Henry Jones

Eh, I still wear my Dontrelle Willis Marlins jersey. I just have to field the, "Whatever happened to him?" questions.

This is what happens when you sell. I don't think Marlins fans have seen an actual selling team for awhile. For the past few years, they've been kind of cruising, doing well enough to kind of stay in it, yet fading away shortly after the trade deadline and being very "eh" in August and September.They're getting people to build on for the future and clearing up money for free agency next season. Those who say we got nothing for Hanley, well, there's an open $15-16 million/year to get a guy or guys they like next year. Now, you can hate the guys they get later and say they're not worth it, but it's not nothing. This is basic front office movement. They've tried everything they could with the roster they have, and it wasn't enough, so it's time to give up on this campaign and see if they can get a different cast. Granted, coaching could be the issue, but firing the hitting coach wasn't going to be a magic wand for this team. They're professionals. They need to take some responsibility for their personal growth

I've looked up on the MLB.TV forums and apparently it's every game having the issue. I work in TV and I get these days there's not a magic switch to fix things, but it's not like there wasn't a four day break to see if there were any issues and fix them.... How do you fit in there? Telepathically. It's the new direction of television. Eventually, we'll be able to control your mind. We're still working on that one.

I've looked up on the MLB.TV forums and apparently it's every game having the issue. I work in TV and I get these days there's not a magic switch to fix things, but it's not like there wasn't a four day break to see if there were any issues and fix them....

Well, I'm TRYING to watch the game, but MLB.TV keeps telling me it hasn't started yet.

Are they selling individual episodes anywhere like iTunes or Amazon or do I have to wait for DVD/BluRay? I don't have money for cable, much less Showtime.

I was never big on Ozzie. Beyond the one World Series ring, he was a lot of hot air, and I'm sure Miami doesn't need any more hot air. I would've tentatively leaned more towards Bobby Valentine when we had the chance, but really, that's like deciding over whether to hire Thing 1 or Thing 2. But I don't have a response of who TO get as far as manager. We're not going to get Tony LaRussa out of retirement for this. And for the record, I was enthused about Heath Bell as closer when the initial deal went down. There are some "I told ya' so" people out there, but it was an All Star closer. Not a whole bunch of those around. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a big mistake made bigger because the manager doesn't want to manage the damn closing situation. What else needs to be said other than he has 6 losses and right now, the Marlins are 5 games out of the playoffs. A lot, I'm sure, but it sort of makes the point for me. I don't desire complete demolition of the team, but changes are going to be necessary for this season not be anything but an utter disaster.

Well, a good thing I abandoned my plans to go to the All Star game awhile ago. I didn't get the lottery and I'm not paying 2 months salary for a damn ticket.

Please keep your hands and legs in the cart until the Marlins game comes to a complete stop.

Eh. *shrugs*

I'm glad things are returning to some semblance of normalcy around here....

And the game gets shut off.

I think everyone jumped off a bridge....kinda quiet on these boards now What is there TO say? They've been losing the same way since the start of June (Today at least had the surprise of the Marlins scoring some runs). I think we've gone through almost everything people can say about this. Everything smart, stupid, simple, and complicated has been said. I'm not jumping ship. Been on it since it set sail and I'm going to be there when it sinks. It's simply an excruciatingly frustrating patch. The only thing there is left to do is scream. So, I'll do that now...... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Good morning to the people in the upstairs apartment.

Was hoping for more of a special season so far and outside of May this team has been dog sh*t... No surprise with Ozzie - read an article on yahoo the other day where 100 baseball players were surveyed and Ozzie won the "Least Respected Manager" Award by a landslide And he no longer even commands respect anymore he is just ho-hum, time to walk away. I guess like Cogs right? Using an article that surveys a 100 players, which doesn't even mention how many we're actually under Guillen, with absolutely nothing to establish that Ozzie has lost any respect of His CURRENT players is beyond ridiculous. The only thing that should be held against them is his record here. Which untill the first of June was around first place. Even having to try to argue against the idea that he should be fired at his point is pointless. Good luck trying to find a new manager every weeks months during the season when the team struggles. I'd guarantee that most of those players don't respect him because of the Castro comments. It's a dumb survey that doesn't really demonstrate anything. Exactly, unless your Bobby Jenks. ......but now im just waiting for someone to say that the team isnt playing well because they are mad at ozzie for his Castro comments. I know I'd sacrifice millions of dollars in future contract money and reputation by intentionally bombing to protest my coach and not telling anyone about it.

The worst part of this is I can predict almost every single game right now. In either the first inning or the second, we'll have a golden opportunity to score first either with a double/triple or some decent baserunning. It falls through with either a series of strikeouts, popouts, or other such weak crap. In the same time frame, the opponent has what seems to be a soft inning. There are one or two quick outs. Then..... something small happens. A walk. A single. Something like that. Then the baserunner takes second. All the inning needs is a quick out and no harm, no foul. Instead, there's another base hit and the runner scores. Then there's another hit. And another. And maybe even another until it's a 2-3 run lead and the starter's thrown WAY more than he should have. The score holds for a couple innings. The key is the Marlins batters are out quickly and the starter barely gets 3 minutes to rest. The starter most nights can hold until the 5th or 6th (Not tonight, obviously), but then they reach their buckling point and surrender a couple more runs. But WAIT, the batting's doing something! There's multiple baserunners and all there needs to be is ONE KEY HIT and they're back in the game! It goes to pot. Then all the air goes out of the balloon, the relief pitchers bleed a run an inning or something and MAYBE the batting can finally plate a run. *A* run. Then the game mercifully ends. This is almost every night. And rarely is the pattern changing right now. It's painful. It's like Groundhogs Day. Or, more accurately, like that one episode of the X-Files where a bank robbery goes wrong and the building blows up, and everyone keeps re-living it (At least sometimes in Groundhogs Day, Bill Murray got laid). I don't know what needs to be done, but they need to do SOMETHING. Learn, adjust, scout, fire, I don't give a f***. This team needs a shaking large enough to wake them the hell up.

I don't give a sh*t if he's a scrub or not. JUST HIT THE f***ING BALL!

I'm refusing to give a friend a fantasy update on Buehrle because every time I do, he gives up a run or 2.

Just like Josh Beckett to pick up the Marlins when they're down.

What's colder than ice cold? Vanilla Ice. Coincidentally, raised in South Florida. OR IS IT A COINCIDENCE?!

People, I strongly urge you to not be Cubs fans. Yes, you can have superstitions. And yes, the thread about the Marlins being on fire was in very bad form, but don't go down this road of curses and reversing curses. You'll wind up being susceptible to things like sleeping with a goat while your best friend tapes it if means it'll get you a World Series championship, and guess what? You still won't have that World Series championship. I hate losing to the Braves and their army of zombie racist chanters, but this isn't the way to deal with it. If we're going to do it, we're going to do it OUR way. Drowning in an alphabet soup of statistics, demanding a certain member of the coaching staff be fired immediately even though it will make minimal difference, and shouting for a minor league player who will likely not be an improvement, but must be immediately brought in because he will be a GAME CHANGER. At least when we do it our way, we've seen our team win the World Series. Twice. So, please, let us go back to saying how John Buck has some of the worst OPS, SODA, and LANDO in major league history this season, call for Espada's head on a platter (Serious note: Espada, you're doing just fine. You were just the first name off the top of my head. Sorry), and if we call up Sanabia to be our long relief, all of our problems, including our offensive ones, will disappear.

Why do I get the feeling at one point all five teams in this division will be tied for the lead?

I'm starting to really dislike that one cell phone commercial that's in all the MLB.TV breaks. But hey, I'm liking how the game's going.

Even if he's getting better, my heart still doesn't like Heath Bell.

True enough, but if someone in Nebraska can immediately stat-crunch Paul Bako vs. John Buck, then I'm in trouble. Stats were never my strong suit and I can't even understand half the abbreviations used in post-Moneyball era analysis. EDIT: It is done.

I think instead of a bullpen song, there needs to be Samuel L. Jackson's sound clip, "Hold onto your butts" from Jurassic Park, because that's the first thing that pops into my mind whenever I see Heath Bell's in the game. Why are you "Nebraska's Unofficial Marlins Fan"? I think you're legit and official. I just KNOW the moment I do, there's going to be some guy sending an angry PM about how much I'm not even though I've NEVER seen anyone else wearing Marlins gear but me since the 1997 World Series team was taken apart. And I might not be in Nebraska for much longer. My girl's in Kansas City and it's likely I'll be moving down there for my next job to get everything all together. Then I'll be the guy the broadcast crew interviews when the Marlins visit KC wearing the bright orange hat and all teal jersey with 1997 World Series patch.