HawkFan

I just clenched my teeth and smirked as I tried to desperately hold in my laughter. Cute moment, but its funny how these kids perceive things sometimes. And right away, after saying one final comment that was probably something like "Ahhh, ok, thaaaat's nice." I immedietaly told myself that I had to post that moment on here. Hope you got a kick out of that! Thanks for listening! Probably has to do with the fact that's the only autograph they have, so even though Miggy is a better player (and much harder signature to acquire), Wes' is still tops in his books because they have no personal frame of reference. I remember getting my first autograph, Derek Bell waaaayyyy back in '91 after he was comign off his rookie season w/ the Blue Jays. I thought he was the best player in baseball for a good year or so until I got my second, Craig Biggio. What's even funnier is the kid's got something on me, because I have yet to track Wes down. Kind of like Bob Natal, which increduously took me 7 years to get his signature, when he was a coach w/ the Expos I believe. I have just about everybody from the Inagural team, 2 pages of Gary Sheffields and even Bobby Bo, but the backup catcher?!? When I told him how big a Marlins fan I was but never got his auotgraph before, he straight up laughed in my face and said, "Kid, I was the easisest player to get!" Of course, he made up lost time by signing everything I had for him, like 10 cards. In related news, I see Bob's the catching coordinator for the Mutts now.

Holy Crap. My students call me Mr. B, too... At least you guys get an initial. My wife teaches HS Psych and either is called "Miss" or "Chappy", not "Mrs. Chapman" or even "Mrs. C." It's kind of a rough area, so she long ago gave up trying to change the behavior.

What I want to know is how the Rays get away with this and the other moves they've made this offseason as good, financially-prudent moves for the future, but when the Marlins do the same thing, we're having a firesale and being cheap. Double standard, don't get it.

Hawk Fan, let me know. If it is then perfect for us both. Thanks for checking either way! Yeah, he wore the home. He was traded the day of the sleeveless, BUT i found HIS actual sleeveless jersey at auction. Game issued but never worn. I have pics of it, but the auction ended two months ago. Wow, that's pretty awesome. Do you know how much it went for? I know I've seen some cards in the past w/ swatches of pinstriped gam-worn jersey. I'll let you know tomorrow about the jersey. W/ Christmas and all we've been running non-stop today.

Did Piazza ever wear the home jersey? Yes.

I'll have to check mine..might be a 48..I've put on a few lb's since middle school, and as I'm now 52, it just might be...

Do we at least entertain revisting the rumored Grienke talks with this move? Our bats were goign to have a hard enough time keeping up w/ their rotation as it was, even more so now. Perhaps the only way we can keep up with the Phils is adding another #1 pitcher to the rotation just as they have. Reports are the royals will be looking for a king's ransom, and I seriously doubt we have the marquee talent left (or be willing to give it up if we do, ala Mike Stanton) to offer. However, reports are that the Royals are looking for up-the-middle help and a quality starter to replace Grienke in the rotation. Should we reopen talks and start w/ a package of Cogs (who they can move back to his natural 2B) and Ricky and a few other prospects they would find enticing? They probably would laugh in our face, and I seriously doubt it would get done w/o Stanton, but do we at least consider upgrading our rotation to answer the Phils, or do we sit tight?

According to an interview with him today in the Orlando Sentinel (hometown boy from Dr. Phillips HS), it sounds like his primary destination would be to return to Chicago. However, he made a comment that if the two sides couldn't meet together in a mutually beneficial deal, he wasn't going to "crawl on back there." Translation- "I'm still looking to get paid." While I wouldn't mind AJ catching for the Fish (since he's a proven ML'er which is an improvement over an injury-plauged platoon situation nay day of the week), his comments lead me to believe he's got an over-inflated view of his value and he's not willing to sign for less to be closer to home. I think we're better off lookign elsewhere for our catching situation.

Interesting that this goes from a doc about Bartman, the Cubs and the 03 NLCS to a doc about Bartman and Buckner. Something tells me in the end, with ESPN involved and a Sox fan making it, the focus will be on Buckner. Kind of dissapointing if not unexpected.

According to Ricky's agent on MLBtraderumors, Marlins and Ricky have agreed on the length of the extension (I'm asusming 3 yrs, his ifnal of arbitration and first 2 of FA) but are about 20% apart on the $'s. To me, this is very encouraging as 20% is not a big bridge to gulf; I mean, they could split the difference and both come out winners. Get this done.

Per Buster Olney's ESPN Insider Blog, via mlbtraderumors.com: People in MLB front offices believe that the Marlins aren’t developing quite as much talent as they once did. One talent evaluator suggests the Marlins may have to lock up their current players to remain competitive. Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco are both extension candidates, but the Marlins aren’t close to signing either of them. I see no indication that this the case, since we had 3 ligitimate ROY candidates on the team this year and have more exciting players in the pipeline. I perhaps can see their point when it comes to pitching, but the qualtiy development just seems to have shifted to position players.

Wow, Slayer is still around!?! They were big when my brother was in HS in the early 90's. Shocked they're still touring and recording.

Brandon Marshall did the same thing. Shortly after he was traded to the Phins and signed his big contract this spring, he was at an "Alumni in the NFL" autograph signing before the UCF Spring Game. He was wearing a Fish hat, so I said to him "I didn't know you were a Marloins fan!?!" He said he wasn't. I guess it's "cool" to wear the cap of the team you play in, even if you're not a fan. Whatever, at least is gets exposure.

I've been to games where the noisemakers were more distraction than I liked. I left. Many people probably want to leave due to the obnoxious noise, but they also want to see the game, so they stick around. My solution is to move to other seats, far away from the morons, be they adult or child. It's not like the joint is ever sold-out. My take on this is that if they're going to give out noisemakers, they need to have instructions on the jumbotron around how and when, to use them. The problem with them now is that many people use them the whole game, not paying attention to what's going on in the field. Noisemakers are supposed to be used as a celebratory display, or to confuse the oposing team. When everyone's going to town when we have runners in scoring position and a rookie at bat, they need to ease down. Purely uneducated sports fans.

Heck, forget Tony Pena for Manager, I want to see him behind the plate! Even at his advanced age, I bet you he can still call one hell of a game. In all seriousness, I wouldn't mind seeing Edwin back. I was all caught up in the "sexy" choice of Valentine that I was let down when they named Edwin the interim manager for the rest of the year. However, I've been pleasantly surprised with the job he's done. And considering his tenure with the Fish in the minors and all of the young guys that have and will continue to be pulled up, I honestly think he's the right guy for the job. He's shown the right amount of "fire" and "passion" when necessary, and doesn't run his mouth for the sake of running his mouth (cue Ozzie). While this was the main reason I wanted Bobby a few months ago, the manager next year and going forward should be for the right reasons and not just because they are a "name" that will draw attention. The manager is not going to put butts in the seats, winning will; thus we need a manager that gives us the best opportunity to do so. Given a full offseason to prepare and completely healthy team, I believe Edwin can be that guy. Tony would be a great second choice, however. There's a reason why former backstops make great managers. I do NOT want to see Ozzie back in teal, however.

Just saw Mike Lowell announced he will retire at the end of the season. Despite his hip problems, he figures he can still physically play, but he doesn't find it fun anymore and doesn't want to accept a platoon assignment. What are the chances the org can convince him to come onboard as an Infield/3rd base coach, and keep Uncle Wes out of there?

Shame on the bat boy. What the f*** is he doing walking around the brawl? Get your ass in there, kid. This sh*t's for real No need for that word unless you're talking about a bassoon. Plus, you misspelled your bigotry. what did i mispell? The word "misspell" for one Entendu, Rabb and DaCycle FTW. Gabby approves.

you're never allowed to make any money back without the media lambasting you. I don't think people understand how important it was to bolster the balance sheet prior to the stadium bond sale, and even at that those bonds barely got sold. IIRC, Loria had to step up to buy the last $6 million that was unsubscribed, which was extraordinary, normally the underwriter(s) would guarantee to pick up any shortfall for their own inventory. But, that was the nasty environment that existed when the bonds were moved. So, for once, Samson is exactly right. Overall, great analysis, ... However, I believe the bond shortfall had more to do with City of Miami and Miami Dade's finances, the way the stadium is financed w/ hotel bed taxes and the continued economic slump than the Marlins' financial picture.

Just because a substance is on the banned list doesn't mean it's a PED. Many of the substances that are banned are masking agents, which makes steroid detection more difficult. Of course, if it's a dietary pill, there could have been some kind of stimulant-type substance as well. The timing of this is suspect to me. I don't know the time frame when he was tested, re-tested and notified of the failure, but you have to figure it all happened AFTER he inherited the daily catching duties after being a backup for almost 2 years. IT's not a strecth of the imagination to think he had tons of aches, pains and wear are tear on his body from the daily cathcing grind his body wasn't used to; remember, most of those that admitted to PED use stated it was so they could recover from injuries quicker, not so they could bulk up and hit more HR's....

I'm pretty sure I read an interview with Mike a few weeks back where he was undecided about playing next year. Doesn't mean he's done, but at the same time, it means he is thinking retirement. Not so sure this happens, especially with as much faith and "man-love" the FO and ownership have in Wes.

I won't be able to attend this Friday's game where the Billy Bingo giveaway is a replica of Andre's HOF plaque. Seeing as he's my favorite player, I would really like to get one of these to add to my collection. If anyone gets one and would be willing to help me out, please PM me. Thanks! In a semi-related topic, currently Andre is the only player in the HOF that played w/ the Fish and as such is the only one with "Florida" on their plaque. Should any other alumni get voted in, and assuming it happens after the new stadium opens, do you think it will say "Florida" or "Miami?"

i think if you start boni you might lose what you have in him now. hes been doing well off the bench so leave it there. helms does well starting and so does luna. playing boni more now wouldnt make sense. That really doesn't make sense, you will lose the hot streak he's been on if you don't play him consistently not if you bench him and hope he does well whenever we need him later on. Only thing about Boni's hot streak is he started last year on a similar streak and then burned up fairly quickly on reentry. While I love his speed on the basepaths, I don't think he's capable of starting for regular stretches.

Nice topic; it would be very interesting to hear several members' reasons for becoming Marlins fans, as I know there are several on here not just outside of Florida but outside of the US! My reason is pretty straightforward; after growing up liking the Dodgers (because of my dad) and the Cubs (because of Andre Dawson), once they announced Florida was getting a team, I was "hooked." I especially fell for the marketing ploy that after decades of spring training ball in the state, the MArlins belonged to all of Florida and not just Miami.

Call them 1-877-Marlins, They'll do it over the phone for you Unfortunately, you can no longer buy single game tickets over the phone using 1-877-Marlins. You either have to buy them over the website, through Ticketmaster or at the Box Office. I don't believe you have to pay the Convenience Charge at the Box Office, but you do have to pay the Service charge. Over the phone or website incurrs the Convenience Charge (which includes the Service Charge built in). Sucks to be an out-of-town fan, huh?

Johnson's a really good in-person signer considering all of his accomplishments. Still, $29 is really cheap for a guy like him. I agree, $29 today for a Cy Young candidate is pretty good compared to what comparable players charge, however, I still have a problem paying that much for an autograph of a current player. While I understand inflation is involved, consider I paid $30 for Hank Aaron's signature back in '93 at the former Bell's Factory Outlet mall off of I-Drive. While it's almost 20 years later, I just can't justify paying that much for a current player when I used to get HOF's for that much (or less). As I said in my Cody Ross posting, it's really sad to see autographs become big business. The dealers jsut want to make more money, the players want a bigger cut of the pie than they used to and those of us that do this just for a hobby and collecting are the ones that lose out. I refuse to play that game; I honestly don't remember the last time I paid for an auto.