Spring. The time of year when half of the north east invades my home town and promptly forgets how to drive.

So, carefully, I took the short drive over to Roger Dean yesterday in the Audi TT.

 I parked a little away from the practice fields and walked on up. I was watching Wes Helms and Dan Uggla shag fly balls during BP and not 5 minutes later a ball flys over my head a smacks a car in the door. Crisis averted.

The view from Stadium Drive

For everyone reading this up north, did I mention it was 78 degrees and partly sunny?

Announcer Tommy Hutton, Catcher John Baker and Hopeful Dallas McPherson watch Fredi throw BP

Uggla, Helms, Hanley and Cantu

The practice fields are really nice and set up like a clover leaf.

I walked over to the center and watched Uggla, Helms, Hanley and all the others taking BP. Let me just just say Hanley was hitting everything hard. I know this has been said about other ballplayers, but the ball sounds different coming off his bat. When everyone was wrapping up he must have hit one off of the handle  (hopefully not off his fingers) when he screamed “IEEEEEEEE!”

Uggla throws his bat as Hanley shakes it off

I walked around and saw Hall of Famer Tony Perez teaching a group of young players.

Pay attention damn it!

 It was really cool and felt like an afternoon with friends and family, although none of my friends would come with me.

So I went to my favorite bar and had a hotdog with Jeff Conine.

                                                                                  Jupiter Lighthouse 

Looks like Maybin no longer has the braces

Young Cameron Maybin is all but a lock to lead off and play center field for the Marlins this season. And if his late season call up last year is any indication (when he went 12-25 from the lead off position) things are looking good for Fish fans.

Joe Hayden, Maybins manager with the Midland (Ohio) Redskins, said he had “the same instincts in the outfield and at the plate” as Ken Griffey, Jr., who Hayden also coached in the Connie Mack division.

Hello!

His first HR was in ‘07 (when he was called up with the Tigers) off of Roger Clemens, then Clemens plunked him with a fast ball in his next at bat. Figures.

After the 2007 season the Tigers traded Maybin, Andrew Miller, Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz, and Burke Badenhop to the always cash strapped Marlins for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. 

Looking back on that trade I was really pissed off about it. No wait, I’m still pissed off about it.

But Florida GM Larry Beinfest, in his infinite wisdom, did the best with what he had to work with. Which is better than most GM’s. If not all. Maybin, Miller, Badenhop and probably Rabelo will be on the opening day roster.

The five tool Maybin was called up by the Fish in mid-September and promptly tied the Marlins’ records for consecutive hits at 8 and consecutive at bats reaching base at 10.

He seems like a decent guy to. While at spring training last year he signed my sweaty hat after signing stuff for kids for about 20 min. I could tell he didn’t want to but did anyway with no complaints.

But for some reason there is still talk of Emilio Bonifacio leading off. I don’t care that we traded Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham for him I do not want to see him on a major league field this season.

I think Craig over at Fish Stripes summed up Bonifacio better than I ever could. “…he can’t hit, doesn’t draw walks, is crappy at stealing bases but he can run his bat and helmet back to the dugout faster than anyone else in the majors after a non-productive out? I’m sold.”

Just four days until the Cardinals get there first spring beat-down!

As you may know I love this team.

But now that Mike Jacobs is gone I have to find someone else to rip on.

Jeremy Hermida is that guy.

He just might want to kill me

The “can’t miss” prospect hit .273 with a .369 OBP in ’07. Then he followed it up with .243 & .323 last year.

After an ‘08 season where the Marlins established a team record for home runs Hermida said this…

“It’s easy to kind of just try to go along with that. You see that and you get out of your approach a little bit. My approach is being a gap-to-gap guy. I’m trying to do that.”

Trying!?!

He also said he’s never watched game film, “Ever”. But will start this sesason.

“I was always capable of going out there and making adjustments on the fly. But at this level, with the advanced scouting, you have to be a little more prepared with what they’re trying to do with you.”

Unacceptable. You are not Roger Maris.

It seemed like if he wasn’t losing the ball in the sun, or popping up / striking out with men on base he was “trying” to hit a home run, but instead knocking some kid in the face with a foul ball.

Last season Hermida was Mike Jacobs, minus the homerun power.

So now the Marlins are moving him from left field to right (where he will have more chances to F up) to improve their team defence.

What?

At least the sun won’t be in his eyes.

On the surfice giving Freddi Gonzalez a two year extention through 2011 may not seem like a big deal. But it is.

This team does not need to have the possibility of having three managers in five years hanging over them all season. I commend the team for keeping him on board.

During a brutally hot game in August 2006 (which I attended) then manager Joe Girardi told owner Jeffery Loria (who was yelling at the home plate umpire after a terrible call that essentially lost us the game) to “shut the F#@k up”. Loria was going to fire him on the spot. They even set up the press conference room to do just that, but cooler heads prevailed.

Marlins owner Jeffery Loria

This opened the door for Fredi to take over in October. About two hours after Girardi was canned.

The positives for Fredi are numerous. First he is bi-lingual. He is also a Miami native and 2008 Sporting News Manager of the Year. He was the first coach ever for the Marlins organization – he managed the 1992 Erie Sailors, which was the first team of Marlins prospects before they fielded their first major league team in 1993. He has been compared by many to Bobby Cox and is well liked by his players.

“We were surprised. Everybody started clapping and cheering,” outfielder Cody Ross said, describing the roar of applause that opened the Marlins’ first full-squad workout. “It’s most deserving, the way he has kind of turned it around.”

“It’s a smart move by the front office,” All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla said. “I think it’s very important to have the same guy around. He starts to get a feel for the ballclub. It all starts with him. He’s our leader.”

“I think it’s awesome,” closer Matt Lindstrom said. “It’s really important to us, as well, that the leadership role is secure. There is no question mark for any of us. When we come to Spring Training the next three years, we’ll know who the manager is going to be.

But he also has his detractors. He has been called a “puppet” and “yes man” of  Loria and I heard a lot of people on radio call-in shows last year question his managing decisions. Whatever.

If he doesn’t cuss out the owner he will be the longest tenured manager in Marlins history.

Six days until the first spring game vs the Cardinals!

First off I’d like thank Jeff for this opportunity to put my garbled rants down for everyone to read.

I am a long time Marlins fan (yes, we do exist) and South Florida native. I was recently laid off my job after six years. Which sucks. So I’ll be attending as many Marlins spring training games in Jupiter as time (no problem) and money (slight problem) allow. I hope to get some good pics and insight to share with you.

I love this team but let me tell you, with the lack of fan support and the ongoing ballpark debacle (which I suppose I’ll have to get into sooner or later), well let’s just say it’s not Red Sox Nation. Unless the Red Sox are in town.

Even the highly regarded Baseball Prospectus has us finishing in last place. A full seven games behind the Nationals!

Huh?

For a team that finished 84-79 last season this is a travashamockery.

For starters, unlike last season the Fish start the year with a healthy starting rotation. Ricky Nolasco (15-8 3.52 ERA), who started last year in the bullpen and Josh Johnson (7-1 3.61 ERA), who came back from Tommy John surgery, are back and slated to be  the #1 and #2 starters. Unlike last season when we started with Mark Hendrickson (7-8 5.45 ERA) and Rick VandenHurk (1-1 7.71 ERA). Blegh!

The core players, led by All Stars Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, are back and headed for there fourth year playing together. This team should be considered established major leaguers, not “prospects” or “up and comers”.

They still have to prove it on the field for a full season. But let me tell ya, after knocking the Mets out of the playoffs two years in a row, the Marlins still get no respect, no respect at all.