TV, DirecTV or cable price, your munchies and drinks from the fridge, etc... I could care in the least about our TV ratings. I care that I am outnumbered and out yelled by fans of opposing teams at my home stadium on a routine basis. You all want to pat yourselves on the back? Just keep in mind our season ticket holders number a whopping 5,000 and we are pulling a little over 15,000 to games. Of that 10,000 differential it would be a good guess (and a low one) to say 7500 of them are for the other team. Wonder how that number relates to fans of the other teams watching the Marlins play them on local feeds? Bob, you are absolutely right about the attendance although you are either exaggerating the number of the other team's fans or you just happen to be sitting among all of them. I want to see more fans in the seats as much as you do but the TV ratings are significant because if no one was watching it would be legitimate to say the team has no fans. The team does have fans but for whatever reasons (which have been discussed here ad nauseam) most of them don't go to Dolphin Stadium. I very much doubt all those people watching are fans of the other teams. You have every right not to "care in the least" about TV ratings but they do matter.

And we're forgetting the best part about Josias Manzanillo. Occassionally, he would hit his cup real hard with the baseball. Apparently, years before he took a line drive to the testicles and lost one because of it. He would do that in order to remind himself that it could happen again. He was a fun guy to watch. He started off hot when we first got him, but then he started giving up runs like crazy. I remember a game I was at when Manzy was doing the cup banging thing over and over. Some guy in my section kept saying that the fans should do it with him because it would look so cool on TV. I think he was crazier than Manzy. But yeah, Manzy was a nice guy, very fan friendly.

What was all that talk not too long ago about not being able to play with the Mets and Phillies? :brigginbounce What a great game and you had to know when Cantu walked to the plate he knew what he was going to do. Not to belabor the point but he has a damn good baseball mind, he understands the situation he finds himself in and responds accordingly. No one is perfect this is after all a game where failing two out of three times translates into stardom, but as a Marlins fan I felt confident he'd find a way to get a run home. I can't say that about too many other Marlins. I totally agree with you there. I wish more of our players had the same approach at the plate.

Well, you'll be here for the Cards and/or the Cubs. The Cards stay at the Westin Diplomat. At the time the Marlins' media guide was published the Cubs hotel was TBD. Most of the teams stay at the Trump International in Sunny Isles Beach so that's another possibility. Hanley and other players always sign autographs before the game if you get there early and, as others said, outside the players' parking lot after the game, Gate A. If I was coming to this area for the first time I would want to see South Beach, after all, that's the biggest attraction here. It's low season so good hotel rates can be found and there are plenty of nice deco-style boutique hotels very close to the beach. You don't want to stick around the neighborhood where the stadium is located.

Linda Robertson is a poor excuse for a writer and this is only the latest in a long string of moronic editorials. It boggles the mind that she has kept this job for so long. Then again, it's the Herald. Oh, and it's no secret that the Herald is going under and that they're laying off employees.

Nicknames are always used in baseball. Actually, all sports.