THOMAS JOSEPH

Well, that's a good point. I bet he wanted to be proactive. Can't blame him. Maybe he'll pull a Fedde.

Perhaps, that is why MLB has a cursory production. One camera angle, no player profiles, no stat graphics, etc. It's bare bones, which is odd to me. I realize some of the league coincides with the playoffs, however, anyone watching is probably a deep baseball fan who would appreciate an effort to promote these supposedly up-and-comers. Cheers.

It's fascinating that two AL teams will play the entire 2025 season in minor league parks. Kinda cool, to be honest, since the intimacy is quite a draw, I would think, along with creating immediately higher ticket prices. Supply and demand are always manifest. I saw Brodie Brazil's podcasts about the wild Sacramento ticket prices, reflecting the city's fan interest combined with limited seating. The Rays' off-field decisions, which are bound by and in conjunction with the governmental authorities, would also be unique, except the A's are in a similar boat. Could the 2025 Tampa-side experience be the impetus for a change in the location of the new Rays stadium away from St. Petersburg after all? Lastly, I reiterate that letting Oller leave seems misguided. He was adequate, ate innings, and was inexpensive - juxtaposed upon the team's starting staff questions. Oh, well.

I appreciate the hard work, keeping me and other Marlins fans updated. I watched quite a bit of the AFL on MLB. You mentioned on the last FOF podcast that the Javelinas were an outlier of ineptness, Many of their losses were lopsided. Still, there were some bright spots. Alderman's situation seems odd, that he would not (perhaps could not) rearrange his wedding/honeymoon until the league ended. Without reading too much into it, his assignment and the other designees lend credence to the AFL's seemingly diminished status, at least for the Marlins.

Well done.

As a child, I loved the Cowardly Lion's "If I Were King" number in The Wizard of Oz. It wasn't only Bert Lahr's iconic emoting, but the idea of being so wonderfully and totally in charge, setting things right with the wave of a regal hand. Of course, such ruminations are fanciful. Not. I want to pontificate on the changes I would implement as Commissioner of Baseball. Moreover, since this is my fantasy article, there are no MLBPA, CBA, umpires' union, owner, or legal obstacles to my will. Boom. Here are my ten edicts as King Commissioner - to be promulgated immediately: 1) No jewelry of any kind is allowed on the field. That means no earrings, chains, baubles, bling, whatever. A single ring may be worn - wedding or otherwise. Somehow (somehow!) players must find a way to work for a few hours without this accouterment. Oh, the horror! 2) Only clothing and devices that align with official team colors may be worn on the field. Yeah, cleats/shoes, headbands, pads, "oven mitts," everything except gloves, which may be brown or black, regardless of official team colors. 3) Hair may not obstruct the player or coach's name on the back of uniforms. Figure it out or cut it. 4) All advertising is hereby banned from uniforms, helmets, devices, etc., and monies obtained for said advertising must be refunded (pro-rata). Soccer sucks and I don't want our uniforms to look like an airline playing a crypto dealer. 5) Any person assigned a uniform number must wear the team uniform jersey with that number during games, matching the players on the field. If desired, a team-approved jacket may be worn over the uniform jersey. No hoodies, t-shirts, or other gear may be worn during a game/in the dugout by any personnel with an assigned number. 6) Standard sanitary hose with stirrups must be worn by all personnel with an assigned uniform number. Socks must be between 12" and 18" from the shoe tops with a minimum of 3" of top stirrup color showing. Uniform pants must extend to the top of the socks. Too much? Aww. 7) StatCast ABS systems currently installed in stadiums will replace the ball and strike calls, effective immediately. Home plate umpires receive the strike notification signal and pass it on to the field of play. There are no challenges to the system. 8) The Designated Hitter rule is hereby suspended, and traditional rules are reinstated immediately. Pitchers will hit or be pinch-hit for. Sorry, old guys. 9) Head-first slides are banned, effective immediately. 10) Any team playing the Dodgers starts the game with two additional runs, applied in the first inning - just because I said so. Other teams may be added at the Commissioner's discretion. It's kinda like polo. Innovation, innovation! 11) I know I said ten, but I want another. The CBT is hereby tripled, effective immediately, with no "grandfathering." Aww, sorry, you big spenders, you. If you disagree, write your own blog article! LOL. So let it be written, so let it be done. (Sorry. Wrong movie.)

I might have been dreaming, but I thought Eugenio Sáurez played in the tournament. Fun to watch.

One would think that that the "hopeless situation" blather, so often proven wrong, might eventually diminish as people get smarter. We do get smarter, right? It must be human nature or recency bias. As for me, I like the new power triumvirate in Miami. Let's see what these guys build. It would be so much fun and so satisfying to watch them achieve success. Doesn't the pendulum always swing back? I'll check out Bluesky - never heard of it, but then again, I'm old. LOL. I actually remember Jeremy Powell and his one season with the Expos, wearing Warren Cromartie's #49. Of course, I've seen him with the Shrimp. Jeremy recalls the Expos' other Powell - outfielder Alonzo - although both didn't stick long. Thanks for the podcast link.

Well done - a ton of information to keep us updated! Cheers.

McCollough will do just fine. Low stress and lots of upside - a couple of factors that help in any new job environment.

I agree and that's reasonable within the relative context of the 30-team lure. It isn't that there were only three guys. There are hundreds who could legitimately be the manager. Hell, I'd like a former Expo, like Tim Wallach or Larry Parrish, just because! Hundreds. But, like any search, the group is winnowed down and then it plays out. They say the same things all the time - who would want that job, etc. Many were surprised with Venable, the crowned heir-apparent in Arlington. Also, frankly, I'm a hundred percent believer that loyalty and unanimity of purpose (with the FO strategy) is way more important than anything else, especially in this (analytics) era.

I hear you and those are legitimate musings. My thought is that Sherman will not (actually, cannot) sell the team because it has not appreciated. Has it lost value? Who knows. But what is absolutely true is a significant comeback under the Bendix plan will lift the team value/ROI. I suspect the CBA/CBT changes and TV issues will be hugely impactful, as well. Many see the antagonism coming to a head (the Pohlad heirs, Reinsdorf, the Lerners, and possibly even Moreno is Anaheim) and want to cash in now. Until all these things, 2027 at the earliest, it isn't likely Sherman could even sell if he wanted to, IMO.

Oh, yes. I think that is the approach our fans should take. We can't simply recharge like many teams do, year in and year out. At least not now while the developmental side is subpar. I agree with Samson that low-revenue teams are all about hitting the opportunity window. That takes talent up and down the organization, and a commitment to the strategy long-term. I also think your right about a title run. It's a crapshoot - who is hot, who can keep injuries down, and the nebulous "chemistry" we hear about all the time. I saw it with the Nationals in 2019 - we can do the same, no doubt in my mind - especially with the pitching possibilities.

I found myself nodding as I read. Makes sense and certainly follows the questions I thought when his name came up. For McCollough and everyone in baseball, nothing is guaranteed, i.e., repeat titles or even jobs, and the 30-man exclusive club is quite the lure. At least, it would be to me. The slate is clean, and the upside is high in Miami. Even if we remove the obligatory "challenge" platitude, there are low expectations with (hopefully) a solid FO in place going all in for a strategy. I like the alignment and plan to stick around to see the comeback. As with any underdog that succeeds, it will be exceptionally sweet.

Not an unreasonable view, even if uninspiring and cheap enough to take a chance on.

The Marlins managerial search isn't going smoothly, it seems, but I think things will turn out just fine. I like giving someone an opportunity, as they did with Schumaker. Our own experiences follow that same pattern, that is, unnecessary worry about the reality that a "first choice" isn't available. The obligatory handwringers may have reasonable arguments, sure, but I hope the team prudently comprised a longer list than one or two guys. Of course, they did. While it's certainly optimum to have a manger and staff in place earlier rather than later, meh. I much prefer someone who loves the challenge, gets the strategy, and appreciates the opportunity over the perceived next savior in the (already highly overrated) managerial search. Accordingly, I am cool with any of the fine fellows out there that bring those characteristics to Miami, even if he is choice number seven or eight - let's get on with it!

Schumaker and Urueta are fine fellows, and I am happy for them. Still, I am wont to be passive/aggressive and don't want to let anyone down who was expecting a "but" to follow my praise. So, here it is. I simply cannot believe ten teams didn't offer to fire their respective managers (a la the Cubs) to obtain Schumaker as manager. Isn't he the second coming? Lol. (Shhh! It's a crapshoot and no one knows!)

Things are often counterintuitive in baseball. The Marlins will be (magic word here) competitive much quicker than the drones think and they hate it because the improvements will require effort and knowledge - not simply throwing $300 million at the wall and hoping it works.

The survival of the fittest was suspended for Sixto and we know why. Where will be land - overseas?

Vaya con Dios, Sixto.

The Dominican League is fun to watch. Last night, Johnston struck out on an inside fastball and was furious with himself for missing it. He was right on, just a tiny bit late. He roared to himself as he walked back to the dugout. That kind of fire is pushing his performance. I suppose he isn't getting much of a chance in ST, but I sure would like to see it. It's also cool to see Jesús Sánchez. I've been watching the Marlins guys (and former Marlins), along with some recognizable names. It's a shame that Alderman is out in the AFL HR Derby. Lastly, I'm surprised at some waiver wire pitching choices, just as every year. Sixto, though, had to go to free up space. Everything is Team Bendix now, so...

I am not sweating the managerial situation. It's far less important than other moves in the scheme of things. I suppose keeping someone around, continuity, has some merit. But let's not act as if there is a need to genuflect to the Tom Kellys of the world, as much as I liked Tom. More power to them and their organizations. But, to steal a line from Men in Black, that means exactly what to me? We've already seen the obligatory "Roberts does not get enough credit" blather. He's a magician who somehow (somehow!) kept all the egos in check long enough and overcame injuries (he had the only team that had injuries, of course) to win it all! Pay no attention to the $400 million payroll, or whatever it was. The mantra is par for the course from the tiresome parrots in mainstream baseball and want-to-be-relevant YouTubers. Had the Yankees won, of course, Boone would be the vindicated, misunderstood genius browbeaten by the unforgiving New York fans. The parrots: I told you so! I told you so! Boone will win! Boone will win! Put Roberts (or Boone) with the Pirates, Marlins, or Giants and see how it goes. No calls for the Hall of Fame then, I bet. So tiresome and so predictable. Luckily, the ubiquitous managerial carousel allows the middling guys who win tons regular season games to hang around long enough to get the "great" moniker. Great for attendance and fan interaction, which are legitimate value propositions, sure, I acknowledge it. But no one, and I mean no one, is satisfied with that, nor lots of division titles, for that matter. These are steppingstones to on-field success or they're balm for fans. Alternatively, why not just supply $350+ million payrolls for a decade until we get the proverbial blind squirrel outcome (or there's a surreal, unattended, contrived pandemic "tournament" we can masquerade as legitimate - we make the damn rules, you peasants)? Consider the handwringing, for example, that occurred when the Cubs ridiculously overpaid Craig Counsell, The Brewers are lost! The Brewers are lost! Maybe the Cubs will win a few World Series in the Counsell era. (Cough.) Yes, there are (apparent) exceptions, like Bruce Bochy, who seems to have the magic touch. Guys like Baker and Showalter and Cox, et al., lose and lose in the playoffs until they finally win after thirty years (it's a crapshoot, after all), and the drumbeating for the Hall of Fame begins because, well...they won a lot of regular season games, darn it! Fine fellows, all, I am sure. All those playoff losses, again and again, are just bad luck (no, it's a crapshoot). Otherwise, why would so many teams continue to lazily pick from the managerial carousel? We're the damn experts here and we prove it by recycling these guys who get really close! We had four numbers on the Powerball - we're close, I tell you! It's a modern Gnosticism in action. The secret knowledge of Magus Counsell or Magus Baker will take us to the promised land! Even losers, when it suits the parrots, get the mantra that overrides the so-called meritocracy of baseball. Michael Kay can howl all he wants about how there's no one better to replace Boone. It's foolish to blame him, blah, blah. He got them to the World Series! Who would dare question his value? Only the Neanderthals who buy the tickets, merchandise, and subscriptions. Idiots! Don't they know we know how much the clubhouse loves Boone? New York is a tough place! New York is a tough place! If he can make it there... But he didn't make it, again. Cashman and Boone! Continuity! We are the Yankees, listen to us! So, as counterintuitive as baseball often turns out (or because it's a crapshoot), the late- and/or third-choice managerial selection of the Marlins will be perfectly suitable. And, may I add, a whole lot cheaper than Counsell (genuflect).

It will be fine, whoever is chosen.

Why not take a chance on Roa? All upside, especially as he is so young. Oller and Muñoz? Not so sure I understand those decisions, though.

Oller and Muñoz are disappointing because they did adequate jobs last year and were inexpensive. I'm not sure what the deal is with those decisions. Bellozo—yes, keep him. There is no reason not to incorporate him into the initial staff, as it stands now. Junis - ok. It's not a huge needle mover, but why not? I'll reiterate that Oller looked just fine in this vein and was already here. There are always surprise ST performances, injuries, and other deals before the O.D. roster is settled anyway.