Mik

Miguel Cabrera - Hank Aaron (Just by stats at age 21 alone)

I think most people know the Marlins lineup, because it's all household names 1-8 but I'll list anyway C - Paul LoDuca 1B- Carlos Delgado 2B - Luis Castillo SS- Alex Gonzalez (05 Gold Glove winner - mark my words) 3B- Mike Lowell LF - Jeff Conine/Juan Encarnacion CF - Juan Pierre RF- Miguel "Future 4 time MVP" Cabrera 7 of the Marlins starting 8 have played in an all star game. Bench: Chris Aguila, Willingham, Damion Easley, Lenny Harris (ugh) 1 - Josh Beckett 2- AJ Burnett 3- Dontrelle Willis 4 - Al Leiter 5 - Ismael Valdez BP: Todd Jones, Antonio Alfonseca, Tim Spooneybarger, Matt Perisho, Jon Riedling Closer: Guillermo Mota

I don't think there is any way that Pierre leaves the team. Burnett, maybe. Jason Stokes has weak wrists just like Adrian Gonzalez.

You couldn't be more wrong, Flik. And there is no REAL Cubs/Marlins rivalry, just one here on the board between Cubs fans and myself. If you want to get technical, some Cubs players got upset last year after Miguel Cabrera mocked the Bartman incident during a routine fly ball that went into the stands and some Cubs players got mad at it, although most dismissed it as a silly joke. But people may think there is a rivalry based on the way I have argued with Czech Republic and Bruiser during past seasons (and this season as well - I'm betting) when it comes to Cubs vs. Marlins. As for LeBetard's article. I agree with him on the stadium. But I disagree about the players. I would rather have Delgado and Leiter than Pavano and Pudge - maybe that's just me. I'm more excited about this year's Marlins team than I have been about a team since 1997. My theory on the deal in relation to the stadium is this, Loria thinks adding Delgado will boost ticket sales. He's correct so far, yesterday they sold $150,000 worth of season tickets and they expect it to increase steadily over the next few months. They are expecting the highest number of season tickets sold yet. Secondly, he thinks that by bringing another winner to Florida, they will get the support they need from the Florida legislature and get the stadium. If the stadium is approved, money isn't that big of an issue. Half the key to survival in south Florida is to get out from under their crippling lease and actually get to keep their profits. I think this was a wise move from a fiscal standpoint as well, but I'm no economist.

The simulation is only as good as the statistics you give it. I used a statistical projection for Cabrera that looks at his age and statistics, and compares them to similar players to estimate his statistics for 2005. The projection I used sees him hitting 307/376/543, with 31 HRs and 119 RBIs. I could live with those numbers.

Does the sim take into account things like maturation and development? Or the effect one player can have on a lineup. You know I'm talking about Cabrera and he is looking to get a boost from both categories. I think that would play a role in prognosticating the 2005 Marlins.

Ha. It actually did come back the Phillies. I don't buy it.

I know I have Delgado in my sig now, but think of the guy that's been there for the past six months. He's one year older - with another year of experience. I think he has the talent to be one of the best players in all of baseball. His most comparable player at this age is Hank Aaron, and that age is only 21. Keep in mind, he was brushed back by a Roger Clemens fast ball directly under the chin, in the WORLD SERIES, and followed up 3 pitches later with a homerun. How many 20 year olds do that? He's only going to be better hitting in front of Delgado this year.

Don't worry, mocking Moises Alou is fair game. Yeah Loria is a jerk. Would "The Braves have amazing pitching, the Mets are improving, and the Phillies can never be counted out" be a sufficient reason for me to not hand the Marlins the NL East on a freaking platter? Shit. There's a big difference between handing them the NL East on a platter and saying they will finish 4th. Everyone is forgetting that the Marlins played themselves within 1 1/2 games of the wildcard before the hurricane forced them to play 32 games in 27 days. After they traded for LoDuca and Mota they were a much improved team. They started last season with terrible holes that they filled midseason. Now they have added a veteran presence to the staff, added some key bullpen pieces and now Delgado. It's not just Delgado, it's much more than that. The problem is no one has been paying attention, so now I sound like a lunatic.

If the Marlins do poorly this year, I fully expect and will gladly accept any and all scathing comments. But don't hold your breath for it happening.

Ok, you're certainly entitled to that opinion. But would you care to back it up? And, "Miguel Cabrera mocked Moises Alou in Wrigley Field last year and Jeff Loria is a jerk, so the Marlins suck!" isn't a good reason.

I just made a mental note of this post so I can rub it in your face all season long.

I want alkeiper to run his NL east simulator now and see what it turns up. An interesting exercise to say the least. However, if he comes back still saying the Phillies, I'll discount it as anything remotely resembling reliable.

I totally agree Frigid. Forgot to mention that, although that is an incredibly lame nickname. The Braves improved, Bob? Dan Kolb for Jose Capellan is a downgrade, in my opinion. They lost JD Drew, who was a key ingredient in last year's team. The only significant upgrade is adding Hudson, I admit that. There's no guarantee that John Smoltz still has what it takes to be a starter. I'm not dismissing the Braves, but I strongly believe the Marlins are the team to beat. Or maybe it's the Phillies, they did have a busy offseason!

I have a theory about the ESPN spots and how we all grow to hate them. Every channel runs highly repetitive ads that cause you to hate even seeing them, but most of us have the channel set on ESPN nearly all day, which is why we come to hate them the most.

That sounds good enough. If he reaches incentive, he should get the 5th year. The streak is over this year. The Marlins are winning the NL East. Their lineup is incredible, and so is their rotation. The only question mark, to me, is if Guillermo Mota can handle being a closer all year long. If he can, they will win the NL East by 10 games.

The streak is over this year.

Yeah... playing essentially as a one man team. Pierre Castillo Cabrera Delgado Lowell LoDuca Conine A. Gonzalez Pitcher Looks like a good lineup to me. Think of the impact this will have on Miguel Cabrera. This was the KEY piece of the puzzle and the one I thought I could only dream about at the beginning of the offseason. This is also the Marlins biggest free agent signing ever.

They're paying $200 Million of the money for the stadium. They're only asking for support to cover about 5% of the stadium costs.

It's on ESPN.com now. That's what I'm talking about. 4 years, 52 million and a vesting option for a 5th year at an additional 12 million. Wow. As long as they think they can afford it, they know their finances better than the fans. The landscape of the NL East just changed dramatically, and I'm of the opinion that the Marlins are by far the most complete team in the division.

I really liked Finding Neverland, so I'd say yeah.

Hope you're not getting my hopes up!

According to my scanning of the respective local papers this morning, here are the final offers for Delgado: O's: 4 years, 48 mil Marlins: 4 years, 50 mil Mets: 4 years, 51 mil The article in the Miami Herald pretty much makes it look like he is signed, sealed and delivered to Florida. Most of the articles say a decision will come today.

Don't look now, but Duke has climbed up to number two in the polls. UNC right at their heels (pardon the pun) at number 3. They aren't that good, and I can't wait until we play them at the Dean Dome. We will demolish them in our building. Unfortunately, you can't get tickets to the Duke game until your last year of school, and seeing as how I'm in the first year of a 5 year PhD program, I won't be seeing the Duke game for awhile.

Behrus was the man tonight. I hope next week he kicks down the damn door and puts a round in his father's forehead. I know that would never happen, but I was thrilled when he throttled that guy with the shovel about 5 more times than necessary.