daddy1999

I get the feeling the Marlins will only trade Cabrera if they receive an incredible offer. For the right price means a whole lot of talent coming to the Marlins. I'm not sure other teams will be willing to give the Marlins what they want. More likely than not, the Marlins trade him this coming summer to a team trying to make the playoffs. They will be more willing to give up a boatload for Cabrera then. I actually have to wonder if Cabrera has more trade value now due to how many people have holes at third base. If the Dodgers sign A-Rod, the Red-Soxs sign Mike Lowell, the Yankees trade for Tejada, and the Angels just say f*** it and keep Figgins at third again (Who, even though his last year was very likely an anomaly, was second out of AL 3B's in GPA behind only A-Rod)...who then can we rob at the trade deadline? SF? I doubt they'd give up both Lincecum and Cain, and otherwise f*** them. Whitesoxs, CLE, basically everybody else? No thank you. We're probably better off if we trade him ASAP. Yeah, let's trade him quick before those teams that aren't meeting our asking price cut it even further. We'll definitely be better off. How do you know they aren't meeting our asking price? We have no clue what's going on behind closed doors. And any person who has backed a miguel trade as said they only back it under the assumption we do get goods in return, and if we don't everyone will be just as pissed as you are. And anyway, prinmemito said he'd have more value at the trade deadline. And while 99% of the time I think that's true, this is the one situation that I don't think that's the case. If we're going to trade him this season, I feel it would be better to trade him now then at the deadline. That's the the arguement is in the two posts you quote. Nothing to do if we should or should not trade Migz. miggy is gone to l.a. you will hear it wed or thurs and uggla is next

how long before they know if he is / will be 100% healthy,,, BEST WISHES HANLEY U DA MAN

You think maybe that the players invited him into their circle for being such a true fan, and not the other way around? Seriously. If more people really thought he was creepy, they wouldn't let him anywhere near the players. Not in this oversensitive security environment. This guy and Robert Szasz should get together. :thumbup he is a freak,, give him an inch he will take a yard... a few nice gestures and he thinks is a a aprt of the team... WAKE UP ,,, VERY FAR FROM REALITY,,, HE WANTS TO BE THEIR FRIENDS,,,, HE NEEDS ATTENTION FROM THEM,, YOU CALL THAT NORMAL? Your obsession with HIM isn't normal either. Do you go to the park to watch the game or to observe this guy? I HAVE CHILDREN AND SEAT NEAR HIM,,, WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS YOU NOTICE THEIR SURROUNDINGS, ALL I EVER SAID IS I AM GLAD HE IS A FAN,, BUT IT IS GOOD THAT HE IS ON A WATCHLIST WAY 2 OVER THE TOP

Thanks. thanks for the rewind

Congratulations on a wonderful career and helping to put this franchise on the map. There will never be another "Mr. Marlin". The throw you made that beat the Giants in the '03 playoffs will be one of my greatest sports memories ever. Thanks for conducting yourself as a professional and demonstrating what being a baseball player is all about. You are forgiven for playing with the Mets. See you at Conine's Clubhouse Grill, -Chris you will always be MR MARLIN,,, COME HOME,,, BECOME A COACH FOR US

You think maybe that the players invited him into their circle for being such a true fan, and not the other way around? Seriously. If more people really thought he was creepy, they wouldn't let him anywhere near the players. Not in this oversensitive security environment. This guy and Robert Szasz should get together. :thumbup HE STILL IS ON A MLB WATCHLIST AND HAS SECURITY WHEREVER HE GOES,,, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS ?//////////// WAKE UP

You think maybe that the players invited him into their circle for being such a true fan, and not the other way around? Seriously. If more people really thought he was creepy, they wouldn't let him anywhere near the players. Not in this oversensitive security environment. This guy and Robert Szasz should get together. :thumbup he is a freak,, give him an inch he will take a yard... a few nice gestures and he thinks is a a aprt of the team... WAKE UP ,,, VERY FAR FROM REALITY,,, HE WANTS TO BE THEIR FRIENDS,,,, HE NEEDS ATTENTION FROM THEM,, YOU CALL THAT NORMAL?

You think maybe that the players invited him into their circle for being such a true fan, and not the other way around? Seriously. If more people really thought he was creepy, they wouldn't let him anywhere near the players. Not in this oversensitive security environment. This guy and Robert Szasz should get together. :thumbup Because guys in their mid-20's, let alone professional athletes in their mid-20's, are so longing for companionship they reach out to a 50 year old man to join them?? Notice his biggest defenders are his fellow groupies. I stand by my original assessment: creepy. I ECHO IT ,,, SCARY AND CREEPY,,, HE IS NOT A FAN , HE CANNOT WATCH THE GAME AND CHEER,, HE WANTS TO BE THEIR FRIEND (THATS HIS QUOTE NOT MINE),,, HE HAS TO LET HIMSELF BE SEEN BY THEM ,, CONSTANTLY PUTS HIMSELF IN POSITION TO BE NOTICED BY THEM,,,, WATCH HIM YOU WILL SEE,,, NOT HEALTHY AT ALL. NO IM NOT TRYING TO BE A GM, I SIT IN HIS AREA AND HE CREEPS ME AND MY FAMILY OUT.

How cute! He's trying to be a nice guy in order to get some e-p***y! Don't go in the chat thread. :| If you could read you would realize it's pretty clear I'm not a guy. maybe take it out on a fan in his "percieved way" oh crap maybe one of us....................

let kranitz walk,, send olivio off, dismiss samson, lockup the freak verga and build a stadium...... PLAY BALL

It's easy to fixate on Hanley's offense but it should be noted his defense is at last showing some improvment, perhaps not league average yet, but certainly is a step up since the ASB. The big improvements in this team have come not so much by players being better at what they were already good as doing the things they weren't doing well, better. As the season comes to end there's a number of bright spots on this team and the overall defensive improvement from Hanley, not that he's anywhere near where he can be, is certainly one of them. It's another step in process from the overhaul in 2006, is the cream is rising to the top. some lucky SOB season ticket holder got his jersey on the final cubs game,,, THat's the best of the lot................. congrads HANLEY IS THE MAN

I just had to laugh when I read this! My friends and I have been calling him "Moupie" for years (man groupie)... I used to get so mad that this man would parade around wearing the player's game used sweatbands, with their gatorade sweat towels drapped around his neck, hanging out in the parking lot, getting to the stadium super early to "run into" the players before the game, staying outside of the parking lot long after the game is finished and doing all those creepy things that'll ya'll are talkin about and noone ever said how weird, tacky, invasive, or borderline scary that was. All the while I, as a female, get called a groupie repeatedly just because I go to a lot of games and am somewhat attractive and know several of the players. I thought it was such a double standard... I was ecstatic to see his behavior get called out! The first thing I thought of when reading that article was "The Fan". He's actually come up in conversation a few times with some players and I assure you, it's not just one guy that finds it a little weird... all that aside, he loves the Marlins and that's alright in my book...there are all kinds of fans, and every team needs their own resident obsessive creepy old man fan... I have heard similiar comments from a few players I speak with on occassion and they are polite but find him bizzarre and very intrusive,, a few avoid him and I have seen some roll their eyes at him,,, I seat in his general area and he goes to all lengths to get their attention,, he will stand and sit where he does NOT belong and try and get in the limelight in front of kids looking for a autograph or photo, or high five.. he is in his own REALM. give him a used jock strap or something

Stinks. We'll live with this mistake for 30 years. 30 more years of poor attendance, 30 more years of low payrolls, 30 more years of bad teams. retratable roof anyone? higher payroll? 2 world series titles...what arent you seeing about this picture? I wouldnt assume payroll will be higher. Personally, I will believe it when I see it. build it they will come.................................

Hey Joe, I would bet money right now that you end up managing in Milwaukee next season. thats what i was thinking..... with kranitz too....lol Very well could be. But right now the two hot rumors are the Reds and KC. And I've been saying since the Kranitz firing/quitting/whatever that was the reason he opted out. Kranitz hung around an extra year for the experience knowing GI Joe would go someplace this off season. Reds or Brew Crew make more sense to me. More going for them. But maybe Joe would like the AL instead. Kinda wierd that KC visits us for the first time next year. Not reading anything at all into that, just saying it's kinda wierd. i hope kranitz goes to kc or japan and take thats nut verga with him

LETS GO FISH TAKE THOSE MUTTS DOWN..........................................

i do agree that hes probably a couple of fries short of a happy meal... but why would he hurt the players? hes a marlins fan, right? why would a fan willingly do something that may cause his team to lose? im actually more afraid for the visiting players if anything... Mark David Chapman, who murdered Lennon, was a huge fan of The Beatles. what if someone stood in his way of something,,, ever see the movie the fan,, deneiro and snipes,, sick movie................ what about the tennis chick that was stabbed,,,, from a crazed fan NOT A HEALTHY SITUATION AT ALL,,, STAND CLEAR GIVE HIM ROOM, AND LET MLB SECURITY MONITOR HIS WHEREABOUTS/ ACTIONS

i dont see a problem with it at all... the players and team are cool with it so who cares. mlb even checked the guy out and determined that hes "harmless". so whats the big deal??? i wouldnt go as far as saying im jealous of him, but he sounds like he has a lot of fun with it. good for him. Again, we only know the information presented in this article. The authors could have only selected players who have something positive to say about him and even they could be lying through their teeth on this issue. I always get a laugh before the games when seemingly random people try to start a conversation with players (probably old high school classmates and what not). The players usually just give a half-assed greeting and move on. i get your point, but it doesnt really make too much sense to me. why would the author of the article be motivated to hide something? why would the players lie about him? before you say they may be afraid that hes a stalker or a weirdo or something remember that baseball said that they checked him out and everything is ok. yeah this guy may take it a little far but we all are die hard fans, who are we to judge eachother? ITS A NEWS STORY,,, THATS ALL,, BUT THE UNDERLYING TRUTH IS A VERY DISTURBED 51 YEAR MAN WHO IS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION FROM A BUNCH OF ROOKIE BALL PLAYERS,, HE IS BADLY IN NEED OF A HUG Don't get upset about this....there are people on here who agree with you 100%, like me, and those who see this guy as a harmless goofball. I think it is dangerous and can/will lead to problems down the road. What happens when some of this access gets limited? I also don't believe that validating this behavior with a newspaper article was a good idea. A 51 year old man who wants to be friends with men half his age only because they are baseball players needs help IMO. WELL SAID ,,,,,,,

i dont see a problem with it at all... the players and team are cool with it so who cares. mlb even checked the guy out and determined that hes "harmless". so whats the big deal??? i wouldnt go as far as saying im jealous of him, but he sounds like he has a lot of fun with it. good for him. Again, we only know the information presented in this article. The authors could have only selected players who have something positive to say about him and even they could be lying through their teeth on this issue. I always get a laugh before the games when seemingly random people try to start a conversation with players (probably old high school classmates and what not). The players usually just give a half-assed greeting and move on. i get your point, but it doesnt really make too much sense to me. why would the author of the article be motivated to hide something? why would the players lie about him? before you say they may be afraid that hes a stalker or a weirdo or something remember that baseball said that they checked him out and everything is ok. yeah this guy may take it a little far but we all are die hard fans, who are we to judge eachother? ITS A NEWS STORY,,, THATS ALL,, BUT THE UNDERLYING TRUTH IS A VERY DISTURBED 51 YEAR MAN WHO IS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION FROM A BUNCH OF ROOKIE BALL PLAYERS,, HE IS BADLY IN NEED OF A HUG

i dont see a problem with it at all... the players and team are cool with it so who cares. mlb even checked the guy out and determined that hes "harmless". so whats the big deal??? i wouldnt go as far as saying im jealous of him, but he sounds like he has a lot of fun with it. good for him. HE IS ON A MLB WATCHLIST, HE HASNT DONE ANYTHING OTHER THEN STALK, BUT HE IS ON A WATCHLIST BECAUSE OF HIS ODD BEHAVIOR. YOU DONT GET ON THAT LIST FOR NO REASON,,, I SEE HIM ,AND IF YOU WATCH HIM CLOSELY YOU WILL SEE ITS NOT NORMAL.... I ALSO HAVE HAD SEVERAL PLAYERS SAY :HE IS OUT THERE,, NOT NORMAL, WEIRD ETC ETC

I ended up sitting in Founders Field yesterday and I think this guy was sitting about 10 feet away from us. He had a black Marlins batting helmet on and a black Marlins jersey. I think he even had sweat bands on. Is he a hardcore fan? Yup. But its funny how many ppl cry on this board about how bad our lack of support is and then when an article comes out about a hardcore fan many people get creeped out. he want to be their "FRIENDS"

I ended up sitting in Founders Field yesterday and I think this guy was sitting about 10 feet away from us. He had a black Marlins batting helmet on and a black Marlins jersey. I think he even had sweat bands on. yes thats him he even feel asleep yesterday during the game,,, must have been up late stalking the players..........................

YOU ARE THE BEST POSTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. why thank you

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/conte...ERFAN_0922.html He's the team's NO.1 fan Click-2-Listen By JOE CAPOZZI Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Saturday, September 22, 2007 MIAMI GARDENS ? Every professional sports team has its cadre of superfans - even the Marlins, who have the lowest attendance in the National League. But the Marlins have one fan who is so dedicated that he aroused the interest of security officials for Major League Baseball and the club. Doug Verga - native New Yorker, South Palm Beach resident and professional musician - has made the Marlins a major part of his life. Even though the Marlins are at risk of finishing with the worst record in baseball, his dedication has not waned. He often greets players at spring training in Jupiter, outside their parking lot at Dolphin Stadium and in the lobby of the team hotel in San Francisco, St. Louis, New York and other cities. He socializes with players after games. He even loans his spare car to the pitching coach. Verga stands out at sparsely attended home games, where he cheers with enthusiasm from within a few rows of the Marlins' dugout. "A lot of people ... think I'm a parent, the father of somebody," said Verga, whom security officials concluded was merely a zealous fan. "Some people think I'm an ex-coach. No, I'm only here as a friend and supporter. That's it." Verga, 51, often is mistaken for a member of the club, even in his blue jeans and sneakers. He wears a game-used helmet given to him by catcher Miguel Olivo and player-issued wristbands he got from Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez and other Marlins. Verga also wears an authentic team jersey with a number that he said was inspired by some praise from the Marlins' first baseman. Verga explains: "One day Mike Jacobs said to me, 'You know, it's great to see you all over the place. It's like you're the 26th man on the team.' "Bingo! I ordered the jersey with 26. Then three days before the jersey was ready, (outfielder Todd) Linden comes in'' and was assigned No. 26. Verga laughed and said, "I tell Linden I had it first.'' Unlike most fans, who are ignored by players or kept at a distance, Verga is welcomed by many players. "He has gotten our trust," outfielder Cody Ross said. "He knows everybody in this clubhouse. He has taken a lot of us to dinner. He doesn't ask for autographs. He doesn't hound us for anything. He's just a really good guy." But his constant presence has raised concerns. An MLB source confirmed that its security personnel looked into Verga, as has Marlins security director John Anderson. "The guy is harmless," Anderson said. "He loves baseball and he loves the Marlins.'' Anderson said he confronted Verga once when he was inside the players' parking lot without a pass. But pitching coach Rick Kranitz intervened, explaining that they were going out together after a game. Ross said he can understand why team officials might be concerned about a fan having so much contact with their players. "We've always been warned about guys like him, to try to keep your distance, but once you get to know him, he's just a genuine, down-to-earth guy," Ross said. Verga, who is originally from Long Island, said he moved to South Florida about 12 years ago. He plays drums and sings in his own musical group, performing Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett songs for winter tourists. He also operates an entertainment company that books acts for private parties and corporate affairs. "I even tell the guys there's a lot of parallels in what I do and what they do," Verga said. "Bottom line, teamwork. Playing together." Verga said he has been a Marlins fan since 2001 but gained interest after the '05 season. "When they sold off everybody and started from scratch, I kind of wanted to be a part of (it) from the ground up,'' he said. "To see literally nobodies play together the way they did last year and this year, it's wonderful. It's worked out where they've known me as long as they've known each other.'' In spring training last year, Verga would chat with then-manager Joe Girardi. At least once, Girardi let Verga stand in the outfield during batting practice to catch fly balls. Verga recalled a conversation with Girardi that encouraged his interest. "Girardi said to me, 'Are you coming to Houston for opening day?''" Verga said. "I said, 'Houston? Joe, that's a little crazy.' He said, 'You go everywhere else. Why not?'''' Verga went on the Internet and found reasonable prices for airfare and a hotel, but game tickets were sold out. "Next day I saw Joe. 'Joe, if you were serious about that, if you can get me tickets to the game, I'll go,''" Verga said. "He said, 'Give me your name and you're in.' That was it. It became fun after that.'' Early last year, he said, then-bullpen coach Mike Harkey asked him if he could help Harkey get a car to drive to and from Dolphin Stadium. Verga loaned him his 1987 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, a car that Kranitz drives this year. On the last day of the '06 season, Verga arranged for a plane to fly over the stadium with a banner that said, "Joe and the team - thanks for a great season.'' Last month in St. Louis, Verga was easy to spot in a sea of red Cardinals jerseys in the box seats along the third-base line. He often poked his head into the Marlins' dugout to shout encouragement. "He's fearless, because he'll be the only person with a Marlins jersey on in some stadiums,'' pitcher Dontrelle Willis said. Some Marlins wish he wasn't quite so friendly. "He's a super-nice guy, but get a life,'' one player said. "To come to every game is one thing, but to stand out in the parking lot when you drive off and make sure you wave at him ... it's a little overboard.'' Still, no player asked about Verga registered a strong objection to his presence. "He's good people,'' pitcher Scott Olsen said. "He's real good about staying away until you come up to him. He respects what we have to do and what we're here for. He doesn't ask us for autographs. He doesn't ask us to get things for him. He just wants to come watch baseball.'' Said Verga: "I'm not looking for anything. I'm not an autograph hound. I don't bother them for pictures. I ask for nothing. Just friendship. "Because down the road that means more to me than a ball with a name on it. To be able to say these guys were friends of mine.'' HE IS A SICK MAN, JUST READ HIS QUOTES,,, HE WANTS TO BE THEIR FRIENDS, HE IS A 51 YEAR OLD WHO WORKS ALL WINTER SAVING HIS MONEY TO STALK/BEFRIEND A PLAYER. HE NEEDS TO BE IN ACCEPTED BY THEM,,,AS A PEER IN THEIR GROUP,, THEIR INNER CIRCLE.......... KEEP HIM ON THE MLB WATCHLIST....

This guy is way out there, he needs professional help. The last 2 years he has been stalking the players , waits in the parking lot, he has gotten friendly with the stadium staff and hangs out talking to them so he can place himself where he might be seen by a player. He has told people he is a marlin vip and is related to a player,, he is delusional, and has an unhealthy fixation with the players. He is dying to be in their limelight and will try and buy friendships. He works all winter and saves his money to stalk them when the season starts. MLB is wise to put him on a watchlist. He should save his money and spend it on therapy. We are all fans but this guy is over the top and beyond creepy,,,,,, he has his own agenda and makes alot of people uncomfortable. He wants to be in their innner circle... scary ,,, considers himself part of them. REALITY CHECK BUDDY This is weirddddddddddd