fauowls44

The only quote from this article is from one of Braman's lawyers, so of course he's going to make it out like a big victory, when it was probably more of a procedural hearing. I think most assumed that this would be going to trial. I'm sure that the city and county lawyers are prepared for this.

New lineup today: Amezaga, Hermida, Ramirez, Jacobs, Cantu, Uggla, Gonzalez, Rabelo. http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_baseball_marlins/ I like it!

Dolphins stadium, I think, stopped being a pitchers park once they started working on the improvements around the stadium. That or maybe the pitching just isn't as good as it was before?

What are the odds he gets rid of Spoelstra once they start doing good? I suppose that anything is possible, but I can't see him doing that again. Anyway, I think Spoelstra is a good choice. He's young, well-liked, and has been learning under Riley for years. Most importantly, from what i've read, Wade likes him. Plus i'm sure he's going to be a lot more willing to play young players than Riley. Good news for our future draft pick, Dorrell, and Cook.

According to the Sun Sentinel, Erik Sploestra will be named head coach.

Per Miami Herald. My guess is yes with a possible return on May 21st if they get pick 1 or 2. http://www.miamiherald.com/592/story/512660.html

I saw his start against the Marlins up close when the Pirates were in town. Stick a fork in him. He's got nothing left.

All Anthony Fasano needed was a change,and now he got one,tahn you Dolphins,the guy has great hands and knows how to play the game. He will be our Starting TE... David Martin has more catches and yards this season (with lemon and beck) than Fasano has in two years in dallas. Spin the trade however you want, but if you're getting TWO players for a fourth round draft pick those players arent very good. To be fair, Fasano has been playing behind one of the best TEs in the NFL those past 2 seasons. I think this was pretty good value. He was a former 2nd round pick and just turned 24. Plus they got a guy that has been an NFL starting LB for a number of seasons. I also doubt they go through the draft this weekend without picking up more picks, so i'm good with the trade.

I'm usually not one to credit chemistry or other outside factors into player and team performance, but I think the more mature clubhouse atmosphere is really helping Scott Olsen. He seems like the kind of person who needs structure and having more veterans, like Helms and Gonzo, around might be a real benefit to someone like him. But also, Wiley and his new quicker approach are doing wonders for him. Keep it up, Scotty!

You know the funny thing is that last year, people were wishing Jake Long had come out because they wanted him over Joe Thomas. Now people are finding all these "flaws" in his game, which will probably happen to Oher as well next year. Very true. Last year Brian Brohm would have been a top 5 pick if he came out. Instead, he did what everyone says is the "right" thing to do and went back to school, had a better season with less talent around him, and now he'll be lucky to get taken in the 1st round at all. That is just the nature of the draft. Give scouts and media types enough time to pick a player apart and they'll find something that they don't like.

If there's one guy the Marlins cannot afford to lose this year it is Scott Olsen. Why risk anything by sending him out just to say he "finished a game?" Besides, if he would have gotten the complete game, Berardino would have written a column demanding more no hitters.

He left after 98 pitches. If he completes the game and throws 115-120, the column would have been that they are going to ruin his arm because they let him pitch too long.

Personally I've been hoping for a David Wells signing for awhile now. The guy is great at eating innings. He's essentially be D-train (except not as bad, boda-boom) By this point I'd rather wait and see if Nolasco or Badenhop can stay in the rotation though. if one of them show they can't, then call him up. By this point all we need out of a #5 guy is somebody who'll go atleast 6 inn a start If that's what you want from a #5 then Wells isn't your guy. Last year he averaged a little over 5 innings per start. He used to be an innings eater. Now he's 44 years old and out of baseball. He's not the answer to our problems.

Some of you seriously want David Wells? Don't you think if he had ANYTHING to offer a team, he'd be on someone's roster by now? The guy is 44 years old. At this point he's just a name. As for Weaver and Kim...no thanks. Did Weaver impress anyone with his ERAs of 5.76 and 6.20 in 2006 and 2007? Been there and done that with Kim. The front office is smart for passing up these retreads.

If we are still winning at a .550 -.600 clip in May we will start to climb. Otherwise they are just shuffling the top 10 around But if that's what it takes, why bother ranking anyone now? I don't completely disagree with you, but aren't these rankings supposed to reflect the state of what's happening at the moment? If not, then why do the list teams moving up and down each week? We should be ranked in the top half of these things based on the first two weeks of the year.

Here is the latest news from Braman. It was his own lawyers during the commission meetings that kept saying that they should wait 90 days because this could be resolved quickly, and what an open and shut case it was, etc. Now he is trying to get the court to delay the trial. Seems to me that this indicates he knows he has no real case here, but his only option at this point is to be a pest and drag things out as long as possible. Any other takes on this from you folks with legal backgrounds? http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/494746.html Dade mayor blasts delay of Braman suit Posted on Mon, Apr. 14, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email It's unusual for Miami-Dade County to comment on pending litigation, let alone issue a press release from the mayor's office. Yet when it comes to car dealer Norman Braman's hot-button lawsuit aiming to derail the city-county's $3 billion megaplan, which includes a new Florida Marlins baseball stadium, the rules change. After Braman's legal team asked to delay the Sept. 8 trial date, the county pounced on an apparent contradiction: When he filed suit, Braman said he wanted a speedy trial. ''Mr. Braman's request to delay resolution of this case places a huge strain on government as we try to lay the groundwork for Miami-Dade County's future prosperity,'' Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez wrote. ``As far as I am concerned, justice delayed is justice denied.'' Alvarez spokeswoman Victoria Mallette noted that the county is not commenting on the lawsuit's substance -- only pointing out that county workers have exhaustively delivered 24,000 documents to the Braman team. Responded Braman attorney Stanley Krieger: ``You think [Alvarez's] feet are burning a little bit?'' -- CHARLES RABIN

Cantu just put us in the lead with a monster but to respond, yes I do know great attorneys and I do know people who are up there in city management. If you watched those webcasts a while back, you saw him. No one that I know who has worked directly with this stadium deal is concerned AT ALL about ANY of these issues. I dont blame any marlins fan for being scared. Like I said in my post before, its understandable, BUT listen to me people. I promise you this is done and in the bag. There has already been too much money put into this deal for it to be turned around. Its done, finished, complete, and guaranteed. We need to start having some positive discussion about what we want in the stadium only problem we donot know court will rule their might say to take this voter in nov that wont be good because voter alway vote no to ballpark i hope we bring big mlb lawyer and city/county do same Not a chance of that happening. I agree. Plus, I have never understood this "voters would be against the ballpark" thing. We've never voted for a ballpark, so who knows? Actually we have.Most people voted against a marlins stadium, but that was about four years ago.If Braman wins the lawsuit and the community votes, we likely aren't getting a stadium. What are you talking about? There has never been a vote on a stadium plan.

Is there any way to see the Marlins games next year with Comcast digital cable, and do any satellite companies carry the 55 other Marlins games? Are you talking about out of town or here in Miami? I have comcast here in Miami. Will I be able to get most of the games next year? This seems like a North Florida issue. Here in South Florida, Comcast carries all but a handfull of the games.

Well, I don't think Burgess and whoever else travels up to D.C. to view the beautiful new stadium are going to be impressed with the less than beautiful crowd. Did anyone notice the lack of crowd there on Monday. Granted, it was cold, but this was the first week in a new stadium, and it looked like a crowd of around 10000, maybe. Probably only 6000. Why? What happened to all the big corporate dollars that are supposed to flood into that stadium and this stadium? Bad baseball area? Bad location? Bad economy? If they expect to see 20-30k tonite, as most of you believe will show up in a new Marlins ballpark, then they may be in for an unpleasant surprise. Burgess just may go back to Miami with the feeling that they've fallen for MLB's and Loria's shell game that they're building a stadium for great crowds, much more public, to revitalize the area. In reality, it's going to be maybe 5000 more people than we currently see at Joe Robbie. Maybe 5000 more. I think you're missing something, though. While there may have been 10,000 actually present at Nationals Park on Monday night, that doesn't mean that 10,000 tickets were sold. The "paid attendance" on Monday night was 20,487. That is what matters to the "bottom line" not how many fannies are in the seats. For every suite or box sold, that equals multiple single seats, especially when the suites and boxes are sold in long term deals. I'm sure there are already corporate packages sold, and while some seats are empty, it doesn't mean they're available. I understand that. But a "paid attendance" of 20,487 is not very impressive still, and to only have 1/3 of the paid attendance there looks bad. And so few showing up may help the franchises bottom line, but it doesn't help revitalize the area very much. And again, this is the FIRST WEEK in a new stadium. Isn't the general thought on these boards that with a bright shiny new stadium down here, that we'll have a paid attendance in excess of 20k, when all those corporate dollars supposedly are going to pour in. And the D.C. area is a place with some baseball heritage, and not alot of transplants. Unlike here. D.C's baseball heritage includes a long and illustrious history of losing...which is why 2 previous franchises have relocated from there...i wouldnt exactly call it anything to write home about A smallish crowd on a freezing cold night in DC means that baseball cannot work in South Florida with a new ballpark? I don't see the connection. If anything, doesn't this help prove why we need the roof on the stadium? There are not many places that people will go and sit through rain, cold, or extreme heat to watch a ball game. I'm sure more people would have gone to the Nats game the other night if it was played in a 75 degree indoor weather protected ballpark.

I was watching the commission meeting online because I wanted to see what was said about the stadium. It started off about the police and then some commissioners (Martinez and Souto specifically) tried to turn the session into a debate on the whole "global megadeal". Martinez was going back and fourth with Burgess, with Martinez being confused that money for this project is coming from Miami residents and an expasperated Burgess trying to explain why he was wrong. Martinez sounded like he just didn't understand how the financing worked, with Burgess saying they needed to sit down together again so he could explain it. Martinez said he wasn't sure they had the 9 votes to approve the deal. The whole thing makes you uneasy about the final outcome, but I think in the end, when evertything is written out on paper, they will end up approving it. You don't run a marathon and then stop after the 25th mile. The July meeting will be worth watching though. Just the be factual the one that's "confused" is Burgess. All you need to do is to not get lost in a quick shell game. And you know this why? I've seen a bunch of these meetings because of the Marlins, and the one that is always confused is Martinez. He never has a freaking clue. From what I've seen Burgess is probably the smartest person there. Gimenez seems like an intelligent person also. That has been my impression too. If anything, Burgess seems to be talking over Martinez's head and has trouble trying to dumb down what he is saying to try to make him understand what is going on. As for Souto, I just think he's a loon.

I was watching the commission meeting online because I wanted to see what was said about the stadium. It started off about the police and then some commissioners (Martinez and Souto specifically) tried to turn the session into a debate on the whole "global megadeal". Martinez was going back and fourth with Burgess, with Martinez being confused that money for this project is coming from Miami residents and an expasperated Burgess trying to explain why he was wrong. Martinez sounded like he just didn't understand how the financing worked, with Burgess saying they needed to sit down together again so he could explain it. Martinez said he wasn't sure they had the 9 votes to approve the deal. The whole thing makes you uneasy about the final outcome, but I think in the end, when evertything is written out on paper, they will end up approving it. You don't run a marathon and then stop after the 25th mile. The July meeting will be worth watching though.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_n...ory/487577.html Dade, Miami could share security at ballpark Posted on Tue, Apr. 08, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email By MATTHEW I. PINZUR mpinzur@MiamiHerald.com County manager George Burgess, left, said labor unions on both sides were unable to reach a deal, prompting him and City Manager Pete Hernandez to recommend the compromise that the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County could share security at the new Marlins ballpark.An agreement to split security duty at the new Florida Marlins ballpark between the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County may end a months-long standoff that has threatened to delay or derail the entire project. The County Commission approved the compromise Tuesday, and the city could vote later this month. But those are largely symbolic -- the true test will come this summer, when both the city and county commissioners need to approve a detailed management agreement with the team, which will include security arrangements. Commissioners Natacha Seijas, Javier Souto and Joe Martinez voted against the plan; they did not mention specific objections to the compromise but have broader problems with the multibillion-dollar downtown development plan that helped cement the ballpark deal. County Manager George Burgess said labor unions on both sides were unable to reach a deal, prompting him and City Manager Pete Hernandez to recommend the compromise. The unions themselves remain split, with the county's Police Benevolent Association supporting the deal and the city's Fraternal Order of Police opposed. ''In no way, shape or form have we agreed to what's in this letter,'' said FOP President Armando Aguilar. Under the compromise, police from the county would handle the stadium building and the 100 feet around it, while the city department would oversee traffic on the surrounding streets. The city would also handle proposed retail and commercial projects at the site, as well as a parking garage and possible soccer stadium. That arrangement gives about two-thirds of the jobs to city cops, which PBA President John Rivera said was acceptable. ''Not only does it make the most sense, not only is it the fairest, it is the most equitable,'' he said. The two fire departments would evenly share responsibility for providing off-duty paramedics and fire watch crews. Police and firefighters prize that off-duty work; not only does it pay as much as $30 an hour, but that extra income can boost eventual pension payments. The Marlins, like any private company that hires off-duty officers, pays all those expenses, as well as extra costs such as wear and tear on government cars. But responsibility for the new stadium was also a matter of pride on both sides. The new stadium will be within city limits but owned by the county government. It also reopened a painful history of similar fights; the Miami-Dade unions remain indignant that the city performs almost all off-duty work at the AmericanAirlines Arena and Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts -- both also owned by the county, yet inside city limits. The compromise would apply to all baseball games and almost all other events. The construction agreement lets city and county governments each use the stadium for a handful of events each year -- on those dates, the host government can use its own police and fire both inside and outside the park.

I'm happy for Andino. He's in a tough spot being stuck behind Hanley and it's nice to see him taking advantage of the opportunities he does get. I really like him in his current role, but I'm not sure I'd like him as much if he was playing everyday. That's not to say he wouldn't do well, but it's like how a backup QB is always the most popular person on an NFL team until he becomes the starting QB. Andino seems to be thriving in this bench role, let's leave him there for a while and see if he can keep it up.

Sun-Sentinel says Badenhop will join the team in DC. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...0,2175709.story

Good pick up. Between Cantu and Helms, 3rd base is well covered for now. McPherson hit another homer today in AAA, so he may be up sooner than later. Whoever is starting, this makes the bench stronger and it didn't cost anything. If I recall, during the offseason, the Marlins were offering a minor leaguer for Wes.