quote:

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If you think Florida has a realistic shot of playing in the world series, you need to put the bong down.


Florida is 100-1 odds of winning the World Series. If you think that is realistic chance, so be it. It is A chance, but not a realistic one. Hardly one that would motivate Marlin players to work harder in the All-Star game.

Florida is 4.5 games out of the Wild Card, not their division lead. They are 13 games out of first, barely .500 with two wild card teams ahead of them, in their division, as well as the team with the best record in baseball. Their chances are REMOTE.

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Has a mid-season replacement ever won Manager of the Year?

He's got my vote.

BWHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHH HAHAHHHHHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!


excellent find, Bag!

Cheers!

Didn't that a-hole get banned for his idiotic comments on Aggies in the military.

Dusty Baker should win MOY in the NL. He took a 95-loss team to the top of the Central.

As a side note, it's amazing that Florida has been able to build a squad all the way from nothing to a World Series contender two times in the span of a decade.

Any schmuck could have managed the sCrUBs this year with Wood, Prior and Zambrano throwing lights out.

[This message has been edited by Pep Horn (edited 9/25/2003 1:33p).]

manager to pitcher: throw hard, throw strikes
manager to sosa: hit ball, long way, jump up and down like a monkey



[This message has been edited by Pep Horn (edited 9/25/2003 1:34p).]

OWNED

I don't want to discount the job that Baker has done.

But he had the off-season to get his house in order, make roster moves, evaluate talent, etc.

McKeon took a team that was tanking THIS season and turned them around almost instantly.

If cause and effect were any clearer, there'd be a schematic.

Baker's a good choice. Alou is a decent choice. McKeon did a flat out amazing job.

In the AL, even though they started playing down to their talent, I give it to Pena. Crap I wish (and wished at the time) that he got the 'Stros job.

As background, this topic was brought up in the context of whether the changes to the All-Star game would boost interest in the game. The basis was that it would serve as a motivation for the players to play harder. I still say that it wasn't. The notion that at the time Florida's chances of winning the world series were remote at the time were accurate. Their chances are better now that it looks like they will make the playoffs, but they still only have an outside chance at playing winning it all. Colorado was also 4.5 games out at that time and look at them now. Florida has played well and made up that ground, but I still don't feel that the WS home field served as motivation for their players. The quote goes on to say:

quote:

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Have you heard any players talking about how important this game is? I certainly haven't. They seem to be taking it with the same attitude as they have the previous few years. Are more people going to watch it? Probably not. I just think it is a gay attempt at manufacturing interest.

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I stand by that.

quote:

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Television ratings for the All-Star game were the same as last season despite baseball's attempt to increase interest by awarding home-field advantage in the World Series to the winning league.

Last year's game, the controversial 7-7, 11-inning tie in Milwaukee, set a record for baseball's lowest-rated All-Star game in prime time. The rating was down 14 percent from the 11.0 for the American League's 4-1 victory in 2001.

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Was I wrong about a single team, probably....although there is still ball to be played before the series. Do you think players were willing to risk a Ray Fosse injury giving extra effort on the off chance they may make the World Series? Do you think people in South Florida were watching en masse to see if the Marlins were going to have home field advantage at the World Series? I think not.

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