So, the extra innings feed today was the Cubs broadcast and Len Kasper said something that really got me thinking.

 

He essentially said that while the Cubs would love to have Dontrelle back, there's no guarantee he'd have burst onto the scene in Chicago like he did in Florida. Kasper pretty much cited the Cubs depth at the position of pitcher and their hesitence to rush players after the Patterson fiasco as reasons why the Cubs might have not put Dontrelle into the rotation until maybe this season. While you can't argue with that logic, it got me really thinking "what if."

 

Well, let's say the Marlins never get Willis.

 

As I see it, Willis was the reason we made the playoffs in '03. While he may not have been the leader that Pudge was, the clutch force that Penny and Beckett were or the most dangerous player like Pierre was, calling up Dontrelle directly coincided with the amazing run that the team started in May and his energy clearly rubbed off on everyone.

 

So let's take that a step further...the Marlins never get Willis, they never make the playoffs in '03, of course, that means there's a different World Series championand a new Wild-Card, likely the Phillies.

 

Here's where I'm going. The Marlins don't make the playoffs, likely everything else plays out the way it did in the playoffs meaning the Cubs and Phillies/Giants meet in the NLCS. No Marlins means no Castillo, no Castillo means no Bartman, no Bartman means *gasp* Cubs win. I'll still tell anyone that the Cubs and Giants were the two most talented NL teams in the '03 playoffs, but the Marlins were one of the best "teams" in the history of baseball. So let's just say the Cubs win the pennant (not a stretch considering the pitching would have been superior to the Phillies and Giants) it's likely they'd also clean up on the Yankees (considering they went 2-1 on them in interleague in '03)...meaning *gasp* the Cubs break the curse.

 

In conclusion, the Red Sox had the curse of the Bambino, well, I think the Billy Goat curse should be renamed the curse of the D-Train.

Willis was a huge piece of the Marlins success in 03' . Without him we wouldnt be going to the World Series.

Well I remember Dontrelle lighting it up the first half of the season, and trailing off a bit after that. And at the all star break weren't we a few games under .500? Dontrelle's hot streak went out, but the rest of the team carried it. He was, an integral part of that team nonetheless.

same can be said about cabrera and conine

Well I remember Dontrelle lighting it up the first half of the season, and trailing off a bit after that. And at the all star break weren't we a few games under .500? Dontrelle's hot streak went out, but the rest of the team carried it. He was, an integral part of that team nonetheless.

 

 

The point wasn't that he was our best pitcher, it's that he brought a lot of energy to a team that needed it most.

 

The Cubs lit him up in the NLCS, but he was the reason the team turned it around in May and his enthusiasm was more important than his production, much more.

 

same can be said about cabrera and conine

 

 

Conine was only here one month, even if he single handedly beat the Phillies, I have a hard time seeing that one.

 

Cabrera didn't set the world on fire during the regular season, I recall many wanting to have him sent back down, and Mike Berardino even suggested that he be dangled for Brian Giles (thank God that didn't happen).

HAHA! Berardino is such a fool!

The point wasn't that he was our best pitcher, it's that he brought a lot of energy to a team that needed it most.

 

 

 

Oh no doubt. He put fans in the seats! Everyone was talking about Dontrelle. Put the Marlins back on the map.

I'll still tell anyone that the Cubs and Giants were the two most talented NL teams in the '03 playoffs, but the Marlins were one of the best "teams" in the history of baseball.

 

The Cubs were far more talented than us.

 

And also, you can say the same thing about any player as you say about Dontrelle. Take Beckett, Pavano, Penny, Redman, Rodriguez, Cabrera, Conine, Urbina, Lowell, Castillo, etc. off that team and we don't make it to the playoffs or win the world series. The only player who I think could have been removed and we still would have done well was Looper, though he did get out of a huge jam against the Yankees.

I'll still tell anyone that the Cubs and Giants were the two most talented NL teams in the '03 playoffs, but the Marlins were one of the best "teams" in the history of baseball.

 

The Cubs were far more talented than us.

 

And also, you can say the same thing about any player as you say about Dontrelle. Take Beckett, Pavano, Penny, Redman, Rodriguez, Cabrera, Conine, Urbina, Lowell, Castillo, etc. off that team and we don't make it to the playoffs or win the world series. The only player who I think could have been removed and we still would have done well was Looper, though he did get out of a huge jam against the Yankees.

we needed everyone

beckett: WS MVP..nuff said

pavano: pitched a good game in the WS

penny: won game 1. most teams that win game one go on to win the WS.

redman: won 15 games in the regular season..can't think of anything in the playoffs though-he sucked in game 2

rodriguez: NLCS MVP..picked off nick johnson on third-amazing play

Cabrera: will never forget his 3-run-homer off Kerry Wood and his homer off Clemens in the WS (see my sig)

Conine: had some clutch hits and of course he caught the final out of the NLCS

urbina: was huge in the playoffs struck out a bunch of guys to get us out of close situations

lowell: hit that pinch-hit homerun in the NLCS (in extra innings i think)

castillo: did a great job of getting pierre over and setting up pudge's RBI's. also had great glove work.

lee: had some huge hits and made that incredible scoop at first to end game one i think

Well I remember Dontrelle lighting it up the first half of the season, and trailing off a bit after that. And at the all star break weren't we a few games under .500? Dontrelle's hot streak went out, but the rest of the team carried it. He was, an integral part of that team nonetheless.

 

 

The point wasn't that he was our best pitcher, it's that he brought a lot of energy to a team that needed it most.

 

The Cubs lit him up in the NLCS, but he was the reason the team turned it around in May and his enthusiasm was more important than his production, much more.

 

same can be said about cabrera and conine

 

 

Conine was only here one month, even if he single handedly beat the Phillies, I have a hard time seeing that one.

 

Cabrera didn't set the world on fire during the regular season, I recall many wanting to have him sent back down, and Mike Berardino even suggested that he be dangled for Brian Giles (thank God that didn't happen).

 

 

Conine gunned J.T. for the final out of the NLDS vs. the Giants. We lose that one, we probably lose the series before we even face the Cubs. Everyman, even Billy the Marlin, made that team's success. That's what happens on good teams.

Can't forget thoughs Mermades.

cant forget AJ and Josh getting hurt right?

 

Think about it if they dont get hurt we wouldnt have called D-Train up.

cant forget AJ and Josh getting hurt right?

 

Think about it if they dont get hurt we wouldnt have called D-Train up.

 

 

Aj is still hurt