fauowls44

Amazing. I can't believe how terrible this Panthers team is. They don't do a single thing well. They can't score, the D is mediocre, which is made to look worse because they can't put any pressure on the opposing team. They get beat to every loose puck. They are awful in the faceoff circle. Vokoun gave up 2 bad goals in the 3rd. I hope somthing changes soon because so far they look like the worst team in the NHL.

I mentioned other things, in case you forgot... They weren't good reasons either. You're right. What team keeps the face of their franchise after winning the World Series anyway? And fans should always know that when a player gets signed to a multi-year deal he'll likely get traded the next year. Silly us for thinking they were actually gonna operate like a normal team from now on. This is the whole point of the new stadium. They simply cannot operate like a "normal" team until they have the revenue streams that normal teams have. Besides, in this economy, I think the Marlins strategy is going to become a lot more normal.

I mentioned other things, in case you forgot... They weren't good reasons either. Agreed. Not overpaying for Pudge and trading Delgado were prudent moves for a baseball team operating under the worst lease in professional sports. Delgado was directly tied to the fact that the stadium deal they thought was close fell apart that winter. Still, the fact they signed him in the first place shows that Loria is willing to spend money when the ballpark opens in 2012.

First of all, holding it against the franchise that the Red Sox called and asked about Hanley is unfair. Teams call and ask about other teams players all the time, that doesn't mean they are shopping them. Second, consistently winning builds a fan base and you don't build a perennial winner by being afraid to make an unpopular trade that you believe will improve your organization. They not only listened, they were willing to do a trade: In response to the Red Sox' inquiry, the Marlins reportedly were interested in a package that included center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury [stats] and pitcher Clay Buchholz Two guys that are nowhere near Hanley's stratosphere and likely wouldn't have taken us any further than we went. If that was the case and the Marlins were so willing, why isn't Hanley in Boston right now?? You don't think the Red Sox would have made that trade in an instant if that's what the Marlins "offered". Besides I would put much more stock in this quote from Gammons' blog: Ten days after the GM meetings, Epstein called Marlins GM Admin Beinfest and asked him if he were interested in trading Hanley Ramirez for a package including Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz. "No," replied Beinfest. End of discussion. "The entire conversation," says one club official, "lasted all of 20 seconds, a week before Thanksgiving." Anyway, the fact that you are basing distrust of the organization on one rumored trade discussion that, by all accounts, was initiated by the Red Sox and quickly shot down is ridiculous.

You should ALWAYS listen to offers. Always. Every single time. You shouldn't possibly let a chance of improving your franchise just because of "bad PR". Delgado needed to be traded (though I wish he had gotten more and still weren't paying part of his salary for the next 3 years) and Pudge wanted too much money. I usually agree with this, as I stated. However, in this case they should have simply said: "Either you're sending us Manny, Beckett, Papelbon, Lester, and Dice-K, or we're not listening." otherwise, trading away yet another possible future hall of famer would have been seen as another salary dump and resulted in seeing only 3 fans at the games instead of 5. They need to build a fanbase and constantly trading away stars is not the way to do it. First of all, holding it against the franchise that the Red Sox called and asked about Hanley is unfair. Teams call and ask about other teams players all the time, that doesn't mean they are shopping them. Second, consistently winning builds a fan base and you don't build a perennial winner by being afraid to make an unpopular trade that you believe will improve your organization.

Can Fredi, Loria, and Samson join them too? It's amazing to me that people don't realize all of the good that Loria and Samson have done for baseball in South Florida. If not for all of the work they put in, there wouldn't be a stadium under construction right now. Not to mention they have put a good product on the field year after year. They have certainly not been perfect, but they are far better then the 2 other clowns that came before them. They got us a stadium, I'll give them that. But until they either start spending more than 5 bucks on payroll, sell the team, or bring in some minority owners to pump some money into the team, you can expect nothing more than having mediocre seasons without making the playoffs. We're very lucky we have a good GM and scouts or we could very well be the Pittsburgh Pirates right now. And who do you think hired and pays that GM and those scouts? I would love for them to spend more on payroll, but you also have to look at the reality. The reality is they are tenants at a stadium with the worst lease deal in professional sports. The team also doesn't draw many fans into that stadium. So if you were running a business and you have figured out a strategy that gets you similar results spending $35 million that most teams get spending $80 million, what would you choose to do? Now, if they are still dead last in payroll in 2012 when the ballpark opens, I'll be right there with you calling for their heads, but I don't believe that will be the case. We'll see about that one. Jury is still out, but I just don't trust them for some reason. That's your right, but I can't think of any thing that they have done since taking over to betray the public's trust. They got a stadium deal done, won a World Series, have more winning seasons then not, added players at the deadline when they thought they were good enough to make the playoffs, and locked up perhaps the best young player in the game. Yeah, they are cheap, but that is because of the stadium they play in. Time will tell who's right, but so far I have no reason to not believe them when they say they will spend more on players come 2012.

Bring me Leo Mazzone. The man is sitting on his ass doing nothing and he wants a job. Get it done, Loria/Beinfest! Why Andy Fox? Hanley has improved defensively. I agree about Mazzone. He must know Fredi and Loria was intrigued by the big name manager in Bobby Valentine, why not bring in the most famous pitching coach around?

Can Fredi, Loria, and Samson join them too? It's amazing to me that people don't realize all of the good that Loria and Samson have done for baseball in South Florida. If not for all of the work they put in, there wouldn't be a stadium under construction right now. Not to mention they have put a good product on the field year after year. They have certainly not been perfect, but they are far better then the 2 other clowns that came before them. Is that you Bo Porter? LOL...no, but keep running for home, you'll make it!

Can Fredi, Loria, and Samson join them too? It's amazing to me that people don't realize all of the good that Loria and Samson have done for baseball in South Florida. If not for all of the work they put in, there wouldn't be a stadium under construction right now. Not to mention they have put a good product on the field year after year. They have certainly not been perfect, but they are far better then the 2 other clowns that came before them. They got us a stadium, I'll give them that. But until they either start spending more than 5 bucks on payroll, sell the team, or bring in some minority owners to pump some money into the team, you can expect nothing more than having mediocre seasons without making the playoffs. We're very lucky we have a good GM and scouts or we could very well be the Pittsburgh Pirates right now. And who do you think hired and pays that GM and those scouts? I would love for them to spend more on payroll, but you also have to look at the reality. The reality is they are tenants at a stadium with the worst lease deal in professional sports. The team also doesn't draw many fans into that stadium. So if you were running a business and you have figured out a strategy that gets you similar results spending $35 million that most teams get spending $80 million, what would you choose to do? Now, if they are still dead last in payroll in 2012 when the ballpark opens, I'll be right there with you calling for their heads, but I don't believe that will be the case.

Can Fredi, Loria, and Samson join them too? It's amazing to me that people don't realize all of the good that Loria and Samson have done for baseball in South Florida. If not for all of the work they put in, there wouldn't be a stadium under construction right now. Not to mention they have put a good product on the field year after year. They have certainly not been perfect, but they are far better then the 2 other clowns that came before them.

Per Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/2009/10/06/its-official-fredi-gonzalez-will-manage-florida-marlins-pitching-and-infield-coach-are-out/

I personally would love to have Nick Johnson back. It's going to be a tough year for free agents and I think we can probably get him back at a bargain rate. I don't see a lot of teams looking to give big money to injury prone 1st basemen with diminishing power.

Some of you just mention payroll like if the team is mediocre just because of payroll. This team didn't perform above expectations. If anything, they performed to expectations. For every overachiever on the team this year, I can give you an underachiever, as well. He didn't do anything spectacularly this year. My answer to this question is "who cares?" If they want to fire his ass...fire his ass. He'll be out of here anyways, once Bobby Cox is done in Atlanta. It really does not matter, so long as we put a competitive team out on the field (which the Marlins are, right now). I couldn't agree with you more. For the past two days people are saying "how can you expect him to do anymore given the payroll". The payroll wasn't an excuse when the Marlins were in contention until the last few days of the season, but all of a sudden it's the reason we didn't make the playoffs? If 5 games go differently, the Marlins win the Wild Card and nobody is talking about how low the payroll is. A lot of teams finished below us with 2 or 3 times the payroll, so I fail to see why the payroll is now an excuse. As for Fredi, I also say who cares? Despite the win/loss record the past two seasons is anyone really impressed with the job he has done? Besides, I believe that if he does get fired, it isn't going to be based on his performance. I could be wrong, but my feeling is that Loria doesn't like the fact that after 3 years as manager, he still lives in Atlanta, has no real ties to South Florida, and his ultimate goal is to replace Bobby Cox. Just my read on the situation. And that's exactly why many of us believe he shouldn't be fired. Well there are a number of things that go into job performance. Based on record, Girardi wouldn't have been fired. Wins and losses are important, but they don't tell the entire story. Perhaps they aren't happy with how he handled his bullpen, or his lineup, or how he dealt with players, etc. You can look at his record and say he did a fine job, but that is not always the case. There could also be personal differences with the front office or Loria.

Some of you just mention payroll like if the team is mediocre just because of payroll. This team didn't perform above expectations. If anything, they performed to expectations. For every overachiever on the team this year, I can give you an underachiever, as well. He didn't do anything spectacularly this year. My answer to this question is "who cares?" If they want to fire his ass...fire his ass. He'll be out of here anyways, once Bobby Cox is done in Atlanta. It really does not matter, so long as we put a competitive team out on the field (which the Marlins are, right now). I couldn't agree with you more. For the past two days people are saying "how can you expect him to do anymore given the payroll". The payroll wasn't an excuse when the Marlins were in contention until the last few days of the season, but all of a sudden it's the reason we didn't make the playoffs? If 5 games go differently, the Marlins win the Wild Card and nobody is talking about how low the payroll is. A lot of teams finished below us with 2 or 3 times the payroll, so I fail to see why the payroll is now an excuse. As for Fredi, I also say who cares? Despite the win/loss record the past two seasons is anyone really impressed with the job he has done? Besides, I believe that if he does get fired, it isn't going to be based on his performance. I could be wrong, but my feeling is that Loria doesn't like the fact that after 3 years as manager, he still lives in Atlanta, has no real ties to South Florida, and his ultimate goal is to replace Bobby Cox. Just my read on the situation.

congrats to Hanley. Now lets fix those fielding problems Are you stuck in 2007? He really picked up his defense this year. Some credit goes to Andy Fox for that. More agressive towards the ball , which has always been a problem with him in the past. But there were alot of plays I felt he could have made and was a little nonchalant towards. Like only half trying. Maybe they were on days where he wasn't feeling in top shape, were just bad days, had an argument with his wife, whatever....... But that would mean he has alot of bad days, so I'm not really buying into that. The best give 100% every game, every day. Fix those fielding problems? Nope. Fix the attitude. Personally, I'm glad Wes will be around another year to help keep Hanley's ego in check as much as possable. Fielding problems?? Hanley was pretty great at shortstop this year. He had what? 9 or 10 errors? It was a probably combination of his paying more attention to defense and not having Mike Jacobs over at first base. But congrats to Hanley on an awesome year all around!

Seriously...nobody on the TV crew could tell the guy what he was looking at? And doesn't Musberger live in South Florida?? Here's the youtibe video of it.

It sounds like Valentine has been in touch with a number of teams and the Marlins fall within that group, although who knows what Gonzalez' contract says about the possibility of him going to Atlanta where his family still lives now that Cox has made his final decision on retirement after the 2010 season. I find it hard to believe though that Fredi would leave the team that gave him his first managerial chance in was it 1992 or 93, and his chance to be one of thirty managers in MLB, to manage a division competitor *and arch rival*, even with the recognition that blood is thicker than water and his family comes first. Secondly, I can't see Bobby Valentine taking a job as second banana to anyone but maybe he would, again to me it's a stretch. If I were Fredi I wouldn't want Bobby second-guessing every move I made behind my back to the media after every game. One of the things that makes Valentine a great manager is his ego and I just can't see him keeping that in check long. Ummm, I think you're not reading this right. It seems as if the rumor is that Valentine would come in to manage. That's how I would read it as well. Valentine can get a managers job whenever he wants one. He wouldn't be coming here to coach 3rd base. My two cents: DO IT. I don't think managers make a huge difference, but Valentine is an upgrade over Fredi.

Not too thrilled with the 55 shots against however. Get used to it. It's not as if they didn't give up a ton of shots last year with Jay Bouwmeester. I thought Kulikov and Seidenberg played well. You also have to remember that Ballard and Leopold were both playing with flu-like symptoms. I like this group of defemsemen. I think they'll definately improve as the season goes along.

The Marlins would consider using Emilio Bonifacio at second base if Uggla is dealt. Kill me now. :banghead I think the fact that Bonifacio has basically been nothing more then a pinch runner over the past 2 months shows what the Marlins think of him as a regular.

Wow, talk about being unreasonable. You gave plenty of notice and it is one extra day. Is there anyone above this person you can plead your case to? If not, I'd put in for the 5 days and take a sick day. It's not the time to give up a steady paycheck.

ESPN "Experts" wanna move the Panthers to Canada or Oregon in various realignment plans. Bastards!:chair I love how those "experts" just dismiss the Panthers as a viable franchise. They are not the Coyotes. They have a very friendly lease at the BAC. Thay had a willing buyer until the NHL shot down the deal. This is a team that just needs to be successful ON the ice. Imagine if San Jose, Anahiem, Dallas, Carolina, or any other team with the exception of maybe the Canadians or Maple Leafs didn't make the playoffs for a decade. Think any of those teams would be any better off right now then we are? Would ESPN be advocating eliminating any of them? Chicago, an Original Six team, went years without the playoffs and had bad ownership prior to last season and they drew terribly. I think the Chicago Wolves outdrew them one year. I didn't see anyone suggesting moving them to Oregon. I'm convinced that this team will draw lots of fans to the BAC with a playoff team. This area has supported hockey in the past and it will again if they can ever end the playoff drought and become a contender.

I remember when the D-backs changed their uniforms and their fans were outraged that they'd get rid of their purple and teal(or whatever color they had) color scheme. They got over it and so will we. I like the current use of the teal though....as a trim around the lettering. I wouldn't like it so much if it was a dominant color like it used to be. I think Loria is kind of right about it being a color that was popular last decade. Some colors don't go in and out of style, unfortunetly teal is one of those colors that do.

"The visitors' bullpen is right next to the right-field foul pole," Samson said. "The home bullpen is next to the pool area, so the people in the pool area will get to see our bullpen. People in the group area down the line in right field will get to see the visiting bullpen." http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090914&content_id=6964760&vkey=news_fla&fext=.jsp&c_id=fla That makes it sound like our dugout will be on the 3B side. I can't see having our pen and dugout on opposite sides of the field. Any word on this? You are right. I do remember reading that our dugout will be on the 3rd base side.

Nice signing for the Cats this close to the season. Certainly he'll help lessen the blow of losing Bouwmeester. They needed another veteran defenseman, and Seidenberg had a really solid year last year in Carolina. Plus, they have 2 other vets in camp for a tryout in Martin Skoula and Christian Backman. You hate to lose a #1 guy like JayBo, but they have done a nice job of acquiring depth on the backline. I think we'll be just fine defensively. I'm guessing the pairings will be: Ballard-Leopold Allen-McCabe Seidenberg-Koistinen/Skoula This will allow the youngsters to start the season in the AHL and develop. Now if they can just get consistent goal scoring, maybe we'll make the playoffs one of these years!

Can't go wrong with either of those choices. I personally would go Club Level, so you have cover from rain...although not in row 1. If you want to be protected from the rain, get club level row 5 or higher.