BLUE = COMMISH
GREEN = FISH
Welcome to our first press conference of 2002, kevin, owner of the Fish.You presently are sitting 3rd in the NL East...33 GB of the first place Red Sox.
Some say you have the strongest division is baseball, how do you feel about that oppinion?
I would have to agree, the division includes two of the top teams in all of the league, american included, in the cubs and red sox...both teams are not only tremendously talent, but both are very deep.
OK going with that...Do you feel that it is a for gone conclusion that it will be the Cubs verse Red Sox in the NLCS?
I believe it will be those 2 teams playing, but i would not be completely surprised if the Mets or the Cardinals were able to pull off a stunning playoff upset.
Those teams have enough talent that combined with a good week could easily upset one of the favorites.
Your Marlins have had an up and down season, just as a lot of your rivals in the NL have had. I for one favoured the Fish to take the NL East, have you found this year dissapointing? And where do you see the Fish in 2003?
oh this year has been extremely dissappointing.....during spring training I felt the club was a lock for the playoffs at the every least...had a very potent offense, combined with a solid rotation
But injuries have had a big affect on the ball club this year combined with horrendous starts by perennial allstars such as Roberto Alomar and Scott Rolen.
We decided it was in the best interest of the Marlins to begin to look toward 2003 and beyond, so we decided to move some veterans and acquire draft picks to try and bolster roster.
We kept what we thought we be a good core to build around, ie berkman, rolen, sheffield, and brought in some pitchers that we feel will really be able to help next year.
We have big hopes for Kris Benson and Andy Pettitte heading into next season.
Even though you had a busy week of trading, your ball club is still pretty impressive on paper...Your now 6th in the NL, and the suddenly hot Norwich Navigators are nipping at your heels. How do you hope this year will finish in Florida?
well marlin management feels that if we can get Jeff Conine back into the offense, that we will be able to win a few more series, thus allowing us to pickup some more revenue that we can use towards acquiring talent in the draft.
We feel our starters still give us a shot to win and that a lineup including both Berkman and the redhot Gary Sheffield can give other teams a run for their money.
OK so you sound pretty confident in your offense, and there's no denying that fact. But the fact of the matter is, in the last week you have traded some young arms in the pen.
Such as your closer Vlad Nunez and your set-up man Braden Looper.
Mike Matthews is now a free agent, so your left with only Antonio Osuna in your pen. Is this a problem your going to address with three days left in the trade deadline, or something to think about in the off season draft.
Also, is this your main concern?
Or are you targeting another position?
Bullpen help is going to be an area we plan to fix during the offseason.
We dealt vladimir nunez because he had become less reliable in the closing role, and we feel we will be able to obtain a quality closer during the offseason.
Bullpen help is a big concern, but we will also be looking to acquire infield help, most likely shortstop, and maybe another starting pitcher.
As of now, we have seven draft picks that we can use to upgrade multiple areas of our organization.
OK we know your a busy man Kevin....As you try to make '03 a year to remember in Florida.
So were going to play a little word association. You must be brutally honest!
I will say a word and you tell me in 1 or 2 words what comes to your mind.
St. Louis Cardinals
solid
Oakland A's
Dangerous
Juan Gonzalez
Dissapointment
Bud Selig
Douche Bag
Arch Rival
Boston Red Sox
World Champs
White Sox over Cubs
Britney Spears
Extremely Hot
Snef's Mom
Cheap Thrill
OK thanks for your time Kevin and good luck in Florida for the remainder of the season.
Thank you commissioner!
Some say you have the strongest division is baseball, how do you feel about that oppinion?
Those teams have enough talent that combined with a good week could easily upset one of the favorites.
But injuries have had a big affect on the ball club this year combined with horrendous starts by perennial allstars such as Roberto Alomar and Scott Rolen.
We decided it was in the best interest of the Marlins to begin to look toward 2003 and beyond, so we decided to move some veterans and acquire draft picks to try and bolster roster.
We kept what we thought we be a good core to build around, ie berkman, rolen, sheffield, and brought in some pitchers that we feel will really be able to help next year.
We have big hopes for Kris Benson and Andy Pettitte heading into next season.
We feel our starters still give us a shot to win and that a lineup including both Berkman and the redhot Gary Sheffield can give other teams a run for their money.
Such as your closer Vlad Nunez and your set-up man Braden Looper.
Mike Matthews is now a free agent, so your left with only Antonio Osuna in your pen. Is this a problem your going to address with three days left in the trade deadline, or something to think about in the off season draft.
Also, is this your main concern?
Or are you targeting another position?
We dealt vladimir nunez because he had become less reliable in the closing role, and we feel we will be able to obtain a quality closer during the offseason.
Bullpen help is a big concern, but we will also be looking to acquire infield help, most likely shortstop, and maybe another starting pitcher.
As of now, we have seven draft picks that we can use to upgrade multiple areas of our organization.
So were going to play a little word association. You must be brutally honest!
I will say a word and you tell me in 1 or 2 words what comes to your mind.