http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/conten...13b05e000b.html

NEW ORLEANS -- Before they got Pudge, the Marlins went after the Rocket.

 

Roger Clemens, who is considering cutting short his retirement to pitch in Houston, briefly considered an offer last December to take owner Jeffrey Loria's "special money" and pitch for the Marlins in 2003.

 

"A year ago in Nashville, Tenn., pretty much all I said was Roger wants to stay with the Yankees," Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, told reporters Saturday.

 

"But what really wasn't widely reported was the Florida Marlins offered $13 million for one year for Roger to come to Florida to teach the team how to win and to teach their young pitchers how to succeed, which was a pretty interesting offer that we declined politely. He was focused on the Yankees and the American League, and that's the only place he wanted to play. We noticed they signed Pudge, who worked out great for them."

 

Pudge Rodriguez signed a one-year deal for $10 million and was named the MVP of the National League playoffs before the Marlins defeated Clemens' Yankees in the World Series.

 

Clemens ended up at Pro Player Stadium, anyway, starting Game 4 of the World Series against the Marlins in what was thought to be the final game of his career.

 

Hendricks remembers the camera flashes as Clemens struck out Luis Castillo before leaving the game.

 

"That was one of my greatest moments in life," Hendricks said, "to see that game with Roger coming out of the dugout, to see the game stopped, a very competitive game in the World Series and see the Florida Marlins and everyone from Mike Lowell to everyone in the bullpen salute Roger and see the tears in Roger's eyes and realize it just doesn't get any better than this."

 

On the hunt: Einard Diaz could follow Rodriguez as the latest Rangers catcher to play for the Marlins. The Marlins have added Diaz to the list of possible replacements for Rodriguez, who played for the Marlins in 2003 after 11 seasons with the Rangers. Diaz, who turns 31 on Dec. 28, hit.257 with four homers and 35 RBI in 101 games.

 

The Marlins are prepared to start the season with Ramon Castro and Mike Redmond but are open to acquiring a new catcher.

 

The Marlins have spoken to the agent for Javy Lopez, but might not be able to afford him. Lopez is said to be seeking a three- to four-year deal worth at least $7 million a year.

 

Texas has asked about right-hander Brad Penny and left-hander Mark Redman, who won 14 games for Florida while making $2.15 million. The Marlins would like to move Redman, who could double that salary through arbitration.

 

The Marlins offered Redman to the Tigers, his former team, but Detroit declined.

 

Messy departure: Loria was talking to agent Jeff Moorad about the Marlins' World Series victory on Saturday when the conversation turned to Rodriguez, the 10-time All-Star who parted ways with Florida a week ago over a contract stalemate.

 

"I'm sorry we couldn't work out a deal," the Marlins owner said to Moorad, who represented Rodriguez until the catcher replaced him last spring with Scott Boras.

 

"We would have worked out a deal," Moorad said with a smile.

 

Rodriguez's departure from the Marlins ended last Sunday with a nasty shouting match over the telephone between Boras and team president David Samson. According to a source with knowledge of the conversation, Marlins General Manager Admin Beinfest had to intervene after a flurry of expletives.

 

Pudge to Cubs? Former Marlins third base coach Ozzie Guillen said he thinks Rodriguez would prefer to play for the Cubs. Guillen said one of his sons and Rodriguez's son play on the same baseball team at St. Joseph school in Miami Beach, and the kids talk about the possibility they'd all be together in Chicago this summer.

 

The Cubs, who plan to open the season with Damian Miller and Paul Bako, might not be able to afford Rodriguez and the four-year deal he is seeking.

 

Would Rodriguez be willing to accept a two-year contract, not four?

 

"Yeah, I think so," Guillen said. "He's looking to go there. He wants to go there. He knows they have a good team."

 

I find the Samson-Beinfest-Pudge thing very funny.

 

 

BTW, here's last year's scouting report from STATS/ESPN on Diaz:

2002 Season

Just when Einar Diaz seemed to be emerging as a catcher, he had the worst season of his career. He was battered in two home-plate collisions, breaking a rib April 20 and hyperextending his right elbow August 22. The second injury mercifully ended his season. The Indians believe he was hurt worse than he admitted when he broke the rib, and that it affected his game for the rest of the season.

 

 

Hitting

Diaz is a contact hitter who has turned pull-crazy the last two years. When the Indians had an All-Star lineup, pitchers would challenge him at the bottom of the order with fastballs, trying not to walk him. The Indians' lineup doesn't scare people as much now and pitchers are working Diaz harder. They're throwing him breaking balls and changeups instead of fastballs. He's not patient and dives into pitches, which robs him of power and results in weak grounders and flyballs. He grounded into 13 double plays last season.

 

 

Baserunning & Defense

Diaz' defense went the way of his offense in 2002. He made eight errors and was charged with eight passed balls. When his season ended in August, he had the second-worst fielding percentage of any regular catcher in the American League. He had problems blocking pitches in the dirt, reaching for them instead of moving his body in front of them. Diaz has a good arm, but his success rate throwing out runners fell from 35 percent to 27 percent between 2001 and last year. He stole 11 bases in 1999, but has just five since then.

 

 

2003 Outlook

The Indians believe Diaz' poor performance last season was due mostly to injury. So did the Texas Rangers, who acquired him in a four-player trade in early December to replace Pudge Rodriguez as their No. 1 catcher. The Rangers monitored Diaz' rehab in the Arizona Fall League, and are confident in his return to full speed. He still needs to find a safer way to block the plate and use the whole field when he hits, and the Rangers know that they aren't getting a star backstop. But it will be interesting to see what he can do over the course of a full season if he remains injury-free.

diaz sucks... worse than redmond

Yeah, Diaz is a waste of time in my opinion if we have Red and Castro. He wouldnt be an upgrade - neither in money or in production.

 

The Samson Boras thing is awesome. I hope Samson laid into that fat bi$%ch. Oh, and he laid into Bora$$ too. Screw Fudge. It was good to see Moorad say that we would have worked out a deal...

beinfest had to restrain samson lol

beinfest had to restrain samson lol

A Chuaua could restrain Samson.

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

Reminds me of a 5-year-old arguing with his mommy.

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

Yes. And frankly, I am glad. You guys keep picking on him, stop it. The guy has passion for this team AND is the team president. You would figure that would go appreciated, but you guys are too snobby. And you dont even have any reason to be...

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

Reminds me of a 5-year-old arguing with his mommy. You got no place calling another man a 5 year old. After all, you act like one, Captain Obvious. Now, get out of your high chair and change your diapers...

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

That's incredibly believable to me. I've met Samson before, and he's a real a**hole, but I have so much more respect for him now :thumbup

damn people i was only playing around for Gods sake. Sampson seems like a cool guy that loves the sport and the team. i made a little joke, that doesnt mean i actually think Sampson is incapable of being a tough negotiator and running a baseball team right because obviously judging from the moves the team has made he is very capable so your calm your a** down

*takes 02pac serious*

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

Reminds me of a 5-year-old arguing with his mommy. You got no place calling another man a 5 year old. After all, you act like one, Captain Obvious. Now, get out of your high chair and change your diapers... I was making a joke about his physical attributes.

 

Don't get your panties in a bunch.

Whats funny about all this is now Pudge will make at most what we offered and probably less. Sad.

aaarrrggg.. I'll pass on Einar Diaz. He isnt an upgrade on any of the other 2 catchers we have.

 

Yeah I cant imagine Samson cursing at Pudge through the telephone. Must have been funny. I hope he got some good words in.

Um...it said it was a Borass/Samson fight...not a Pudge/Samson fight. Will you guys ever read and pay attention?

 

Rodriguez's departure from the Marlins ended last Sunday with a nasty shouting match over the telephone between Boras and team president David Samson.

aaarrrggg.. I'll pass on Einar Diaz. He isnt an upgrade on any of the other 2 catchers we have.

 

Yeah I cant imagine Samson cursing at Pudge through the telephone. Must have been funny. I hope he got some good words in.

 

Samson's problem wasn't with Pudge, it was with Boras

 

"Rodriguez's departure from the Marlins ended last Sunday with a nasty shouting match over the telephone between Boras and team president David Samson. According to a source with knowledge of the conversation, Marlins General Manager Admin Beinfest had to intervene after a flurry of expletives."

can anyone serioulsy imagine Sampson screaming angrily into the phone?

Reminds me of a 5-year-old arguing with his mommy. You got no place calling another man a 5 year old. After all, you act like one, Captain Obvious. Now, get out of your high chair and change your diapers... I was making a joke about his physical attributes.

 

Don't get your panties in a bunch. Good comeback, Captain Obvious aka Sweet N Low.

 

I would make a comment about your mom's panties, but I probably wouldnt want to with the skid marks and all...oh, was that inappropriate or immature? I was only joking!!!

 

Softies...

I find it interesting that Moorad said he would've worked out a deal with the Marlins for Pudge if he were still his agent. What could've been.....

Do you think this hurts the chances of a player coming to the marlins with Boras being their agent, because he owns just about everybody.

He doesn't own Vlad...

Mike Williams, Alfonseca, and now Diaz. I am starting to question Beinfest's ability to evaluate talent

Mike Williams, Alfonseca, and now Diaz. I am starting to question Beinfest's ability to evaluate talent

Have you ever thought that these things were just some of the random fodder that always appears out of these things?

Mike Williams, Alfonseca, and now Diaz. I am starting to question Beinfest's ability to evaluate talent

and I am starting to question your IQ being over 10

Mike Williams, Alfonseca, and now Diaz. I am starting to question Beinfest's ability to evaluate talent

and I am starting to question your IQ being over 10 Actually I was 10 points below Genius level.