As we swing into the quiet season for most of our sporting interests (aside from our friends who enthusiastically participate in water sports), there remains one team stuck somewhere between “who cares” and “who are those guys?” For while we celebrate – or even venerate – the doings of the NFL’s Dolphins, the NBA’s Heat and (as of this writing) the NHL’s soon-to-be champion Florida Panthers, one squad lags far behind the others… so far, a person would need the Mt. Palomar telescope to find their fans. People, may I present to you: the Miami Marlins, 2024 version. Which, unfortunately, is not too different from past versions. As we write this note, the local nine sit a comfy 24 games out of first place, and 11.5 from the last wild card slot – as if that is ever the goal for this troubled franchise. Multiple owners, multiple managers, multiple players – it never seems to matter, as the result is always the same: by July 1, it’s a countdown to when the Dolphins’ training camp opens.
When Derek Jeter was interviewed a few years back and asked about his short, but ineffective, stay as the team’s president, he summed it up by saying, “It wasn’t what I signed up for.” Really, Derek? It was that much of a surprise? Any investigation by him or his advisors would have unearthed the fact that principal owner Bruce Sherman was leveraged to the hilt when he bought this club – all the more reason to question why baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and the ownership committee would allow such an apparently undercapitalized group to buy in the first place. But that’s grist for another column. Funny thing is, despite the financial albatross hanging around their collective necks, the squad has, at times, performed admirably. Even won championships. But two World Series titles, in 1997 and 2003, were followed by either an immediate dismantling of the team, or an unwillingness to sign their best players to long-term contracts.
And the frustration continues. Last year, the Marlins made the playoffs; Skip Schumaker was named NL manager of the year. Still, there was turbulence. GM Kim Ng, by all accounts a bright and forward-thinking executive, quit the team over what can be loosely described as “directional differences.” Her replacement, Peter Bendix, was last employed by the Tampa Bay Rays, an organization known for its low-spending/high-result success with an emphasis on scouting and player development.
But they, too, are not known for keeping their best talent around once the price taggets too high. Hardly a sign of encouragement for a battered fan base, right? True to form, this past spring Miami traded away NL batting champ Luis Arraez for prospects, further dimming hopes for a competitive season. Which means until a new ownership group arrives, or the team moves (unlikely with a stadium deal in place through 2047), local baseball fans will still be able to watch the best the major leagues have to offer; unfortunately, most of those guys will be playing for the other team.
As for Marlins management: y’er out!