July 24, 200323 yr Marlins Gearing Up For Playoff Run By: Christopher Baysore (Hotcorner) MarlinsBaseball.com Columnist Chris' Columnist Page Yes, you read it correctly. Reduced to a punchline in recent years, their name attached to terms like "fire sale", "prospects", and "contraction", the Florida Marlins find themselves in the hunt for a playoff birth for the first time since the '97 Champs. True, it's still early. True, it's only the wild card birth they're aiming for. True, they're still 4 games out at the moment. Yes, other teams are likely to make bigger acquisitions down the stretch. But the Florida Marlins for the first time in years are in the thick of it. Exactly two months ago the Marlins languished in the NL East basement. Mired in last place and faced with a patchwork rotation, the outlook couldn't have looked worse for Jack McKeon. After the team's sixth loss in a row he brushed off reporters. "I don't have much to say. Just use what I gave you yesterday." These days McKeon's got plenty to say. Sporting a 33-19 record since that game, the Marlins have moved into third place in the division. After last night's comeback win finished off a sweep of the Expos, the team's confidence was mirrored by their coach. "You sat in the dugout with those guys, and it's just a matter of time [before they came back]. You could feel it." What's been behind the turnaround? Point to the coach, point to a healthy rotation, to Mike Lowell or Dontrelle Willis, there are a number of reasons. Even the normally frugal front office got into the act, trading a package of solid prospects for veteran Ugueth Urbina to shore up a weak bullpen. GM Admin Beinfest says they may not be finished dealing. Perhaps the clearest sign of the positive buzz around the team was seeing 80,000 fickle South Florida fans turn out to watch last weekend's series against the Chicago Cubs. Even a cancer scare couldn't stop the season. Just a day after his All-Star appearance, an MRI on Mike Lowell's strained groin revealed what looked like a tumor. Lowell and his family endured a roller-coaster weekend of highs and lows, at one point doctors told him a best-case scenario would be surgery, a steel pin in his hip, and an end to his season. Ultimately specialists in Gainesville concluded that Lowell had a condition that was untreatable but harmless. Lowell went from thinking he'd be lost for the year to returning to the lineup the next day, driving in the go-ahead run. The team seems to be clicking on all cylinders at the moment. Pierre and Castillo are getting on base and Pudge, Lowell, Encarnacion, and Lee are driving in runs. Penny has found a nice groove, Pavano continues to give them innings, and the return of Josh Beckett could be a huge boost. Beckett looked like that can't-miss prospect again Monday pitching 7 scoreless innings. As Tommy Hutton noted during the game, getting a healthy Josh back in the rotation is almost like going out and trading for a frontline starter. Meanwhile Redman and Willis continue to shine, leading the team in shutouts and headlines, respectively. What lies in front of them is no easy task. Clearly they?re in the running for the wild card position (just 4 games behind Philadelphia), but they now play five consecutive series against first and second place teams. If the Marlins gain ground into the wild card position, clearly they will have earned it. Enjoy the ride...
July 24, 200323 yr "I don't have much to say. Just use what I gave you yesterday." Jack Mckeon That's hilarious!
July 24, 200323 yr Oh BTW, we have all forgotten this, but Revenue sharing increases for us next season.
July 24, 200323 yr all i got to say is .... LETS GO MARLINS!! :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins :marlins
July 24, 200323 yr Oh BTW, we have all forgotten this, but Revenue sharing increases for us next season. by how much, a million maybe?
July 24, 200323 yr All I got is a week analogy(sp) The Florida Marlins franchise is like going to six flags (maybe Disney land for you Floridites) You wait in line for what seems like YEARS then when you finally get on the ride its all worth it. I've said it all season, I don't care if we win the wild card I'm just excited to finally be in the front of the line anticipating(sp) my turn for the proverbial ride!
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