dolfinfan305

Hey guys, Can i get the game tonight even though im in Florida and this is a St Louis FSN station if i order the DirecTV sports package? If yes, How much does the sports package cost? Thanks.

Said today that the best organization in S. Fl was the Marlins. Said that you cant neglect the fact that we won 2 WS in 7 years. Also said that he cant understand how other teams who are losing (ex Milwaukee) are getting new stadiums and the Marlins are still in fighting to get one despite winning a WS. This is the first time i've heard Hank talking positive about the team. Finally!!!

Hialeah is not a bad area folks. People give it a bad rap b/c of the low income Latin population there. Being latin, i know anglos are very biased towards hialeah but they have nothing to worry about b/c its pretty safe. Downtown Miami is 10x's worst. You have bums asking for money and what not.

I have my doubts now with what Hank is saying b/c he is saying that the stadium deal is one where the OB and the Marlins stadium would be built side-be-side which were the old plans - new plans was a stad with a roof and seperate from the OB

They just gave a sports update and they repeated what Hank had said....More specifically that the Marlins are balking at the deal b/c they cant come up with the $137 million and they the March 15 deadline is now negligible.

MLB gave them a loan of $30 million when loria came over and that they lost $18 mill last year and that his sources say they cant come up with the money.

Hank just said on WQAM that the Marlins dont have the money (137 million) and that the stadium deal will fall through unless something else happens according to his sources.

I had forgotten about that. DirecTV needs to update its TV listings.

Its being shown in Boston. Does anyone know of a sports bar that will carry it since this MLB Extra Innings thing is not in effect yet?

Give the guy a break...He needs AB's to develop its not going to happen right away....Look at D Lee...He had a real bad first year and with playing time turend it around

Check it out

I thought this diserved a thread of its own. The important points are highlighted. From the Herald: Parking magnate Jacob ''Hank'' Sopher could buy the Miami Arena for $25 million under a deal narrowly approved Tuesday by the sports authority that runs the money-losing facility. The arena is among the properties being discussed as a possible site for a Florida Marlins stadium. But the deal, brokered by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, is not contingent on its use as a ballpark. ''The net result of this sale could have a lot to do with a Marlins deal,'' Diaz said. ``But from my perspective, I see this as a free-standing deal.'' Diaz said the main benefits to the city would be eliminating a ''white elephant'' that he says discourages development and drains public resources. The Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority, which operates the arena, voted 6-4 to take the first steps toward the sale, by commissioning two appraisals of the property and soliciting any other bids. The deal would also require the approval of Miami-Dade County, because county tourist tax money is used to pay off its bonds. Sopher did not return a phone call Tuesday, but his real estate broker, Edie Laquer, said he had no ''imminent'' plans. She said Sopher considered the arena a long-term investment and would entertain offers from interested parties. ''From Hank's perspective, a deal with the Marlins is not at all material to the acquisition,'' she said. ``But if it comes about as a byproduct, it could be a win-win for everyone.'' Laquer acknowledged she was at a meeting with city officials during which Sopher expressed interest in partnering with the Marlins to build a stadium. She said that option does not appear likely at this time. Laquer said Sopher has a ''myriad'' of other potential partners he could reach out to, incLuding UBS Investment Group, a global investment firm. City Manager Joe Arriola also said Sopher had pitched a stadium and retail complex to him about a month ago. ''Hank has an idea, a plan, a dream and he's working on it,'' Arriola said. ``All I'm interested in is selling the arena to him, or the highest bidder.'' Arriola insisted the Marlins remain interested in the city's plan to build a baseball park at the Orange Bowl grounds in Little Havana. He said he spoke to team President David Samson at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday, and was told the team was ''concentrating'' on that site. Marlins executives declined comment. OTHER BENEFITS Even if the team is not interested in the arena site, it could still reap benefits from the sale, city officials said. Diaz said its proceeds would be used to help pay down the $34 million balance on the bonds used to finance the arena, with the remaining $9 million paid off by tax dollars already committed to the facility for upkeep. The bonds would be paid off by next year, Diaz said, freeing tens of millions of dollars for other sports-related uses. Tourist ''bed tax'' dollars now committed to the arena could then be leveraged to raise between $65 million and $100 million, city officials said. Diaz said that money could be used to finance renovations to the Orange Bowl or to help the Marlins build a stadium, or a combination of both. The arena was built at a cost of $52 million to house the Miami Heat basketball team, which played there from 1988 until 2000, when the team moved to the AmericanAirlines Arena three blocks away. Some sports authority board members were reluctant to endorse the sale, saying they had not been given enough time to study it. ''Don't put a gun to my head and tell me this has to be done today,'' said Miami City Commissioner Tomas Regalado, who voted against the sale. Others felt the proposal, strongly supported by Diaz, had enough safeguards to ensure the arena would be sold at a favorable price. The price could increase if either of two appraisals exceeds $25 million or a potential buyer other than Sopher makes a higher bid. If that happens, the arena could be sold at auction within 60 days, according to the proposal. In another development, city officials said for the first time Tuesday that they would be willing to help the Marlins build a retractable roof at the Orange Bowl site, a feature they had previous dismissed as too costly. Arriola said the city and the University of Miami can raise about half the $100 million needed to refurbish the Orange Bowl. He said he would have to ''hustle'' to find the remainder through naming-rights and other means. Arriola said a portion of the proceeds of the arena sale could be used to help the Marlins close their funding gap, roughly $115 million. He did not say what that amount would be, though he indicated it would be substantial. County officials have made a tentative pledge of $73 million, while the team committed $137 million toward construction costs on a $325 million stadium. The team says that price tag includes a retractable roof. COST OVERRUNS City officials criticized the figure as too low, but Marlins executives have agreed to pay any cost overruns. Arriola said the Marlins stadium would be a stand-alone facility. It would be built north of the Orange Bowl, but would not be attached, as the city's consulting firm had proposed earlier this year, he said. An additional five acres of land would have to be acquired near the Orange Bowl grounds to build parking lots, he said. Link So now its confirmed that we will be getting a dome and the stadium will not be built as part of the Orange Bowl as they had said earlier but as a stand alone facility. I like the way they are talking now b/c that joint facility wouldve been the laghingstock of MLB.

BERARDINO: Marlins' Hee Seop Choi took lesson from his predecessor Lee Published February 25, 2004 JUPITER -- As the Marlins stomped out the dreams of Cubs fans everywhere last fall, as poor Steve Bartman went from obscure financial-services worker to international punch line with one fateful grab, Hee Seop Choi had a front-row seat in the Chicago dugout. The big first baseman wasn't on the active roster, but he was in uniform and even took batting practice and infield before each game of the National League Championship Series. At the time Choi never could have guessed how much that experience would end up helping him with his new team -- the Marlins. "I learned a lot," Choi said Tuesday at his new locker, one slot down from Miguel Cabrera. "It was my first time at a major league playoff. I felt it was different than the regular season." How so? "More fun," he said. "More exciting. Lot more pressure. Everything is different." And Bartman ... what did he think of that fiasco? "Oh, the catch?" he said. "That's baseball. Bad luck sometimes, good luck sometimes." As he spoke in halting English, the Korean slugger's expression turned thoughtful. Perhaps he was considering his role in a potential playoff rematch between the two pitching-rich clubs. If it happens, the irony will be delicious. The Cubs almost certainly will have ridden the Gold Glove and 30-homer bat of their new first baseman, Derrek Lee, to get back to the brink of their first World Series since 1945. Across the way will stand Choi, the young counterpart who joined Lee in the payroll-for-potential swap just before Thanksgiving. It was Lee's father, Leon, who five years ago signed Choi to become the first Korean position player in North American baseball. It was Derrek Lee who gave his father's hulking find a pair of pep talks last July, one at Pro Player Stadium and the other at Wrigley Field. "I feel like his brother," Choi said of the younger Lee. "He said the first year is very tough. You don't know the pitchers, everything. You try everything. Maybe you feel better your second year, your third year." The biggest lesson Choi, 24, took from those discussions with a fellow power hitter who shares almost the exact physical dimensions? "You have to play and not think too much," Lee told him. "Just play, enjoy. Don't worry about your average or your strikeouts. Don't worry. Every time, swing. Swing." As a rookie last season, Choi struggled through a frustrating tour that was derailed by a mid-June concussion after a nasty collision with Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood. Choi wound up hitting a combined 14 homers for the Cubs and Triple-A Iowa, but he also hit .218 in the majors. Veteran Wil Cordero was signed for insurance, but there might not be a more pivotal player in Marlins camp than Choi. If he flops, the Marlins still don't have any left-handed power and they'll be missing Lee's all-around excellence more than ever. If Choi hears the cosmic click, however, the Marlins could get power production that at least approaches what Lee could have done at highly punitive Pro Player. "I just want him to have fun," manager Jack McKeon said. "I want him to know that we trust him and we're going to give him the opportunity to do the job. I want him to know we believe in him. It's up to him." Choi has been among the first position players to arrive at the complex over the past week. (Except for Tuesday, when a scheduling mixup caused him to apologize profusely for arriving a couple of hours later than he would have liked.) No matter. Choi spent more than an hour in the batting cage and then worked further in the midday sun with infield guru Perry Hill. Scouts rave about Choi's soft hands and nimble footwork. He's no D-Lee over there, but he's above average with the glove. Also helping Choi make the transition is a handful of familiar faces in the clubhouse. Thanks to three consecutive years in the Arizona Fall League, Choi knows lower-profile Marlins such as Blaine Neal, Chip Ambres, Derek Wathan, Ryan Jorgensen and Nate Bump. "It's like it's not a new team," Choi said. "I feel comfortable here." Choi will feel even better once he finds a decent place to eat yunagi (a Korean eel dish) and, of course, a steakhouse. "My first year here in America, I ate only steak," he said. "I think I ate 500 steaks." He doesn't even mind the humidity of South Florida, saying it reminds him of home, where his parents owned and operated a watermelon farm until retiring after Choi signed his first pro contract for $1.2 million. Choi occasionally helped out as a kid, sometimes even driving a truckload of melons across the farm, which was about the size of a baseball field. "I wanted to work," Choi said, "but my father said, `No, you don't work.'" Instead, Chan Yong Choi insisted the eldest of his three children spend his time studying and playing baseball. Smart man.

How expensive are these?

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com JUPITER, Fla. -- Playing defense is serious business with the defending World Series champion Marlins. New first baseman Hee Seop Choi will understand that very quickly when position players take the practice field next week at Roger Dean Stadium. Choi, the rangy 6-foot-5 left-hander, has a big glove to fill. The Marlins acquired the 24-year-old Korean from the Cubs for Gold Glove winner Derrek Lee. Marlins first base coach/infield coordinator Perry Hill isn't expecting Choi to duplicate the exploits of Lee. But Hill believes Choi can become a much better than average defensive player. As thorough as any infield coach in the league, Hill plans on giving Choi his undivided attention this spring. "He is going to notice right away how seriously all the infielders take playing our defense," Hill said. When Lee was patrolling first, the Marlins had arguably the best infield defense in the league. All-Star Luis Castillo won his first Gold Glove last year at second base, and Hill believes All-Star third baseman Mike Lowell was deserving of the honor last year. Flashy shortstop Alex Gonzalez is on the verge of becoming a Gold Glove winner. All three benefited greatly with the athletic Lee at first. Because Lee gobbles up everything thrown in his direction, Hill said the rest of infielders had a comfort level to make more daring plays. "With D-Lee, the other guys knew they didn't have to be perfect," Hill said. "If Gonzo made a diving play at short, he would make that [difficult throw]because he was so comfortable that Derrek would catch it." Without that safety net at first, the Marlins infielders might think of holding onto the ball, rather than risk an error. It's going to take time to get Choi acclimated. Hill is eager to see how Choi responds. Position players begin workouts on Feb. 26. When they do, Hill will make sure Choi gets plenty of work with the regulars. "In the past, all the drills we worked on we keep those core players together," Hill said. "We didn't split them up. In the first six or seven days, we will field a lot of ground balls. Hee Seop will get plenty of chances." Taking grounders is just part of Hill's workout plan. The Marlins infielders also work on fielding short fly balls to the outfield and into foul territory. In the two years working with Castillo and Lee, Hill never remembers seeing a miscommunication where the ball dropped between the two of them. Choi also has to work through that with the speedy Castillo. Much of Hill's defensive techniques deal with footwork and positioning. Infield drills, obviously, are common from T-ball to the big leagues. Hill, who has an instructional video/DVD for young players, takes pride when his fielders are performing at a higher level than the rest. Hill is a stickler for detail, and his eyes rarely miss the slightest flaw on the field. He studies hitters, charts their tendencies and positions his defenders accordingly. His track record includes helping produce Gold Glove winners in Castillo, Lee and Montreal shortstop Orlando Cabrera (2001). So appreciative was Cabrera that in the spring of 2002, when Hill had just joined the Marlins' staff, the Expos shortstop presented his former coach with an autographed glove. For the first few days of drills, Hill won't say much to Choi about fielding. Instead, he will observe. "I will just watch for a while," Hill said. "Maybe he does what we do. After a week or so, I'll tell him what he can do better."

I hope they do start coverage on Saturday. What im mad about is they havent had any offseason pieces on any players whereas the Dolphins get in the paper at least 2 - 3 times a week even in the off-season. Its like selling - if you dont advertise it people wont buy - they need to do a better job in covering the Fish.

Whats cabreras number now?

just saw it....David Samson was interviewed and said that if a new stadium WITH a ROOF is not built that the Marlins would relocate.

Is it free or do you have to do business w/ the bank to get the auto's?

I believe that the rotation for the temp 5th starter will be open and the Marlins should give Mike Nannine a shot. He was a starter at Triple A last year and had a 3.6 something ERA and had a good stikeout per innings pitch ratio.

Here we go again...we are not part of the top 3 teams in the national league...we need motivation and this is what we need to rekindle the fire

Its funny b/c the first pick in the 2nd round was Carl Everett and he became a good major leaguer

UPDATE: 1270 in Detroit is reporting that Pudge, his family, and Scott Boras are in Detroit and staying at the Ritz Carlton over there. It looks like this might be the team signing him since Detroit would be willing to overpay since they have $ and no one wants to go overthere. And you know that Dombrowski loves having a good signal caller especially for his young pitchers.

From Jan 19 Sporting News: The Marlins recently signed a Guerrero - Vladimir's cousin, Armando, a righthanded-hitting outfielder with and above-average arm. Armando, 22, was signed by Marlins scouting executive Fred Ferreira, who signed Vladimir for the Expos at age 17.

Beat me to it! I was coming here to post it too.