From the Jaws of Defeat

The Marlins were headed down a similar path, a gruesome pattern that had repeated itself for four straight miserable games. Here's the format:

1. Fall behind
2. Tie the game
3. Fall behind again
4. Almost come back, but lose in heartbreaking fashion

Trailing 3-2 in the 7th inning with the bottom of the lineup at the plate, I wasn't exactly confident. Then Gonzalez laces a single, Rabelo walks on 4 pitches (about all he's good for these days), and in steps Wes Helms. Yes, the same Wes Helms who the Marlins got for absolutely nothing. And he CRUSHES an 0-2 curve into the left field seats.

It was truly exhilarating. Back to winning ways, back to alone in first place, back to confidence. Was it Jay Warman's presence that turned things around? Was it Reader Paul's conclusion of his law school exams? Whatever it was, the Marlins got one back!

Jokinen, Peltonen leave Worlds with bronze

Finland defeated Sweden in the consolation, bronze-medal game this afternoon in the IIHF World Championships. Despite mustering only 13 shots on goal, the Fins won 4-0. The entire game was played at a somewhat muted pace, as if both teams understood that this was a 3rd place game... why risk injury?

Neither Olli nor Ville factored in on any of the Finnish goals, but it was a decent 2 weeks for the Panther forwards at the tournament. Both were among the team leaders in shots on net (Ollie with 32, Pelts with 29). Jokinen finished with 1 goal, 4 assists, and a +2 rating while skating in 8 games. Peltonen recorded 1 goal and 3 assists, but a -4 rating during his 9 games on the ice, and although a forward, was 2nd on the team in total ice time.

Magnus Johansson was on the ice in a losing cause for the Swedes. He also provided a solid presence on the blueline for the "Tre Kronor." He wrapped up the Championships easily leading his team in ice time, logging over 36 minutes more than the 2nd leading ice getter. He finished with 26 shots on goal, 1 goal, 2 assists, and most importantly for a defenseman, a +1 rating. Hopefully he can bring this kind of leadership and play back to the Panthers next season.


Jay Bouwmeester and Team Canada will look to claim the gold medal playing at home tomorrow against the Russians.

Martin Signing Good? Maybe Not...

So the decision has been made to keep Panthers GM Jacques Martin through the 2011-2012 season.

Thanks for the heads up.

By guarenteeing Martin another three years with the franchise, the Panthers are putting all their eggs in one man's basket. In my opinion, a one-year-prove-yourself-by-getting-this-team-a-playoff-roster contract should have been in order.

But as usual, the Panthers jumped the gun. Too often they gave up on young talent too fast, and now, they were too quick to sign someone who has yet to really prove himself as the answer.

Yes, Martin has pulled the trigger on some great deals. Getting Shawn Matthias out of a busted trade was a great move, and for those of you who don't know who this kid is, you will soon. Getting Tomas Vokoun was another strong move, although it will handicap the Panthers this draft. However, Martin has not done what it takes to get this team over the hump.

Last offseason, a couple of bonafide scorers could have put this team over the top. Instead, Martin took a chance and loaded up on "role players" designed to put up 10-15 goals per season. Although Richard Zednik, Brett McLean, and to a smaller extent Radek Dvorak all made an impact, none of them were consistent enough to make the Panthers a sure fire contender.

If Martin goes out this offseason and grabs a guy like Marian Hossa, Brian Rolston, or even Pavol Demitra, I will have second thoughts about my negative feelings towards this signing. Many experts right now are saying that the Panthers franchise will not be back in contention until Martin is gone, plus two years to undo the damage. That may be very pessimistic, but that would put the Panthers out of the playoffs until at least 2014. I don't think anybody will be left if that happens.

All I can say is, Jacques, go sign Bouwmeester, Frolik, a motivational driven coach, and some goal scorers this free agency period. If you can check off those four items, I will write a blog apologizing and praising this signing.

Mike Jacobs Finally Back?

In what has probably been the most talked about quad since the days of "Remember Kent State," Mike Jacobs appears to be ready for a full return. This is far far far long overdue.

Our news comes courtesy of Marlins Today, so if we're wrong, blame them. Here are Alex Carver's words:

"The good news? Mike Jacobs will be back in the lineup for the second game of this series tomorrow night."

Carver sounds pretty convinced. Am I? Not yet anyway...I've heard that story too many times. We'll find out.

Hanley Signing Now Official

Here's a reason to get excited again. According to our friends at Fish Stripes, the Hanley Ramirez signing is now official!

The press conference is taking place at...yes, the Orange Bowl site. If that's not symbolic of Hanley being the face of the franchise as it enters the new stadium in 2011, then I don't know what is. Here are some details:

"Ramirez will make $5.5 million in 2009, and the deal bumps up considerably in the upcoming years.

By coming to terms now, the Marlins will lock up Ramirez through his arbitration years (2009-2011), and then three more years, where he could have qualified for free agency. For those three seasons, the shortstop will earn $23.5 million.

The Dominican Republic native will get $15 million in 2012, $15.5 million in 2013 and $16 million in 2014.

So in what could have been his first three seasons of free agency, Ramirez will collect $46.5 million.

The contract doesn't not include a no-trade clause or a signing bonus."

An excellent deal for the Fish. My only concern? Carlos Delgado also had a backloaded contract, you may recall, which the Marlins precipitously took advantage of by dealing him to the cash-happy Mets. Let's hope that doesn't happen again. Positive thinking, positive thinking, positive thinking.

Fans Forget Those Whom Fortune Forsakes?

In Charlotte Bronte's preeminent masterpiece Jane Eyre, she remarks how "friends always forget those whom fortune forsakes." Despite the statement's inherent truth, one has to wonder if those same words apply to fandom, especially in the more "fairweather" areas such as South Florida.

Well, in the last five days, fortune has forsaken the Marlins. The once-charmed team is now dropping every 1-run game, losing in spectacular fashion time after time. To say the tables have turned is an understatement; the other shoe has dropped with such a thud that the table has hit the team squarely in the face, battering the players' wounds and expectations.

Don't give up, Marlins fans. Just as Bronte tries to illustrate, now is when the Marlins need you the most. Don't abandon the team because of one heartwrenching stretch. Things were at such a high a week ago. They can be again!

Marlins Rise in ESPN's Power Rankings

A weekly stop for me on my hunt for baseball knowledge is ESPN.com's MLB power rankings.
Not totally based on won-loss record, the rankings reflect how hot or cold a team is, or how good they are based on the opinions and research of espn employees.

It is hard to put too much stock in the power rankings, however I have found it amusing to watch the Marlins climb from the near-bottom to the near-top as the season has progressed and the "Worldwide Leader" has taken notice.

After a 1-2 start against the Mets, the Marlins were ranked 28th and the comment next to the Marlins logo fearlessly proclaimed: "You heard it here first: Opening Day starter Mark Hendrickson will be out of the Marlins' rotation by the end of May, if not earlier."

How's that one lookin'?

Anyway, as the Marlins' record has remained impressive, they have climbed the ladder. From 28th to 26th to 16th to 13th to 16th to 11th and now to 6th in this seasons' eight weeks.

This week, the brilliant power ranking comment ghost writers have come full circle, sort of: Mark Hendrickson already has more wins this season (five) than he had all of 2007 (four).

Marlins Look to Home For Comfort

The four-game series in Cincinnati that wasn't (both in terms of expectations and logistics) was a nightmare concocted by some Riverfront demons. Three crushing losses, the last of which the Marlins scored 6 in the 9th just to blow it in the 10th, left many a Fish fans cringing.

The Marlins - believe it or not - are still in first place, and they can right the ship tonight. Reports are that Andrew Miller will still get the start (on an extra day's rest), to see if he can build on his previous two gems. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I really think he could be the guy who stops the bleeding.

Also of note: Matt Treanor is now being called the starter. Thank god! This should have happened four weeks ago.

NBA Draft Lottery Approaching

Perhaps the most uniquely satisfying aspect of the NBA offseason is the NBA Draft Lottery. No other sport hosts such an event, where the fates of entire franchises come down to the random bounce of ping pong balls (unless you're a conspiracy theorist).

Well, the Heat may have stunk up the joint last year, but they've "earned" a 25% chance of getting the first pick (highest probability of all teams). That's what a disgusting 15 wins will do for you.

Much of the talk has focused on whether the Heat should draft Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose, but the Heat may not even be in that position. There's a very good chance they don't have either of the first two picks, so let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The lottery will take place on Tuesday May 20th, with the actual draft slated for June 26th. We'll have lots more coverage leading up to Tuesday.

GM Martin signed long term... Coaching search begins... kind of

This according to floridapanthers.com. Panthers general manager Jacques Martin has been signed through the 2011-2012 season. Martin also said earlier today that he doesn't see himself making any hurried decisions about hiring a new head coach. “I think in June is when I see picking up the coaching portfolio and doing some work,” Martin said. “I didn’t want to put a deadline on it. We’ll just wait to see where we’re at. Maybe it will develop quickly, and maybe it’s going to take a couple weeks.”

Martin then tossed out some names that might pop up... some have a plethora of NHL experience (Joel Quenneville, Pat Quinn, Pat Burns, Paul Maurice), while others are currently NHL assistant coaches. Martin also mentioned that he may even look into the AHL for some new coaching talent on the rise. Here's one quote that popped out to me. Martin said he plans to look for "an individual who has good teaching ability (because of) the age of our roster. One with good motivational skills, good communication skills. An individual who can work within the team framework with the organization.” Is it just me or is he describing everything he couldn't seem to do while he was the head coach? He couldn't get the younger players to live up to their potential. There were flashes, but no consistency (lack of teaching ability?) Motivation was often absent among the Panthers on a nightly basis. Again, some nights they looked like a contender. Other nights, they looked like a peewee house team. Martin butted heads with players, most publicly with team captain Olli Jokinen. Not exactly a demonstration of great communication skills, or "working within the team framework."

It does seem like he is dedicated to finding the right guy for this team, and perhaps even admit that he was unable to be that guy. There is no need to rush and just hire a big name if there is someone out there who would be a better fit. Hopefully Martin can get the coach who can get this team to finally live up to its potential.



In an unrelated matter, Team Finland, with Jokinen and Ville Peltonen, lost today's semi-final matchup with Russia 4-0. Finland looked nothing like the team they have been up to this point in the tournament, both physically and mentally. They were called twice within a matter of minutes for too many men on the ice late in the 3rd period, and hardly mustered much of a scoring threat for much of the game. Finland will take on the loser of Canada vs. Sweden.

Bats Wake Up, #1 Canes Rock the #2 Tar Heels

Remember those questions I ruminated on in my last post about Hurricanes baseball? Remember how Miami put up a dreary effort against the North Florida Ospreys, and I was wondering aloud whether this team had the mental toughness or even the interest in making a deep post-season run? I concluded that yes, Virginia, the Canes are for real - it just takes them playing the highest quality opponents to bring out their best.

Sure enough, on Thursday night, the #1 Hurricanes proved me right, and coasted to a 12-2 victory over #2-ranked North Carolina at Mark Light Field. Chris Hernandez earned the victory, bringing his record to a perfect 10-0. Yonder Alonso, meanwhile, makes me sound like a broken record. Let me say it YET again...Yonder Alonso came up huge last night. He hit a grand slam off of UNC's ace Alex White, and elevated his batting average to a preternatural .381. The homer marked his 17th of the season, tops in the ACC. Speaking of the ACC, the Canes clinched the #1 seed for the ACC tournament beginning Wednesday in Jacksonville. The Canes are 23-3 in the conference, and 43-6 overall.

Also worth noting, a rarity in South Florida - a standing-room only crowd for a game. Granted, it was only 3,250 fans, but it was enough to secure that most bizarre of occurrences - a South Florida sellout. You might want to look outside for flying pigs now.

Cody Ross is Heating Up

We know our friends at codyross.org got a real kick out of our Cody Ross Wonder Boy story. Just look at the comments.

Well it's time to give Cody Ross another look. Hampered by a bad knee and a shortened Spring, Cody Ross slumped through April. At times, we wondered if the guy known for his gentility would ever find his way out. Guess what? He has.

Let's look at his April vs. May numbers:

April: .159/.188/.227, 3 Doubles
May: .300/.440/.900, 4HR, 8RBI

Whoa! This, while Alfredo Amezaga struggles. It seems like Cody Ross is ready to assume the starting spot in CF. Based on these numbers, I would encourage the Fish NOT to sign Jacque Jones, because the answer is already there.

The only question left: Was that a Wonder Boy moment?

Dolphins RBs Looking Good

Here's a quick update on the Dolphins RB situation. As many of you recall, the two-man force of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams was dominant a couple years ago, but various "off the field" problems sidelined Ricky Williams, while Ronnie Brown suffered a torn ACL. Here's an update on their progress:

Phinsider tells us that Ronnie Brown is ahead of schedule in his recovery. This from the Sun-Sentinel:

"Ronnie is way ahead of schedule. He spoke to the rookies at the recent minicamp and they were impressed by Brown's size, particularly, Jalen Parmele. With an ACL, you never know how complete the rehab is until he starts cutting. He still has more than two months before he has to face that."

I find that very encouraging.

As for the more mercurial of the two (and by that, I mean Ricky Williams of course), there's good news on that front too. As FinsNation informs in a way only he can (lashing out at Jets fans):

"Jets fans better be on their guard because I'm gonna show up and verbally kick them out of other people's houses! They cannot stop me or Ricky with conventional doucheyness. Their doucheyness has no power over us! Their doucheyness only makes us stronger!!! Bring it on, I say!

So, yea, Ricky is looking strong."

Great stuff. I can't wait to see the two-headed monster in action again. Maybe Ricky can even give Ronnie some of his weed to ease the pain.

FinsNation IS Cultured After All

In our Jason Taylor post yesterday, we insinuated that we were the only blog in South Florida with an appreciation for Jason Taylor's dancing skills.

Well, it seems we need to print a retraction. FinsNation actually holds great admiration for Jason Taylor's dancing skills, but just finds the show Dancing With the Stars dreadfully boring. That's a big difference.

So FinsNation, we apologize for misinterpreting your taste in shows for your taste in culture. We hope you'll forgive us for our transgression.

More on Last Night's Debacle

Now that my venom has been spewed adequately in the form of Roget's Thesaurus (or a comparable resource), I should acknowledge the fight in this Marlins team. This would be the second time they've come back from a big deficit, only to lose in startling fashion. Major credit should go to Fredi Gonzalez, Cody Ross, and company for putting together such a thrilling 9th inning barrage.

Let's address Fredi Gonzalez a little more now. Did he make a mistake by bringing Pinto out again for the 10th inning? Pinto already displayed some wildness in the 9th, and it was the two walks in the 10th that did him in.

Marlins Today puts the loss squarely on Fredi for that very reason. I give you Alex Carver's words:

"Renyel Pinto looked uncomfortable but still managed to wriggle out of trouble in the bottom of the 9th to send the game to extra innings. Despite his wildness, Fredi Gonzalez chose to send Pinto back out for another inning. That decision would prove to be the wrong one. Pinto got the first two outs in the 10th but then gave up two walks straight walks. With pinch runner Johnny Cueto standing at second, Janish smacked a tailing changeup to right. Game over.

For those keeping track, that’s three straight losses. Two of them can be blamed on ill advised decisions by Fredi. Hopefully he remembers to bring his brain with him to the yard tomorrow as the Marlins look to avoid the sweep in the finale of this four game set."

While I'm not as critical (after all, Pinto has been fantastic this year), I'm inclined to agree. Let's hope both Marlins Today and The South Florida Fan are singing some praises after tonight's game...where Fredi should bring his brain to the yard (better that than his milkshake).