• In Beinfest We Trust

  • I’ve been thinking about trust lately.

    It all started when I read Ethan Skolnick’s commentary on trusting South Florida General Managers. He correctly points out that South Florida fans can trust Larry Beinfest of the Florida Marlins and Pat Riley of the Miami Heat no matter what they do, while being very suspicious of anything coming out of the Dolphins and Panthers organizations. Larry may have screwed up the Jorge Julio trade, but we give him a pass because Byung-Hyun Kim has done well and Armando Benitez had a few good outings (and a few terrible ones too).

    Trust is very important these days as we read that Dontrelle Willis is the subject of many trade rumors.

    I personally would prefer if the Marlins kept Dontrelle. He is a great guy, a pretty good pitcher, and will probably earn less next year. Keeping him tells the average fan and the media that the Fish are committed to winning and we’re just one ballpark away from spending money like the Yankees spend on bad pitchers. But I also trust that Beinfest will make the right choice if he goes the other way. I will be the first person to say one or all of the following:

    • Dontrelle is nothing more than a 4th starter but teams will pay us like he is a number 1 starter
    • Once we get over the injuries, we already have 4 top notch young pitchers
    • We desperately needed a new [center fielder]/[catcher]/[closer]
    • Wow, we just acquired the best young talent in baseball
    • This season is doomed, lets build up for next year
    • We just freed up money to [sign Miguel Cabrera]/[bring in a top free agent next year]/[close the gap on the ballpark funds]

    No matter what, we trust Larry.

  • Opinion

  • The Slow Trickling Sound of a Ballpark Deal Going Nowhere

  • The Miami Herald chimes in with more unproductive ballpark news:

    Just when MLB thought something was close, the stadium deal is again on indefinite hold, exasperating MLB executives determined to keep a team here. Though the Marlins want a downtown site, Miami city manager Pete Hernandez said the city won’t deal with the Marlins issue until UM decides whether to move to Dolphin Stadium. (There’s no timetable for that.)

    Once again, the Marlins have to play second-fiddle to the Hurricanes who play 6 games a year in front of 30,000 to 60,000 fans. No one can deny the University of Miami’s importance to the South Florida sports market, but unlike the Marlins they do not bring major league events and money into town. The Marlins can bring the World Baseball Classic, the National League playoff series, the World Series, and the All-Star game (in addition to 81 dates a year).

    Now we hear the noise that the >Dolphin Stadium lease may not be extended beyond its 2010 termination. Wayne would love to build a roof over his palace and add other elements around the parking lots to make the facility some kind of magical convention site.

    Marlins president David Samson said in recent months, a Huizenga Holdings official reaffirmed Wayne Huizenga’s earlier written notification that the lease would not be renewed.

    There is no doubt that Samson is trying to put pressure on Miami, but Wayne has publicly said this too (and we know he has no interest in helping the Marlins’ cause).

    [Huizenga:] “I don’t want to do anything to hurt the Dolphins’ chances of winning. We miss field goals on dirt. [Still], we’re the family that brought the Marlins here, and the last thing we want to do is hurt the team.”

    So what does this all mean?

    Miami needs to get its act together and the Marlins need to decide if they are ready to contribute a bite more. If this, as we’ve been told, comes down to $60 million, then the parties (including MLB) need to step up and make it happen. MLB should understand that it will not get another DC sweetheart deal and that they can help close this by, once again, “lending” money to Loria and the Marlins.

    Also, lets not underestimate the negative distraction caused by some people’s obsession with the Orange Bowl site. We know the Marlins will take whatever they can get, but everyone involved would benefit from a downtown site. Maybe the best way to close the gap and solve everyone’s problem is having UM buy the Orange Bowl.

  • Marlins Park

  • What You Need To Know About F@B

  • F@B will cover the Marlins in a blog-style setting with news, rumors, and opinions combined with your comments and input. You can participate in the following ways:

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    One fun feature we should mention is your ability to customize the theme (colors) of this site. Simple click on the icons on the top left and choose your favorite theme. If you are using an old or odd browser, click on the IE6 logo over on the top right for a version that should work on your browser (and then go get yourself a new browser like Firefox or Safari).

  • Fish@Bat

  • Who Are We?

  • F@B is run by two brothers who have rooted for and supported the Marlins from day one. We’ve seen the Marlins play in 12 different NL and AL stadiums, traveling mostly by car but also by airplane, to some of the best (AT&T Park) and some of the worst (RFK Stadium) ballparks ever built.

    You can drop us a line here

  • Fish@Bat

  • We’re Back!

  • On November 22, 2001, “The Florida Marlins Ticket” posted what appeared to be its last post. After years of being one of the leading Marlins sites, we retired the site so we can focus on other aspects of our lives. We had many great years together working with the Florida Marlins and the online community to deliver you the latest in Marlins news. Who can forget the reviews from ESPN, The Sporting News, USA Today and more. Or how we overloaded an entire hosting network when Edgar Renteria hit a single in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. It was tough to move on.

    But now, we’re back!

    Yes, we have a new name Fish@Bat (https://fishatbat.com), new look, and new features. But in general, we’re still the same. We will continue with our blog-style posting (yes, we “blogged” more than a decade ago) and we will continue to discuss and report on the Marlins. We hope that you can help contribute to this site with any tips or suggestions.

    Thanks and Let’s Go Marlins!

  • Fish@Bat

  • Henry Sells the Marlins!

  • John Henry has sold the Marlins

    The Sun Sentinel reports that John Henry has sold the Marlins to unidentified buyer. The move might be approved by the other baseball owners as soon as Tuesday. The deal was worked out over the past few weeks and is believed to be for $150 Million. The new ownership appears to favor keeping the team together. More details to follow.

  • News

  • Boles Fired, Perez Named Interim Manager

  • The Marlins have fired Manager John Boles prior to Monday’s game at Pittsburgh. Hall-of-Famer Tony Perez was named the interim Manager.

    I actually drove up for the game and noticed that Tony Perez was in uniform doing pregame interviews. It was only a few minutes later with the PA said that Perez is the new manager.

  • News

  • No-Hitter for Burnett

  • A.J. Burnett became the third Marlin to throw a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory against the Padres.

    In an erratic performance, Burnett struck out 7 but walked 9. The 9 walks tied Al Leiter’s team record for most walks in a gem. Leiter (1996) and Kevin Brown (1997) threw the other Marlins no-hitters. Of Burnett’s 128 pitches, nearly half – 63 – were called as balls. It was Burnett’s second start of the season after spending the first month of the season on the DL. The rest of the Marlins supported him with several outstanding defensive plays and three runs. Charles Johnson’s two-run double scored Eric Owens and Preston Wilson. CJ grounded into a fielder’s choice in the fifth, leading to a Cliff Floyd run following an error.

    The win was Burnett’s first career complete game and 8th major league win.

  • Videos