Stanley J Makowski

I'm not disappointed. Yes, he read all of the commercials well which seemed to be his primary job. Hecould often go off topic and be carrying on about something when there was meaningful action on the field. I have no idea if he has any responsibility for the preponderance of those inane player interviews during play. They almost never have any meaningful content and are a distraction in my opinion. Is Rich Waltz available? I'd rather have him then any mid-level free agent. Off topic, but look at DNC's record with Pittsburgh and compare that with the type of player this team could get with our esteemed owner's plentiful spending history. And he was moved for good reason. I expressed my opinion recently in the comments section about how the team will fare in Home Depot Park if you want to see the ravings of an angry old man.

This is a good time to add this old fool's thoughts to the above theme. I must commence by differing with nearly everything that is presented. Let's start with a few facts as I see them: 1) The park is huge which is detrimental to power in general. 2) As stated above, power hitters are more expensive, and this runs contrary to our owner's very being. 3) Also as mentioned above, the park is conducive to seeing increased base hits from singles to triples. 4) Speed here is a definite essential on both offense and defense. 5) If defensive positioning was lacking during this past year, that reflects poorly on the coaching staff. 6) One could make a reasonable argument that several players were playing defensive positions for which they are ill suited. Again, we must look to the coaching staff as well as the manager. Considering all of the above, can added power have a positive effect? Rather this protagonist would advocate a nearly opposite approach: 1) First and foremost, a competent hitting coach is critical. These uppercut swings must be better controlled. The terrible toll that results from "taking" called third strikes must be addressed. The almost universal inability to be able to bunt at all should be addressed next Spring. Many Marlin players can hit adequately with no one on base, but their performance in "scoring" situations is dismal. 2) My goal would be to seek players with good to excellent OBP. 3) There is speed on this team already, but it was generally underutilized. 4) An abundance of speed can disrupt the opposing players and sometimes visibly knock them off of their own game. Would all of my ideas lead to a better winning percentage? Yes, and for one very pertinent reason. THIS TEAM WILL HAVE EXCELLENT PITCHING NEXT YEAR. It would be hoped, and should be expected, that it will take fewer runs to win a game. After all of the above, I damn sure better have some proposals for consideration: 1) Put Edwards where he belongs at 2B. 2 Leave Fortes alone. He is a fine defensive catcher who has an excellent record of putting his bat on the ball. If he can already do that, then we come back to a competent hitting coach. He showed marked improvement during the season's second half, so build on it. Remember how critical the pitching will be, let's not muck that up with some new guy who knows nothing about them. 3) Bride seems to be an asset to the team. However, he hits more like a 3rd baseman than a 1st baseman. So put him there and get Norby far away from that bag where he certainly doesn't belong. 4) Norby has shown enough potential to be a right-hand platoon outfielder. Put him in LF along with either Conine or a player picked up in trade and let him run! But by all means, dump Stowers. 5) I read nothing of substance about little Sanoja, but to my way of thinking, he can be a critical piece to the overall puzzle. The guy has hit (a la our ballpark) wherever he has played, and he can run, run, and run some more. But where to place him? Could he play SS on a ML level, or CF for that matter. Either would make a critical difference. 6) And now for Otto Lopez. Could he play the short field? If not, out he goes to RF to platoon with Sanchez. The shortstop situation is still probably unresolved under my ideas, so this might be the place for a trade. Nonetheless, I think this would be a winning team, even in our division, and with our damn owner spending very much money, which let's face it, he won't do anyway.

And there we have the problem, sticking out like a sore thumb.

What has transpired in the past few weeks is that 3 different respected long term baseball men have turned down the opportunity to work for a ballclub owned by our esteemed owner. There is a great deal of significance regarding this in both the short and long term. Does this situation also apply to potential free agent signings? Will other teams take advantage of this situation in future dealing with our GM who was specifically hired to follow this owner's biddings? Will the eventual manager who is chosen be of a second-rate nature? Of the most important consideration in this situation is the possibility, remote as it may seem, that these circumstances force this bastard to sell the team?

There is a fundamental problem and it is obvious. I am 88 years old and the distance between the mound and home plate of 60'6" was established 50 years BEFORE I WAS BORN! How tall was the average ML pitcher back in 1886? Perhaps 6 feet on a guess. And how much taller are they now? Maybe about 6' 4" on another guess. That 3-4 inch gap is produced by a much more highly trained athlete who receives superior nourishment, vitamins, and the like. Then how much faster does he throw the ball? And what has that done to the reaction time for the hitter? What we have now are somewhat faster pitches (on average) going a fractionally shorter distance. As a result, bats of necessity have become much lighter and less bulky. No one need mention strikeouts and their proliferation. This has led to fewer balls in play, less action on the field, and batters almost none of whom can do any better than flail away. The game has largely lost the hit and run and any other form of situational hitting. There is now a love affair with power and the HR. A feat which actually stops action and leads to a ridiculous ceremonial trot of dubious merit. Lowering the mound some years ago proved extremely beneficial for the good of the game. Now simply moving the pitching rubber back 4-5 inches, though far less profound and immediate, should at least help a hopeless situation. One thought on the pitcher's injuries. They can't get any worse and that ball is in some way moving during its final flight.

Agreed! Have a "strange" feeling about Meyer and the way that he was handled this year. The Marlins are covering something up. Did he have a drug addiction, or "enhancement drugs" affliction? Haven't posted for a while but liked each and every trade. Love this kid Edwards. Much more valuable player than Arraez by the look of things. Think I read somewhere that if plays in nearly all of remaining games, would be eligible for batting title. This old man hopes so.

We traded a fine player in Arraez. Edwards is giving every indication that he is a better one. Not only has his hitting been fine in all areas during his development, but he is also a fine defensive player, and can and has shown that he can run like the wind! Right now, he has the best OBP of anyone in the ML when considering his number of ABs. I have no trouble with Bendix' trades to date and would love to hear other opinions. We can already say, "Wait till next year". Our pitching should be a revelation. I hope Bell goes to a contender. I still want to repeat my long-held opinion that the pitching rubber must be moved back 3-5 inches. The 60 ft 6 inch criteria was established in 1886. How tall was the average pitcher then? How long was his stride? How long was his arm for that matter. Wouldn't most of you agree that the current distance in more like 55 feet or so and it leads to too many wiffs, and therefore inaction. Fix it over time if necessary so that adjustments by the pitchers themselves can be made.

So much to say and so little enthusiasm to even make the attempt. My youth was spent rooting for the old Brooklyn Dodgers, followed then by the NY Mets. Now as my waning years decline, the Marlins have been my team of choice. So, I have experienced exultation as well as despondency following this wonderful game. But now, as my waning years decline, the Marlins have been my team of choice. Do I have opinions? Oh yes! But today I would like to present just one, as unpopular decisions seem to be the theme of choice. I do not think that the Marlins need an upgrade at catcher. Heresy? Perhaps. In this ancient's opinion, pitching is the primary route to happiness. The Marlins have a preponderance of good, and relatively young pitchers, although some of significance are unavailable until next year. But then, Bendix can have his fill of trading for batting help and from a position of strength rather than haplessness. And whom do these youngish pitchers prefer to have at their receiving end? Yup. Fortes. He is great from a defensive standpoint, is close to their generation, can relate to nearly all. And then we come to the fine art of hitting. No, he will never be an assent here, but the guy has a good level swing. His primary weakness is pitch selection. Can this skill be taught? I can remember Branch Ricky making Duke Snider and I believe Gil Hodges stand in the batter's box during Spring Training solely to call the pitches presented, they were not there to swing at all. It seemed to work pretty well in their regard, Pitching is this team's forte, and Fortes is, in my opinion, a large plus in that factor. Keep the guy, Consider what's out there. Some behemoth who can hit 15 HRs and bat a "solid" .240 would be no improvement and probably a detriment. Now you can all tell me how full of a certain effluent that I am.

Of course he isn't upset. Their present journey into ineptitude is a perfect excuse for moving along his road to miserly rebuilding.

A move that makes sense. Good! Staff, why aren't we seeing games so often. Is the problem within our ownership? Almost no positive publicity all Winter and now this. It's starting to be obvious that Aarez will not be offered a long-term contract and probably ditto for Luzardo. Was Bendix hired to save money and build a nucleus, or just to save money? We can hope and expect the former, but an awful lot is starting to suggest the latter. Another point of contention for me is the advertising. To interrupt the course of an inning with commercials while batters are actually at bat is my opinion of heresy, even if the appellation doesn't fit. How can children become interested in a baseball game while at least half of it has nothing to do with the game itself. Lastly, I have nothing against the multitudes of players from other countries, many who left abject poverty, but it does pose the appearance that baseball is no longer an American pastime. And now the possibility of two additional teams? In my youth I could recite who won the pennant every year from 1903 until expansion. Now some guy wins a batting title, or an MVP and I never heard him. And even at my age, I am still an avid fan. But the next commissioner will certainly have his work cut out for him in my opinion.

Completely agree, Chad, especially about Jeter. A disaster during his stay. Tried to make himself look good with immediate gains that simply didn't work out. Ng would have worked out in my opinion, as will this new regime. I do find fault in their lack of producing any positive news for the fan base for month upon month this off season. Rather than seek another Soler clone, I would like to see Edwards at 2B, Arraez at 1B and Bell at DH. Then emphasize speed with much running to make up for the power deficit. I'll take my chances with this pitching staff for this is a team that wins with pitching rather than "power". As for Bleday, I got the impression that he thought that his sh.t didn't stink.

There was an article featuring the 15 best pitchers as of now. THREE OF THEM WERE EX MARINS and that didn't include Evaldi either. Sanchex has tremendous upside. They simply must keep him...but they probably won't. Rather we will see one or two awful months of Garcia. The shame of it!

NO!!!!