Mik

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.

The song is offensive, sure, but the best part of this clip is the way the black woman totally attacks the Asian woman for not agreeing with what she's doing. http://www.3030radio.com/longer_hot97_tsunami.mp3

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.

I think that's the joke. They also signed Omar Vizquel.

The suspense is killing me. Mets are in, mets are out. O's are in, O's are out. David Sloane is a crafty man and I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't all a clever ploy to have teams bid all over each other. I just hope that sometime in the next 10-12 hours he's a Marlin.

Well, I take stock in what ESPN is saying because it comes right from David Sloane. He's calling all the shots.

NICE. I can't believe he makes his official decision tomorrow. He said he wants to play for a team with a chance at winning the championship. So, the way I see it, he either signs with the Marlins or proves himself a greedy liar. I thought for sure he was going to Texas after the developments of the past few days. I'm thrilled. Some other Marlins fans I know aren't that happy because of Jason Stokes, but I think he's not as good as some people think. I love this signing and it was the one I was hoping for since October. I just pray that it actually happens.