Experience and Change a Potent Combination

We all know the words "experience" and "change" from the ongoing saga that is the Democratic Primary; Hillary is experience, Obama change. Many salivating Dems have fantasized about a Dream Team lineup, because after all, why choose one when you can have both?

It seems the Marlins have applied the same logic to this year's squad, albeit without the kind of fundraising Senators Obama and Clinton are getting. Let's examine each issue more closely:

Experience: So far, a slew of upcoming players have shown a new brand of wisdom. Mike Jacobs, Hanley Ramirez, Scott Olsen, and Jeremy Hermida come immediately to mind, with Renyel Pinto and Matt Lindstrom also making waves. Perhaps the strongest example is Fredi Gonzalez, who now has a solid year under his belt.

Experience isn't everything. In fact, far from it, as the 2003 Marlins proved. After all, as Montaigne says, "When reason fails us, we make use of experience, which is a feebler and less worthy means." It still helps though.

Change: As much as I loved Dontrelle and Cabrera, I've been hearing whispers of how they plagued the clubhouse last year. As one scout told me (he knows who he is), Willis' locker was like a candy store, and Cabrera was hungover almost every day at batting practice. Could their substraction, combined with positive clubhouse influences like Luis Gonzalez, Jorge Cantu, and Mark Hendrickson be making the difference? (Luis Gonzalez also brings quite a bit of experience, by the way).

Of course, it's easy to assign the credit there when we have few other reasons for justification. My main point, however, is if the adage "if it ain't broke..." stands valid, then one could equally claim, "when it is broke, fix it." The Marlins did something to try and fix their clubhouse chemistry, and it appears to be working.

Is it change, experience, both, or neither? Whatever it is, I hope it keeps happening.