Malman

No Mordi? Arnie in Boynoton Beach will be shedding a tear over that one... :o

How could the Devil Rays not pulled this deal off for Baez? What the hell are they thinking over there??? :mischief2

Where's Willy? :banghead

Astros near deal for slugger Center fielder Wilson looks like club's top target By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Astros general manager Tim Purpura's hopes for landing a run-producing outfielder may come to fruition today. And if those plans work out, it's most likely free agent center fielder Preston Wilson will land with the National League champions. "I would think within the next 24 hours, we'll know where we stand with everybody," Purpura said Monday at 6 p.m. The Astros now appear to be Wilson's first choice. Purpura had been in negotiations with the representatives for Wilson and Conroe High graduate Jeromy Burnitz. But the Astros are starting to believe their chances of signing Wilson are much better than their chances with Burnitz. Wilson, 31, hit .260 with 25 home runs, 90 RBIs and 148 strikeouts for the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals in 2005. All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg, who had 36 homers and 101 RBIs, was the only Astro with more RBIs last year than Wilson. He has played center field most of his career. It remains to be seen what would happen with Willy Taveras, the center fielder who was second in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2005. Wilson, who earned $12.5 million in 2005, would likely get a contract worth less per year than the one-year, $6 million offer Nomar Garciaparra spurned from the Astros. But Wilson's stay in Houston could be longer than a year. Both sides are still mulling over contract options for a potential second year. "Things are more positive than not," Purpura said.

Arizona Republic: "The Diamondbacks came closer to filling their center field vacancy as they closed in Wednesday on free agent Eric Byrnes. Byrnes, who agreed to what is believed to be a one-year deal worth about $2.2 million, will undergo a physical examination today in Phoenix."

This thread is awesome...I love it when Rferry & Marlins2003 actually agree on something! :o

You missed the best part of the article... Miami City Manager Joe Arriola, notorious for his bad attitude, got tossed from a Miami Heat game by referees fed up with his courtside heckling. That is some funny sh*t... :lol

I don't object to Cintron or Spivey or any number of middle infielders, which I think we could use some options. I'd just have one who is relatively young, cheap and could give us some speed. Harris fits all of the criteria you mentioned, plus we don't have to give anything up to get him. I think he would be a huge upgrade over the Andino's, Uuggllaa's & Wilson's of the world.

I really hope the Marlins are the other NL team in the mix for Harris. The Fish could use some help at second and in the outfield. Beinfest needs to get something done...Harris would be a good start to solidifying our lineup. Speedy Harris new option By Troy E. Renck Denver Post Staff Writer Call it the fast and the curious. If Willie Harris joined the Rockies, he would be their quickest player, their top stolen base threat and a rare infielder capable of playing center field on occasion. Colorado has kicked the tires on this human roadster, continuing dialogue with Harris' agent after losing out on Junior Spivey. Four teams - two each from the National and American leagues - are chasing Harris but he has an affinity for the Rockies. "He has told me he wants to play for Colorado," agent Daryl Buford said Monday night. "He likes the organization and believes his skill set would match up well there." Whereas Spivey would have competed for the second-base job with Luis Gonzalez, the Rockies view Harris strictly as a utility player. Gonzalez, his sure-handed versatility notwithstanding, intrigues Colorado as an everyday player capable of belting 15 home runs. Slick-fielding rookie Omar Quintanilla profiles as a utilityman but could benefit from more Triple-A at-bats after hitting just .219 in 39 games. Harris, 27, batted .256 with the world champion Chicago White Sox. He has played 104 games in center field during his career. The Red Sox are among his suitors. Rockies assistant general manager Bill Geivett said the Rockies still are weighing their interest in Harris. The Rockies' search for a utility player probably won't include Alex Cintron. The addition of second baseman Orlando Hudson (along with pitcher Miguel Batista) in the Troy Glaus trade, which will be announced today in Toronto, makes it likely Cintron will be dealt, though Arizona is reluctant to move him within the division.

The Kids are Alright! :thumbup

While I'm not in favor of the huge gift to Scripps either. They will bring quite a bit more in jobs and economic development to Palm Beach County than a new ballpark would bring to Dade, Broward, or PBC. The price of the two projects is pretty comparable...the payoff isn't even close. Spoken like a "true" baseball fan... :mischief2

Just returned from the game...heck of a game. Solid 60 minutes for the Cats. Great effort all around. Way to go Stumpy!!!!! :notworthy

Can't wait...I'll be there tonight! Go Cats!

Just saw it on the ESPN bottomline. Found dead in his Lutz, Fla apartment. He was 18. Wow. This is horrible. I cannot imagine how Tony Dungy feels right now. RIP. Tragic news...a loss like this really puts the "loss" the Colts endured last week into perspective. RIP...

The latest from Tampa on Gathright...it seems like they are at an impasse...the D-rays are holding out for Olsen. Stick to your guns Admin! Rays executives keep lines open but refuse to trade just for trading's sake By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer Published December 22, 2005 Andrew Friedman said he spent Wednesday like many other days in his Tropicana Field office: working the phones, trying to make trades and determinations on free agents. And though he would not talk specifically about moves, the Devil Rays executive vice president said he is not feeling pressure to deal beyond the acquisitions of third baseman Sean Burroughs and backup catcher Josh Paul. "We're not going to be pressured to do something just to do it," he said. "It has to overlap with what we're trying to accomplish. If not, we're very satisfied with how the roster is shaping up." That said, centerfielder Joey Gathright is still front and center with the Marlins and Red Sox. Florida left-hander Scott Olsen has apparently been discussed as part of the compensation. Shortstop Julio Lugo is in the mix with Boston and the Mets, and the Red Sox still have an eye on rightfielder Aubrey Huff. As for the 50 players who became free agents after they were not offered contracts, it is believed only right-handed reliever Shawn Camp, 1-4 last season with a 6.43 ERA in 29 appearances with the Royals, has piqued Tampa Bay's interest.

With the exception of Hill, possibly the worst coaching staff in all of baseball. Way to go. Geez...lighten up. It's not that bad. I like the idea of so many of them being recently in the Major Leagues...I think they'll do a nice job of relating to our young kids.

That's very good because I think the Rays will lower the asking price for Gathright because many of the teams that were interested in him have resolved their CF problem (ex. Dodgers, Yanks) unless the Red Sox become interested now. >The list of possible replacements includes Seattle's Jeremy Reed, Cleveland's Coco Crisp, San Diego's Dave Roberts, Tampa Bay's Joey Gathright, the Cubs' Corey Patterson, and free agents Preston Wilson, Terrence Long, and Juan Encarnacion."

Thanks for posting Rferry...great info. Willie Harris would be a good fit at second. Escobar is an intriguing option. Byrnes & Phillips seem like solids pros. I'm not sold on Chavez...I'd much rather have Gathright (if it doesn't cost us Olson). meh...on the arms...although Josh Fogg does have strong local ties. How about Dewon? Perhaps spending some time with Dontrelle might set him straight...might be worth a gamble. :mischief2

Any word on Gathright? When will the "man of steal" become a "man in teal"? The Ddoger signing of Lofton has got to be a good thing for the Marlins...one less potential suitor for Gathright. C'mon Admin...get it done. Show this board what you're made of bring Gathright, keep Olson. :notworthy

Goodman: Politicians would be smart to listen to Scripps Sun-Sentinel Published December 18, 2005 It's the longest-running saga of a brand-name institution not finding a Florida home this side of the Marlins. And just like the Marlins, it's possible The Scripps Research Institute could say, "To hell with it" and leave. Forget Port St. Lucie, the latest rival haunting Tony Masilotti's nightmares. The Scripps board is sounding so sick of Florida that the biomedical giant could be the next major league club to say it's had enough of the crazy subtropics. Who knows, maybe it'll pick Las Vegas, Portland or San Antonio -- wherever the real estate isn't swallowed by the Marlins first. You can hardly blame Scripps if it gives up on us. Just like the Marlins, it delivered a winner. The Fish produced an outrageous two World Series championships. Scripps attracted 160 scientists to temporary quarters, some of the top names in their specialties, exceeding all expectations. And both Marlins and Scripps are hobbled by the bumbling of local politicians. Talking to Dr. Richard Lerner, Scripps' president, last week, I got the distinct impression we could see a disastrous exodus if the county and the state don't settle on a locale that Scripps is happy with. Yet, the solution is close at hand if the County Commission and the governor don't insist on doing it their way. Scripps has proposed a compromise that sounds wacky at first: splitting its operations between the last two locations -- the last places standing in a farcical two-year-long process of elimination. But look harder, and the idea makes sense. The Florida Atlantic University campus at Abacoa, the town-like development in Jupiter, is far and away the best location for Scripps' main operations. Scripps scientists already are working there. Working happily. The Florida Research Park -- the commissioners' choice -- holds zero allure for the sort of people who collect advanced degrees and wrap themselves into a life in the laboratory. They're a lot more crunchy granola than shiny suburbia. And yet, the research park still would have an important role to play if biotech takes off. Corporations such as drug manufacturers would want a place they can build big. To help steer business to the research park, Lerner pledges that Scripps would build its second round of buildings there, after establishing its primary address at FAU/Abacoa. Sure, the proposal is jolting after we've been fed for so long on the false idea that biotech companies need to stand side by side for this industry to succeed. Lerner told me that biotech can spread 20 miles around Scripps and work just fine. The original vision of a 500-acre campus at Mecca Farm is dead and gone. It expired the moment U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks decreed a halt to infrastructure construction because of a flawed Army Corps of Engineers permit. And don't blame the judge or the environmentalists for this fiasco. The overly cocky commissioners made the mistake of underestimating Mecca's drawbacks and now find themselves with a construction freeze. Actually, it's a blessing in disguise, because it gives us the chance to put Scripps in an eastern location that was best all along. To assuage financial qualms, Lerner said, Scripps soon will present construction plans for FAU/Abacoa that "will be cheaper" than building at the industrial park. Sounds dubious, but we'll see. Even if he's wrong, and FAU/Abacoa costs more at first, it's still the better long-range bet if it gives Scripps its best chance to thrive. Because the more that Scripps succeeds, the more that biotech grows around here. And the better off we all are. Look, I'm no developer or economist or scientist. But it seems to me we lured Scripps here because we respected their scientists' talent for discovering new cures and igniting economic opportunities such as Florida's never seen. Scripps is saying it can be most successful at Abacoa. We'll be fools not to listen. ]

If you are a big sports fan (college and/or pro), computer proficient and have a strong command of the English language you might be interested in this position. Candidates must be 18 years of age or older and must be willing to work night and weekends...the position is in Northern Broward County. The pay isn't fantastic, but if you love sports and a sporting environment then this might be for you. Please send me a PM if you are interested.

I'm having a hard time getting in...I can find the Marlin page but I keep getting an error message when I tried to join. Anyone else having problems???

I wouldn't mind seeing Eduardo Perez in a Marlin uniform. I think he'd be a nice veteran presence of the bench. Obviously his family connection would make him a natural fit. :thumbup

I'm going to go the games next year and just enjoy watching baseball. I'll cheer for the Marlins for as long as they are here.....and enjoy it. If the Marlins leave, then I will root for another team.....and I will enjoy that as well. The game of baseball is bigger than Samson, Arriola, Loria, Huizenga, Selig, Lee and all the other characters who have failed to make this franchise financially viable. I hope this situation is resolved and the Marlins stay. But if they end up leaving, then so be it. :thumbup

Ron Villone - R - Yankees Yankees acquired LHP Ron Villone from the Marlins for LHP Ben Julianel. The Marlins just gave up one of their best prospects, Yorman Bazardo, for Villone in July. Now the Yankees are getting him for a reliever they never deemed worthy of a 40-man roster spot. Villone isn't very good -- poor command has prevented him from posting a sub-4.00 ERA in any season since 1997 -- but as a second lefty/middle reliever, he's worthy of a roster spot. The Yankees will pay him $2 million and he'll be a free agent next winter. Dec. 16 - 5:10 pm et Ben Julianel - R - Marlins Marlins acquired LHP Ben Julianel from the Yankees for LHP Ron Villone. Pathetic. Anyone who wanted Julianel could have taken him in last week's Rule 5 draft. The 26-year-old had a 3.90 ERA and a 106/50 K/BB ratio in 87 2/3 IP for Double-A Trenton last season. The Marlins are now in line to make a big profit next season, so they certainly could have held on to Villone and waited for his market value to go back up. Every other trade GM Admin Beinfest has made has been defensible, but this is just ridiculous. Even worse was that the Marlins didn't offer arbitation to Todd Jones because they didn't want the draft picks. Bud Selig should have stepped in by now. "Even worse was that the Marlins didn't offer arbitation to Todd Jones because they didn't want the draft picks. Bud Selig should have stepped in by now" Like I said Wow...you're a freakin' genius. Looks like we have anther "expert" on the board. :whistle