The Florida Masochist

Miami Dolphins prediction and some sports notes

The Dolphins are playing their game tonight rather than on Sunday. This is due to Hurricane Wilma. This is the team's first Friday night game in 22 years but one of a half dozen times in last 12 years that Miami has had to re-schedule a game due to weather.

My opinion is the short week will affect both teams equally. Miami is going to get thrashed also, my prediction Kansas City 34, Miami 14.

*- The game will be broadcast on television in Kansas City, Miami, West Palm Beach and Ft. Myers television markets. But as James Joyner and the Tampa Tribune notes, the game won't be on NFL Sunday ticket live tonight or broadcast in the Tampa or Orlando areas. The NFL really needs to re-vamp their television rules.

*- How pathetic is it when a team that traded away a 2nd round pick to get a player have to turn around barely a year later by giving away a 6th to get rid of the same player. That's what Miami did the other day to unload AJ Feeley. A 6th round pick and Feeley for a QB that's never played a down in the NFL and is not likely to do so this year either. Why not release Feeley out right or just keep him to the end of the year. Just another dumb personel(or pardon the pun a lemon.) decision by Miami, and it looks like nothing has changed but the names of management for this team.

*- Houston Astros vs Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Two very dissimilar ballparks in my old Strat-O-Matic days. A lefty homer park vs. a Righty homer park. Creative managing and lineup juggling would be needed.

But we're talking real-life not a board game. I pick the White Sox in 6.

*- The Golf tours are winding down. The LPGA is off this week after seeing Annika stomp the field last weekend. They play in South Korea a week from now, then Japan before coming back to the US for the final two weeks of the year. Four weeks to the ADT Championship here in West Palm Beach. I will be attending.

This weekend's PGA tour stop is in Orlando. Tiger Woods is playing but Hunter Haas is leading so far. So there will be golf for me to watch this weekend.

The search continues

With Joe Girardi now out of the picture, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays continue to look for a new manager. The next candidates to be interviewed will be former MLB manager Bobby Valentine and California coach Joe Maddon.

Because of MLB rules, no announcement will be made till after the World Series is over. Who ever the Devils hire faces an uphill path. I don't envy anyone who tries to manage in that clueless organization.

ST. PETERSBURG - Joe Girardi went to the Marlins on Wednesday and the Devil Rays went on with their search for a manager, receiving permission to talk to Angels bench coach Joe Maddon and acknowledging that an announcement won't be made until after the World Series.

Both teams had serious interest in Girardi, though the Marlins appeared to want him more, identifying the Yankees bench coach immediately as their frontrunner and pursuing him aggressively.

The Rays' talks with Girardi were more advanced than with their other candidates, including a discussion of contract parameters, but they are not believed to have made a formal offer and did not seem especially surprised, or particularly disappointed, that he went to the Marlins.

"We thought he was a candidate who might fit with our organization and that's why he was on our list. He made his decision and we'll continue our search," Rays president Matt Silverman said.

"We didn't have any frontrunners in mind when we got into this process. Joe was someone we knew we needed to speak to early in our first round because of the Marlins' interest. I wouldn't characterize him as a frontrunner."

The Marlins, who will introduce Girardi at a news conference today in Miami, felt more strongly.

"Joe was known as an intelligent player with great leadership skills and he will bring those traits to his new position," Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said in a statement. "He is the right man to lead our team and I'm proud that he will start what will be a long, successful managerial career here in south Florida."

The Rays received permission from the Angels to contact Maddon, who could emerge as a strong candidate, and are in the process of arranging an interview. Silverman said they also plan to talk with Bobby Valentine, but will wait until his Chiba Lotte team completes play in the Japan postseason. They have interviewed six others - internal candidates Bill Evers, Tom Foley, Billy Hatcher and John McLaren, former Tigers manager Alan Trammell and Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton.

Maddon, 51, a member of the Angels organization for 31 years, including 12 on the major-league coaching staff, has hoped for a chance to manage and is intrigued by the Rays' opportunity.

"Absolutely," he said. Valentine, former manager of the Rangers and Mets, has also expressed interest.

While the Rays were poised to make a quick decision on Girardi if necessary, they now sound like they will take their time. "Until we get to talk to Maddon and probably Valentine we're not going to make any decisions about the current group or bringing in any other candidates," Silverman said.

While the Rays may continue talks, teams are barred from making major announcements during the World Series. The Rays may also use that time to start formal interviews for a senior front office official, with White Sox farm director Dave Wilder joining former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker, former Angels GM Mike Port and Yankees executive Gene Michael as likely candidates.

Joe Girardi to manage Florida Marlins

Here is the Associated Press story.

MIAMI - New York Yankees bench coach Joe Girardi was hired Wednesday as manager of the Florida Marlins, agreeing to a three-year contract.

Girardi, who also interviewed for the Tampa Bay job, spent 15 years as a major league catcher, then went into broadcasting in 2004 and came out of the booth to join the Yankees' staff this season.

He'll be introduced by the Marlins at a news conference Thursday, the team said.

Florida- The rules are different here Chapter IV

Former Florida Marlin Pitcher Brad Penny is absolutely right here. Just makes MLB look dumb, but they have a history of that. Read here for an example.

Hat tip- Poliblog

NBCSports.com news services
Updated: 12:00 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2005

A performance-enhancing substance? Perhaps not. But an affinity for milk has earned a Florida Marlins batboy a six-game suspension from the team, according to the Miami Herald.

The newspaper reported that the unidentified batboy accepted a dare from Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny to try to drink a gallon of milk in less than an hour without throwing up.

According to the report, Penny offered the boy $500 if he could accomplish the task. The Marlins would not comment on the suspension to the Herald, but the boy will not be allowed to work during the upcoming six-game homestand.

Penny was angry about the suspension.

''It's kind of ridiculous that you get a 10-game suspension for steroids and a six-game suspension for milk,'' Penny told the Herald.

The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winners are Bud Selig and Major League Baseball for the joke of a suspension they handed down against Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers. Rogers a knucklehead winner himself punched out a photographer three days ago causing the man to be hospitalized.

Why is this a joke? Because Kenny Rogers is a starting pitcher. A 20 game suspension for Rogers if done right by the Rangers(it will be) will lead to his missing three starts. Three games for putting someone in the hospital? Isn't that a joke? Tell me.

Below is part of the yahoo news article.

SEATTLE - Even with Kenny Rogers on the mound, the Texas Rangers faced the daunting task of catching the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. Now they might be without their ace left-hander for a quarter of their remaining games.

Rogers was suspended Friday for 20 games and fined $50,000 by Major League Baseball for throwing an angry fit that sent a television cameraman to the hospital and prompted a police investigation.

The players' union filed an appeal on behalf of Rogers, and the 40-year-old left-hander can keep pitching until a hearing — expected to be held after the All-Star break. Rogers will be start Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.

The second-place Rangers (41-37) trail Los Angeles by 6 1/2 games.

"We hope the suspension is reduced," Rangers manager Buck Showalter said before Friday night's 6-2 victory over Seattle. "Hopefully, we won't have to deal with it until after the All-Star break."

In a statement, commissioner Bud Selig said: "Mr. Rogers' behavior was unprofessional, unwarranted and completely unacceptable. Major League Baseball is a social institution and all of us in the game have an important responsibility to act with reason and good judgment."

The suspension was among the most severe imposed by the commissioner's office for on-field conduct in decades. Only the 30-day penalty given Cincinnati manager Pete Rose in 1988 for pushing umpire Dave Pallone was longer.

The Knucklehead of the Day award

One of today's winners is Texas Ranger pitcher Kenny Rogers who shoved two cameraman who were trying to film him. One of whom had to be taken to the hospital. If MLB is smart, Rogers would be suspended the rest of the season without pay and someone would press criminal charges. Its all on film. Grow up Kenny!

Also getting knucklehead awards are Texas GM John Hart and team owner Tom Hicks who seem to want to sweep this under the rug. Set an example instead, release the buffoon.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Kenny Rogers' angry close-up with a couple of television cameramen put one of them in the hospital and could result in a suspension for the Texas Rangers ace. Rogers shoved two cameramen before the Rangers' game against Los Angeles on Wednesday in a videotaped tirade that included throwing a camera to the ground and threatening to break more.

"Kenny is having anger issues right now," Rangers general manager John Hart said. "I don't know what's going on inside. We're responding to something that's very unusual."

Rogers, who missed his last start with a broken pinkie he sustained during an outburst earlier this month, lashed out at the cameramen as they filmed him walking to the field for pregame stretching. He wasn't scheduled to pitch and was sent home by the club following the incidents.
The Rangers held a clubhouse meeting before the game to address the situation. After the game, a 7-6 victory over the Angels in 11 innings, they lent their support to Rogers.

"It's something we're going to keep in-house," said Gary Matthews Jr., who hit a two-run homer for the Rangers. "It's going to be between Kenny and the front office."

Hart said late Wednesday that the team contacted Major League Baseball, and wouldn't say whether the team would suspend Rogers.

Hart said he had talked to Rogers and "Kenny obviously realizes his actions were incorrect."
"His comment to me was, `I didn't handle this right. I'm frustrated. My integrity and toughness is being called into question,'" Hart said.

The 40-year-old left-hander first shoved Fox Sports Net Southwest photographer David Mammeli, telling him: "I told you to get those cameras out of my face."

Rogers then approached a second cameraman. He wrestled the camera from Larry Rodriguez of Dallas-Fort Worth television station KDFW, threw it to the ground and kicked it.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound pitcher saw two other cameramen who were recording from the Rangers' dugout and walked toward them. He did not make contact with the men, who were backing away.

"I'll break every ... one of them," Rogers said before he was escorted to the clubhouse by catcher Rod Barajas.

The Rangers sent Rogers home about an hour later.

KDFW news director Maria Barrs said paramedics took Rodriguez to an Arlington hospital.

"He does have quite a bit of pain, in his shoulder and his arm and his leg," Barrs said. Rodriguez was treated and released.

Fox Sports Net Southwest spokesman Ramon Alvarez said Mammeli wasn't injured.

Footage shot by Dallas-Fort Worth station KTVT shows Rogers pushing Rodriguez's camera, which goes over the photographer's head and falls to the ground. As Rodriguez puts the camera back on his shoulder, Rogers approaches again, pushing the lens away and having words with the photographer.

As players begin to intervene, Rogers pulls the camera to the ground and kicks it before walking away.

Rodriguez said that when he picked up the camera the second time, his intentions were to keep getting footage of Rogers.

"I figured since now he vented that he was all good, but the second time was just a little bit too much," he said in an interview on KDFW.

"There's no question he was upset. I don't understand why we were the ... I don't know if we were the stem of the problem or what," he said. "I don't think we did anything wrong."


Texas lost eight of nine entering Wednesday night's game.

"I think it demonstrated an appalling lack of control," Barrs said. "The team doing poorly is no excuse for assaulting a guy who's just doing his job."

Arlington police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said the department was investigating. No charges had been filed, she said.

"What Kenny did was wrong and we won't condone it," Rangers owner Tom Hicks said. "It will be handled internally."