Nobody’s Seen Troubles Like Me ………..
Well at the halfway point of the MLB season and the high-spending …. Miami Marlins are in the midst of a crisis of confidence and they appear to be in such a rut , that not even team manager Ozzie Guillen and his coaching (managerial) staff can explain team’s fall from grace to their long-suffering fans . The build-up for the season was well chronicled , with Guillen replacing a long-time favorite in Jack McKeon . That alongside the high-profiled off-season acquisitions and ball-club’s move into a new all-purposed built 37,000 seat , $575 million stadium , and it was felt that this would be the season for the Marlins to make a preemptive strike as they seek to become relevant once again within the NL East as well as within the NL.
With the mid-season break in session as the 83rd All Star Game is set to take place tonight at the home of the Kansas City Royals , and Kauffman Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri . The Miami Marlins has only one representative for the NL roster for the game itself but unfortunately due to injury , Giancarlo Stanton will not be game time participant in tonight’s event . With so much at stake for the winning league , home-field advantage certainly adds spice to the World Series .
After tonight’s game , players will return to their respective teams to resume the second half of the MLB schedule . For the Miami Marlins that will mean trying to claw their way back up the NL East standings , having posted a 41-44 mark to close out first half of the season . And for the Marlins that will mean an arduous schedule over the remainder of the month of July . That begins with a three-game series’ home stint against the Washington Nationals . As the Marlins have continued their plummet into the depths of mediocrity , the surprisingly stealth Nationals have proven to be one of the major surprises of this season within baseball. A contrast in styles as the Miami Marlins have sought to be lugubrious , their divisional rivals have simply sought to be understated , while going about their business in a professional manner . I am not about to suggest that Ozzie Guillen hasn’t an answer for what ails his team but if they are to resurrect their season , then he and his coaching had better be ready with a quick remedy . If not , then all of that capricious spending will have been for nothing .
Already nine games out of first place , as the Washington Nationals have pretty much flirted with leading the NL East for a large part of the first half of the season . Perhaps the only team with the division with an equally inept showing has been the under-achieving Philadelphia Phillies (37-50) . Enough has been written about the travails the Phillies and the very fact that GM Reuben Amaro is already considering , bailing on their season , with the thought of trading the team’s pitching ace Cole Hamels and the remaining years on his lavish contract .
If the Philadelphia Phillies should fail to make the postseason , then it is my firm belief that there will be some major upheavals beyond the player personnel and the managerial staff . As I firmly believe that Reuben Amaro will have to be shown the door ! You simply cannot have an organization with a $175 million payroll flailing in the wind like novices lost at sea . But such has been the sheer complacency and gullibility shown by the front office , that they simply have no one else to blame but themselves .
The Miami Marlins’ fate lies within their own hands , and will not be built around the missteps of others within the division or the NL as a whole . That being said , GM Michael Hill and team President Larry Beinfest went about their task acquiring players with a penchant of picking up any big named individual , merely for creating the perception of being the NL’s answer to the New York Yankees . And when you choose to go that route then you sure as hell better have the financial resources in place to make the claims that you have been making not just within your own territory but also on a national level . So far on appearance , this has been somewhat of a monumental failure on the part of the Marlins’ organization .
As I alluded to earlier , the Miami Marlins will begin a three game series against the Washington Nationals at Marlins Ballpark , Miami . Florida . Baseball’s newest venue has been graced with a number amenities meant to be family friendly as well as a lure for all fans of the game . In spite of that , attendance for Marlins’ home games this season have seen something of an upswing but perhaps not to the levels that might have been expected by the Sales and Marketing Department . Friday’s game will pit Jordan Zimmerman of the Nationals against Josh Johnson in a match-up that pits two of the better pitchers in the NL . That may well not be enough to safe guard the Marlins’ season as they seek to reestablish themselves as a legitimate contender for the MLB postseason .
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a make-or-break season for the Miami Marlins ! Anything short of a postseason berth must be considered a failure for a ball-club that bet big as they sought to roll seven or snake-eyes . They have so far come up with nothing at all to show that their luck will actually change . And the often vocal Ozzie Guillen has suddenly become lost for words as his players continue to greatly under-achieve . No one has seen troubles like Guillen has in recent years having alienated himself with his former the Chicago White Sox and most certainly a mere two months earlier he drew the ire of the Cuban community of Miami with his rather ill thought statements showing his admiration for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro . Long live the revolution . Or , in the case of Ozzie Guillen, …. “ oh sh#t I have opened my mouth again , and filled it with a great deal of my bull#hit “ .
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Picture gallery .
How do you see things panning out for both the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies as both teams embark on the second half of the baseball season ? Simply leave a comment as you see fit .
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Picture gallery for your perusal .
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(1) St. Louis Cardinals ‘ David Freese (23) scores from second on a single by Rafael Furcal as Miami Marlins catcher John Buck (14) applies the late tag in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 8, 2012, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 5-4 . AP Photo/Tom Gannam …
Miami Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez (2) scores on St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tony Cruz’s throwing error after stealing third as starting pitcher Joe Kelly waits for a throw in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 8, 2012, in St. Louis. AP Photo/Tom Gannam …
(3) ST. LOUIS, MO – JULY 8: Manager Ozzie Guillen (13) of the Miami Marlins argues a call with umpire Manny Gonzalez #79 against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on July 8, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
(4) Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the Miami Marlins hits a home run in the third inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park on July 1, 2012 in Miami, Florida. June 30, 2012 – Source: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images North America …
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2012 MLB All Star Game & team rosters
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The Roots …… & …… Musiq Soulchild …… ” Break You Off “
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Tophatal's Blog 
The Marlins and Phillies combined have a payroll that exceeds $275 million but for all of the monies spent but how inept both of those teams are not just within the NL but also within MLB as well ?
Everyone asks (WWJD) what would Jesus do ? In Ozzie’s case it;s what would Fidel do ?
Both Charlie Manuel and Ozzie Guillen are now proving that the game has past them by . Those who believe to the contrary succinctly explain to me why you believe that not to be so ?
I won a World Series in 2008 and now I end up with this god-damn train wreck ” !
Current MLB managers showing their MLB records
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Manuel and Guillen , two boobs but this female has the right choice . She likes to lick one of her own just to make sure it tastes right .
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Paying it forward one mammary and a nipple at a time
tophatal ………………………
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This is the plight of Phillies fan. This is all part of being from Philly and being an Eagles and Bums fan. This crap goes woth the territory. We had a great run and now the schmucks are back to normal losing. I will always be a phillies fan.
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Bobby Gee
The real issue lays in the fact that Phillies’ GM Reuben Amaro has been spending money capriciously , rather than developing talent from within the organization’s farm system since they won the World Series in 2008 .
“So Charlie and Rueben what you’re both saying is that the Phillies will win not one , not two , not three but multiple .. World Series after this victory ? Phillies’ commentator
There’s no denying that the team has performed extremely bad this season , The front office , MLB analysts , and The fans can no longer continue to use this season’s injuries as an excuse . In doing so it denies all of the other problems that they created as well as their errors on the field .
tophatal ………..
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Guys speaking of boobs what the fu#k was that all about last night from the ; AL All Stars in the All Star Game ? Those guys should be and feel ashamed , and return their financial bonuses because that was an ugly performance against the NL roster .
“Big girls can have all the fun they want , especially when they have the right assets ”
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A Rod’s an All Star but when he’s not sucking there , he prefers to be sucking on these .
tophatal ……………….
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It’s hard to believe the Phillies have fallen so far considering the talent of their starting rotation. By the way, has Cliff Lee won a game yet this season?
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aero
For me it doesn’t appear that things are likely to get better for the Phillies , as GM Reuben Amaro is already said to be contemplating trading the team’s best pitcher this season in , Cole Hamels , merely as a way to save money .
The Phillies this season have performed badly in every aspect of the game and that’s shown in the standings of which no one can deny as to how bad this team has been .
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aero
Although it doesn’t reflect it from an individual standpoint, team wise, the Phillies ‘ pitching has to be some of the most inept currently in the NL and the Majors (MLB) .
If Hamels is shipped out by Amaro , then I expect a slew of players can’t be that far behind .
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Lee , Hamels and Halliday .
The way the staff has pitched as a team , here’s MLB’s answer to ” The Three Amigos ” but in the Phillies’ case , they’re not about to save the day.
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Here’s a scheduling of the games to be played by the Marlins and Phillies respectively , and the pitchers who’ll be taking the mound for both teams .
Marlins’ 2012 results
Phillies 2012 results
MLB Standings & … wildcard standings
NL team stats
Can someone explain to me what was achieved from last night’s game when only one god-damn team turned up to play in last night’s .. All Star Game ?
The players on the AL roster should return their bonuses to their respective teams as a way of offering an apology to the fans who were in attendance at Kauffmann Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri .
Strippers should be on hand in 2013 (@ Citi-Field) to entertain the male fans and a petting zoo should be in place for the kids just in case things really do get that god- damn boring with the game being so uncompetitive .
Always a willing exhibitionist Carmen Electra
tophatal ….
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Whereas it once looked that the NL East was pretty damn good, now I’m not so sure.
Aside from maybe the Nats, are we convinced that any of those other teams could win a playoff series?
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Chris Humpherys (@SportsChump)
I think that everyone under the sun felt that the NL East would be truly competitive over the course of the season . One team has stood out and that has been the Nationals . As a fan of the Braves , I’ve seen the team ….. have their runs during the first half of their schedule but like so many other teams they have also hit a number of obstacles along the way .
What may well prove to be the turning point in all of this may well be the decision made by Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo as it concerns their starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and the inning’s pitch count they have him on for the season . Rizzo wants that topped off at 160 innings and that is , with the kid being shut down for the season and that is even if they’re in contention for the division or wildcard .
tophatal ……..
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Even with the Nats though, Al, the question remains what are they going to do with Strasburg and does that allow another team to sneak in and take that division?
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Chris Humpherys
Wouldn’t you agree that Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo and the managerial staff should play the hand they’re dealt with and ride Strasburg over the rest of the season and during the postseason ? He has already been “under the knife” for ‘ Tommy John ‘ surgery in his already brief career . So why all this incredulity now concerning the pitcher ?
Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo (right) , starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and the player’s agent Scott Boras (left) .
Either the Nationals want to win or more plainly put this is an organization that simply doesn’t know what it takes to win !
For the money the Nationals signed Strasburg to , in terms of his initial contract . I can tell you this , the moment he becomes an unrestricted free agent (2013) there’ll be several teams willing to open up their pocket books to get this guy ! With Scott Boras as Strasburg’s agent will the asking price for his client’s services will be ramped up because Boras simply doesn’t do anything by half measures . His list of clients include , Stephen Strasurg, Bryce Harper , Mark Teixeira , A Rod and at least several of the highest paid players in the game . And while of late, the Nationals may well have tried to join the “big boys” in terms of splurging on team payroll . It is not as if they have ever made a habit of doing this at all .
tophatal ……
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Let me ask you this, Al.
If you’re the Nats GM, and I guarantee you that you could win a World Series title this year, but it would cost Strasburg his career and he’d never pitch again, would you do it?
I’m not saying that’s right or wrong or even extreme but that has to be what they’re considering, no?
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Chris Humpherys (@SportsChump)
Stephen Strasburg was sidelined for part of last season if you remember because he had to have “Tommy John ” surgery on his right elbow . So element of risk is already out the window. GM Mike Rizzo may well think he’s safeguarding his ace but if anything he’s being overly cautious . If they fail to make the postseason there’s no guarantee the Nationals would make it again within perhaps two or three years. Simply look at their record over the past 8 years as indication of that .
I can understand that they want to protect their investment in Strasburg but beyond that , don’t you think it’s in the Nationals’ best interests to strive and show their fans that it is a franchise’s ambition to win ? That is what should be paramount here , and not a general manager trying to second-guess himself and the whole organization .
Stephen Strasburg’s contract details
tophatal ………….
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The new “thing” in Philly is Cole Hamels saying it would be OK to trade him elsewhere for the rest of this season because he would then be looking to return to the Phillies in 2013, giving them the “inside track.” He basically has said he understands the franchise’s situation. What I don’t understand is why he isn’t signed already…why play that dangerous game. Carlos Boozer once told Cleveland he’d be “back.”
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sports’
As befuddling as this all is , GM Reuben Amaro pretty much initiated this whole premise as is it relates to Cole Hamels , when he pretty much stated if the Phillies weren’t in contention they would begin to ” shop” the player around .
Not only that but it has become abundantly obvious that in recent years the Phillies have whiffed in a number of the free agency signings they’ve made , which haven’t panned out and it cost them a great deal financially .
Phillies’ payroll for 2012 tops off at $173.1 million approx . And they rank second behind the New York Yankees who top the list for 2012 with salary commitments totaling $198 million approximately .
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Chris Humpherys
It now looks as if Reuben Amaro and the front office will seek to re-sign Cole Hamels and quite possibly break the bank to do it for their ace
Top salaried pitchers baseball .
tophatal ………..
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