The Beginning

I was born in 1983 in south Florida. I grew up surrounded by baseball. I would race home and turn on WGN and watch the Cubs every single day after school. Ryne Sandberg was my favorite player but I loved all of them, Mark Grace, Shawn Dunston, Andre The Hawk Dawson. I was hooked from a young age. When the expansion Marlins began in 1993, I finally had a home town team. I still rooted for The Cubbies but I felt like the Marlins were a part of me. Watching Charlie Hough throw knuckleballs and Chuck Carr steal bases I knew that I had found my team. Granted they were no where near as talented as the Cubs at that time, but they were lovable all the same.

Then 1997 happened. After struggling through the first few years, Wayne Huizenga went on a spending spree and purchased a team that brought home a World Series ring. Even though it was players that I had not yet grown to love, it was nevertheless a whirl-wind romance. Just 5 years into existence I had tasted the beginning of many more to come. It all happened so fast. before we could even brag about being champions, the team was gone. It was almost embarrassing to even say "defending World Champs". By the time everything was said and done we had lost seemingly everyone. Even our owner had abandoned us.

The positive from this fire sale was the prospects that we acquired. in 2003, with new owner Jeffrey Lorria at the helm, our prospects made good on their talent. Lead by Josh Beckett we managed to sneak by the Cubs and pull the upset over the heavily favored Yankees. Unfortunately deja-vu reared its ugly head. We found ourselves with to many talented players and not enough money to keep them. We traded away our nucleus for more prospects and once again drifted back to the bottom of the National League East. For years it had been difficult to watch the Marlins in person. Between the oppressive heat and humidity, and the unpredictable thunderstorms, it was a war of attrition to head to Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, or whatever they had decided to call it that year.

Everything changed in 2012. The Marlins went through a facelift that would prove them to be unrecognizable. They changed their name, they changed their uniforms, built an incredible new stadium (with retractable roof!) and became big spenders, bringing some of the top names in free agency. Finally excitement about baseball was brewing in South Florida. Not having to worry about extreme weather any longer, the fans came out in droves. It seems like the only people that forgot to show up were the players themselves. After what many would call a disastrous first half of baseball, the Marlins found themselves 3 games under .500 at the all-star break. They were struggling on multiple fronts. Their new high priced closer, Heath Bell, was struggling to get outs. Their all-star's weren't hitting. They were leaving way to many people on base. Manager Ozzie Guillen was beyond frustrated. That is where we will join them today. I will be chronicling the Marlins through the second half of the year and beyond. This will be opinion based, and while I am an optimist at heart, I will also strive to call it like I see it. If nothing else this will be cathartic for me as I watch on a daily basis, my Miami Marlins