miamimarlinswin

I also see the Dodgers again play us early, so they escape having to play in the heat & humidity, which is always to our advantage. MLB sure does treat the Dodgers franchise with kid gloves.

WE FINALLY GET TO SEE THE MARINERS! YES! There's a good chance that series will be played in Canada. What you talking about Erick? http://articles.sun-...un-life-stadium The Marlins aren't playing all 81 games at Sun Life Stadium next year. Where could they play ? Orlando at the Disney facility used by Atlanta in the Spring ? Not Jupiter I hope. I can't imagine them making us play in the Trop if it is open that weekend. Would they send us to Vancouver ? That wouldn't be a home field advantage as most of the fans would be Mariners fans.

Lot of road games in June. but then more home games in August and September. I hope they make the playoffs next season to give fans something to reflect on positively from Sun Life and finishing well going into the new stadium. Maybe we count differently, but I see 13 road games in September and only 12 home games. And a long azz road trip of 9 games to boot. I think its a sucky September schedule, but then they do have to schedule around football. Thank God that is only for next year. It sucks that Arizona is getting an All-Star Game before us too. I saw its in Phoenix next year. Hasn't Colorado already hosted one as well ? I think the earliest we can have one is 2016, right ? Man over 20 years of MLB before we get an All-Star game. That's kinda unfair.

Congrats to Dan Uggla ! Dude needs a contract. Loria, just do it !

Where is Pat Rapp at when you need him? Speaking of which I found him on facebook. :blink: .......stalker ? :lol

first off....mike stanton cannot replace uggla's production becuase if you start bonidacio, its bonifacio who is not going to replace ugglas production. the lineup we have next year: coghlan morrison ramirez uggla sanchez maybin catcher pitcher this ia a very solid lineup and bonifacio and murphy coming off the bench is even better. There is aboslutely no reason to trade anyone besides fixing up the bullpen, rotation, and catcher. No one plays as hard as uggla and wants to win as much as he does and you cant replace that. you guys talk like uggla is doing something wrong. our 24 blown saves and injuries did us in. I agree. So many of the posters here think Uggla is utterly useless, and that couldn't be more wrong. He is the heart and soul of the team. His production has saved many a game for us, just this year alone. If we don't have Uggla I believe we would be 5 games below .500.

and while I posted about the catching situation, how is Skipworth progressing ? Any better news about his bat ? The last I saw, about a year ago I think he was hitting like in the low 200's and that was in Single A. He just got promoted to AA When you're a first round draft pick, you get promoted even if you have 19 passed balls. He didn't even catch all the time, as he often DH'd. He's young but he's a long way from the show. UGH ! Man I wish they didn't wiff so often on 1st's. Oh well lets all give the kid positive energy and thoughts and maybe he'll surprise us in 2011. We will need him for 2012 !

and while I posted about the catching situation, how is Skipworth progressing ? Any better news about his bat ? The last I saw, about a year ago I think he was hitting like in the low 200's and that was in Single A.

3 pages of discussion and not a post about our catching situation ? To me that is one of the weakest areas. Baker is decent with the bat, but isn't his defense a bit on the poor side ? It seems he doesn't throw out enough guys. And Paulino's bat is just too weak (4 HR's is not enough power - we need someone that will hit at least .270 & 15 HR's), and is the FO happy with him ? 50 game suspension couldn't have made them all giggly inside. Someone probably will have some statistics to screw up my ideas, but on the surface, without researching it, our catching situation needs to be examined.

Who cares whether it's X thousand or Y thousand in '12 or '13 or '14 or any other subsequent year? All of them are going to be good, and all of them are going to be vastly superior to recent history. Regardless of the precise number of bodies going through the turnstiles, they will soon have an operation capable of consistently spending the MLB median of about 80 mill per year. That's all they want. That's all we should expect because nothing beyond that is reasonable, this ain't New York or Boston or Chicago or LA. Since this outfit has managed to be competitive with 25 or 30 or 40 mill/year, there's no reason to think that they are suddenly not going to compete and win spending 80 mill/year. Over many years, as a median-payroll-type team that consistently over-performs, they slowly build the fan base, which enhances the team's value, which is Loria's long-term object. Meanwhile, we get to watch a quality team that winds up in the playoffs more often than they should (statistically) and maybe wins another WS or two over the next 20 years. If this happens, living through all the cheap years will be worth it. :thumbup

Any word on Lo Mo ?

Yeah lets honor #6 on the all time wife beater list.http://joshqpublic.com/2006/04/28/whos-beating-who-wife-beaters-in-sports/ I've got an honor for him. Asshat. I thought you guys were kidding :confused No he really is a convicted wife beater.

Let's just hope your wrong, lol. Based on our TV ratings, and the team we will field heading into 2012, I think we can have a turn around fan base like the Twins. Only time can tell, though. The Twins have had very good attendance for years, in the mid to upper 20,000's per game. We are no where near that. I will say this, in Cleveland and San Francisco, before their new stadiums attendance sucked very badly for years. And in Oakland it really stinks too, but no one ever seems to make fun of their paltry crowds. Just the other morning, when watching Mike & Mike of course Greenie has to say something about there being only 4 people in the stands, and that there were more people involved in the brawl than in the stands. He and Golic always seem to take such pleasure in pot-shots at whatever sports team it is in So Fla. Just what do they have against this area ???

Interesting No one had BROUGHT UP THE MIAMI HEAT as a wildcard.... They will be working on their 3rd st8 year of sellouts... Just saying for the casual sports they will have nothing other than how great the HEAT are and this has to cannibalize into the Entertaimnet dollars that Marlins will also be chasing. Most people on this forum are more hardcore marlins/baseball fans in general than the casual fan. I already have my full season 2012 tix reserved The Miami Heat will only affect the Marlins from Apr to early June. The Marlins are the only show in town most of their regular season.

I wouldn't say Florida isn't a good fan base. We just need to start winning, and the fans will come. The Cubs aren't winning and they sell out every game. That is a 100% different situation. They are in a city 4 times the size of Miami, play in a stadium that is considered one of the Great Cathedrals of the game, and people have latched on to their "loveable losers" mentality.

It will be interesting. The pirates jumped from 21,000 to 30,000 in their first year of the new stadium and they were terrible. A lot will depend on the team. If Stanton turns in to a premier power hitter in year 2 and JJ/Hanley continue to be two of the best in the league... and we are winning games, i see no reason why this team won't fill a beautiful stadium. That's why I think a hire of Ozzie would go a long way. Say what you will about the guy, but he will get the average fan talking about the team. And Ozzie would get the Hispanic community fired up too. That is why I think you can count on at least Edwin being retained. I think its critical of Loria to make sure he has a strong Latino presence on the team from now on. Expect our FA signings and draft picks to keep this in mind.

No one thinks it will be a sell out for the first year? :mis2 No, most likely not, sadly. why is that? Isn't the Marlins TV ratings in the top 10 in all of baseball? So they have the fans, and if there's no concern of weather delays, I don't see why the marlins wouldn't average 30,000+ per game. Beacuse the economy is in the crapper here even more than in the rest of the country (we have over 12% unemployment in Miami-Dade and the national average in around 9.4%). Also you have the fact that cost of living is higher in So Fla, and the wage scale is lower, giving most regular people that live here less discretionary income to spend on things like going to ballgames. Couple this with, 1) MLB.TV sapping new fan interest (because you can stay at home and watch your old team - Yankees, Red Sox, or Cubs - instead of having to pay for expensive tickets to a new ballpark for a team you don't even care about), 2) Low fan interest from the mostly Hispanic community of Miami-Dade (boy was it a misjudgement when MLB just thought Cubans & Domincans would flock to see the Marlins - that was what we always heard that Cubans above everyone else would support baseball here and that just hasn't happened) and 3) Broward & Palm Beach folks refusing more than ever to attend games - I actually am very pessimistic about attendance at the new stadium, especially after seeing the least expensive tickets will be $ 12.50 per game. The 1st year they may average 34,000 the 1st two homestands, but starting in May it will be no more than a 20,000 for the rest of the year. I doubt we get more than 2 million in 2012, and then back down to 1.7 or 1.8 million in the next years. It is what it is.....still doesn't mean I won't keep rooting for the Marlins :thumbup

I like Edwin.. he is a genuinely nice man and I respect him a lot... I am just a huge fan of Ozzie. 1. Won a WS with us in '03 2. Won a WS with the Sox in '05 3. Played for 15 years in the majors 4. Not afraid to call out players publicly 5. Despite this, players still LOVE playing for him. 6. He's hilarious 7. Will bring more attention to the team... a big positive heading in to the new stadium Just my .02 I agree 100% and I am a big fan of Ozzie since in 2002, when the Marlins played an exhibition game with the Hurricanes at Mark Light Stadium, Ozzie took time to speak to my wife & I when we were sitting down the 3rd base side. It was just a comment like "you guys keeping dry & warm today" (it was drizzling and coolish that day) ? It was a cool thing to do, to be noticed by him. He's Ozzie G and I am not, if you get how I mean that.

Well there we go. But it doesn't answer who will be our catcher next year. That is the $ 1 million question, or perhaps the $ 1.5 or 1.7 million question. Will he come via trade or as a FA. But we know there will be someone new behind the plate to start the season, that's for sure.

Pudge will most likely be available, as the Nats have a young man that is supposedly ready to come up to the Show. If he is affordable do we take a chance he has something left ? He does know how to handle young pitchers which we have a ton of.

I've been reading a bunch of reactions from ESPN comments and Mike And Mike who think that Volstad throwing at Nyjer the second time was completely uncalled for for just "stealing bases". I'm sorry, but if you want to start a multi-run inning when you are down by like 11, what the hell is stealing a base going to accomplish?? Are you setting up for a sac fly? If you are trying to get back into that game, you need hits and homers. Nyjer wasn't stealing to help the team. He was just trying to show up Volstad. And there are even those trashing Gaby by calling him a coward. I didn't know it was cowardly to protect your pitcher. Sorry, Typical hate on the Marlins. We will never be forgiven for 2003 and not letting the Cubs just walk right into a World Series. I swear I cannot find another reason why people seem to hate on the Marlins in the national media.

Oh and by the way, YOU DO NOT TRADE A PLAYER WITH THE BALLS OF SANCHEZ !!! Immediately staop any trade talk of this warrior ! (Unless it makes the team better then do it :whistle)

I hate the nats now. Watching games vs them is finally going to be fun. Yep, they pass the Phillies on my list and are now behind just the Mets on my hate list. And just to make this clear I HATE all the teams in our division, just some to a lesser degree.

Best way to find a catcher is through your own organization, but sadly we can't... Yeah, we needed to have Skipworth progress faster. I guess he'll be ready for 2012 at the earliest. Not one of the FO's best draft picks.

I believe the Angels are trying to move Mike Napoli since they placed him on waivers. I wonder what it would take to bring him in. Probably not a whole lot. Dude mashes against lefties and he's from Pembroke Pines. Doesn't Napoli have only a year left on arbitration eligibility ? Aquiring a player like that usually doesn't fit our MO.