PBFishFan Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Let me start off by saying that I?m a native Floridian, born and raised in West Palm Beach, and this is my first post. I?m in college right now in Southern California, so the pride I feel for my home state has grown exponentially since I arrived here. I?ve realized after reading many of the posts on this site and ?expert analyses? from MLB.com that everyone continues to doubt the potential greatness of the Florida Marlins. I?ve been a defeatist and a realist my entire life, but one of the very few things I?ve always believed in are the Marlins. You?re reading a post written by a guy who cried as a kid when his beloved team lost a close night game to the Rockies. It wasn?t a playoff game or critical in any way to the outcome of their season, but for some reason, it crushed me as I trudged off to bed. I?m the same guy who hit a fellow classmate in the second grade for touting the heroics of John Kruk after a loss to the Phillies. I?ve stood by my team, as many of you have, every single year. Even when Pat Rapp was wearing the teal and black, I watched the screen with an unusual amount of hope and anticipation. No other fans of baseball have experienced the unique heartache we?ve had to deal with after a fire-sale. The Cubs may have to accept the fact that their curse is just too powerful and unrelenting to allow them another championship season, but we?ve had to say goodbye to some pretty amazing people along the way. When I look at the team this year, I see the beginning of something that can be described as nothing less than magic. The rookies no one believed in proved everyone wrong last season, and will only become greater because of it. Our new manager, about whom I remain uncharacteristically skeptical, comes from one of the most revered teams in the league. Our ace pitcher has, for the first time in his career, multiple reasons to improve his game and make every reporter eat crow. Miguel Cabrera, arguably the most talented player in Marlins history, is finally earning what he deserves and would like nothing more than to remain in the Sunshine State for the remainder of his career. On top of all that, Florida legislature is finally getting its act together and making progress in an exciting new stadium deal. With all this going on, why do I read posts with quotes like, ?Let?s be realistic...? and ?...finish 4th in their division?? I?m a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy, but I draw the line at my baseball team. Maybe there are so many doubters and attendance is so low because our state is chock-full of snowbirds, a group of people who have earned my utter distaste since I was old enough to form a thought. I dream of a world when I don?t see a New York license plate attached to the car in front of me, framed in Yankees insignia. Florida, like California, attracts so many outsiders escaping their own horrible states that the local teams don?t get the attention they deserve. Go to a Duffy?s on a Saturday afternoon and count the number of out of state jerseys. If native Floridians don?t get more involved with our beloved Marlins, no one will. This year, I?m transferring out of California and coming back to South Florida, either as an Owl or a Golden Panther. I?ll be attending every game I can and cheering for the team, albeit a completely different one, that has given me so much happiness nearly my entire life. I ask all of you, my humidity-loathing, hurricane-weary compatriots, to summon the unbridled love you felt for the game of baseball as a kid. Treat every game like that night game against the Rockies. Go Fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSwift25 Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 everyone loves the fish, everyone gets excited, but if there's one thing i've learned, truly investing emotionally with the Loria led club (especially lately) just gives you an ulcer. There is not a single person here who doesn't think the future (if the proper steps are taken) is bright. It's just we disagree about what the steps are/if they will be taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBFishFan Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 If you want to read the post and get something out of it, then by all means, do so. But please, save the negative comments I've come to despise so much and keep them to yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltimateCabrera24 Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 LOL. From this point forward I'm going to ask that everyone who reads my posts sends me a chocolate chip cookie. We're about equally as likely to get what we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierremvp1 Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 It's good that you're optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBFishFan Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 Anyone belong to this site who isn't from the nation's cesspit known as New York? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish :thumbup No joke. If the Marlins total is 78 this year I'm goin big on the under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammerhead Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 If you want to read the post and get something out of it, then by all means, do so. But please, save the negative comments I've come to despise so much and keep them to yourself. Have you ever heard of constructive criticism? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSwift25 Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish :thumbup No joke. If the Marlins total is 78 this year I'm goin big on the under. We're at 78 1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beinfest4Prez Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Awesome to see another Fish fan on here. Keep up with us! Its a fun ride throughout the season with the waves of hope and hopelessness alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Anyone belong to this site who isn't from the nation's cesspit known as New York? lol... right away he attacks the webmaster kid's got moxy! considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish :thumbup No joke. If the Marlins total is 78 this year I'm goin big on the under. We're at 78 1/2 I see 77.5 on some sites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy42Jack0 Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 i dont think 80 wins is a stretch at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Anyone belong to this site who isn't from the nation's cesspit known as New York? lol... right away he attacks the webmaster kid's got moxy! considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish :thumbup No joke. If the Marlins total is 78 this year I'm goin big on the under. We're at 78 1/2 I see 77.5 on some sites 77.5 is a GREAT number. They will get a lot of action both ways with that number. I had honestly not looked at any futures numbers when I said in the prediction thread that they would win 78 games. :cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorod Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 if we had a CFer who could play as well as you could write...then ya "it could happen" -JP Angels in the Outfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Ball Bunt Machine Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish Do the Mets even have a rotation at this point? And the Phillies - remember that before Ryan Howard suddenly exploded to become the MVP, they were seen as a team in free-fall engaging in a minor fire-sale themselves. And while they definately improved from there, I can't imagine that anyone expecting sophmore slumps from our entire team expects Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will be repeating their 06 performances as well. And are the Braves really perceived as being that strong at this point? While Andruw Jones is certainly going to be stepping it up again to ensure a good contract, what else is going to make them any better this season? Plus, I don't think we'll be spending the first 2 months of the season padding the rest of the division teams' records like we did last season. We should have easily the best rotation in the division, the single best all around hitter, the RotY leading off along with an exceptional 2nd best offensive 2nd Baseman in the division. If a few other things within reason come together (healthy and productive Lefty bats and our bullpen) there's no reason not to be optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 considering how stacked this division is, I wouldnt be that surprised with a fourth place finish Do the Mets even have a rotation at this point? And the Phillies - remember that before Ryan Howard suddenly exploded to become the MVP, they were seen as a team in free-fall engaging in a minor fire-sale themselves. And while they definately improved from there, I can't imagine that anyone expecting sophmore slumps from our entire team expects Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will be repeating their 06 performances as well. And are the Braves really perceived as being that strong at this point? While Andruw Jones is certainly going to be stepping it up again to ensure a good contract, what else is going to make them any better this season? Plus, I don't think we'll be spending the first 2 months of the season padding the rest of the division teams' records like we did last season. We should have easily the best rotation in the division, the single best all around hitter, the RotY leading off along with an exceptional 2nd best offensive 2nd Baseman in the division. If a few other things within reason come together (healthy and productive Lefty bats and our bullpen) there's no reason not to be optimistic. that bullpen is going to be fantastic and I see no reason to believe that Utley and Howard won't continue their assault on every pitcher While the Mets rotation isn't first rate, they still have some guys who can pitch out there, not to mention that offense will hide many of their flaws I dont expect a 4th place finish, but it wouldnt surprise me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Ball Bunt Machine Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 that bullpen is going to be fantastic and I see no reason to believe that Utley and Howard won't continue their assault on every pitcher While the Mets rotation isn't first rate, they still have some guys who can pitch out there, not to mention that offense will hide many of their flaws I dont expect a 4th place finish, but it wouldnt surprise me Which bullpen? Utley and Howard will slip for the same reason everyone expects Sanchez's ERA to go up a run - it's just really hard to maintain that kind of production. Even in CBP, it's going to be difficult to simply hit 60 HRs year in and year out. Besides, he's a year overdue for the sophmore slump people expect for everyone else, and there will be more focus on beating him by other teams. Now whether that means that he gets walked and beaned on a regular basis or that everyone prepares their bullpen LHPs for him and no on else, I simply don't believe he will be hitting over 50 HRs with an OPS over 1000. And really, who is healthy for the Mets' rotation besides Glavine? And while I realize how good their offense is, I also think back to the playoffs, and for as much negative as was said about the Mets' pitching staff, I think it was completely their offense that let them down vs the Cardinals. I think they are perceived as more domininant offensively than they are, and I think our pitching (with the exception of Nolasco) matches up well against the Mets' lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 that bullpen is going to be fantastic and I see no reason to believe that Utley and Howard won't continue their assault on every pitcher While the Mets rotation isn't first rate, they still have some guys who can pitch out there, not to mention that offense will hide many of their flaws I dont expect a 4th place finish, but it wouldnt surprise me Which bullpen? Utley and Howard will slip for the same reason everyone expects Sanchez's ERA to go up a run - it's just really hard to maintain that kind of production. Even in CBP, it's going to be difficult to simply hit 60 HRs year in and year out. Besides, he's a year overdue for the sophmore slump people expect for everyone else, and there will be more focus on beating him by other teams. Now whether that means that he gets walked and beaned on a regular basis or that everyone prepares their bullpen LHPs for him and no on else, I simply don't believe he will be hitting over 50 HRs with an OPS over 1000. And really, who is healthy for the Mets' rotation besides Glavine? And while I realize how good their offense is, I also think back to the playoffs, and for as much negative as was said about the Mets' pitching staff, I think it was completely their offense that let them down vs the Cardinals. I think they are perceived as more domininant offensively than they are, and I think our pitching (with the exception of Nolasco) matches up well against the Mets' lineup. Sorry, meant Atlanta's. Ryan Howard will not slip. It wasn't like he just started hitting homeruns last year. He has been doing this at every single level since being drafted. It's your opinion, and by all means think what you want, but he will have another season of an OPS above 1.000. Maybe his slugging falls a bit, but his OBP will go up. And for what it's worth, Utley's numbers actually went down from 2005 last year. So maybe he bounces back. As for the Mets, I haven't followed much of their ST but is Glavine really the only healthy pitcher? How about Jon Maine or El Duque or Pedro? They have Pelfrey and Oliver Perez too. Yea, yea I know Perez has sucked but he turned a corner late in 2006. Again, I don't expect us to be 4th, but ending up there wouldn't be a shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroncoBob27 Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Anyone belong to this site who isn't from the nation's cesspit known as New York? lol... right away he attacks the webmaster kid's got moxy! LOL I wouldn't have gone quite that far. But I wouldn't deny also having a bit of a bias on NYers because of attitudes and such that they display while visiting mommy and daddy's money here in our great state. Especially if what you consider NYers as those from the NYC area. Being from the Oswego County area (the county that got all that lake effect snow a couple weeks back) I can say that even up state NYers don't care much for those from the Big Apple. Fortunetly for me I left that area long ago and have lived in Florida and PBC since before many here were even born. Guess I just showed my age. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanfish Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 PBFishfan: I like your enthusiasm. I can tell you are a true Marlins fan. You are an excellent example of precisely what the Marlins need. Kids that have grown up watching Marlins games and have been bitten by the "baseball bug". As the years roll by, more and more young fans like you will be shaping the fan base that we so desperately need here to make this franchise viable in the long run. I welcome you to our forum. But please allow me to offer a bit of advice. The relative anonymity we have when posting sometimes leads us to express ourselves in a way that may be considered rude or less sensitive to others. If you keep this in mind when posting, I guarantee you will enjoy your experience here much, much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSwift25 Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 that bullpen is going to be fantastic and I see no reason to believe that Utley and Howard won't continue their assault on every pitcher While the Mets rotation isn't first rate, they still have some guys who can pitch out there, not to mention that offense will hide many of their flaws I dont expect a 4th place finish, but it wouldnt surprise me Which bullpen? Utley and Howard will slip for the same reason everyone expects Sanchez's ERA to go up a run - it's just really hard to maintain that kind of production. Even in CBP, it's going to be difficult to simply hit 60 HRs year in and year out. Besides, he's a year overdue for the sophmore slump people expect for everyone else, and there will be more focus on beating him by other teams. Now whether that means that he gets walked and beaned on a regular basis or that everyone prepares their bullpen LHPs for him and no on else, I simply don't believe he will be hitting over 50 HRs with an OPS over 1000. And really, who is healthy for the Mets' rotation besides Glavine? And while I realize how good their offense is, I also think back to the playoffs, and for as much negative as was said about the Mets' pitching staff, I think it was completely their offense that let them down vs the Cardinals. I think they are perceived as more domininant offensively than they are, and I think our pitching (with the exception of Nolasco) matches up well against the Mets' lineup. Sorry, meant Atlanta's. Ryan Howard will not slip. It wasn't like he just started hitting homeruns last year. He has been doing this at every single level since being drafted. It's your opinion, and by all means think what you want, but he will have another season of an OPS above 1.000. Maybe his slugging falls a bit, but his OBP will go up. And for what it's worth, Utley's numbers actually went down from 2005 last year. So maybe he bounces back. As for the Mets, I haven't followed much of their ST but is Glavine really the only healthy pitcher? How about Jon Maine or El Duque or Pedro? They have Pelfrey and Oliver Perez too. Yea, yea I know Perez has sucked but he turned a corner late in 2006. Again, I don't expect us to be 4th, but ending up there wouldn't be a shock. I happen to agree, people forget we finished 4th last year, and while none of the teams ahead of us improved, none can be said to have substantially declined. The Mets moved laterally, the Phillies slightly improved and the Braves made some unbelievable additions to the 'pen while we just let players leave who (for better or worse) played critical roles in our success last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHUfishfan Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 LOL. From this point forward I'm going to ask that everyone who reads my posts sends me a chocolate chip cookie. We're about equally as likely to get what we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Texan Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I dont think we finish fourth. Possible but I dont think it happens. The only thing that looks to be known in the NL East is that the Nationals seem to be destined for the cellar. Every other team has flaws, though I think right now, the Phillies have to be considered the front runners, as they have the fewest holes. The team that is scariest is the Mets. They could either be really good or really mediocore. That rotation scares the beejesus out of me. They have Glavine, El Duque (when his 60 year old body allows it), Maine, Pelfrey, Oliver Perez...just questions all around. The Braves staff is just as questionable after Smoltz who himself is getting old. That and their whole right side of the infield is new. We dont have a center fielder and you hope that there are no sophomore slumps all over the place for our kids, oh ya and no telling how our bully stacks up. The Phillies seem to have the most questionable bully, well after ours. Right now, Phillies Mets Marlins Braves But I would put 2 thru 4 at a pick em or near pick em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.