Read the opposing argument from Babe Ruthless.
Back in May, The Sports Debates hosted an MLB relocation debate, and the team that Babe Ruthless chose was the Florida Marlins. To use a direct quote, “Watching the Florida Marlins hit home runs into the vast emptiness of Sun Life Stadium is one of the saddest scenes in baseball.”
Things have not changed in the six weeks since that debate. Well, you could say that watching a certain Marlins shortstop chase after a ball is pretty sad too, but you get the drift. The overall state of the entire franchise is pathetic. And yet Bobby Valentine wanted to come to south Florida. I’m not going to pretend I am a Bobby Valentine fan, and I’m not going to grow a 1970s porn stache and pretend I am Bobby Valentine in disguise. But if Bobby Valentine is a smart man, then he wouldn’t take the Marlins job even if it was offered.
There’s definitely some talent on the Marlins roster… CURRENTLY! Hanley Ramirez, when he is hustling, is one of the game’s better overall players. Josh Johnson, quietly, has become one of the best pitchers in the game. There are other young players to build around also, and that list includes guys like last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, Chris Coghlan. And yes, I’m aware that a new stadium is being built in time for the 2012 season. But……….
There’s no guarantee that these young players are going to be around for the long haul. The Marlins won World Series titles after both the 1997 and 2003 seasons, and after the confetti had barely reached the ground from a city-wide celebration, a city-wide depression took place as massive fire sales were conducted, ridding the team of its best and most valuable players.
The attendance at Marlins games is horrendous. Through 41 home games this season the Marlins have averaged 16,525 fans per game, and that’s been helped by a big opening day crowd and an annoying vuvzela giveaway. It’s been so bad in Florida that the team even moved a three game set with the Mets to Puerto Rico, and last night’s game drew 18,073 in Puerto Rico.
Owner Jeffrey Loria may know a thing or two about art dealing, but I am questioning his baseball IQ. This is the guy who fired Joe Giradi in 2006, despite the fact that Giradi won the National League Manager of the Year Award that year. He did so with an approximate payroll of $14M that year, which was lower than many individual players. Loria has splurged a bit, and the payroll is up a bit to approximately $56M, which is the 26th highest in the majors. Two teams in the NL East have payrolls of over $100M. Yet, this didn’t stop Loria from saying that the Marlins should make the playoffs in Spring Training. He said, “I expect us to make the playoffs.” That put the bulls eye squarely on then-manager Fredi Gonzalez.
It’s debatable how successful Valentine has been as a Major League manager. What isn’t debatable is the fact that Valentine should not take the Marlins’ manager job. It’s too difficult to build a consistent winner in Florida. There’s an unsupportive fan base, and an owner who has questionable baseball judgment. Is that the situation you want, Bobby?
Nah, you should stick with ESPN while you wait for a better job.
