July 17, 200323 yr Optimism, attendance up in Miami By STEVEN WINE .c The Associated Press MIAMI (AP) - Young yet wise, rookie left-hander Dontrelle Willis knows better than to ballyhoo the Florida Marlins' playoff chances. Yes, the Marlins are 49-46, and the only Florida team with a better record at the All-Star break went on to win the 1997 World Series. And yes, the Marlins are 30-17 since May 23, the second-best record in major-league baseball during that span, behind only Arizona. But it's mid-July and 90 degrees every day - too early and too hot for playoff fever. ``I don't watch the standings so much,'' said Willis, whose 9-1 record has lifted his team into wild-card contention. ``I'm just a firm believer that in September we have a chance to be in the race.'' Like the heat, attendance and optimism are up in Miami, thanks to Willis and nine weeks of success under new manager Jack McKeon. Ticket sales have increased 33 percent this year, the biggest improvement in the majors, and Florida hopes to draw 70,000 for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday against the Cubs. ``We have a great team, and we have guys that deserve to be watched,'' Willis said. ``The fans are starting to get in tune with the style of ball we're playing. So hopefully in the second half they keep coming out.'' They'll likely keep coming out as long as Willis and his teammates keep winning. But as this weekend's opponents from Chicago can attest, years of losing is a hard habit to shake. The Marlins' only winning season came in 1997. They were above .500 at the All-Star break in 2000 and 2002 but faded both years, finishing more than 15 games out of first place. ``We've gotten to this point before and found a way not to sustain it,'' first baseman Derrek Lee said. ``We'll see if we've matured.'' There are reasons to think this year might be different. One of them is Willis, whose engaging personality, unorthodox delivery and 2.08 ERA have earned him national notoriety. He'll take a 4-0 home record to the mound Sunday against the Cubs. Also different is the front office's attitude toward the team. Departing from the franchise's tradition of midseason payroll-slashing, the Marlins took All-Star third baseman Mike Lowell off the trading block, then gave the bullpen a needed boost by acquiring Ugueth Urbina, who leads the American League with 26 saves. ``The organization has made a commitment to winning,'' left-hander Mark Redman said. ``They showed the confidence they have in us upstairs - that they think we have a legitimate shot.'' The Marlins are averaging 5.1 runs per game since McKeon replaced Jeff Torborg as manager on May 11. Lowell (28 homers, 76 RBIs), Luis Castillo (.311) and Juan Pierre (44 steals) have sparked the offense, but McKeon would still like to add another bat. ``I'm not so sure that we won't do something else to improve the club - if the guys keep going out there the way they're going out there,'' he said. That means continuing to win, and continuing to create a buzz in South Florida. July is when the team's small fan base usually shrinks further as attention turns to Miami Dolphins training camp. Maybe this season will be different. The Marlins' record is only the ninth-best in the NL, but at the break they were just 4 1/2 games out of the lead for the wild-card berth. They play 14 of the next 16 games at home, and the opponents include teams they're chasing - Montreal, Philadelphia, Arizona and Houston. ``We're not going to be facing any patsies in any of those series,'' McKeon said. ``And they're not, either.'' 07/17/03 18:54 EDT
July 17, 200323 yr Author Speaking of upcoming games at home, check this out. Dontrelle is pitching on Sunday against the Cubs, as is Randy Johnson for the D-Backs. Since neither team has an off-day coming up, DW will face off against RJ on Wednesday, July 30 when the D-Backs come to town, if each team stays with its current rotation. This is of course subject to change, but thats the way it stands now.
July 17, 200323 yr Speaking of upcoming games at home, check this out. Dontrelle is pitching on Sunday against the Cubs, as is Randy Johnson for the D-Backs. Since neither team has an off-day coming up, DW will face off against RJ on Wednesday, July 30 when the D-Backs come to town, if each team stays with its current rotation. This is of course subject to change, but thats the way it stands now. OMG.....I think I have tickets to that game *wipes drool*
July 18, 200323 yr actually the Big Unit is ??????? for Sunday.... he got lit up in his A ball start in 5IP for 5er and 11h.... he may be out a little bit longer than expected
July 18, 200323 yr Author actually the Big Unit is ??????? for Sunday.... he got lit up in his A ball start in 5IP for 5er and 11h.... he may be out a little bit longer than expected Johnson Back With Arziona, Expected to Start Sunday .c The Associated Press SAN DIEGO (July 17) -- Randy Johnson returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks following his third minor league rehabilitation start and is tentatively scheduled to start Sunday against the Padres. The five-time Cy Young Award winner has been out since knee surgery on May 1. The Diamondbacks will determine his status for Sunday following his bullpen session on Friday. The ace left-hander, who rejoined Arizona on Thursday, was tagged for five runs on 11 hits over six innings in his minor league rehabilitation start on Tuesday night, pitching for Class-A Lancaster against Rancho Cucamonga in the California League. The Big Unit struck out six, walked none and hit two batters with pitches. He went on the disabled list April 28 and had arthroscopic surgery three days later to remove bone chips and loose cartilage from his right knee. 07/17/03 18:29 EDT
July 18, 200323 yr Speaking of attendance, I can assure you that this homestand, attendance-wise, will be HUGE!!! The past two days have been super busy......It's sooooooooo awesome.
July 18, 200323 yr no ramp.....that figure is a tad off... Fri-30k Sat- Sell out Sunday-20k So we are easily over the 70k mark
July 18, 200323 yr no ramp.....that figure is a tad off... Fri-30k Sat- Sell out Sunday-20k So we are easily over the 70k mark 20k for Dontrelle? That will go up
July 18, 200323 yr That's tickets sold as of 6pm today...... Which it's still 3 days before the game.
July 18, 200323 yr YEAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! So the entire nation can watch the sellout saturday and dontrelle pitch and probable sellout on sunday on WGN! We are in it now!
July 18, 200323 yr I went to Marlins en Miami today, and the place was packed with people buying gear and tickets. Good signs!
July 18, 200323 yr Did you buy anything? tickets, merchandise? Not today, I already have my tickets for Sunday and Monday. I was trying to get a Marlins cap in a different size, the double wham (one that is both teal and black, both logos) cap. Maybe you could help me out.
July 18, 200323 yr With a good walkup (6k), the Marlins can sell out Friday's game. Official Marlins sellouts at Pro Player Stadium are 36,331. BTW, crunching some numbers and here is what I find with the Marlins attendance being only what 1TrueFan told us, no more tickets would be sold in this hypothetical number, OK. We would average 14,393 per game, with the numbers 1TrueFan gave me above. We would stay 28th in the league behind Detriot, but we will sell more tickets. If we sold out all three games we would be at an average of 14,886 per game for the season so far.
July 18, 200323 yr yes.....why? lol....no comment.....let's just say it's a very small world.....let's just say that you bought two or three shirts on tuesday along with the hat, you originally wanted a jersey but your mom told you that you should get something more classy to go to the Watch party.....am I right????........ :thumbup
July 18, 200323 yr lol....no comment.....let's just say it's a very small world.....let's just say that you bought two or three shirts on tuesday along with the hat, you originally wanted a jersey but your mom told you that you should get something more classy to go to the Watch party.....am I right????........ :thumbup I still bought the jersey, I got those shirts. They are nice. But when I showed up to Shulas everyone was in jerseys and s*** lol. Now I know So which one of the three were you?
July 18, 200323 yr cool. You have to tell me when you guys get in new sizes for that hat, I want one that fits
July 18, 200323 yr Juanky- will do Anyways, this homestand is extremely pivotal......winning a few games this series can help us retain and gain more fans.
July 18, 200323 yr if we keep on winning and have a homestand with average 20,000 attendance per game, we might be able to pass Detroit in attendance and become 27th in mlb attendance rank.
July 18, 200323 yr lol....no comment.....let's just say it's a very small world.....let's just say that you bought two or three shirts on tuesday along with the hat, you originally wanted a jersey but your mom told you that you should get something more classy to go to the Watch party.....am I right????........ :thumbup LOL. Funny stuff! :lol
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