Let’s move on to day two. What can I say about day 2? Well… it rained… a lot! Funny thing is that this is the second time in my life that I’ve visited New York and this was the second Tropical Storm that followed me from Florida to New York. Half of New York was under flash flood warnings, and some people were told to stay in there homes until the storm calmed down. Did I? NOPE! I’m in New York (to some it is baseball capital of the world)! Also, I’m from Florida and rain has never stopped me before. So how did I spend my rain soaked day?

On our 2nd day we visited The Yankee Tavern. A place were all Yankee Fans head to to talk baseball.

My wife and I woke up at around 8 am to get an early start of baseball sightseeing. To where, you ask? Off to Yankees Stadium!  Sorry guys, my wife is a Yankees fan (but I’m slowly converting her to the Marlins’ side). However, even though she loves the Yankees, the main reason we went to Yankees Stadium was to eat at a place we were told that all baseball fans needed to eat when they visited New York. That place is called The Yankee Tavern.

Established in 1923, this is the place where Yankees fans go before, during, and after games, as well as where people go to get their Yankees fix during the off season. The walls are covered with Yankees World Series memorabilia and pictures of great players. I find it funny, though, that they don’t have any 2003 ALCS Championship memorabilia around (hehehe). I like it when I get to bring up the World Series Champion Marlins. So we sat down and had a nice lunch, and afterwards we sat at the bar and had a drink. The bartender was a really nice guy, and we stayed for close to an hour just talking to him about the Marlins and Yankees, and what the future holds for both teams. He was a very knowledge young man, but I guess you have to be to work at a place where Yankees fans hang out. We paid our tab and took the subway back to the Fan Cave!

Arriving back at the Cave, we were greeted by all the dwellers and they were ecstatic to see us. The Cave Monster began with the Cubs vs. the Pirates, so the dwellers all took their spots and I grabbed my chair and once again placed it behind the sofa. Halfway through the game Travis and I got the sad news that the Marlins vs. the Mets game was rescheduled due to weather. I guess we would have to wait until tomorrow for some friendly ribbing. After the Cubs vs. Pirates game was over we took a quick break to grab some food, because during the later games is where the fun really began.

5 of the 7 Dwellers’ teams were playing. The game of the night pitted the Rangers against the Blue Jays, which put Mina vs. April. Since the Marlins were rained out, I was adopted by April and the Blue Jays’ twitter world as an honoree Blue Jays Fan (after all, many of last year’s Fish players are currently on that team). Texas jumped out to a 1 run lead in the first, but their luck would stop there. In the fourth Melky Cabrera hit a Home Run to tie the game up, which meant it was time for the Home Run Slide! I hit the gong ran up the stairs and slid down the slide! What a great feeling. Then, the Blue Jays started piling on the runs, eventually winning 6-1. I don’t think I brought Mina much luck this weekend. Ben and his Reds lost to the Cardinals 9-2, and Marcus’ White Sox lost another nail biter to the A’s 4-3. Aaron and his Dodgers… well let’s talk about that one a little bit more.

Going into this game as a Marlins fan, I didn’t want the Braves to win; but more than that Aaron was a big part of my run in the Fan Cave Top 52 so I had to root for his team. The game started off slow, with the Braves taking a 1-0 lead into the 6^th.Then Puig Mania hit, and by hit I mean he had an out of the park homer that tied the game up at 1-1. This is where things got interesting. Going into the 10^th it was still tied up;  Andre Either lined out, then was followed by a Ramon Hernandez single, who then advanced on a wild pitch, then was moved to 3^rd by a Luis Cruz single, then was taken out for Skip Schumaker to pinch run, who finally scored on a wild pitch. Wow, what an interesting inning! All that was followed up with a walk off pie-to-the-face of Aaron, his first of the season. Since that was the final game, it was time to head back to the hotel.

The Dweller asked me if I could come back tomorrow. I told them that I was going to the Mets vs. Marlins game tomorrow and they told me to come after the game since it was a 1:05 game. I said sure. Little did I know what I was in store for at this game. Join me next time when I talk about a piece of Marlins history that I got on June 8, 2013. Till next time as always… Let’s Go Marlins!

June 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins third baseman Placido Polanco (right) celebrates with teammates after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins have proven a new look team can overcome the June swoon’s that have plagued the franchise each of the past two seasons. The Marlins improved to 8-6 in the month after Giancarlo Stanton‘s two home run day propelled them to victory, 3-2.

The Marlins hope to keep their solid run going, but will have some diehard Heat fans rooting against them. The Heat have tended to lose their games when the Marlins win their games.

Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound for the first time in 2013 on Tuesday night. He has been previously on the 60 day disabled list with shoulder inflammation. The Marlins are hopeful that Eovaldi can prove to be a main fixture in the Marlins rotation behind Jose Fernandez and Jacob Turner for years to come.

Check out the interview I had with Eovaldi when I had a chance to meet him two weeks ago when he was rehabbing with the Jacksonville Suns in Birmingham.

The Diamondbacks called up Randall Delgado to make a spot start. He is starting in place of the suspended Ian Kennedy. Delgado, who is familiar with the Marlins from his time as a top prospect with the Braves, was a part of a trade that landed Justin Upton in Atlanta this past offseason.

Probable Starters
Mar 8, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi (24) throws in the first inning during spring training game against the New York Yankees at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports	2013 stats — Games/Games Started 1/0 — Innings Pitched 2.0 — Earned Run Averages (ERA) 9.00 — Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) 6.56 — Strikeouts 3 — Walks 0 Career vs. opponent 13.1 Innings Pitched 16.1 10 Strikeouts 12 4.05 Earned Run Average 1.10	Mar. 18, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Randall Delgado (48) throws during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Marlins Lineup

Bold Prediction: Even though I want to see Eovaldi pitch well tonight and pick up a win, for the sake of the Miami Heat 2013 championship run, I will predict a loss for the team tonight. Marlins lose 4-1!

Sept. 30, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi (24) prepares to throw against the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Slowly, but surely, the Miami Marlins are returning to health. With each key player the Marlins receive back from the disabled list, the better they start to play.

The returns of Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison have helped jump start a struggling Marlins lineup. Morrison has picked up a few key hits in his return and Stanton has shown he can win a game by himself offensively, as he did last night.

The starting rotation is going to receive a major boost tonight, as right handed starter Nathan Eovaldi will be making his return to the Marlins rotation. Eovaldi was supposed to be the Marlins’ No. 2 starter, but right shoulder inflammation at the end of Spring Training sidelined him for 2 1/2 months.

To accommodate Eovaldi, the Marlins optioned lefty reliever Edgar Olmos to Double-A Jacksonville after their victory last night. No corresponding 40-man roster move will be needed, as the Marlins had an open spot after they placed Miguel Olivo on the restricted list. Kevin Slowey will make the transition to the bullpen to open a spot in the rotation.

Eovaldi pitched six strong innings for the Suns last Thursday in his final rehab start. He was forced to make an additional rehab start due to a rain out that prior Sunday in Birmingham.

Last Monday, I was able to have a quick interview with Eovaldi when he was rehabbing with the Suns.

I led off with a question about Eovaldi’s rain shortened start, he was a bit upset he did not get to finish the start, but he was encouraged by how he pitched. Nathan mentioned how he needed to work on his slider a bit.

Last season the Marlins acquired Eovaldi in a July trade that sent Hanley Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He said, “I was a little disappointed when I learned about the trade, coming up with a certain organization, you build relationships with people.” He went on to say, “But I realized this was the going to be a good move for me in the long term.

Nathan mentioned that he learned about the trade for his general manager at 11:30 PM. He said, “Mattlingly and Honeycutt came over to my room and told me I had been traded to the Marlins for Hanley.”

Despite Hanley’s falling status as a star player, Eovaldi said he was excited to be involved in a trade for a “big named” player. Eovaldi also mentioned “I was excited to be in Miami, with an opportunity with this organization.”

Nathan Eovaldi was a fun guy to interview and we at Marlin Maniac thank him for his time. All of here at the Maniac are excited to see how his first start of the season goes.

12U Jupiter Hammerheads on defense

The 12U Jupiter Hammerheads are back from a road trip that made lifetime memories for everyone involved.  Like all things in life, some memories are good, and some… not so much.

What everyone will remember is rain.  Soaking, wind-driven rain that turned every one of the 23 fields into a re-creation of the rainout scene in Bull Durham.  Sloppy, sticky clay stuck to everything, and the overnight lows in the 40’s ensured that nothing dried out over night. The unheated barracks huts turned into cold, damp hells with gritty concrete floors that smelled of wet dogs and feet. Of the six days of baseball activities, the sun peeked through on two of the days.  Two of the pool games were eliminated in order to play a complete elimination schedule.  Ultimately, the championship game finished at 3:30 AM on Wednesday, as the forecast for the final day (Thursday) called for better than 90% probability of rain. Even the closing ceremonies were rained out.

The boys will also remember the most valuable lessons taught by youth sports. They learned how to pick each other up and they learned that eleven talented athletes can become better than the sum of the individuals by force of will and shared determination. They will remember a defense that committed only four errors across six games in the worst conditions under which baseball could be played.  They will remember being on the team that threw the only two-pitcher no-hitter of the entire week.  They will remember the kid with no bat finally connecting for an RBI double down the right field line. They will remember the second baseman doing a faceplant in the mud to snag an inning-ending bloop that prevented a run.  They will remember seeing themselves in second place into the third day of pool play.

Pregame strategy

More than baseball, they will remember living together as a team.  They will remember the silly one-liners that became a “thing” for the team for the week. They will remember that one of the coaches made (and enforced) a rule that bad behavior was rewarded with an upside-down visit to the barracks trash can.  They will remember that an audible fart was punishable by 10 burpees.  They learned how to subordinate their individual wants to the greater need of the team, and they learned how to be good roommates under adverse conditions. As twelve-year-old boys, they had their first real taste of how to live as grown men.

Even the humble beat writer covering the team had a lifetime memory formed.  I got to watch as my son toured the Hall of Fame with his coach, a former pro player with the Marlins.  The most memorable moment for me was when they stopped and spent ten minutes at a display that examined the various ways a young man could draw the attention of the scouts, and how that attention could become a pro contract. A good listener could hear the dreams coalescing in my son’s head.

An inside look at the Road to Glory

Baseball-wise, the Hammerheads did very well.  They finished in the top 25% of the 104 teams that played. As a region, South Florida was on both sides of the field for the championship, and held five of the top ten spots.

All in all, a very good week. Except for the ever-loving, damnable, persistent, misbegotten, crappy weather.

Feb 22, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins player Jake Marisnick (77) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Down on the Farm Report for the Miami Marlins: June 17th:

Zephyrs winning streak comes to a halt, Marisnick has big day in Suns loss, Jose Urena throws another gem, and the Muckdogs dropped their first game of the season.

Triple-A:

New Orleans Zephyrs (36-36) @ Nashville Sounds (24-45)

Loss 5-3

Koyie Hill, C: 2-for-4, 2 2B (11), R, SO

Kevin Kouzmanoff, 1B: 1-for-2, 2B (9), R, BB

Rett Varner, SP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

James Leverton, RP: 2.0 IP, H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO, HR

The Zephyrs four game winning streak came to an end, as they fell behind early against Nashville and were never able to mount a comeback in the game. Leverton had one of the more interesting lines, as he allowed a three run home run after walking three hitters. He did strike out five hitters in his two innings.

Double-A:

Montgomery Biscuits (37-33) @ Jacksonville Suns (34-33)

Loss 11-8

Jake Marisnick, CF: 3-for-5, 2B (8), 3B (3), 2 RBI, 2 R, SO

J.T. Realmuto, C: 2-for-4, 2 2B (12), R, SO

Robert Morey, SP: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Mike Ojala, RP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, HR

The Suns offense was able to bang out four doubles, a triple, and a home run in way to scoring 8 runs on the day. Unfortunately, that was for naught, as the Suns pitching staff surrendered 11 runs for the game. Marisnick was a home run short of the cycle, just a week after missing hitting for the cycle with a double.

Of note, Marlins Rule 5 pick, Braulio Lara pitched in this one. He lasted just a third of an inning, walked three and allowed four earned runs. He did not make the Marlins out of spring training and the Marlins had to return him to the Tampa Ba Rays. Looks like a solid decision, as he boasts an ERA north of 6 right now.

High Class A:

Bradenton Marauders (26-40) @ Jupiter Hammerheads (34-32)

Win 2-0

Alex Burg, RF: 2-for-3, 2 R, BB

Wilfredo Gimenez, C-1B: 3-for-4, 2B (6), 2 RBI

Jose Urena, SP: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 5 SO

Pete Andrelczyk, RP: 2.0 IP, H, BB, 2 SO

Jose Urena posted another dominant pitching performance for the Hammerheads, throwing seven shutout innings. He was able to lower his season ERA below four, as it now stands at 3.67. Urena has allowed just 10 hits and one run in his last 20 innings of work. A few more outings like this and Urena could be joining his former teammate, Anthony Descalfani in Double-A. The Marlins moved Descalfani to Double-A on Monday.

Low Class A:

Greensboro Grasshoppers (33-36)

No Scheduled Game

Rookie League:

Batavia Muckdogs (0-1) @ Auburn Doubledays (1-0)

Loss 7-3

Avery Romero, 2B: 0-for-4, SO

Yefri Perez, RF: 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R

Ryan Newell, SP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 5 R, ER, 3 BB, 3 SO

Sean Donatello, RP: 3.0 IP, BB, 2 SO

The Muckdogs got their season started on the wrong foot, committing five errors, leading to six earned runs in the game. Avery Romero and Austin Dean are the biggest names on the Muckdogs roster. Both players were drafted by the team last season.