c/o marlins.insiders.com

 

#25 July 23, 2000

Assistant GM Tony Perez Inducted Into the Hall of Fame

Florida Marlins Special Assistant to the GM Tony Perez is inducted into the Hall of Fame for his achievements as a player during his 21 year career. Perez?s major league career spanned from 1965 to 1986 and he is currently 22nd on the all time RBI leaders list with 1,652. Perez finished his career with a .279 average and 379 homeruns. He also won two World Series titles (1975, 1976) as a member of theCincinnati Reds famed ?Big Red Machine?.

Perez is the first Marlins employee to ever hold the distinction of Hall of Famer. He also has been invaluable to the Marlins staff in creating and improving relations with Latin and South American prospects leading to the Marlins signing several talented imports.

#24 March 27, 2002

Marlins Acquire Pitcher Dontrelle Willis

The Marlins front office caught a lot of heat from the fans and the media for the trade that sent pitchers Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca to the Chicago Cubs for journeyman pitcher Julian Tavarez and a 20 year old prospect with control problems named Dontrelle Willis, when it was made. A lot of people, still disillusioned from the dismantling of the 1997 Championship team, felt that the newly installed ownership was merely continuing the prior regimes policy of cost cutting at the expense of performance.

Just a year later, the front office proved them all wrong. When Willis was called up in May of 2003 he put the Marlins team on his back and took the baseball world by storm going 9-1 with a 2.01 ERA in his first 13 starts. By the time he had slowed down, he had done enough to put the Marlins back into contention for the Wild Card and earn himself the 2003 Rookie of the Year honors.

The D-Train is one of the most charismatic young stars in baseball today and will be looked upon to be one of the key figures in the marketing of major league baseball as well as being an anchor in the Marlins pitching staff for years to come.

#23 June 1, 1992

Marlins Select Catcher Charles Johnson in the 1st Round of the 1992 Amateur Draft

With the 28th pick in the 1st Round of the 1992 draft, the Florida Marlins selected the popular home grown catcher Charles Johnson. Johnson, a graduate of Ft. Pierce High School, and 3 year starter for the University of Miami was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1999 with the 10th pick in the draft but did not sign with them due to bonus differences. Headed into the 1992 draft, CJ was considered one of the top 3 overall players in the draft but teams stayed away from Johnson due to perceived contract demands. The Marlins however jumped at the opportunity to take Johnson with their first ever selection in the amateur draft.

During his 6 years with the Marlins, Johnson was considered by many experts to be not only the best defensive catcher of his time, but also one of the greatest of all time. He was a major contributor and team leader of the 1997 World Series Championship team and will long hold a special place in the hearts of Marlin fans.

Tie #22(a) June 10, 1997

Kevin Brown tosses no-hitter in 9-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Even though Kevin Brown had led the National League with a 1.89 ERA in 1996, he never felt like he was the type of pitcher to be able to throw a no hitter. ?I really never thought I would have to worry about it cause I throw so many groundballs, somebody?s going to find a hole or something.?

Going into the game, there was absolutely no indication that Brown was going to put on such a dominating display. In his previous three outings Kevin gave 12 hits to the Mets, 9 to the Rockies, and 12 to the Padres. Brown even said after the game that he didn?t feel strong going into the game. ?During the bullpen I really didn?t feel like I was throwing the ball the way I was working on it.? He continued, ?I was irritated with that. I finally said, the heck with it. I?m just going to try and keep the ball down and get guys out.?

Brown did just that. He recorded 17 groundball outs, 7 strikeouts and 3 fly outs for the game. In fact, Brown was only one hits batsman away from a perfect game. With two outs in the 8th, Brown hit Marvin Barnard with a cut fastball that got away from him on a 1-2 count.

Brown?s outing on this night was probably the best pitching performance ever turned in by a Marlins starter.

 

#22(b) May 13, 2001

AJ Burnett pitches a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the San Diego Padres

On this night AJ Burnett proved that no-hitters can come in all shapes and sizes. While Brown?s no-hitter was a near perfect display of pitching, Burnett?s no-no is widely considered one of the strangest of all-time. Burnett walked 9 and threw a wild pitch during the game, but still walked away with the third no-hitter in franchise history.

#21 November 18, 2002

Marlins Acquire CF Juan Pierre

The Marlins traded catcher Charles Johnson and outfielder Preston Wilson to the Colorado Rockies and what they got in return was a player that not only was a major contributor to the championship team in 2003 but a player who defines the personality of the Florida Marlins team.

Juan Pierre is a fast, hard working, all-out hustler whose success on the field directly leads to the team?s success as a whole. When Juan Pierre gets on base at least one time in a game the Marlins played better than .500 ball. When Juan Pierre got on base twice in a game, the Marlins played .750 ball.

Juan Pierre is the table-setter for the Marlins and the team?s leader by example. He is the first to arrive at the park and the last to leave. His teammates are driven to work by his example. Local sportswriters awarded Juan Pierre with the team MVP in 2003 and there is little argument that the Florida Marlins could not have even made it to the World Series in 2003, let alone win it, without Juan Pierre.

Tie #20(a) June 24, 1993

Marlins Acquire OF Gary Sheffield in a Trade with the San Diego Padres

When the Marlins traded RP Trevor Hoffman and prospects Andres Beruman and Jose Martinez to the Padres for 3B/OF Gary Sheffield the Florida Marlins had acquired the franchise?s first bona fide superstar.

Sheffield went on to play the next 5 seasons with the Marlins. During that time he set several single season offensive records that still stand today including HRs (42 in 1996), SLG (.624 in 1996), OBP (465 in 1996), OPS (1.090 in 1996), total bases (324 in 1996), and walks(142 in 1996). When he was traded to the Dodgers mid-season in 1998, Sheffield was at the top of almost every major offensive category for the Marlins franchise history. Many of his team career records were held until as recently as the 2003 season when several of his career records with the Marlins were finally surpassed. Sheffield however is still at the top of SLG (.543), OPS (.970) and OBP (.426) from his years as a Marlin.

 

#20(b) February 1, 1999

Marlins Acquire 3B Mike Lowell in a Trade with the New York Yankees

The Marlins traded three prospects; Ed Yarnall, Mark Johnson and Todd Noel for the Yankees top prospect at the time, 3B Mike Lowell.

Lowell grew up in the Miami area and attended college at Miami?s Florida International University. The Yankees liked Lowell?s potential but decided that his issue with cancer rehabilitation and that their stability at 3B was strong enough so that they could trade Lowell for other needs. The Marlins were more than happy to take the hometown talent off the Yankees hands.

While none of the prospects dealt to the Yankees turned into major league contributors, Mike Lowell became the heart and soul of the Florida Marlins lineup. Mike has become the Marlins most dependable power hitter and run producer. He is very under-rated as a defensive 3B.

This past off-season, Lowell signed a 4 year deal to keep him a Marlin which also solidified him as the backbone of the team. There is no question that by the time he hangs up his cleats as a Marlin he will be at the top of almost every major career offensive record for the Marlins franchise.

#19 May 11, 1996

Al Leiter Throws First No-Hitter in Marlins Team History

On this night LHP Al Leiter became the first Marlin pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his 11-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Leiter got tremendous run support, 6 runs in the first inning alone, which probably helped settle him in and concentrate on just throwing strikes. For the game, Leiter struck out 6 while only walking 2 and allowing one hit batsman.

#18 July 13, 1993

OF Gary Sheffield and RP Bryan Harvey are the First Marlins to play in the All-Star game.

In the first year of Marlins baseball, OF Gary Sheffield and RP Bryan Harvey were nominated to participate in the 63rd All-Star game held at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD.

Sheffield started the game for the National League and batted 3rd in the lineup. In his first at bat in the game, the first AB for a Marlin All-Star, Sheffield hit a 2 run homerun to put the National League ahead. The American League ended up winning the game 9-3.

Sheffield went 2 for 3 in the game with 1 run scored and 2 RBI. Bryan Harvey came in to pitch the 8th inning for the N.L. and gave up no runs with only 1 hit allowed and 2 strikeouts.

#17 February 14, 2002

Jeffrey Loria names Admin Beinfest the General Manager of the Florida Marlins

When the transfer of ownership was completed that brought owner Jeffrey Loria from the Montreal Expos to the Florida Marlins he brought with him the general manager of his former team.

Admin Beinfest seems to understand how to organize a team that carries the burden of payroll constraints. He also knows what type of team it takes to win playing in the vast Pro Player Stadium and he has made smart player personnel decisions to build that type of team. A few examples of this are the trading for speedster Juan Pierre to patrol the deep center field as well as setting the table at the top of the lineup. Another wise acquisition was obtaining LHPMark Redman. Redman had very little success as a member of the Detroit Tigers. Beinfest knew that the lefties pitching style would lead to good success in Pro Player.

During the 2003 Championship run, Beinfest again made tremendous acquisitions adding two savvy veterans, Jeff Conine and Ugueth Urbina, who seamlessly fit in to the Marlins Clubhouse and assumed important roles in leading the team to the World Series Championship.

During his first two years as the Marlins GM, Beinfest has seemed to make all the right moves and given his youth he should continue to make the Florida Marlins a competitive team for many years to come.

#16 June 2, 1999

Marlins Draft RHP Josh Beckett with the Second Pick of the 1999 Amateur Draft

About the only good thing that came out of the dismantling of the 1997 Florida Marlins Championship team in 1998 was the 54-108 record that came out of it in 1998. While that sounds confusing on its face, the result of the poor record was that the Marlins received the 2nd pick in the 1999 draft. After the Tampa Bay Devil Rays used the first selection on OF Josh Hamilton the Marlins were left with the obvious choice of selecting high school pitcher Josh Beckett out of Spring,Texas.

Coming out of high school, Beckett was drawing comparisons to fellow Texan greats Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens because of his size and over-powering fastball. While Beckett was flattered by such comparisons he still realized he had everything to prove but at the same time he maintained his brash confidence.

?I ain?t done nothing yet,? Beckett said about the comparisons. ?But I think one day, I?ll live up to all of that. If someone told me different, I?d call them a liar. I think I?m going to be better than all those guys.? He continued, ?Hopefully, I?ll join them in the Hall one day.?

Coming out of high school in Spring, Texas (about 30 miles north of Houston), Josh dominated high school ball. In his senior season he went 10-1 with a 0.46 ERA, striking out 155 in only 75.1 innings. His fastball was clocked at 96 mph and he was said to have a devastating curveball and change. He was considered by most to be the top high school prospect in the country and was also considered to have quite a large ego. Josh explained his confidence by saying ?You have to have some arrogance to be a pro pitcher.? Beckett had predicted that he would be an All-Star by 2001 and while his rise to stardom didn?t come as quickly as he projected. After his dominating performance in the second half of 2003 and his MVP performance in the World Series, it is now clear in 2004 that he is on the cusp of superstardom.

the rest will be posted when they are put up by the site

how do you get into marlins insider?

link

Thanks

 

:bandit

How much is it?

 

I cant find the price anywhere.

I think we all know which will be #1 and #2 on that list. Only question is: In which order? :mischief2

I think we all know which will be #1 and #2 on that list. Only question is: In which order? :mischief2

'03 has to be #1. I loved '97, but it just wasn't the same feeling!

 

There are so many great memories...25 isn't enough.

 

However, in terms of greatest 'moments', I'd have to say Edgar singling home Counsell was the most thrilling. Josh tagging out Posada wasn't exactly a crazy way to end the game, but overall '03 WS was better for me.

'03 has to be #1. I loved '97, but it just wasn't the same feeling!

 

There are so many great memories...25 isn't enough.

 

However, in terms of greatest 'moments', I'd have to say Edgar singling home Counsell was the most thrilling. Josh tagging out Posada wasn't exactly a crazy way to end the game, but overall '03 WS was better for me.

 

 

I think you may be right and I would put the '03 WS over the '97 series because the '03 championship wasn't expected. However the edge that the '97 series has over the '03 one is the fact that it was the first championship for this team and like the three no hitters above, it was the first one that was ranked higher than the other two.

 

 

I wonder where Wayne dismantleing the team would fall in there :mad :

I wonder where Wayne dismantleing the team would fall in there :mad :

The answer to that would be Number -347.

but like the #16 said

 

the dismantling of the team did end up bringing us Josh Beckett

 

 

so there is a silver lining to every grey cloud :-)

 

 

in retrospect Id much rather have it this way

The answer to that would be Number -347.

 

Could be :mischief2

#15 July 11, 1995

Marlins OF Jeff Conine Hits Game Winning Homerun in the 1995 All-Star Game and Earns MVP Honors

The 66th All Star Game held at the BallPark at Arlington started out as a pitcher?s dual. In fact, the first three American League pitchers; Randy Johnson, Kevin Appier, and Dennis Martinez combined to throw no-hit ball through almost 6 innings of work.

The National League was held to only three hits for the game, but unfortunately for the American League, all three of those hits were solo homeruns.

Heading into the 8th inning the score in the game was tied 2-2 when the lone Marlin All-Star representative OF Jeff Conine was sent to pinch hit for Ron Gant. Conine proceeded to hit a solo homerun to left field off of Oakland A?s pitcher Steve Ontiveros to give the N.L. a 3-2 lead. The homerun proved to be the game winner and he was awarded the game?s MVP for his efforts.

Jeff was only the 10th player in All-Star history to hit a homerun in his first All-Star at bat.

#14 September 18, 1991

Marlins Owner Wayne Huizenga Names Dave Dombrowski the Team's First General Manager

One of the first orders of business that the founding owner of the Florida Marlins, Wayne Huizenga had to do was create a front office staff. At the top of the list was Montreal Expos VP of Baseball Operations, 34 year old Dave Dombrowski.

Dombrowski was considered at the time to be one of the fastest young talents in baseball. After graduating from Western Michigan with a degree in business administration he went to work for the Chicago White Sox as the assistant administrator in charge of scouting and player development. In 1986 he took a promotion with the Montreal Expos where he stayed till 1991 as the assistant general manager and VP of baseball operations. In 1990, Dave received the Executive of the Year Award from Major League Baseball and twice during his years with the Expos (1988 and 1990) the Montreal Expos were named organization of the year.

During Dombrowski?s 10 year tenure with the Marlins he organized one World Series Champion (1997) and one Organization of the Year Award (1998).

Dave had both the luxury of having a blank check to build a winner and the unfortunate experience of having the pressure of payroll cuts and having to deal his best players for whatever he could get. Under both circumstances he was successful.

Many teams are known to spend a lot of money to get the best players possible and still not have success. The only time Dombrowski was given that opportunity he made all the correct personnel decisions and produced a World Series Championship. He then had the scouting and negotiating ability to get good enough prospects during the unloading season of 1998 that would eventually lead to another World Series Championship in 2003.

The Florida Marlins lost Dombrowski?s services before the 2002 season but the effects of his tenure will be felt long into the future as the core of the present team was acquired as a result of the decisions made by one of the finest GMs in the game.

#13 September 23, 1997

The Marlins Beat the Montreal Expos 6-3 to Earn Their First Playoff Birth

With their win over the Expos the Florida Marlins clinched the National League Wild Card and the franchise?s first ever playoff birth.

The Marlins rode to victory on the strength of Kevin Brown?s 7th straight win. Brown put in 6 innings of work and struck out 8 while only giving up 3 runs.

Gary Sheffield grabbed the early lead for the Marlins with an RBI sacrifice fly. But the Expos battled back to take a 3-1 lead till the 5th inning when the Marlins scored 3 runs on RBI singles by Bobby Bonilla,Moises Alou, and Charles Johnson. Johnson?s RBI single with 2 outs proved to be the game winner and Jeff Conine sealed the deal with a 2 run homerun in the top of the 9th to take the final score to 6-3. Closer Rob Nen got the save after pitching a scoreless 9th.

After the game Marlins manager Jim Leyland gave all the credit to his team and the organization. ?All this belongs to the Marlins organization,? said Leyland. ?I think that anyone could?ve managed this team to the playoffs.?

When asked to make a prediction as to how far his team could go in the post-season Leyland was non-committal but in retrospect sounded prophetic, ?Once you?re in (the playoffs), you can go as far as you want if you have good pitching. We have good pitching.?

#12 October 3, 1997

Marlins Beat the San Francisco Giants 6-2 in Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series to Win Their First Ever Playoff

With the 6-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants, the Florida Marlins won their first ever playoff series and advanced to the National League Championship Series to face the Atlanta Braves.

Alex Fernandez took the win for the Marlins after pitching 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs. Reliever Dennis Cook pitched a scoreless 8th and closer Rob Nen finished out the game with a scoreless 9th.

The highlight of the game came in the 6th inning when CF Devon White hit a grand slam homerun which was all the Marlins needed to complete the three game sweep of the Giants.

The Marlins won the first two games both in dramatic 9th inning game winning singles. In Game 1 the Marlins edged the Giants 2-1 when SS Edgar Renteria hit a 2 out single in the bottom of the 9th to score Charles Johnson.

In Game 2 the Marlins won a 7-6 slugfest when Moises Alou drove in the game winning run in the 9th inning after closer Rob Nen blew a 6-5 lead in the top of the 9th.