Cabrerafan

I think there were only 3 hard-hit balls tonight: Uggla's HR, Cabs' sacrifice fly & Hanley's fly-ball out. It's frustrating to watch this offense, but it shouldn't really be a surprise. Just take a look at the bottom of the order.

This game is boring.

I think it's all wishful thinking. Cabs will be the only All-Star this year. Neither Uggla or Hanley are in the top five for their position. I think Uggla's power numbers are deserving, but a batting average of .261 doesn't exactly scream "All-Star" to me, and I doubt it does to many other than myself. As for Hanley, I think he's just getting the raw end of the deal. There are too many uneducated voters out there. Here's the link for the latest NL balloting: http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=mlb It's exciting to see Cabs with over 1 million votes.

Too bad Cabrera hasn't gotten the national hype to have a shot at the starting spot. I understand Wright and the N.Y. market, but a little national recognition goes a long way. Look what it has done for Prince Fielder, who is now ahead of Pujols in voting.

Ewww. He looks like Richard Allen Davis, Polly Klaas' killer.

I love the Miggy pic. Shows that beautiful extention on his swing.

Oldman has ridiculous range. from thinking he is a black pimp, to lee harvey oswald, to the future commissioner Gordon...yeah...his name is oldman, but talentedman better describes his abilities He played Beethoven too.

This is my golden, Cassidy. She's eight years old. She's gorgeous, Stork. Wonderful color.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Russell Crowe, unless he's not considered an "American actor." I didn't see Training Day, but I can't imagine how Crowe didn't win that year for A Beautiful Mind.

Almost as good as Pavarotti's rendition. :| I was being 100% serious too. I know, and I'm blown away by it. That Potts guy is very talented, but to mention him in the same breath as the master Pavarotti? It's like comparing Charlotte Church to Maria Callas.

He just got robbed by the womd of a :bases_homerun: Cabrera did? "Watching" on Gameday.

You know what else, I really hope that this is the turning point game. Willis sucked, but we still found a way to win. We've got Sergio going tomorrow, and then a long stretch of home-games. If there's ever a time to start playing better, it's right now. tommy just ponited out that garland is like 10-0 in day games. not sure of that stat or whatever, so sue me but the point is hes good, and the marlins just got lucky tonight maybe pray for some luck tomorrow How did the Marlins get lucky tonight? It's not as if they were getting lots of bloop singles. They both tied the game and took the lead on home runs. And their bullpen was fantastic.

Almost as good as Pavarotti's rendition. :|

Am I the only one who thinks that Cabrera has more value at 3B (even with his defensive issues) than anywhere else on the field? Add me to the list.

Sheesh, talk about piling on... Miami Herald NOTEBOOK Guillen muses on 'son' BY MIKE PHILLIPS mphillips@MiamiHerald.com CHICAGO -- Miguel Cabrera is a franchise player, a special player and a player headed for the Hall of Fame. At least that's the way White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen sees it, and there are few who know Cabrera better than Guillen, who sat in the White Sox dugout before Monday's game against the Marlins and talked about the player he looks at ``like my own son.'' Cabrera had dinner with Guillen and spent time at his home in downtown Chicago on Sunday. Guillen -- one of baseball's most outspoken figures -- pulled no punches. He told Cabrera he needed to lose weight. ''I'm a little upset with him,'' Guillen said. ``You're still young. He knows he has a problem with that. When you are young and good, you can get away with it. But when you're older and you're not hitting home runs, then they will call you a fat boy from Venezuela. ''I saw him in the spring and he was [skinny], and then I saw him again later and said, `You've been eating a lot of arepas,''' he joked. ``When your mother is Venezuelan and your wife is Venezuelan, you are going to get fat. If he keeps getting bigger, his future is in the Mexican League.'' Guillen cares about Cabrera. They are both from Venezuela and grew close when Guillen was a coach with the Marlins and Cabrera first came up with the team in 2003. They live close to one another in Miami, and during the season, they talk on the phone almost daily. ''We talk a lot, and my wife and his wife are good friends,'' Guillen said. ``Miggy could be my son. I told him, `You have to take care of yourself, because you have a chance to be one of the best players from our country.' ''He's a Hall of Famer,'' Guillen said. ``A lot of people look at [ Albert] Pujols and those guys, but you look at Cabrera's numbers and he is right there with them. It's unfortunate people don't look at that and give him the credit he deserves.'' Guillen said he has been telling Cabrera for the past two years that he is destined for Cooperstown, N.Y., but that Cabrera doesn't let the comment inflate his ego. ''When I tell him that he is going to be in the Hall of Fame, he gets shy,'' Guillen said. ``He doesn't want to hear that. He doesn't believe it. I don't think he believes in the hype. ''This kid is special,'' Guillen said. ``He can be a franchise with any ballclub. The day he showed up and we got him [with the Marlins], we knew how special he was going to be. If he was playing in New York, he would be the MVP the next day.'' Guillen believes Cabrera has to do more. ''Miggy is at a stage where he can be a superstar, but he has to be a leader. He has to help the manager win games, and help the franchise,'' Guillen said. 'It's time for him to step up and be the guy. I keep telling him, `Make sure you take those kids under your wing.' '' If Guillen managed Cabrera, he would tell him not to play winter ball. ''It's too much of a risk,'' he said. ``People in Venezuela want him to play, but if he gets hurt, no one from Venezuela is going and pay him for playing for us.'' THERE AND BACK Reggie Abercrombie is back. The Marlins sent Abercrombie to Triple A Albuquerque (N.M.) after Sunday's game in Kansas City, and then changed their minds and called him back, sending reliever Lee Gardner to Albuquerque instead. Because the Marlins are using a four-man rotation until June 30, they could use a full 13-man bench more than a 13th pitcher. ''Now we are at full strength on the bench,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``Reggie took a little trip and came to Chicago via Albuquerque.'' THUMBS UP First baseman Mike Jacobs, who has been out since May 14 because of a fractured thumb, was scheduled to play at Jupiter on Monday, and Gonzalez said he might join the team as early as Friday in Miami. There's a very similar article in today's Sun-Sentinel as well. Gees, Miggy and the fans get the point! Like I said before, these are the same newspapers who have no interest in covering his accolades (Player of the Week). :banghead Do they really have nothing better to write about? How about the fact he is 2nd in All-Star voting at 3rd (maybe it would get some fans to vote for him), or that he's top 5 in batting average, homers & RBIs? That article bothers me far less than the first article. It shares with us the opinion of someone with both inside knowledge of the game and inside knowledge of Miguel. The other article, like I said earlier, seems mean-spirited. I agree with you, Flummoxed. I just get annoyed that this is all they tend to focus on.

You know what else is an important difference? 109 OPS+ in 03 171(HOLYSHIT!!!11!@&$@*) OPS+ in 07 :o Bob, where can you find these kinds of statistics? http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cabremi01.shtml His OPS+ has improved every single year. That could be a record. '03 - 109 '04 - 130 '05 - 151 '06 - 159 '07 - 171 Bonds' OPS+ is 185 this season. Miggy is second in the NL. A-Rod and Ordonez in the AL also have him beat. So he's the 4th best hitter in the entire league at the age of 24. Thats incredible. And that's just based on OPS, even though he's a better hitter than Bonds this year. Just checking Bonds' statistics. I didn't realize he's won 7 MVPs!!! :o

We really need to take these next 2 games with Willis and Mitre.

You know what else is an important difference? 109 OPS+ in 03 171(HOLYSHIT!!!11!@&$@*) OPS+ in 07 :o Bob, where can you find these kinds of statistics?

The article speaks the truth. Cabrera is a GREAT player and if he wanted to he could be even better. No one can argue that his defense this year has taken a hit. The guy used to play short stop when he was younger and when he came into the league he was trim and light on his feet. IF he continues on the pace he is on he will be strictly a slugger when he has the potential for so much more. Some of you on this board are in Denial. But my point was the local media ignoring his Player of the Week honors and instead writing an article about his weight. My dad was out of town for a few weeks and if it weren't for me telling him, he would have never known about Cabrera's national recognition because the local papers ignored it. And he will never be "strictly a slugger" because he is an all-around fantastic hitter who has a great approach at the plate (Andruw Jones should learn from him). With the exception of the high number of K's, he is having an Albert Pujols-like offensive season.

See? This is the problem with the South Florida media. The same paper who wrote this article didn't even cover Cabrera's Player of the Week honors last week. Of course I would love for Miggy to lose some weight. It would definitely benefit him, at least defensively. But the media focus too much on it, and not enough of the fact that he's the only player in the MAJORS who's top 5 in all triple-crown categories.

I'm not here to defend anyone's defense. I think both Hanley and Miguel have been poor defensively so far this season. But when you mention that Hanley is only in his 2nd year at shortstop, you've got to consider that it's only Miggy's second at 3rd. Yes it is. And I wouldn't be bashing on his D so consistently if he showed like he wanted to be there instead of all this lackadaisical play we get from him. A team that is built on pitching and defense has a very weak hot corner. If even half of those balls that he could have at least gotten to and didn't try had been called errors then even the stat heads would be calling for a position change. And this play is from a guy that basically pouted when he had to play the OF because Lowell came back. I stick by my assesment. A prima donna playing a blue collar position. But his play will once again pick up towards the end of the season. He goes into arbitrtion again this off season. Geemoney, that was BroncoBob's defense of Hanley, and I was merely saying that if he wants to use that to defend Hanley, then he must consider the same argument for Cabrera as well. Okay. You still aren't getting it. I'll take the throwing errors from a guy that at least is trying. Those kind of errors are to be expected when learning to play at this level. Throws that maybe would have been better throws if they hadn't been thrown at all. That comes with experience at the major league level. Players are faster and more savvy at this level of competition. Some throws are rushed and they tend to turn into errors. Miggy's idea is if he dosen't even try for a ball his stats don't suffer. That is unacceptable. Go back to the Saturday line up for the rest of IL play in AL parks. Miggy DHing, Wood at 1B and Boone at 3B. See, this is where we disagree. I don't buy your opinion that Cabrera's not trying. And I certainly don't believe Miggy is thinking about which plays will affect his stats while he's on the field. He doesn't seem like a selfish player to me. He's not nimble at third, and he has a harder time going to his left. But he's actually made some great plays to his right this season. He looks slow and "lazy" at there at times because of his weight, at least IMO. Even when Cabs walks off the field, he lumbers. And are you telling me you haven't seen lackadaisical play from Hanley???

You can't possibly be serious to blame Ramirez' defensive struggles on the first baseman when he has significant problems even getting the ball in his glove nevermind throwing to first. Yes, a better firstbaseman can save his fellow infielders a number of errors over a season, and Hanley may improve over time or he may still have an injury we don't know about but he simply cannot or will not go to his right and his range this season has decreased markedly (which is why I've thought for some time he may be playing with a strain or perhaps a shoulder issue and has been told to not go diving all over the place). Hanley isn't emailing *airmailing* throws because of Boone, he's emailing *airmailing* throws because HE's airmailing throws. We can debate Jacobs (who looked to be much improved in the few weeks we saw him this season but who knows??) and Amezaga who I personally don't think has a significant range issue but rather still is adjusting to the outfield and isn't getting proper jumps. I wish I understood the Marlins thinking last winter when they let Amezaga play almost exclusively in the infield as opposed to polishing his outfield skills (he didn't play in the outfield I believe until the playoffs or nearly so). As for Hanley and his defensive problems, it isn't always the other guy's fault. This idea that when Ramirez makes an error we should start looking for someone else to blame ignores the reality that this season he just isn't very good. Hanley does have the range to his right. There is a problem when he goes that way and Miggy is going to his left. Miggy dosen't even make an attempt at the ball and is basically just blocking Hanley's line of sight on it. Sure, he will misfire it. Or attempt throws that he should hold onto. But he's only in his second year. It takes more time than that to make a GGer out of him. I would still like to see him play 3B but I don't think anyone has convinced Miggy it's his idea to move to 1B yet. Saying Hammer is our best defensive player is shouting out that you are a stats watcher and don't pay attention to the games. Until I look over and see how he reacts to a ball hit his way I hold my breath as much as I do when a dribbler is hit down the 3B line. I'm not here to defend anyone's defense. I think both Hanley and Miguel have been poor defensively so far this season. But when you mention that Hanley is only in his 2nd year at shortstop, you've got to consider that it's only Miggy's second at 3rd. ....at the Major League level. What position did Hanley play prior to the major leagues? Shortstop. That's what I'm saying, the years you listed are only the years they've played at the Major League Level, not counting all those they played in the minors or in school. The mechanics and plays don't change much from level-to-level, so I don't think not being seasoned enough at their spots, like you suggested, is a valid reason for their poor defense. Geemoney, that was BroncoBob's defense of Hanley, and I was merely saying that if he wants to use that to defend Hanley, then he must consider the same argument for Cabrera as well.

You can't possibly be serious to blame Ramirez' defensive struggles on the first baseman when he has significant problems even getting the ball in his glove nevermind throwing to first. Yes, a better firstbaseman can save his fellow infielders a number of errors over a season, and Hanley may improve over time or he may still have an injury we don't know about but he simply cannot or will not go to his right and his range this season has decreased markedly (which is why I've thought for some time he may be playing with a strain or perhaps a shoulder issue and has been told to not go diving all over the place). Hanley isn't emailing *airmailing* throws because of Boone, he's emailing *airmailing* throws because HE's airmailing throws. We can debate Jacobs (who looked to be much improved in the few weeks we saw him this season but who knows??) and Amezaga who I personally don't think has a significant range issue but rather still is adjusting to the outfield and isn't getting proper jumps. I wish I understood the Marlins thinking last winter when they let Amezaga play almost exclusively in the infield as opposed to polishing his outfield skills (he didn't play in the outfield I believe until the playoffs or nearly so). As for Hanley and his defensive problems, it isn't always the other guy's fault. This idea that when Ramirez makes an error we should start looking for someone else to blame ignores the reality that this season he just isn't very good. Hanley does have the range to his right. There is a problem when he goes that way and Miggy is going to his left. Miggy dosen't even make an attempt at the ball and is basically just blocking Hanley's line of sight on it. Sure, he will misfire it. Or attempt throws that he should hold onto. But he's only in his second year. It takes more time than that to make a GGer out of him. I would still like to see him play 3B but I don't think anyone has convinced Miggy it's his idea to move to 1B yet. Saying Hammer is our best defensive player is shouting out that you are a stats watcher and don't pay attention to the games. Until I look over and see how he reacts to a ball hit his way I hold my breath as much as I do when a dribbler is hit down the 3B line. I'm not here to defend anyone's defense. I think both Hanley and Miguel have been poor defensively so far this season. But when you mention that Hanley is only in his 2nd year at shortstop, you've got to consider that it's only Miggy's second at 3rd. ....at the Major League level. What position did Hanley play prior to the major leagues?

You can't possibly be serious to blame Ramirez' defensive struggles on the first baseman when he has significant problems even getting the ball in his glove nevermind throwing to first. Yes, a better firstbaseman can save his fellow infielders a number of errors over a season, and Hanley may improve over time or he may still have an injury we don't know about but he simply cannot or will not go to his right and his range this season has decreased markedly (which is why I've thought for some time he may be playing with a strain or perhaps a shoulder issue and has been told to not go diving all over the place). Hanley isn't emailing *airmailing* throws because of Boone, he's emailing *airmailing* throws because HE's airmailing throws. We can debate Jacobs (who looked to be much improved in the few weeks we saw him this season but who knows??) and Amezaga who I personally don't think has a significant range issue but rather still is adjusting to the outfield and isn't getting proper jumps. I wish I understood the Marlins thinking last winter when they let Amezaga play almost exclusively in the infield as opposed to polishing his outfield skills (he didn't play in the outfield I believe until the playoffs or nearly so). As for Hanley and his defensive problems, it isn't always the other guy's fault. This idea that when Ramirez makes an error we should start looking for someone else to blame ignores the reality that this season he just isn't very good. Hanley does have the range to his right. There is a problem when he goes that way and Miggy is going to his left. Miggy dosen't even make an attempt at the ball and is basically just blocking Hanley's line of sight on it. Sure, he will misfire it. Or attempt throws that he should hold onto. But he's only in his second year. It takes more time than that to make a GGer out of him. I would still like to see him play 3B but I don't think anyone has convinced Miggy it's his idea to move to 1B yet. Saying Hammer is our best defensive player is shouting out that you are a stats watcher and don't pay attention to the games. Until I look over and see how he reacts to a ball hit his way I hold my breath as much as I do when a dribbler is hit down the 3B line. I'm not here to defend anyone's defense. I think both Hanley and Miguel have been poor defensively so far this season. But when you mention that Hanley is only in his 2nd year at shortstop, you've got to consider that it's only Miggy's second at 3rd.

I do not want Cabs in the home-run derby this year. He struggled a bit after the All-Star break and admitted the derby wore him out.