SB Nation User Blog: craig

Florida Marlins Walking Wounded Report

craig — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:52:48 -0000

I couldn't think of a good way to cut and paste this so you will just have to go to The Fish Pond to read it.

Lindstrom throwing, Kiko close

Matt and Calero aren't the only ones covered in the post.

Fish Wrap - Marlins 4 Pirates 7

craig — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:17:02 -0000

More photos » by Alan Diaz - AP

Browse more photos »

The game didn't start out all that well with Volstad giving up four runs in just three innings. He couldn't get any bite on his pitches. Then the rains came. After a 45-minute rain delay Volstad proved to be as ineffective at bunting as he was at pitching for the game, bunting into a double-play. Needless to say, it wasn't Chris's night.

But he was not alone in ineptitude, the offense wasn't do much of anything either. The Marlins tried to rally late but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

The Pirates are now 14-8 against the NL East and one would assume they are busily petitioning the Commissioner's office to move to the NL East. Of course the Marlins have provided 4 of those wins for the Bucs. But still.

All notable streaks are over, Hanley didn't drive in a run and Bonifacio didn't get a hit.

The absolute best comment about the game came from Freida Frisaro via twitter, who I assume is Joe's wife.

The Marlins never win in those damn July 4th hats. Last year I sat through the awful loss in Denver with those hats. Get rid of them.

I couldn't agree more.

Try it again today.

Open Thread and Ichthyomancy: Pirates at Marlins (7/3)

craig — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:23:08 -0000

I give a word of warning about today's start time and then I forget...nice.

Here is the Open Thread.

FishStriper	Attendance	Player	AAB
3.3seconds
Architect	9,977	Ross	Game: 1 HR
Backtocali
BFFO
Boteman
Brickell
Bronzeagle
Bumppo	10,800	Ramirez	Volstad: QS, W
C60
Colombo
Dan	10,001	Baker	Marlins: 3 R in 3rd
Dgriot	13,050	Bonifacio	Volstad: QS, W
DolPhanDave
Fishcrazy	14,500	Ramirez	Volstad: QS
FishFilet	18,500	Ramirez	Bonifacio: 2 IF H
Fishfins
Fluxuation
Franchocaliche
FriedFish
FSUncensored
GameFish	15,754	Coghlan	Volstad: QS, W
GMFB	13,102	Ramirez	Ramirez: 1+ RBI; Bonifacio: 1+ H
HadMatter	14,989	Ramirez	Bonifacio: 0 pop-outs
Hoyamarlin
Hurricane	13,000	Cantu	Marlins IF RBI > Pirates IF RBI
Jrsyeagle
LadyFish	14,777	Coghlan	Ross: 1+ XBH; Volstad: 5+ K
MhtD
NorthernHaze
Orlando Rays
Pgammons12
Skronch
Spud	13,500	Cantu	Game: 3 DP
Stlcardinalsfan
TabF
Weird Vic
Whalers71
Xenrod

Chum Bucket

craig — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:20:36 -0000

The Marlins have moved into a virtual tie with the Phillies for first place in the NL East. Woo Hoo! (Technically, the Fish are .00066 behind in the standings, but so what. Around here that is close enough.)

To the Chum Bucket.

It's not that I'm expecting enough activity by the late-night bar crowd that we need another open thread, it is just I wanted to give you a heads-up about what to expect for the holiday weekend. And anyway, it has been awhile since we've had a Chum Bucket. So why not now.

For the holiday three-day weekend, On Friday: I have no idea what FishStripes will look like, maybe the normal type of sucky blog posts you have come to expect or it may just end up being only the open thread. Time will tell. Saturday and Sunday will be their normal selves.

A word of warning, Friday's game starts an hour earlier than normal - the game is scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. Saturday's game will not be televised since some fool in the front office decided it also should start at 6:10 p.m. Sunday's game is at the normal 1:10 p.m. start time.

If you have anything to say, have at it, because every Chum Bucket is a completely open thread.

Have a Great three-day Weekend! That is for those of you who get one. If you don't, just try to suffer through as best you can.

Tim Spooneybarger instructor

craig — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:00:01 -0000

In case you wondering where Tim Spooneybarger is now, and I doubt you were, he is in Pensacola.

The Pelicans Training Academy is pleased to announce the addition of Tim Spooneybarger to the Academy staff. Spooneybarger brings major league experience to the Pelicans Training Academy, pitching with the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves.

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Spooneybarger and all of the Training Academy instructors offer individual, group, and team lessons. Call the Pelicans Training Academy to sign up or call (850) 334-6274 for more information.

Not a bad gig. Sure it is the indepenent league, but so what. It is a chance to work with eager youngsters and drive to work with a smile on your face everyday..

Tim Wood's journey to the Majors

craig — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:51:05 -0000

Clark Spencer chonicles Tim Wood's journey to the majors.

Here is the start of it.

When the TV cameras zoomed in on his face, Tim Wood's friends back home in Tucson thought he looked so petrified that he wasn't breathing. But the rookie pitcher for the Marlins was far from frightened when he made his major-league debut a week ago.

It's not often a player selected in the 44th round makes it to the bigs.

The Hanley Ramirez RBI streak a record setter

craig — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:55:46 -0000

Sure, Hanley Ramirez broke the Marlins team record for consecutive games with at least one RBI, but yesterday he did more than just add to his total: He set the new record for NL shortstops.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Ramirez is the first National League shortstop to have a string of 10 straight games with an RBI. The research goes back to 1920, the first year the RBI became an official statistic.

The record doesn't belong to Ernie Banks, Joe Morgan, Robin Yount or even Arky Vaughan, it belongs to Hanley Ramirez. And that is pretty impressive.

"Why did I sign with the Nationals?" Tavares said. "When you go to a club at 4 in the morning and...

craig — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:45:00 -0000

"Why did I sign with the Nationals?" Tavares said. "When you go to a club at 4 in the morning and you're just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. And to me, this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It's 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. So, Nationals, that's Jennifer Lopez to me."

Sports in Miami

craig — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:35:20 -0000

Men's Health put together a list and ranked the best sports towns in the U.S.

From Ethan Skolnick's blog:

This is paraphrased from a press release:

Men's Health ranked 100 major U.S. cities on "their sports-obsessed citizenry" in the July/August 2009 issue. The magazine tallied how many people attend baseball, basketball, and football games (college and pro), as well as who’s showing up at high-school sporting events. Men’s Health also factored in NASCAR attendance and who’s catching their sports on TV and radio from SimplyMap. In addition, Men’s Health looked at the number of people vying for tickets to any sport, who’s buying the most team apparel, and finally, how many people call themselves foam-finger-waving fanatics from Scarborough Sports Marketing.

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But no one fared worse than us.

No. 100? Dead last?

Miami, FL.

Of course.

Why am I not surprised?

Without a doubt, the fans in South Florida are the best to be found, anywhere. Unfortunately, there aren't that many of us. But with a little luck the ranks will be growing, it just takes time.

Fish Wrap - Marlins 5 Nationals 3

craig — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:58:37 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

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The problem with day games, at least for me, is that I don't get to see them. However that doesn't hold true for everyone.

GameFish has the Recap:

The W stands for "wow, we're bad."

The only addendum to make is that when the day finally ended the Marlins are a half-game out of first place.