Posted September 2, 200321 yr Mike Berardino's latest. Good stuff. Sun-Sentinel article Bad break, good timing Published September 2, 2003 NEW YORK -- The mood in the visiting clubhouse at Shea Stadium was unmistakably upbeat Sunday morning. A four-city road trip was finally, mercifully grinding to an end for the Philadelphia Phillies, and suddenly even the scowl on manager Admin Bowa's face was beginning to melt. It wasn't just the two straight wins over the New York Mets with a sweep-completing win still to come that afternoon. There also was the news from South Florida that their wild-card competitors had lost their most indispensable player, third baseman Mike Lowell, for the final four weeks of the regular season. "You never want to see anything bad happen to a player of that caliber, but at the same time you kind of hope it helps us a little bit," Phillies ace Kevin Millwood said. Added Phillies General Manager Ed Wade: "He's a huge part of their ballclub. We know how dangerous he is and how big a part he is. ..... He's such a good player that it's got to have some impact on them." No one came right out and said it, but the undercurrent was there between the lines. The Marlins? Nice run. Bad break. See you later. The equation seemed simple: No Lowell, no playoffs, not with eight teams bunched up within a few games of the wild-card lead. Asked his reaction to the broken left hand that Lowell suffered on an errant pitch from Expos reliever Hector Almonte, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins couldn't help but smile. "Bad timing," he said with a nervous laugh. "It's messed up that it happened right now." There's never a good time to lose a 30-homer, All-Star third baseman, but as the Marlins showed about 13 hours after Rollins' comment, the timing in this case was extremely fortunate. Lose Lowell on Sunday or Monday, and there wouldn't have been enough time to react to the setback. That's because the cutoff for playoff eligibility was midnight Sunday. Losing Lowell on Saturday night meant General Manager Admin Beinfest and his top lieutenants had roughly 27 hours to respond and find a suitable replacement. Voila! Welcome back, Mr. Marlin. Grab your third baseman's glove, Miguel Cabrera. Just as they did in the Ugueth Urbina deal in mid-July, the Marlins overpaid for Jeff Conine. Young right-handers Denny Bautista and Don Levinski have a chance to be rotation anchors for years to come, even if both were bothered by control problems this season. The Marlins can't worry about such things right now. With Conine on board, the cost of keeping this team intact has soared to $90 million. The 2004 payroll will probably be no more than $55 million. Conine, 37, fits perfectly with this win-now mentality. He's versatile, able to play either corner outfield or infield spot. He's in great shape, seemingly ready to pursue a racquetball world title when his baseball days end. He's clutch - a career .298 hitter with runners in scoring position. He's a leader, a galvanizing presence in the clubhouse. Best of all, he's a Marlin again. In some ways he never left, even after he was dealt to Kansas City almost six years ago in the post-championship fire sale. He never sold his Weston home, never cut his ties to South Florida. Conine remains heavily involved in fundraising for the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. In July, the Marlins gave out bobblehead dolls bearing his likeness. They were a huge hit. Conine is under contract for another two seasons after this one, but his versatility makes it hard to determine which incumbent figures to be dislodged. For now, let's just say he gives the Marlins plenty of options as they navigate those roiling financial waters this winter. Forget that, how about the options he gives them come October should Lowell's hand heal and this team make the playoffs? Either Conine or Cabrera off the bench? Not a bad piece for manager Jack McKeon to play. The Phillies? Their big waiver-deadline deal landed backup catcher Kelly Stinnett. Then they went out and blew a ninth-inning lead to the Boston Red Sox as the Marlins moved past them in the wild-card race. I'm guessing the mood in the Phillies clubhouse wasn't quite so upbeat Monday. lol, a few little knocks at the Phills there. (sorry Rune) :thumbup
September 2, 200321 yr The Marlins can't worry about such things right now. With Conine on board, the cost of keeping this team intact has soared to $90 million. The 2004 payroll will probably be no more than $55 million. this is for WC. :plain
September 2, 200321 yr Worrying about next year's payroll is tantamount to rearranging deckchairs on the titanic. ....Just need to enjoy the ride, f*** the icebergs!!!!!!!!
September 2, 200321 yr this is for WC. :plain With the figures Mike put together, he's adding $5 Mill to every salary on the team right now. We all know that the estimated contracts of Lee, Castillo, TH, ect. won't be here, and that $90 Mill figure drops dramatically.
September 2, 200321 yr Gotta love how even though on the surface its a piece to look good he still throws in anti-Marlin subtles. Incredible and sickening.
September 2, 200321 yr I agree, it wont cost $90 MM to field a winning team next year. Maybe to keep this team together, sure, but there are some parts we dont need. Like Lee, Castillo, H-Worth, Pudge might be gone (depends on Castro's off field troubles) and even Redmond. That is a butt-load of money that we will save right there, and we promote from within or sign free agents that can contribute but not break the bank (2B will be prime for that, with Looper, Medrano, or some other candidate). Berardino is just trying to be negative still...not completely on board yet. But he is still picking the crow out of his teeth...
September 3, 200321 yr I was thinking Mark Grudzielanek. There you go. Mark Grace at second base? :lol
September 3, 200321 yr There you go. Mark Grace at second base? :lol whoah! Scared me there for a second as my name is Mark and my last name starts with a G!!! :lol
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