Y volver, volver, volver… ( To comeback, to comeback, to comeback

It has been a long time since my last post. My last post was related to Jose. His absence changed a lot. His departure has changed players, the organization and us, the fans. We will always think of him and will see his childish smile, but we need to move on.

The title of this post is based on a famous song that many spanish speaking singers have performed it throughout the years. Which is mostly a romantic song but it is also about the theme of coming back.

And that is what I want to do this 2018. Volver to the Miami Marlins Park. But as hard as it maybe for a lover to go back to an ex as Camilo Sesto states in this wonderful composition, for me going back to the Park or even watching the games on tv has become a headache. And honestly is even causing me a lot of anxiety which is something that I have never experienced before a baseball season.

Not all players traded were my favorites. By example, Stanton which I used to called “Stantonto” (tonto at the end) because we had to see him being such an idiot season after season, time after time. Always standing at the base and not hitting any balls. Or creating double plays. Or at the end of the ninth inning needing from him just a hit to get a walk off…nope… we hardly saw things like that created by Stantonto. He is also known by some radio people as Mr. Croqueta, because he was basically mediocre and nothing good to expect from him.

I know I know. The lovers of Stantonto will hate me. And that is ok. But that is not only my opinion but it is the opinion of many other people. His HRs are impressive but he was never team oriented  He always wanted to leave the team and now, even after Jose’s departure he has the nerve to talk about the dead boy, saying that Jose told him he would hit 60 Hrs and that both were going to play for the Yankees.  That is just plain and simple fake news Mr. Croqueta. If something Jose loved more than anything were his cubans, his city of Miami and all his people were here.

So Bye Bye Stantonto. Don’t want to know anything about you and about your lame comments.

Some other players are really a plain mistake to let go. Dee Gordon by example, or Ozuna. I know other players were traded too. But I strongly believe that letting go Gordon and Ozuna was a humongous error from this new organization. They were not the face of the Marlins like they wanted to be Stanton. But they got the hearts of the media and also of the fans.

Praise the Lord that Realmuto and Justin Bour are still with the team. I love them, I think that they are one of the best players in the league but nobody knows about it of course because we are not the Yankees, or the Nationals or the Dodgers. But they have the class and skills to be counted on the top 10.

I am going need some time to get used to the new names. The new faces. The new numbers on their jerseys. And honestly that is painful for each and everyone of the fans. I don’t know Mr. Jeter. I only know he was one of the greatest players of the Yankees and of the MLB for many years. I don’t like his moves trading Ozuna and Gordon. He will regret that sooner than later. I bet on that.

So, basically I am struggling. Like in the song. Maybe you do know or not spanish. But you can see in Camilo Sesto’s performance that he is struggling too. He sings that he is passionate to come back. To her arms again…(that doesn’t apply here)… I will reach you wherever you are… I know how to lose. I know how to lose. I want to come back,…volver, volver, volver.
I do want to go back. But also I need to come to terms that “I know how to lose” And that this team is not like the one before. That even if they would lose a lot of games I would watched every single game on TV or at the Park. And maybe, only maybe this new trade or fire sale will be better for the team and its performance in the baseball season.

Enjoy the song and the video placed below and see you at the Marlins Park. Or maybe we will interact one day via Twitter and agree with the Marlina’s inspiration and thoughts behind the song and my lovely team of the Miami Marlins.

#LETSGOFISH

LaMarlina2011

This was Jose

This was Jose       

The awful news came early in the morning to my ears. My spouse woke me up to let me know before I would read it by myself in Twitter. Trying to make this unbelievable and painful news better to grasp and digest.

Still, even with that thoughtful thinking the pain was immense.

Then, the news on TV covering a major boat accident with fatalities. The news anchor visibly hurt but not mentioning his name yet. Twitter exploded. In disbelief and in pain.

Jose Fernandez, our Rookie of The Year, our Twice All Star Game, our Miami Marlins Pitcher died in a boat accident.

I have been a Miami Marlins for many years, right after they started as a Franchise. I was really hooked after the second World Series Championship. That is where I started feeling that connection beyond words and blood with some players, like Ivan “Pudge”  Rodriguez,  Juan Pierre or Mike Lowell.

But nothing like with this 2016 Miami Marlins Team. Too many favorites to count, besides Jose of course, Realmutto, Dee Gordon, Prado, Bour, Stanton, A.J. Ramos, Yelich, Dietrich, etc. You could see the electricity, the love, the camaraderie in the team. It was not a media o P.R. move. It was true.

On Wednesday morning I come out of the house to run some errands. I had to get out of the house after many tears and many hours reading the internet and watching the TV covering his death and the death of other two other young men that were tragically in the boat with him.

I go to a doctor’s appointment. After that, I decided to stop by a Sports Store. Dick’s Sport is on my way and my heart is telling me to look for something related to the Marlins. Maybe a Flag. Maybe another item. I looked all over and then I found a beautiful embroided flag with the big M in our team colors with a black background. This is the one I think. You are coming home with me. After snooping around for a while I go to the cashier. I forgot to mention that I was wearing a black T-shirt with Stanton 27 in the back  that belongs to my spouse because I didn’t have any other black shirt to use, so I took it. (Thanks Love). I also was wearing my Marlins cap, with white and black colors and our big M in the front.

At the cashier, this young woman looks at me and she says, in a normal customer service cashier voice, how are you doing? and I answered ok. She looks at me knowing that I am not ok, because I am not, I look sad obviously and then she starts talking and talking about Jose and Jose’s death. That it is unbelievable, that he was so young, and such a talented pitcher for the Miami Marlins. She even knew some of his stats, like that he was 29-2 at the Marlins Park. I was happily surprise and she even brought a smile to my face and I say to her : ” Wow. You know a lot about Jose and the Miami Marlins”. She responds with a smile, I am sorry, I am not a Marlins fan to tell you the truth but I follow sports and this is simply awful. I paid the flag, that by the way she gave me a discount on it. She wishes me to have a good day. I answered same to you. As I walk out of the store, I hear her voice saying, at least try a little to have a nice day.  She knew how I was feeling and how devastating the departure of an idol would be. I have never seen her before thou she cared for my sadness and for the departure of Jose.

My next stop is a drive thru visit to my pharmacy, CVS to pick up some medications, the line is long but I am in the car, so I don’t care too much and honestly I am a little numb for all this happening. Finally I get to the window, the lady taking care of it attends me cordially and leaves the window for a moment to get my meds after checking my name and date of birth. She comes back pretty soon and I started to pay and sign some receipt and I ask her if Daniel is in today? She looks inside and says yes. I tell her, say hi to him from me, thinking that he must be busy. Well, next thing I know he is next to her by the drive thru window extending his hand to shake mine. I am very sorry, I can’t believe it, Jose is gone he says to me. His face looks sad and still in shock. Daniel is one of the nicest people I have ever met in a pharmacy. He is a Miami Marlins fan. Hardcore like me. He talks and talks and repeats all the details that I already know of his accident. I think he knows I know but he needs to say it, I can see that it is therapeutic for him and also for me of course. Again after talking for few minutes, and with nobody behind me in the line, he comes again closer to the drive thru window and shakes my hand and says, he is irreplaceable. What are we going to do without him, he asks me ? it is so sad I say to him, take care he says to me and goes back to work, back to usual business. I drive away. Tears in my eyes again.

Last stop on my morning errands is to stop to get few groceries at Publix. I park, walk to the store and grab my cart. Pick up few things, not many this time and I go to the cashier. I am already at the end ready to pay with the debit card and this lady next to me, asks me “Where you at the Marlins Park last night”?. I get a little surprise because people unless they have seen me before in a store, don’t address me for anything. Almost immediately I register, she has noticed my t-shirt and cap. I am a Marlins Fan. I said no, I wasn’t but I watched it on TV. Devastating I indicate to her.  She says that she hasn’t cry this much as well as her husband ever for somebody that it is not family. I tell her that I think that is the issue with Jose, he made himself part of our life, part of our not blood related family that we all carry and love.  Next I asked for change of a five dollar bill and the not so enthusiastic cashier tells me that he can’t change it, to go to Customer Service. From here I can see the three lines of the crowded customer service. and I said to myself and to him: “do not worry about it” and I leave with the bagger helping me with the cart. This threw me off and I left without saying bye to the lady that spoke to me about Jose. To that lady that looked sad. To that lady that connected to me because she was connected to him. Amazing.

I wanted and needed to share this with you today because this is what Jose was. I don’t live in Miami therefore you would think not many Marlins fans are here, or people following this news.

But, it is not true. Jose crossed many more frontiers than the ones that brought him to the U.S.A. He crossed counties frontiers, from Miami Dade County, to Broward, to Palm Beach and so on. He also crossed States frontiers when he played in other baseball parks. I don’t know if he ever crossed a frontier outside of the United States, if he visited ever Europe, or Canada or Argentina. Needless to say that I never met him in person, so truly don’t know if he crossed those frontiers or not.

But he needed to cross one more frontier in his short life. He needed to cross “The Last Frontier”. It was written in that book of life that we all have. And he did crossed  it on the early hours of Sunday September 25, 2016.

No more frontiers to cross Jose. No more pain and sorrow for you. My faith tells me that we will see you again one day. Then, I will tell you in person and in spirit this same story…who was Jose for us. And we will smile.

LET’S GO FISH!!!  LET’S GO JOSE!!!

La Marlina2011

My Miami Marlins are giving me headaches

lamarlina2011

It is early in the season. But, it is important to be realistic and be aware that we have played 10 games of which we only have won 3 and lost 7. Not even one single win in our beautiful Marlins’ Park.

We have excellent new coaches and managers this season 2016. Many are the envy of other teams. Like having Barry Bonds as a hitting coach and Mattingly as The Big Chalupa of our team.

I do want to write about my team winning. There is nothing more uplifting than to see them win. The happiness showing in their faces. The hope of the fans to become part of a playoff team again.  But for you to win in this professional baseball league you have to think besides having skills and talent. My opinion today about my Fishes is that they are not thinking and here is a an…

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My Miami Marlins are giving me headaches

It is early in the season. But, it is important to be realistic and be aware that we have played 10 games of which we only have won 3 and lost 7. Not even one single win in our beautiful Marlins’ Park.

We have excellent new coaches and managers this season 2016. Many are the envy of other teams. Like having Barry Bonds as a hitting coach and Mattingly as The Big Chalupa of our team.

I do want to write about my team winning. There is nothing more uplifting than to see them win. The happiness showing in their faces. The hope of the fans to become part of a playoff team again.  But for you to win in this professional baseball league you have to think besides having skills and talent. My opinion today about my Fishes is that they are not thinking and here is a an example to support my theory

Ichiro Suzuki is a legend. We were given an extra favor from the Gods of Baseball when we got him for a second season with us.

It is the bottom of the ninth against the Atlanta Braves. (A bad team. Any way you see them. Unfortunately we were going to lose again against them). Ichiro at bat. He beautifully swings and hits for the second time in the same game. The ball goes flying strongly to the left and passes the third base player of the Braves which by the way flies to reach for the ball like a real superhero.

We tied. Bottom of the 9th. We will avoid the sweep. My heart beats faster. I have a smile on my face. The next batter Dee Gordon (one of my favorite players if not the favorite) swings to a first pitch and the inning is over. True story. The 9th Inning is over. Also it is over our chance to make more runs after Ichiro tied the game and obtained our 1st win at home.

Dee Gordon truly and solely killed the momentum. He didn’t think. He does have the skills and talent. Nobody can question that. But in that specific moment, a first pitch and his swing becomes the third out. We go to extra innings my friends. Not everything is lost

But who am I kidding. A Jackson, not related to the artistic family comes to pitch for The Miami Marlins for the 10th inning. Guess what is next? Something much more than a Thriller, no pun intended. He loses control of his pitching (if he ever had it to begin with). And the game is lost. Sweep. By the 0-9 Atlanta Braves before arriving to our Magic City.

Thinking is not optional. Especially not in baseball that is 90% mind control and 10% muscles. Emotions can make us stop thinking. But our competitive soul (that competitive entity that all of us in love with baseball carry inside of us) must control our emotions. And ultimately it should let our minds do what they do best: To think

Love you My Miami Marlins. Good luck tonight

Sincerely

LaMarlina2011

 

 

 

 

A Rough Awakening

It was a rough one. I am not making reference to the last game of the Miami Marlins at Home in which we lost 4-2. It would have been a nice sweep against the Padres. But, it was not. What that game really stood for was a forecast of the games to come. Nobody saw that, not me, not the thousands of fans full of hope and cheers that had experienced the 5-2 record, nor the media people covering the Marlins that only a few days ago were praising them up and down—“The New Marlins 2014”

Visiting Washington has never been easy; Neither Philadelphia. It must be something in the Northern air that our Fishes can’t breathe? Or maybe it is related to our Fishes getting a false confidence when they beat the Padres and Rockies which probably will be on the basement standings by the end of this season. So, I followed closely every game. I saw the empty Ballparks… (Yes, people, not only Marlins Park has empty seats), the lineup, Coach Redmond aka “Walker Zombie” Redmond . I had still the sweet taste of Opening Day in my mouth… but not for long.

I am not a Statistics Baseball Guru. I don’t want to be. There are other people and software assigned for that. I am just a Miami Marlins Fan. And as such, the pain reached an unbearable level when we finished losing all the “Away” games. Not one or two, but all six games. All of a sudden, the Nationals became the talk of the MLB because they produced two Grand Slams out of their batters, beating the “5-2 up and coming Miami Fishes”. Then, three games against the Phillies. The age difference between the Fishes and the Phillies is abysmal. I got nothing against oldies. I am going that way, for sure sooner or later, like it or not. Youth is a treasure, but youth gives also disadvantage. The oldies like Utley, Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Howard all of a sudden became possessed by their own old spirits, and crashed all our hopes of winning at least one game… one of six… plssssssssssss…but it didn’t happened.

The scores against the Phillies 6-3, 5-4, and 4-3 show a close margin of runs, especially the last two, but if you saw the game on TV or listened it on the Radio, the margin was much bigger than those numbers. The margin difference was created first by Redmond with his ineptitude and passionless demeanor. I don’t hate him, but I don’t like him. And he is hurting my team. My young and so easily influenced team. When we are young, we look up to our older siblings and parents. Stone-faced “Walker Zombie” Redmond is not someone to look up to.

I wished that this morning when I woke up, these last seven games were only a nightmare, a nightmare than all Marlins fans experienced over and over again and as soon as the sunlight crossed my window it would disappeared. But it didn’t. That was a rough road trip. It was a rough awakening for all of us. And I have a feeling that even if Mr. Loria and Mr. Samson may be far and away, in Europe sipping an expensive wine or champagne with friends and family, or in Asia , visiting Landmarks and touristic areas, they followed every single thing that happened on those last six games. And they are not happy. Hint.. Hint…

We play tonight again. Three games against the Always Overrated Nationals and three against the Mariners. The Mariners team is coming to our Marlins Park with a 6-5 record finding themselves as 2nd in the AL Division. We are 5-8 below the Mets. Argggghhhh!!! I am awake now. Roughed up but awake. Let’s see what we can do to mend the first and hopefully last disastrous road trip that we just saw.

Love my Fishes. #LETSGOFISH

La Marlina2011

Rough Awakening

I am a Marlin

I AM A MARLIN

The Spring Training season is over. The regular season of the MLB 2013 has started and I am already tired. Yes. I am not tired because the lack performance of my team. No. I have high hopes about each and every single player in the roaster. What kills me, it really does, and exhausts me to almost become nauseated is to read tweets, articles, and radio rants against the Miami Marlins and Loria.

It is like those movies that they keep playing over and over again, either late at night or during the weekend, that we all have seen them before, but the networks and other channels keep pushing them down our throats.  Those articles, those rants, those old and pessimistic opinions keep playing on and on, over and over.  I truly don’t see the point and here is why…

• The owner of the Miami Marlins is Mr. Loria. That is not going to change until Mr. Loria wants it to change. Check
• We traded good, mediocre and bad players. They are not coming back. Check
• We have young exciting players in our roaster like Brantley, Stanton, and Hechavarria, promising to say the least.  We have older and more experienced players like JP and Polanco. Check.
• We have a new coach, who has MLB playing experience and experience as a Marlin. He knows the organization probably more than any other coach has. Check.

Then, when somebody says on the radio, on television (even our local broadcasters) or on the web that they will never support the team, that they will never give “their money” to Mr. Loria because his business modus operantis is pro-himself and against the fans… I think to myself… Are you for real? Are you really fans?  Are you really professional broadcasters with the vision of a 3 months old baby? This is not about Mr. Loria and when he feels like trading stars or not. It is not about allegedly getting our tax money and building a baseball stadium for his own benefit and profit… No, this is not about this…it is about baseball…

Baseball is a passion. It is a sport where young and old get together to watch their team beat the other team.  Baseball and being a Miami Marlin’s fan has a good history compared to other teams in the league. Two World Series in 20 years of the franchise is very darn good. This is about how we feel when we walk in the park. When we wear our Marlins Jerseys and when we see a ball hit by Stanton going up, up and away, even hitting and breaking the score board.  This is not about Mr. Loria and having supposedly AA players playing in the major league, this is about us, about how we feel, how much we love and enjoy getting together with friends and family and having an afternoon at the park with air conditioning and delicious food. It is about sitting in front of my TV any other day and watching my team trying to win every game either if they play the overrated Nationals or the obnoxious Phillies. It is not about Mr. Loria people, it is about how happy we get if we win and how sad we feel all day long if we lose a game because the double play was not done on time, or because the umpire is blind as a bat and his plate area is bigger than the dome from a novel of Stephen King. The bottom line of all these unnecessary hateful rants from the media is that it does more harm than good. These behaviors will not motivate or promote our young players. It will just depress them. It will not hurt Mr. Loria. It  never has and never will.

We follow baseball and especially the Miami Marlins for ourselves.  Because we like it, we want it, and we enjoy it. I don’t care if for every dollar that I spend Mr. Loria and Company multiplies into 6 dollars. I don’t care…and you know why? Because this is about me, not about them.

I learned and decided early in my life, that I should do what I like and want, as long as it was not illegal, or unethical.  We can’t boycott the world. If we start researching every single company, we will not consume anything. ANYTHING. Not a piece of fruit, not a computer, not an I-phone for sure… We may not like Mr. Loria’s actions towards our beloved team. I got that. But, we shouldn’t let that influence how much we love our team, how much we love the sport that puts our community together under a roof, and how much we believe in the greatest American sport.

We love you Miami Marlins. And I am Marlin. Without a doubt.

La Marlina2011

It is 2013!!!

It is 2013. A few months have passed since the shock.  If you are a Miami Marlins fan, or if you follow baseball you know what I am talking about…even if you are not…it was all over the news.  Mr. Loria, owner of the Miami Marlins traded some of the most valuable, arguably underachieving players of our team.

I can’t deny it. I am biased.  I like some players more than others. I like the ones that play hard and battle every game.  My favorites were Reyes, Bonifacio, Infante (who was traded before the last ones) and Buerhle.  The pain that you created, Mr. Loria, was hard to compare to any other sports-related pain I have experienced.  I am not from Baltimore, but those who are—the victims of one of the worst “hit and runs” in sports history when the Colts were stolen from the city in the middle of the night almost thirty years ago—they know this pain.  Those Colts’ fans know this pain.  It was a brutal move.

But this move, Mr. Loria, was also brutal.  Not because you traded five players at the end of a crazy and demoralizing season. But because you lifted our hopes up, so high and then let us fall.  How did you do that? Very well for sure: promises of a bright future; a new stadium—beautiful and comfortable; a new name; and a new uniform that I thought was awful at first.  But after a few weeks, to tell you the truth, then, it grew on me.  We all have a weak side, don’t we?

In 2012, you went out and got some of the best players in the league and put them together under the supervision and coaching of Mr.Guillen.  What happened:  We finished with one of the worse seasons, 93 losses, pretty sad.

But, it is 2013. The sun is shining outside in our beautiful South Florida.  The hope starts growing again in our hearts, and some of us are already talking about buying Spring Training Tickets and about attending our beautiful Marlins Park. There is nothing better than time to heal any wound. And some time has passed, not enough though.  I am still waiting to hear what the Fox Sports commentators Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton have to say about your moves, but life goes on.

We still have one of the best players in the whole league–Stanton. We also have acquired, thanks to the trades, some promising new blood.  And we even have a few new more experienced players such as Polanco and Pierre.  But, that wonderful feeling that you pumped us up with in 2012 is definitely gone. You personally killed it. But, it is another year. It is a complete different game to play.

Expectations?  I am super careful now. You are still the Boss, Mr. Loria. But, I wish my Miami Marlins the best. I wish them as many wins as are mathematically, statistically and realistically possible. I wish that Marlins Park is full of fans chanting “LET’S GO FISH” over and over again. I wish Stanton hits a home run, high and away, almost every single at bat.   I wish Mr. Loria that you would learn from your mistakes. I really do.  And trading those players (most of them anyway) was plainly irrational, stupid and a mistake.

Now–wearing my Marlins Jersey and Cap—I stand up and declare 2013 as a Happy New Year for our Miami Marlins!

GO MARLINS!  GO FISH!

LaMarlina2011

A Farewell Letter to…

I was going to write about a player that was traded recently. Then I decided that it is better not to look back. It’s not good to bring bad vibes to our young and hopeful team and fans. It is a long and winding road to the World Series in Baseball. And even that is an understatement. It is moving the steering wheel in every curve; it is slowing the speed and speeding up. You need to change a lot of things while you drive, and much more if the road is winding and long.

We started this season with inflated and marketing-oriented hopes. Fans and media fell for it. I did too. But it is part of the machinery. Baseball is a sport. But, it is also a business. It requires a lot of professional scouting and knowledge of the beautiful sport that is baseball, but also it requires luck. We didn’t have it. The Miami Marlins Organization made the right moves.  They traded the right players, Buerhle, Bell, Buck, Reyes, and if some of them didn’t match their previous year’s stats and performance, that is pure luck. Bad luck. The change of name was irrelevant for me. I don’t care if they are called the Miami Marlins or The Florida Marlins, or the Hialeah Trouts. I care about the heart and talent of our team. And also, the unconditional support of our fan base. We needed a Ballpark. And now we have it. It is one of the most beautiful Ballparks in the Nation, whether visiting teams or their broadcasters like it or not. Eat your heart out losers! Our Marlins Park is a jewel.  And so is every single fan that goes there.

We all want to win. It is in our nature. But it is not easy. It takes a lot of pieces working together. You need to change some of the pieces if necessary, like the last trade done by the Marlins. Three experienced players underperforming were traded. Five new and young players were obtained. What does it tell you? That the Miami Marlins are moving the right pieces?  That the team is going to drive that long and winding road again next season but with a different chemistry?  A chemistry change that was overdue for the last two years and a half. In reality, this 2012 Season still has two months more of games to play and I strongly believe that we will be seeing the new young blood wearing our Marlins uniforms pretty soon and starting their journey on that long and winding road.

Don’t look back Miami Marlins. All moves are forward from now on…even if we lose.

GO MARLINS!  GO FISH!

LaMarlina2011

What is common between the Miami Marlins and The Miami Heat?

We, the people of South Florida recently experienced one of the most glorious and sublime feelings that fans and/or players can feel. That is the winning of a title. The Miami Heat, for the second time in their history, and Lebron James, for his first time, have conquered the NBA title of 2012. It is impossible for the media to separate this wonderful moment from the debacle of losing the title  in 2011. It is hard not to compare. Aren’t statistics based on comparison anyway?

Miami Heat’s dream team, Lebron, Wade and Bosch—probably the most hated trio in sports in a long time—didn’t win the title that everybody was waiting , hoping and betting on in 2011. The Miami Marlins started 2012 almost with the same expectations.  The new Marlins had a magnificent new ballpark; new big name baseball players, new uniforms and new name. The dream team of the Miami Marlins wasn’t just three players; it consisted of a whole new structure, almost a new way of thinking and experiencing baseball for Miami. Even the park had a roof to avoid rain delays and the exorbitant and tedious heat and humidity of Florida. But as with all dreams, when you wake up, the reality is different.

It took a lot for the Heat’s coach, organization and players to reach the title on Thursday—that coveted championship. It took getting other players, giving other players more playing time, and putting Wade in the co-pilot seat without losing all the control of the team. It took adjustments and tears; pain and press conferences; and rumors of coaches being fired. It took a lot. The Miami Marlins are the Miami Heat of 2011. We will not get to the finals as the Heat did, but we will have to crash and burn before we raise from the ashes.

Ozzie has a lot of work to do. I don’t know if he is the best person for the job. Time and loses will tell. But The Marlins must go through a lot of growing pains before reach recognition, the playoffs and the MLB title for the third time in the franchise’s history.

From the marketing and business perspective 2012 is excellent, even Showtime is filming us for a series. But, for baseball standards, as of now the 2012 season is and will be one that we all will want to forget.

In the coming season many players will be changed, maybe even coaches, the roof will open and will close many, many times.  All of these things will happen before we get our dream team.

There is a saying that goes “Build it and they will come”. The park is built, the players contracted, but that is not it. The pieces of the puzzle must fit perfectly. And as a puzzle, it takes time, and persistence.

It took a year for the Miami Heat to destroy the nay sayers. I hope the Miami Marlins turn it around and head to stardom and achievements in the next year too!

GO MARLINS GO FISH

LaMarlina2011

The Faces of the Marlins

I am frustrated. This is kind of a confession and I am glad that I can vent here in my blog.

We have lost two games in a row against the Atlanta Braves. With all my respect which they deserve, I don’t think that they are better than the Marlins, at all, with or without Uggla. We lost because they played better than us or maybe because they were more interested in winning than us. And that thought scares me.

I am an observer, always have been one since I was a child. My uncle used to say that at family reunions I would just sit and not talk, but my eyes and ears were big sponges, sucking in all the things said and expressed. Mostly I would look at everybody’s faces.

They say that the eyes are the window of the soul. I agree to some extent. But the faces, for me, are the windows of the brains and hearts. So, here is my analysis of some of the faces of our beloved Miami Marlins.

We have a big variety of facial expression with our pitchers.  For example, Nolasco.  If he pitches good, his face looks like a photograph, still and without any emotion at all, it looks like he belongs to some royalty of baseball, if that exists. So, I would define him as Prince Nolasco. That is when he pitches good, but what happens if he pitches bad?  Guess what? Nothing !!! He has the same facial expression!!! That sincerely worries me.

Another pitcher, Josh Johnson, when I look at his face during a game, it seems like his is the hardest job in the world or maybe in the whole universe. Not sure why. It is his profession. He is talented. But he seems like this is rocket science or brain surgery. And it is not.

Other pitchers like Zambrano smile all the time. I know he is a Christian. And that joy is transparent during his performance. But really Big “Z”, every single time? It worries me too…

Most of my worries though come from our closer Mr. Heath Bell. He comes running from the bullpen area, and I am not sure if he is going to make it to the mound in one piece or not. Then, the torture for him and us the fans start.  If it is a “good day at the job” he will be focused, and sweating, but only a little bit.  But, if he is not in control of his pitches, the drama unfolds.  He breaths heavy and looks to the stands, not sure why, maybe for a sign of how to do the next pitch?.  His face and neck gets red and flushed, even with our new Park’s air conditioning. It makes me feel that I should call 911 and have the paramedics ready for him.  He is definitely the most expressive of all the pitching staff.

How about some of the position players?  For example, what about the face of Jose Reyes, or maybe “Mr. Colgate” because he smiles a lot?   But, his smile is not like Zambrano’s. He seems to be enjoying what he is doing and gets happy if he hits a single or steals a base. I like that guy. Also, I like him because he is the father of Lil_Jose7… what can I say…it is what it is…

Another of our players, Logan Morrison, better known as Lomo is a piece of art. He is currently playing at first base even though he has been a LF for most of his Marlins career—that is short by the way. But his face is one that I can’t overlook. I wish I could. If the ball passes by him, or if he is not in the position where he should be, he looks confused, and also oblivious. He looks like a college kid at a Fraternity party who realizes there is no booze. I mean it. And that face also appears when he is at bat.  That look honestly bothers me. Sorry Lomo if it doesn’t,  but your look makes it seem as if you don’t care at all.

The other day my brother and I were talking about sports, and the Miami Heat’s lack of performance, etc. We agreed (as if we had the power to decide anything) that salaries in sports should be based by current performance. For example, if you hit a single, such and such amount of money, if you hit a HR, obviously more. A whole new structure of income/salaries for sports players based on performance, not based on the fact that they just showed up and put on their uniforms. But one based on RBIs, grand slams, stolen bases, all the things that the player can do to score and manufacture runs to win a game. If they cannot win, at least they can try to be competitive until the last minute.

But the reality is different. They still get paid the same, based on their past performance and future potential, based on how good their agents are at talking.  At the end of the day though, the fans leave the stands, upset, depressed, with less money in their pockets that when they arrived at the park. Or like me, they are at home in front of the TV, mad as hell when we are losing, maybe with the need to even take a heartburn medication.

But what about the players?  Maybe our losses, either by one run or eleven (ouch, that one still hurts) would have a better acceptance by all of us fans, maybe even to some of other players and for sure our Coach Ozzie, if your faces would look different, if they would look like you really care.

Because at the end of the day, sometimes it comes down to who wants it more.  C’monMiamiMarlins! Want it more than the opposite team… Want it more!

GO FISH! GO MARLINS!

LaMarlina2011