djm305 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=103876 June 27, 2006 With the Mets up by double digits in the NL East, I'm turning my focus to the Marlins for a while. OK, I'll still pay attention to the Mets to see if they can keep winning. But right now I'm more interested in seeing if Florida can embark on a wild card run. No, I haven't been hanging with Ricky Williams. Don't let the Marlins' 33-40 record fool you: This $15 million team is playing like a contender. You can't say the Fish are doing it in meaningless games. It's the middle of the season, everbody is still trying, and still the Marlins are winning -- 22 of their last 31, in fact. Consider: # The Marlins had a shot at sweeping -- yes, sweeping -- the Yankees in the Bronx last weekend. They handed the Bombers their first shutout loss of the season and dropped a pair of 1-run decisions. Florida is 7-3 against the AL East in a season in which the AL is beating the NL like a drum in interleague play. # They've won seven straight at home and are 16-17 at Pro Player Stadium. That's a very good sign for a rebuilding team. # Most important, their pitching has been straight cash: Florida leads the majors with a 2.74 staff ERA in June, more than 3-1/2 runs better than the, ahem, 30th-ranked Cardinals. Now, back to reality for a second: Florida is 6-1/2 behind the Reds, although only five down in the loss column, and it needs to jump over eight teams total. It'll be damn near impossible to overcome its 11-31 first quarter. If only it had held a few late leads early on; it could have been a couple games over .500 right now and in the thick of things. That said, this team might still be good enough to become a buyer rather than a seller at the trading deadline. If it somehow can crawl into the middle of the pack, shouldn't owner Jeffrey Loria allow GM Admin Beinfest to finally upgrade the center field position, or at least add a pitcher and a bench player? I always hear and read that Loria is ultracompetitive. Well, he can prove that by letting Beinfest add talent (cheaply, of course) for a possible late run. If things break right, the organization can hasten the development of its talented young nucleus by giving it a small dose of a pennant race now rather than in 2008, which is when many people expected to see progress. And, yes, the Marlins have a shot at being around in late July. The upcoming schedule isn't impossible. They have the Devil Rays and Red Sox at home this week, followed by the Nationals, Mets, Astros, Nationals, Pirates, Braves and Phillies. Wouldn't it be wild if their four-game set in Philly in late July meant something? When first-year Marlins manager Joe Girardi said in spring training that he expected this team to win, it sounded like manager-speak. He had to say that, right? He couldn't state what we all thought was the obvious -- that his club would stink out loud and that it should just try not to be embarrassed. Silly us. Who'd have thought Girardi's club would be three games better than the Braves at this point, and that it might even be able to keep south Florida's attention until the start of Dolphins' camp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy42Jack0 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 nice article but i believe the fish are 7-5 against the AL East...which still isnt too shabby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 nice article but i believe the fish are 7-5 against the AL East...which still isnt too shabby 1-3 drays 3-0 blue jays 2-1 orioles 1-2 yankees ----- 7-6... just depends when this article was written Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy42Jack0 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 nice article but i believe the fish are 7-5 against the AL East...which still isnt too shabby 1-3 drays 3-0 blue jays 2-1 orioles 1-2 yankees ----- 7-6... just depends when this article was written damn...guess thats why i didnt major in math... :whistle ...anyways...here's to hoping that we finish 12-6 against the AL East...now wouldnt that be something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Kai Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 They're playing really well, and it's exciting, and it's great to see the enthusiasm, but I hope everyone is tempering their expectations, and not getting their hopes too high. If/when this team hits a lull after the AS break, and their record starts plummeting, and the Wild Card dreams are caput, I hope people don't turn on the team for not being able to keep this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zemtech Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 If this team finishes .500 they have accomplished alot. Wild Card! I think everyone is getting carried away. :banghead :banghead :banghead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishFan24 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Yeah if this team can border around .500 come late September, that is an accomplishment onto itself. Now a run at the Wild Card spot....well that would just defy all logic and probably shock the world a bit more than stunning the Yankees back in '03. And think about it guys, this is only the first year this team is together!! Imagine what another year under their belts can do? :mischief2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skully Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 What fun is it being a baseball fan if you're not expecting to go to the postseason every year? I have my hopes up to at least be in the thick of things at the very end. If it doesn't happen, I won't be too disappointed, but as of right now.. I'm already scoreboard watching.. It's what baseball is all about.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuickGold Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I'm not expecting us to be able to still be within striking distance come September 1, let alone August 15 but what I've seen thus far is very promising and this team is going to be even more competitive in the next few seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beinfest4Prez Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Lets have some fun here. The mere fact that the Marlins are at all in Wild Card talk is shocking the world. If they won it, it would be like someone just dropped an atom bomb. It would resound everywhere in the world. Everyone likes an underdog. And the Marlins, may have been the biggest coming into this season. We will know in a month whether we are in it for the playoffs this year or not. Wild Card or bust! :mischief Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsMania Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 What fun is it being a baseball fan if you're not expecting to go to the postseason every year? I have my hopes up to at least be in the thick of things at the very end. If it doesn't happen, I won't be too disappointed, but as of right now.. I'm already scoreboard watching.. It's what baseball is all about.... I agree. No one expects them to make the wild card, but as long as they are semi decent and worth paying attention to then things arent too bad. Even the 2000-2002 marlins were decent until the all star break and then would start stinking in august. As long as most of the season is enjoyable then things are good. Especially since I predicted we would lost 100 games this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherrealfan Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 If this team finishes .500 they have accomplished alot. Wild Card! I think everyone is getting carried away. :banghead :banghead :banghead I doubt anyone is getting carried away. Just enjoying the moment that was not expected, so why not project the momentum into the near future. It's baseball, it's more fun, win or lose, if we believe we are in a race, which at the moment, WE ARE. If and when we fall out of it, then we can deal with the reality. AT that point, like I said before, you make a mini race by just chasing the teams immediately in front of you. Hey, if we drop like a lead ball and we still finish ahead of Atlanta, that would be some consolation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fallen Apple Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 If this team finishes .500 they have accomplished alot. Wild Card! I think everyone is getting carried away. :banghead :banghead :banghead What is so wrong about with some people actually wanting the Marlins to acomplish something amazing you ever heard of dont settle for less than the best listen you dont have to chear them on if they continue to play this good but I know I will I want our team to be somewhere in October Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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