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In a Sea of Villainy, Jeffrey Loria Shows the Way

January 18, 2013 in Commentary, Offense

Is Jeffrey Loria the devil? Or evil mastermind? Or just smarter than we all think?

Is Jeffrey Loria the devil? Or evil mastermind? Or just smarter than we all think?

Lance Armstrong is on Oprah confessing that he cheated. And that he lied about cheating.

Notre Dame media darling Manti Te’o, a runner up for the Heisman trophy and heart of the Irish defense, may have been involved in a hoax over a story about a girlfriend that died of leukemia.

Somewhere, Jeffrey Loria is sighing relief, smiling in the mirror giving himself an “atta-boy”.

You see, Loria, as vile as he may be to the shifting allegiances of Marlins’ fans these days, got one thing right – he shut up. He lied and he knows it. No matter how he spins it, he lied to people both “big and small” and made a decision that was vastly unpopular with pretty much anyone in South Florida. Whether or not you agree with his decision, the team did have 93 losses and spent over $100M last offseason to get to that point. That’s a reality.

And one can argue that he is handling it horribly, too. His initial reaction to the media was ”We finished in last place. Figure it out.” He didn’t go on Oprah and confess anything. He didn’t do an apology tour. In fact, his PR shot in the arm is usually David Samson, team president (and stepson) who gets out in front of these things and takes it on the chin. He goes on radio shows – heck, has his own radio spot from time to time. People may not totally embrace his distinctly vinegar personality, but they are at least entertained by what Samson says.

Total silence. Blackness. That is what Loria wants. He wants his organization to not even address this publicly. There has been no public attempt to smooth things over with frustrated wunderkind Giancarlo Stanton. Heck, even the annual Fanfest has been cancelled and renamed “Winter Warm Up”.

But you know what? Loria realizes that nothing good can come from it. That in opening his mouth, no one is going to buy what he says anyway. There is no point. In this, he looks like a genius, a mastermind. Lance Armstrong is going around trying to pitch a new, honest, and humbling image – you know he is up to something. Te’o has yet to interview and address this, which in his case may prove to be a mistake. Then again, maybe the silent treatment in this of endless blogging and social networking is the way to go. Let people think what they will, you can do little to change it and probably do more damage trying to defend yourself. Especially when you are guilty to begin with.

Then again, if the Marlins do turn this around and start winning, what will Loria’s reaction be then? Definitely not a “I-told-you-so”. But he certainly would have the ability to “buy back” some trust from this fan base. Admittedly, that is a pretty big “if” looming over that fancy new Marlins Park – built by an angry tax paying community that feels betrayed. Yet in light of today’s sports landscape, and in our society in general, lying, cheating, and stealing is rampant. So, get in line. You bought the ticket, now see the show.

Marlins Facebook Page Not Enjoying Holiday Cheer

December 30, 2012 in Commentary, Offseason

Citrus Grove students Yunieski Fonseca wins the 2012 contest for the Marlins Holiday Masterpiece. Via Marlins Facebook page.

Citrus Grove students Yunieski Fonseca wins the 2012 contest for the Marlins Holiday Masterpiece. Via Marlins Facebook page.

Looks like even though the holiday season is upon us, the Marlins are getting no love – or peace – from their ranks of devoted fans. Just check out their Facebook page and you will see each fun topic raised by the administrators of the page shot down with doubt, rancor, and befuddlement. Ahh, ’tis the season to be merry.

Shall we examine a few excerpts?

Posted on December 26th, Giancarlo Stanton posted via Twitter how it was time to work off the calories from all of the eating he must have enjoyed on Christmas day, like many others celebrating. Let’s look at some of the reactions on the Marlins fan page on Facebook:

  • Jeff Flores He was talking about the team when he said left overs….
  • Juan Torello Thats right why be in shape when the whole team is not even a major league caliber….
  • Soprano Velasco Giancarlo, quick breach contract somehow and find a way out befire you end up playing in a different country.

The Marlins posted a cute coloring for their 2012 Marlins Holiday Masterpiece created by middle school student Yunieski Fonseca. Cheerful subject – let’s take a look at what kind of reaction it garnered:

  • Noel Castillio Great job Loria,, for selling all of them, how much did you get??? don’t be funny, you got a new park for wath?????
  • Justin Jordan For my Christmas list I want loria to sell the team an we can get MLB players not AA players
  • Sergio El Timby Quinones What did Loria and the dwarf get for xmas?
  • Nicolas Marin Ironic…Billy the Marlin’s sack of gifts is torn, meaning kids all over Miami will be disappointed while others reap our gifts.

So, as the holiday season winds down, spend time with the ones you love and cherish. It seems that Jeffrey Loria and David Samson have a lot of bitterness they have to sort through starting this new year.

Shifting MarlinsNation.com Into a New Era

July 16, 2012 in Commentary, Site Announcements

We have been a faithful representation of Marlins fans for a while now; ever since we officially launched this site back in 2005. We have always sought to be a voice for the Marlins fan as it was always painfully obvious that we were underrepresented when it came to the national conversation and the state of Major League Baseball. We were mocked for being a finicky fan base, only embracing our winning teams of 1997 and 2003. We were charged with being a franchise that only bought its title back in 1997, only to shock the world with the title run in 2003 with one of the lowest payrolls in all of baseball.

For years, this franchise has been bemoaned for being cheap, with a sprinkling of fans in attendance at home games. Now, with a new stadium in the heart of Miami, and flashy new uniforms, and a growing and rejuvenated fan base, we are excited to embrace the dawning of a new era for the Miami Marlins. We have also decided to take our site into the future by transitioning it from just another blog site dedicated to the Marlins, to being a social network allowing for Marlins fans to come together and just talk baseball. Some of the new features are:

  • Groups around different subjects to allow fans to dictate the conversation
  • Member profiles where our members can friend one another and form deeper connections and conversations
  • Forums for discussions
  • Messaging to get in direct contact with anyone on the network

Just as the Marlins have evolved into what is becoming a flagship franchise, so MarlinsNation.com must also evolve. We need to represent our proud franchise and our community as it continues its history here in South Florida. Join today and represent your team and your city.

The Confusing State of Bobby Valentine: What I Meant to Say…

July 2, 2010 in Coaching Moves, Coaching Staff, Commentary, Roster

You know what makes for a great relationship? Communication.

Apparently Jeffrey Loria and the Marlins don’t get that and would lose out on their Valentine: Bobby V, baby, Bobby V.

In what has been probably the most convoluted and confusing situation of any managerial hiring process, or hiring process, Bobby Valentine shed some light on the situation. In fact, it seems that he is still in the hunt to be the Marlins’ next skipper because he was never told he wasn’t.

That is the problem – Valentine was never informed that he was out of the running and the Marlins’ made a decision:

“I didn’t mean for [my words] to be harsh,” Valentine said on Chris Russo’s show on Sirius XM’s “Mad Dog Radio” Thursday. “I just meant for them to be honest. It’s a tough process once you start getting down to a situation. We never negotiated anything and, you know, I just feel when you’re 60 years old — I know Jeffrey [Loria], I’ve known him for 25 years — I just felt that being left in the dark isn’t quite the way to allow things to move forward, but I think it’s a good situation.”

He seems to be back-peddling a bit, endorsing the Marlins’ move a bit by saying that an in-season move is difficult to make. “As I told them right from the start, someone from the outside moving in in midseason I don’t believe is a good idea,” Valentine said. “I don’t think you can train coaches and train players to think and do what you’re expecting on the run. That’s what spring training is for. And Edwin Rodriguez has had these guys in the minor leagues. He knows the spring training process, what that organizational philosophy is. So, you know, that was a good move. If, in fact, they had to change Fredi [Gonzalez] I would think that’s probably the right way to go.”

Valentine also cited the difficulties of hiring a new manager based on the mandated hiring process. “The in-season stuff where you have all the rules and regulations that are set forth, rightfully so, I guess, by the commissioner that you have to interview so many different types of people from in and outside your organization before you’re allowed to hire a person you want to, it’s a pretty tough process.”

According to Juan C. Rodriguez, the Marlins may have gotten annoyed by Valentine’s behavior during the hiring process. Immediately after Gonzalez was fired, Valentine was pretty actively promoting his next move. So, the Marlins will ride out the season with Edwin Rodriguez and re-evaluate their candidates at season’s end most likely. It seems the only thing to come out of Gonzalez’s firing isB to make an immediate change, which doesn’t necessarily translate into success.

Jeffrey Loria: Blaming Owner Only Gets You So Far

June 30, 2010 in Commentary

Last I checked, Jeffrey Loria can’t turn a double play much less hit a ball out of the infield. The guy could probably not even make it around the bases at half stride without a chauffeur. So, what is with all the noise about him?

Sure, he is the owner of the Marlins franchise. Yes he is a cheapskate that is using his sports franchise as an investment tool and not as a hobby like his fellow colleagues – who all have much deeper pockets. Say what you want, but the question remains, why should this team spend money?

Ethan Skolnick, another guy who looks like he has never played sports, writes about how his innocent wittle cowwum was picked on by Jeffrey Loria and then goes on to collect what other writers are saying “internationally”. Guess what? The reviews for Loria suck! Of course they do! How hard is it to not like a guy who refuses to spend money yet continues to get a pretty good ballclub on the field each season? Oh, and has pulled off the impossible and has a brand new stadium being built AS WE SPEAK in Miami and basically not pay for that either?

Well, if you look at what Skolnick has amassed, you will see that the people writing either a) already have a bias against Loria or b) know jack about baseball. It made me wonder, does anyone write anything positive about Jeffrey Loria?

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have an owner that has billions of dollars to throw around but you know what? That hardly leads to a good product you can be proud of. How many times have the Mets thrown money at the problem? How many of those teams, as a fan, would you be proud to root for? Exactly. Spending money is hardly the answer and the geniuses that Skolnick amassed would all disagree – they would all be supportive of someone who simply wrote progressively bigger and bigger checks.

Because Loria isn’t as rich as his fellow owners, he has had to be better if he wants to win. He put people in charge that scout and do the things a franchise with small revenue has to do – get the best talent they can afford together. Spend wisely.

To me, it doesn’t matter who the owner is. In fact, that is the point – all of this whining over Loria is ridiculous. You don’t root for the team because of the owner, you root for the team because they represent your neighborhood, your city, and hopefully they do that well. This team is young and loaded with talent and yes, they should be contending for a playoff spot. Disagree with that and maybe you don’t know enough about this sport in the first place. Which is the main problem with our media down here – they are mostly concerned with celebrity worship and making grandstands on things that have no consequence instead of focusing on things like the team’s ability to advance runners in scoring position and their record in 1 run games (which, by the way, is one of the key reasons why Fredi was canned – he wasn’t making those managerial decisions to win games).

So of course the media is going to point the finger at the owner. Look, his job is to sign the checks and make sure the money is there. In fact, that is the problem – the Marlins don’t draw and they don’t get revenue from ticket sales. How can you blame the owner when fans don’t go to games and the media, instead of covering the sport they paint a picture that the Marlins can’t sell to fans? In fact, the reason they Marlins are forced to spend so much in advertising is because that is one of the things they must do to combat the negative reviews from our mediocre media. The game is never the focus down here, instead it is the things going on behind the game. We aren’t New York even though we have a bunch of the mamalukes living down here – none of which support Miami teams but remain loyal to their muttaland, NYC.

If you are looking for someone to blame, blame the media for presenting the Marlins as a hack franchise. They do such a good job of it that they are probably the single largest reason fans in south Florida stay home (well, except for the Palm Beach Post who always does a great job with the Fish). If the fans stay home, the Marlins don’t make revenue off of ticket sales.

And if the fans came out in droves, you know who gets the money? Not Loria – but Wayne “H-bomb” Huizenga. He forced the Marlins to sign a near criminal lease where they will not see much revenue at all. Thank God he sold the Dolphins and the Marlins are getting the hell out of there to their own facility.

Most importantly, support the team. The name on the front of the jersey is who should get all the attention. Names on the back will always change but the name on the front is here to stay. Be critical, but be reasonable. Did the Marlins muck up this Fredi firing? Yeah – it needed to happen but they needed to have a candidate in place ready to go. As it stands, Edwin Rodriguez will now be the manager til the end of the season. That is a solid move and should have been done from the start instead of pursuing the Bobby Valentine “process”. Right now, the Fish have a baseball guy who is hungry and wants to prove himself and maybe the team takes on that characteristic. If not, they have the offseason to make a decision and possibly get a guy they want like Ozzie Guillen.

The media doesn’t get it and probably never will. The fans need to stop listening/reading the media and form their own opinions. Go online, find a fan site for the Fish – there are tons of us out here. Express your own thoughts and opinions with fellow fans who know the game and stay clear of the talking heads. The Marlins should be supported because they are our team and actually have some good talent. Vilifying the owner offers nothing in return.

Valentine Interview Delayed; Fans and Media Need to Stop Whining

June 26, 2010 in Commentary

The Bobby Valentine interview, and impending hire, is on hold. The Marlins are saying to be patient, that there is a process here and that they want to hire the right guy.

I am going to be critical here. Firing Fredi Gonzalez so abruptly without having someone in line shows the Marlins to not really have a plan. Then again, to fire Gonzalez and immediately bring in a new manager means that this was going on for awhile and that Gonzalez was a lame duck. Since the Marlins were, in all likelihood, supportive of the Fred, it makes sense that they have an interim situation while they find their next skipper. But, if the Marlins fire Fredi Gonzalez only to hire a retread, this will be a bad move. They need to not make a lateral move here, but find someone who is going to be there when the Marlins move into the new stadium and will anchor the franchise and help get them on a winning track again. Delays only confuse and possibly lose the team and vitally important games.

Yet, there is surprisingly a lot of bitterness in the media and among celebrity fans (notably, Stan Van Gundy) that are not supportive of firing the Fred. I want to stress something – if fans actually go to games, this doesn’t happen. Perception and reality are usually conjoined, and just as a business will spend lots of money to market itself to its customers, the perception coming back to the business owners can be an alternate of reality as well.

The Marlins have a huge following on TV, but it doesn’t translate into ticket sales. Say what you want, but the fans have gotten away with way too many excuses at this point and the owners need ticket sales to drive their business.

The Marlins aren’t moving. There is no threat of contraction. They have a new stadium on the horizon and one of the best players in baseball in Hanley Ramirez. And still, you can’t give away tickets. Why?

People actually have the audacity to bemoan the firing of Fredi Gonzalez? What is the front office and ownership supposed to do? They know if they don’t win they don’t draw. We are not talking about just having a winning season – like the Braves franchise can get away with every year in Atlanta – but the Marlins have to win big just to have a sniff at an on-field profit.

Sure, Marlins fans have had their share of heartbreak. We watched the franchise’s birth only to be cut short a season later in the 1994 strike. Then we won the World Series in ’97 only to have the dismantling made by criminal Wayne “H-Bomb” Huizenga a few weeks later. Ask a Cub fan if they would take those circumstances for a title, by the way, and they would immediately snatch at the opportunity.

The 2003 title was probably one of the best in baseball history – but it is largely ignored because of the luke-warm Miami sports fan market. ESPN doesn’t show the Fish on TV because they don’t respect the fan following here in south Florida. We whine and cry about the lack of national coverage and I always criticize ESPN for its lack of teal (I even go so far as to boycott ESPN whenever I can) but there is little interest – which makes little interest for stakes holders.

And even though Stan Van Gundy has a right to be angry that Fredi was fired and criticize owner Jeffrey Loria for being a cheapskate, he doesn’t have the proper perspective. This team doesn’t draw – so how can Loria spend money? Sure, he has revenue from TV and other streams, and the Marlins spend more on advertising than they do on acquiring a star player. But what historical evidence is there that the fans of south Florida would support a Marlins franchise that spends big money on a star player? There isn’t any. Only winning can draw fans.

So, the real Marlins fans might feel the right to criticize the ownership because, well, they have been supportive and showing their loyalty throughout these years. But we have to also remember, this isn’t about you – this is about your quiet brethren out there, tuning in on TV but not going to the games. Because those “fans” don’t go to games, there is no visible support for this team.

The perception is there for the ownership and front office that the team needs to make a change to get this franchise winning so that they can draw fans to games. And to be fair, who wants to shell out all of the money and make the haul to Land Shark/Pro Player/Joe Robbie/Suntrust Stadium to watch a team that doesn’t have appeal? They want to see a win and feel good when they leave the park.

This is a move to try and reawaken the team but also to get fans’ attention. Not the ones who are currently at the games – they are fans and will be at the games no matter what. It is an attempt to try and get this team winning so that they can draw out those fans to the ballpark. Say what you want about Loria, but the guy wants to see his team win if only to drive up his profit potential. He is not a bad businessman and is not going to be charitable with his money. Of course, he does not have the deep pockets of other owners, but you don’t get rich by spending money.  You also don’t get rich by not winning games.