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THOMAS JOSEPH

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Everything posted by THOMAS JOSEPH

  1. THOMAS JOSEPH
    RIP, Fernando. He closed the doors on my Expos in 1981, pitching very well on the wet, cold "Blue" Monday in Montréal's Olympic Stadium. Of course, Rick Monday's 9th-inning home run off my all-time favorite, Steve Rogers, is the recurring nightmare for fans of Nos Amours, but Fernando got LA there in the pivotal NLCS after an amazing rookie regular season. Unrest in St. Louis. The "best fans in baseball" are howling over the apparent planned tepid response to their disappointing 2024. Goldschmidt is gone and ownership is signaling there are no big FA plans. Perhaps Brown and Jay will make up the difference. Oh, every once in a while, I like to see some of the more "self-assured" fan bases set back a little. Their " We are the Cardinals" schtick needs some whittling down for a decade or so. I am not interested in a World Series with the two evil empires. I did watch the 2019 Series with a buddy who's a huge Nationals fan. Otherwise, meh. Here, though, it is the worst possible matchup. One that MLB and the networks mutually salivate over is, ipso facto, a stink bomb for the rest of us. Accordingly, I pray for a Noah's Ark-esque forty days and forty nights of rain emblematic of this abomination of a World Series and the manifestation of the Divine Will for a thorough cleansing of MLB. In any case, we'll get that reckoning with the next CBA, n'est-ce pas? LOL. An outlier comment as I watch the Dominican League: I figure that MLB uniforms will feature the NASCAR-like advertisement array in a few years. The sleeve patch sponsorship was an obvious opening of Pandora's Box for many of us. Advertising on the batting helmets, already. In a few short years, the snorts of Boomer hyperbolism will be hollow as our MLB uniforms resemble soccer shirts. A Middle Eastern airline versus a software company on Saturday afternoon. Progress, huh?
  2. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I enjoyed the article. It's always fun to talk about possibilities, especially in the offseason. I put in a vote for our current stable. Save the money, because adding Bader won't move the needle while taking ABs from Myer, Stowers, and Hill. He certainly isn't a value anywhere in your anticipated price range for the Marlins. I figure all three of these guys are on the roster barring something weird, at a combined price half of a Bader deal, and we need full-season assessments for the Stowers and Myer. Hill is an excellent, inexpensive outfield versatility asset. I see Bader as superfluous and overpriced for the Marlins.
  3. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I cannot imagine a World Series that makes MLB and the television networks happier and makes me want to puke.
  4. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Un-PC as it surely is, my opinion is women shouldn't be in on-field authority position in men's professional sports. That includes umpires/officials.
  5. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Enjoyed the insights. Mack's star is rising and likely to fill that badly-knee second catcher roster spot with a productive bat.
  6. THOMAS JOSEPH
    And how. These two long-held franchises are billion-dollar plus ROI machines.
  7. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I watched the Gigantes but missed DLS, switching over to catch a couple of Johnston's ABs. I recognized many names, including Jerar Encarnación and Starlin Castro. In the AFL, I watched the crazy Saguaros at Desert Dogs game. Glendale almost pulled off a triple play in the top of the 6th. There are no replays shown. I thought they pulled it off, but the first base umpire ruled the batter/runner safe by an eyelash. Regarding the two teams we know about for sale, the Twins and White Sox: Maybe some of the old-timers are seeing the proverbial writing on the wall with local television revenue and the sure-to-be vitriolic CBA coming up in a few years. These two ownership groups will record astronomical asset appreciation and leave the headaches to others.
  8. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Lots of work here - excellent summary. Well worth the hour for me. Thanks, guys.
  9. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Lopez' snub is unfortunate. I saw Monteverde's rough outing yesterday. I had barely sat down when the first bomb went out of the park. The Trop situation most likely means two MLB teams playing in minor league parks, at least for a while. I've heard all sorts of options bandied about, just as you have. Brodie Brazil had a podcast up quickly, included LDP in the discussion, and rounded out by Oakland and Montréal. All three are untenable. As you noted, scheduling for LDP, Oakland just because, and Olympic Stadium is undergoing renovation itself. Locked on Rays said Steinbrenner field wasn't likely as the Yankees wouldn't accommodate the Rays. Port Charlotte, I guess. but only for a few months before the ubiquitous Florida afternoon rains kick in. I saw a game at the Disney complex in Kissimmee twenty-something years ago. It's generic but probably suitable for a limited time. Of course, it comes with the same weather issues as any other open-air stadium in Florida. Interesting.
  10. THOMAS JOSEPH
    The Marlins minor league teams on MLB.TV is quite handy and value-added. Throughout the year, I often had a game on the TV and the MiLB app going simultaneously. And my daughters think I'm a Luddite... LOL.
  11. THOMAS JOSEPH
    It's great to read more about two homegrown Expos HOFers here. Of the six homegrown Expos players in the team's 36 year history, three wear the Montréal cap. Gary Carter joins Rock and Hawk in that distinction. Honorable mention Javier Vásquez is one of my later Expos favorites and certainly underrated. My ex-wife always said he was the best-looking Expo she'd seen. I'll defer to her on that, but he had electric stuff. Thanks.
  12. THOMAS JOSEPH
    That was fine work. Appreciated.
  13. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I had one eye on the AFL game. The production is bare bones, so it's easy to justify leaving it running without full attention. The seven-run half-inning and the Javelinas' subsequent five runs made me sit aside my reading. Wild. I'm not watching the post-season, but I see the results. MLB would sh** the bed over a Padres-Tigers World Series. I'd even pull for the Mets if they made it since that means the Dodgers are hilariously dunked again, provided the Yankees are the AL representative. Still, I'd rather root for the Expos' 1969 expansion partners with so many former Marlins, to boot.
  14. THOMAS JOSEPH
    This will be a good one. Ordering a pizza!
  15. THOMAS JOSEPH
    The last paragraph summed up my thinking as I read the article. Bendix has thoroughly cast the die in the analytics direction. Ott's concurrence is great, and I hope he has some constructive insights, but the team was going there whether a minority owner was on board or not. Organizational alignment, though, is always valuable. Bendix has stated that a top goal was creating a fresh organizational culture, which is the impetus for staff housecleaning.
  16. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Thanks for the AFL coverage.
  17. THOMAS JOSEPH
    I watched the AFL game yesterday on MLB. TV. Bare bones, huh? One camera that often cannot/does not capture the action. No graphics. I understand, to a degree, with the MLB playoffs. Still, it's a bit disappointing they don't have even a cursory presentation. Oh, well. I just glanced at the final regular season stats. The Marlins had three more home runs than the Rays. Wow. Marlins also had a ten-point BAbip advantage. The Marlins' .299 was the eighth-best in MLB if I recall. I know the stat doesn't include HRs, but it is still surprising. Offensively, put the ball in play. Good things happen. Pitchers - avoid walks. That's the simple recipe.
  18. THOMAS JOSEPH
    That was an enjoyable interview. Frankly, I was surprised by how Mr. Woodrum portrayed his experience and the positivity regarding progress within the Marlins organization. No bitterness. Gratitude is rare nowadays, perhaps because there are so darn few thoughtful individuals. Sorry for the old curmudgeon line, but it's the damn truth. Good for Woodrum and I wish him all the best. To Woodrum's point, I understand being a Marlins fan has been/is challenging. I'm a newcomer, but I know the mindset. My take is that it's much more fun to be a fan of the Marlins (or my beloved Expos) than any of the so-called top teams. I also appreciate long-suffering fans of the Cubs and Pirates, for example. So many fans of the powerhouse teams expect to win, and satisfaction is short-lived. Whatever is done is never enough. Dodger fans will not be satisfied with a WS win during Ohtani's tenure. One won't cut it. Phillies fans are already anxious that Harper is nearly halfway through his monster deal without a title to show for it. Yankee fans are Yankee fans. It's a hamster wheel. Lastly, thanks for bringing the interview to us, and for letting Woodrum express himself so thoroughly. He had some things to say with this opportunity. We would never have heard his perspectives anywhere else.
  19. THOMAS JOSEPH
    These types of articles are fun. We all expect moves, but I wager it would be nearly as fluid at the top club. There's reason for pride in that starting staff, I just hope to see it intact for a while. Lastly, I hope Stowers returns with significantly improved contact numbers. The Marlins need the power badly. Cheers.
  20. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Enjoyed the Sunday evening X show. I wouldn't be surprised if Serna turned out to be the most impactful prospect among the position players. Thanks.
  21. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Lots of concerns over the Diamond Sports situation. I heard Locked on Angels hosts discussing the same thing and the ramifications of a possible sale of the Angels. Would it prompt Moreno to sell as the television revenue was more uncertain, or would it be an opportunity to reset the team's future situation (TV and digital rights)? Would a team's value be materially affected? For the Marlins and Sherman's ownership group, it's another blow likely to manifest itself in the payroll immediately. Even more so than we perhaps already expected. According to Samson, the team has lost money each year since Loria sold, augmenting Sherman's overpay. I am outside of the local market and buy MLB.tv anyway. My only blackout is when the Marlins play Cincinnati. When I'm in Jacksonville, I watch Bally's, but that's not often during the hot months anymore.
  22. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Plenty of good points in this article that provoked some thoughts on my end. The first one is the dubiousness of the "bullets saved" idea. There are plenty of overuse horror stories (most of which are simply conventional baseball thinking at the time), but just as many defy cumulative use predisposition. Perhaps, it is not helpful to use superhumans like Nolan Ryan in the discussion. I often cite Steve Rogers of the Montréal Expos, whose career numbers are marvels by today's standards and who was rarely disabled (especially during his younger days). So many factors are involved. Of course, competent pitching coaches and modern add-ons for teams (nutrition, strength/conditioning, etc.) are important, up and down the development line. Regarding defense, I think the outfield improves with Hill and Stowers. Norby will continue to improve as he learns the position, especially as he appears to be singularly minded toward excelling. Shortstop is the biggest concern over a full season. Edwards must be in the lineup, but it is painfully obvious his arm will cost the Marlins. I don't know enough to say if there are arm strength programs that would be efficacious at Edwards' age. First base is the other anxious spot, mentioned on the recent podcast. Hire a top coach for Bride, De Los Santos, and Burger to work in ST. I wish we had a youngish Tony Perez for that task, but I am sure there are options. Lastly, I heard David Samson. He expressed his disgust at some of the staff firings. I will not defend them, but perhaps Bendix believes a full organizational culture change requires a clean slate. As Samson said, Bendix better be right and produce after such a wholesale turnover. After a season like 2024, goodwill is used up, so Bendix probably sees no downside in the optics of the clean slating now. One thing is sure in baseball (and professional sports, in general), if Bendix wins, nobody will give a rip about any of this.
  23. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Great to hear that Tito is healthy and returning to the dugout. Another star courtesy of the bountiful Montréal Expos farm system.
  24. THOMAS JOSEPH
    Doesn't seem to be any apparent reason to move on from Fortes. If we figure little spending, they don't have two catchers ready or even with MLB experience to replace Fortes. Who knows, though? Sánchez is cheap vis-à-vis production. Power is in short supply. The combination likely means he stays. Cabrera, though, I can see a move. Cheers.
  25. THOMAS JOSEPH
    My post-season wish list, in ascending order: 1) anyone but the Dodgers or the Yankees; 2) a team that has not won a title or a low-revenue team; 3) the Padres to win it all this year.
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