Tagged: Marlins

Patience is essential

So, if you guys haven’t noticed, I’m not big on writing blogs when we are losing or going through tough stretches. One must remember never to get too high or too low; this is not basketball or football. You have to bring it every single day, that’s why this game is so hard. If you fail seven out of 10 times, chances are you will be in the Hall of Fame one day. Baseball is all about failure and how you react to it. In basketball, if you shoot 10 free throws and miss seven of them, you are very bad. That’s why it’s hard to compare baseball to any other sport.

So, we haven’t been playing consistently, and then we run into the American League East boys for a while. Wow, these guys are good. Tampa Bay and Boston can definitely play. I forgot about the American League for a little bit (haha), and certainly don’t miss seeing those guys all of the time. We just need to keep at it.

Great day off spending time with the family on the boat yesterday, and now it’s time for a weekend in Tampa.

Good luck to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals!

Just keep on winning

Win. Win. Win.

We have had some injuries and setbacks, but guys keep stepping up and we keep playing good ball. We have played better within the division of late and are playing much better at home. We need to keep those things up. It’s always nice to see some wins come in bunches and play consistent ball.

This game has a way of humbling you in a hurry because every day there is a new challenge. It seems like almost every game we are facing very good pitching, so we just need to accept the challenge and continue to play well.

I have to thank the fans for coming out and showing their support. Your support this year has been great, and the park gets extremely loud when you’re into the game. It seems like people at Marlins Park never stop dancing and moving around. It’s definitely entertaining.

It’s good to have Juan Carlos Oviedo back in the mix and in a Marlins cap again. I have never seen him pitch in person, but from everything I hear he can help us win and that’s what I care about. Hopefully, he is pitching in games that mean a lot down the stretch.

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day. Never take freedom for granted, and for all those who sacrificed their lives, thank you and God bless!

Our pitching continues to be a strength

I will continue to say it all season: winning cures all. But seriously, with all of these walk-offs we have been having, I just hope I don’t have a heart attack. Our pitching continues to be awesome in a division in which every team has great pitching. We still haven’t even faced the Braves yet, but that will happen tomorrow.

If you want to win a division, it is crucial to play well against the other teams in it. We had a good weekend series against the Mets when we took two out of three. There were lots of ups and downs, but we got the “W” and that’s all that matters. We finish up our series with the Pirates today and then we hit the road. I always thought two-game series were weird and never really understood them, but we need to take care of business regardless.

Winning is the best medicine

Winning is the best medicine, even if it isn’t pretty. I have been saying it all along; it is by far the best thing in sports. Winning makes everything better. You end up liking your family and wife more when you’re winning, and it’s more fun to go to work. Winning can cure all.

I had no clue until our day off yesterday that our road trip was the best in Marlins history. I hope people don’t expect us to keep that pace (haha). Winning in the Major Leagues is so hard; in this sport anything can happen on a daily basis. Winning on the road is even harder, so when you can win on the road it becomes extremely important for your success.

I’m glad we got Heath Bell back on track and throwing the ball well. JJ (Josh Johnson) looked better and the rest is obvious: Our pitching staff has been outstanding. We are back in Miami tonight with Johan Santana vs. Mark Buehrle, just like old times. It should be fun and I look forward to seeing everyone out there.

We’ll keep fighting

Well, it’s been a long month to say the least so far, but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. We have not been playing as well as we should be or as anyone expected, but we have to stay positive and turn this thing around.

There is a lot of baseball left and we expect to be in the hunt as the season goes on.  Today, we start a long road trip on the West Coast in San Francisco. Maybe this is what we need to get us going. The Giants have a great pitching staff, but so do we. All we have to do is score more runs than they do (haha). It sounds so easy when you say it. All we can do is continue to put in the work and be ready to go. We are not stopping.

Let’s get this party started!

Finally! The Marlins have come back to Miami! Just like The Rock says (haha). It has been busy, busy, busy — so I haven’t been able to blog as much as I like, but we are ready to get this party started. The stadium looks nicer and nicer every time we get in there because they are still adding the finishing touches. It seems as though it’s going to be a loud place to play, and that’s awesome. Hopefully it provides a home field advantage for us.

We played the Yankees yesterday and again today. All I have to say is: Wow, we scored two runs off of Mariano Rivera, and that never happens. Hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come. Some of our key guys got hits like Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison (LoMo). If those guys stay healthy like we need them to, we should be alright.

The champion St. Louis Cardinals come into town on Wednesday for the opener, and then we hit the road right away for Cincinnati and Philadelphia. It would be nice if we are able to set the tone early. I love the energy from our guys so far. Maybe the energy comes from us being a young team, but they have been fun to watch so far.

We are so close to what we have all been working towards: OPENING DAY! No other sport does Opening Day like baseball does, and it shows. It’s always a special day for me; I’m very happy that this is going to be my 27th Opening Day. I consider myself very blessed to have been around for that long and to be given this opportunity with the Marlins. Now let’s kick some ass!

The games are underway!

Finally, the games are underway! Back to what we know and love: the game we have a passion for. The last couple of nights we played in the brand new Marlins Park, and it is definitely the place to be! It’s very modern and on the smaller side, so I expect it to always be packed. The clubhouse is awesome and my office has a lot more space than my old one did. I’m very excited about coming to this park every day and winning some games.

As far as the team goes, the guys are healthy and excited to play. That’s all you can ask for at this time of year. Spring Training is mostly for the pitchers. It’s a time for them to get their arms ready for the season. So far, so good! April 4 can’t some soon enough! I believe once the roof is closed, the new stadium is going to get very loud. We had it closed for the games against the University of Miami and Florida International University and I just get that feeling. Speaking of those games, it was nice to see the kids from those schools play. They are two very large schools with great followings and those kids didn’t get scared of the big boys one bit. It was very fun to see.

This is the time of year where you see how your team acts and maybe even see what they can and can’t do on the field. I just hope we keep having fun out there. Even with the Showtime cameras on, it’s always fun!

Spring is just around the corner

How did January go by so fast? Well, February is here and I can’t believe it. And no, I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day, just in case you were wondering. February is always an exciting month because baseball is finally getting started. I can’t really remember an offseason that has been as much fun as this one, not only with the moves the Marlins have made but with the moves everyone has made. There are a lot of good teams out there and teams looking to bounce back from last year. April 4 can’t come soon enough.

I will be heading down to Miami on Feb. 13 for the Marlins charity golf tournament. I know Joey Cora has been practicing a lot so I need to get out there a few days early so I don’t embarrass myself. A couple days before that, on Friday, Feb. 10, I will be doing “Lunch With a Legend” here in Chicago on ESPN 1000 with Waddle & Silvy. I love working with those guys because they know a lot about baseball and sports in general. They treat everyone with respect and I like that. I hope to see everyone out for the event.

I finally made it to my first Bulls game of the year last week. It’s always great to see my old buddy, the guy who got me my first car in Chicago back in 1985, Steve Shanwald. I think it was a Toyota Supra (haha). The Bulls played a great game and Derrick Rose was awesome! I did see that they lost to the Heat, even though it was a great game. It would be very nice if the Bulls and the Heat face off in the Eastern Conference Finals so I can catch some games in Miami.

Back to baseball. Like I always say, every team looks good in January and everyone is optimistic and excited about their team’s chances. Usually this time of year everyone is saying the right things, but you have to go out and play the games. Everyone loves each other in February, but the key is to love each other in September. If you can do that then you are in business. Trust me, I know first hand.

A very busy time

Wow, are the Holidays crazy! The Panama trip was insane, what a special place. I think just about all of you heard that the Winter Meetings went pretty well for the Fish. I’m very happy the Marlins showed the world just how serious they are about winning.

I hope the city of Miami will react nicely to the new Miami Marlins. Of course, one way to take care of that is to win consistently. Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle will be great additions to our team. Apart from being great baseball players, they are extremely good people and very fun to be around. They also have a lot of stones, so it will be a lot of fun to see.

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for Spring Training to start. Usually I do it to get away from my wife for a little while, but man, this is going to be completely different. It’s very special. It’s going to be fun, and as I have been saying, everyone on the team just needs to have some fun and win games. That’s what it’s all about.

Today is a big day for Team Pepsi in Caracas, Venezuela. We are having our annual home run derby with the Venezuelan stars. Andruw Jones is also coming in to town because that’s what friends do, they help each other out! Last year it rained, so this year it had better not. I’m hoping and praying for a good day.

I will keep you guys posted with pictures of the event later this week. Very excited to see D-Rose (Derrick Rose) play on Christmas Day!