Well, we are back.  I hope all of you had a good holiday weekend, and if you are an international reader, I hope you had a good normal weekend.

There isn't much going on in the way of sports tonight.  Oh sure, there is Monday night football and I think a college basketball game for your television viewing pleasure, but other than that, I'm not seeing much.

If those aren't your thing, and they aren't mine, we are going to have to entertain ourselves. So pick a topic, any topic, and maybe someone else will jump in.  You never know it has happened in the past.  Not saying it is going to today, but it could.  Anyways, we have to do something while we are waiting on the winter meetings to start.

I realize it is a Monday after a long holiday weekend, but try to Have a Great Day! 

R.J. Anderson, at DRays Bay, was going over some historical base stealing stats for the Rays and came to the conclusion that Jorge Cantu was a "Human Lawn Statue".

Trivial Rays Notes About Steals

R.J. should be happy to hear that Cantu found his wheels with the Marlins.

Last season Jorge stole 6 bases while being caught in two other attempts.

So going by R.J.'s methodology of Stolen base attempts/(H+BB+HBP), Cantu ballooned to a .036 stolen base percentage.

If last season is any indication, Cantu has taken himself out of the "Human Lawn Statue" category and has place himself in the Human Garden Gnome category.  A Human Garden Gnome normally just sits where he is placed, but on rare occasions a picture will show up on the web with him being in a strange place, say like second after hitting a single.

Like I said, it doesn't happen very often, but that is one of the mysteries of garden gnomes, they inexplicably travel.

According the official website, the Florida Marlins aren't expected to offer arbitration to any on of the four free agents.

On Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET, all teams must decide if they are going to offer arbitration to their Type A and Type B free agents. By doing so, they would be eligible to receive either a compensatory Draft pick or picks should the player sign elsewhere.

The Marlins have three Type B free agents -- outfielder Luis Gonzalez, catcher Paul Lo Duca and lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes.

Indications are the Marlins will not offer arbitration to any of these three, but that is certainly subject to change.

First off, how in the world did Lo Duca garner Type B status?  I guess there aren't too many free agent catchers this season.

Leaving that alone for now, if the Marlins were to offer arbitration to either or all three, and they didn't accept, it would mean the Marlins would receive a sandwich pick as a consolation in the upcoming draft.  A sandwich pick takes place in between the first and the second rounds.

There is a little of gamesmanship going on, let's say the Marlins don't want to pay the salaries any of them would command for the next season, but would like the extra draft pick, they have to determine the likelihood of the players being signed by another team.

Say the Marlins offered arbitration to Gonzo and Arthur with hopes of them turning it down, and they didn't.  The Marlins would be on the hook for their salary next season and that doesn't fit into the salary scheme.

The only player I could see the Marlins offering arbitration to is Rhodes.  Rhodes is looking for a two to three year deal, arbitration is only good for one year, and if he does indeed take the arbitration route, Rhodes has value and could be traded if he breaks the bank.

The other aspect of this is that Marlins only set so much money aside for signing bonuses for players taken in the draft, and it may be we have gotten to the point where the extra draft pick would over extend the team's budget for signing draftees.

Who knows, but I wouldn't be surprised for the Marlins to just let the free agents walk without getting anything in return.  They have done it many times before.

But whatever happens, we will know by midnight.

In case you didn't know it, the Florida Marlins are joining in the offseason hot stove hoopla by airing a radio show on 790 The Ticket.

The Marlins are launching a weekly Hot Stove Show on the team's official flagship station, 790 The Ticket (WAXY 790/AM). Each Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. ET, the show will be hosted by Josh Friedman and Marlins radio play-by-play announcer Glenn Geffner.

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The feed of the Hot Stove Show also will be made available streaming online at www.marlins.com. Listeners can call in at 1-888-790-3776, or send a text message to 74965 every Saturday afternoon.

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Friedman and Geffner will address a variety of tops ranging from free agent movement to trades. The show will feature guests from the Marlins' front office, along with Major League Baseball representatives and baseball personalities.

The first show will air Saturday, with Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest as the main guest. On Dec. 6, a Winter Meetings Special will air from 10 a.m. to noon. The Hot Stove Show will air until Feb. 28.

 

 

The first installment has come and gone.  I checked 790 The Tickets' website along with the Marlins Official Site and if either one of them archived the program, I couldn't find it.

But never fear, Photi caught some of the program and he gives his review.

Personally, if they think I'm going to wake up by noon on Saturday to listen to the program they have another think coming.  You, however, may be a morning person (Yes, noon on Saturday is morning to me) and will want to tune in.

In case you do, it is being presented.

Seeing how there isn't much going on with the Fish and considering I really need to write an article I promised someone I would deliver about a month ago, we get the long version of Chum Bucket.  Which ain't necessarliy bad.

So this is the usual Weekend Chum Bucket with an extra day included.  You know how this goes, Chum Buckets are a completely open thread where you can discuss anything that is to your mind.  Whether that be Marlins baseball, pottery, the proper way to attach christmas lights to the roof of a house, which LCD TV is the best one on the market or whatever else comes to mind.  Basically, anything goes.

Speaking of LCD TVs, I reason to believe that my TV isn't long for this world and I'm looking to replace it with a new HD LCD and would be more than happy to hear any suggestions that you may have in this area.

If you are getting a long weekend, and I hope you are, the important thing is to kick-back and enjoy the time off.  After all, that is what it is for.

In other words, Have a Great extended Weekend!

Whoa!  I'm running behind today.

In sports, we are looking at basketball and hockey.  Basketball is of the college and pro variety, hockey is the NHL kinda game.  If any of these interest you, go for it.  As for me, I have no opinion.

Should sports not be your weapon of choice today, you could recite the Wednesday Mickey Mouse Club song and if you know what it is, you're doing better than me.  Of course, if Mickey Mouse Club songs aren't your thing, and really are they anyone's?  (Personally, I only know the Tuesday song, for some weird reason.  Though perhaps Lady Fish knows them all, which would be cool.)

Anyways, comment on anything that strikes your fancy.

And as always, Have a Great Day!

As I'm sure by now you all know that the new Marlins stadium won't open until 2012, at the earliest.

The Florida Marlins said their dream 37,000-seat retractable roof stadium won't be ready until Opening Day 2012, a year later than planned, as team officials blamed a legal challenge for pushing back the deadline.

Marlins president David Samson said the stadium's designers thought the ''risk of cost overruns had become too high'' for a 2011 opening.

''It's realizing we had run out of time,'' Samson said in an interview Tuesday. ``They were not comfortable building a stadium with a retractable roof that quickly.''

As the court trial went on and on, this delay was expected.  The good news is that the stadium won't have to be built as fast as humanly possible.  This is a good thing.  When construction is rushed, corners are cut, which could mean jeopardizing the fan experience at the park.

Stadium construction must begin by May 2009 for a 2012 opening, Samson said, and team officials must secure other approvals before then. Among them: extending the lease at Dolphin Stadium for another year.

The main approvals are the construction agreement and the operations agreement which need to be approved by the city and county.  Extending the lease at JRS isn't as big a deal.  If either the city or county balks, then the stadium is a no go.  Hopefully this won't happen.

Should the Marlins not be able to get a one-year extension on the lease, they can play in Jupiter or maybe somewhere else.  But honestly, I don't think the new owner of JRS will have much of a problem extending the lease for a year and collecting most of the stadium revenue for 81 games.

However, the University of Miami could throw a wrench in the works.

But the Marlins may also need the University of Miami's blessing for another year at the stadium that the UM football program now calls home.

When UM announced it was moving from the Orange Bowl to Dolphin Stadium, the university's lease required that the Marlins' infield dirt be gone by 2011.

''It's not ideal to play on dirt,'' said UM athletic director Kirby Hocutt, who plans to discuss the issue with Dolphin Stadium officials.

From my understanding, and I'm not sure this is right, but should UM not agree to play on dirt, it won't kill the deal necessarily.  What it will mean is that the 'Canes will play rent free in JRS for that season.  If my information is correct and the 'Canes balk, then the new owner of JRS has a decision to make.

Now, if all of that isn't enough, and it should be, there is another concern.

Even with approval, the team will still need to secure financing. Samson is optimistic that can happen even with Braman expected to appeal and tight credit markets in a difficult economy.
“We’re confident the markets will improve and the liquidity will return to the marketplace,” Samson said.

Forget about Braman's appeal for the moment, since if he does go through with it and loses, he is setting himself for lawsuits to reclaim lost damages.  Even Cohen warned him about this.  And he will lose.

Instead let's focus on the credit markets.  So let me see if I get this straight, the financial institutions who aren't lending money to anyone despite all the money being pumped into them are all of sudden going to start lending come the end of January?  Okay.  Maybe it will happen, but I wouldn't bet on it.  Then again I only bet on sure things, so who knows.

I could hit the above much harder but it would only distract, so I won't.

In summary: the stadium being pushed back a year was expected and may not end up being a bad thing.  However, there are still hurdles ahead.  There are always hurdles ahead.  But we've made it further along the course than ever before, which is a good thing.  

Alright, we have made it to Tuesday and you know what that means, we're going to have a special guest.  So breakout the broom and sweep the place clean. And dust off the mat so the welcome can be seen....

Uh, okay, we aren't going to have a special guest -- it was just me recalling a song from the old Mickey Mouse club that I would probably be better off forgetting.

But enough of that.

In sports today, there is college basketball galore.  However, the game that interests me the most is the college football game between Western Michigan and Ball State.  Ball State is looking to keep their perfect season alive, while Western Michigan still has a shot at the Western Region MAC crown.  The game has potential.

Seeing how a non-BCS team's possible perfect season was mentioned, I must I agree with Fishcrazy.  The whole BCS thing is rigged.  An undefeated Boise State, Utah or Ball State will never play for the national championship.  Instead, one day, you may see a 7-4 Big 12 team playing a 8-3 SEC team for the honors.  Maybe that is the way it should be, but something doesn't feel right about it.

Should you have something else on your mind besides sports, have at it.  The diversity in conversation is always welcomed.

Have a Great Day!

While there is a tentative part to the spring training schedule, it is coming more into focus.

The Marlins will play 19 home games at Roger Dean Stadium, plus an additional 3 games as visitors with our spring training roommates, the St. Louis Cardinals.  So that is 22 games for your viewing pleasure in Jupiter.  But that isn't all, the Marlins will be on the "road" for 4 games against the Orioles in Ft. Lauderdale.  So that brings the grand total to 26 games in our immediate area.

Perhaps the most interesting games will take place on March 3 and 4 when the Marlins are slated to take on teams who will be participating in the WBC.  On March 3, the Marlins will host the Dominican Republic and on the 4th, Italy.

The interesting thing about the game against the Dominican is that Hanley Ramirez will be playing for the visitors.  Okay, he may not play in the game for Dominican, but he should be on the team.

Another feature of the spring schedule is..... do you remember in past years getting off from work or school and going to see a Marlins spring training game at night?  Sure, it only happened about four times in the spring but it was always fun.  Well, you won't be doing that this season.  The only night game is the second to last game against the Blue Jays.  This is not an improvement.

Spring training gets underway on February 14, Valentine's Day, when catchers and pitchers report.  The position players report on February 17.

The Marlins first game is against the Cardinals on February 25 and it all wraps up on April 4 against the Blue Jays.  Apparently, the Fish are going to start the regular season a little later in 2009.

Here is the schedule as it stands right now:

Florida Marlins 2009 Spring Training Schedule