Method: Read library copy

What I got from the book:

• The word nice is essential to understanding who Stan Musial was.
• The book cloth color is Cardinal Red, naturally. The dust jacket is bathed in red, white and blue with a picture of a young Musial at the end of his swing. Perfect. A tip of the cap to book designer Jo Anne Metsch. Book typeface is Caledonia, designed in 1939 by William Addison Dwiggins for the Merganthaler Linotype Company. Hey, my Dad was a printer, this stuff matters.
• The style of the book is anecdotal. It has 47 chapters and 337 written pages, 397 in total. Some of the chapters are only a few pages long. Given that, I fully expected the chapters and pages numbers to have some connection to Musial’s stats. They don’t, or I couldn’t decipher it. Look, his lifetime average was 331. Jus saying …. Am I alone on this one?
• This was the 1st sentence, which recounted when Vescey first saw Musial in St. Petersburg in 1960: “We drove straight through the night, married only a few months, on spring break, our first vacation together. Like Bonnie and Clyde, we had the feeling of putting something over on every body, Every mile we traveled south of Baltimore was the farthest I had ever been from New York. We were twenty-one.”
• Reminded of one of the the greatest stats in MLB history. Musial struck out only 696 times while hitting 475 home runs, “an astounding ratio.” DiMaggio actually excelled him in that one area, hitting 361 home runs with only 369 strikeouts.
• Stan is really Stanislaus. In 1910 Musial’s Polish father, Lukasz, sailed out of the Elbe River and arrived at Ellis Island six days later and then immediately settled in Donora PA, 20 miles south of Pittsburgh, because of work at a mill. It was a close-knit, 6 kids, but poor family. The men from the mill all drank. Vescey treads lightly on how that might have affected the young Musical.
• Donora’s history involves George Washington and Andrew Mellon. Buddy Griffey, father of Ken Senior and grandfather to Ken Junior, was a teammate on the high school baseball and basketball teams. Musial and Junior share a birthday, Nov 21.
• In the spring of 1941 in Hollywood FL beginning his 4th year of pro ball, Burt “Barney” Shotton recommended that his sore-armed pitcher try to make it as an outfielder. He would be the National League MVP in 1943.
• St Louis was the 7th largest city in the U.S. in 1940. By 2000, it was 53rd.
• The day after the Cardinals won game 7 of the 1946 World Series, Musial was part of a barnstorming tour organized by Bob Feller between white major-leaguers and the Satchel Paige all-stars from the Negro League. A players union was soon to come.
• For spring training in 1947, Branch Rickey took the Dodgers and their Montreal affiliate to Cuba since they were used to seeing blacks and whites playing ball together. Musial would later barnstorm through Cuba with Cardinals coach Mike Gonzalez.
• June 1952 – A black pitcher named Joe Black is on the mound for the Dodgers facing Stan Musial. A heckler yells, “Hey Stan, you shouldn’t have any trouble hitting with that big black background.” Jackie Robinson runs over to Black and says, “That was sorta funny, wasn’t it?”
• Musial was part of an interesting group who toured together campaigning for Kennedy in the fall of 1960. They included James Michener, Arthur Schlesinger and Angie Dickinson. Dickinson relayed anecdote. Teammate feeling very good tells Musical, “I feel like going 4 for 4 today.” Musial replied, “Hell, I feel that way every day.”
• Musial developed a great friendship with Michener. Their Polish background and fame were the main things they had in common. Michener was friends with another self-made Polish success story, Edward Piszek, who made millions with Mrs. Paul Fish Sticks. Piszek was friends with another son of Polish immigrants, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, John Krol.
• Musial accompanied Piszek on trips to Poland in 1970 and 1976. Both times they met the archbishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyla. Piszek was a huge financial supporter of clerics in Poland under communism and a personal fan of Wojtyla early on, telling Michener, “Keep your eye on that one. He could go far. He has the guts of steel. He’s been on the front-line battle since the age of six.”
• Vescey describing the confluence of events which improbably [providentially?] swept up a tight-knit group of Catholic Polish-American friends during August 1978:

At a press conference of the North American Cardinals at the Vatican, I heard Cardinal Kroll say how delighted he was that the Holy Spirit chosen the new pope, which is what all cardinals say after a conclave. Then Krol volunteered that he had also been highly impressed with the cardinal from Kraków, Karol Wojtyla…. So the Polish American cardinal from Philadelphia put out an unusual tribute to the Polish cardinal from Kraków. One month later Luciani [Pope Paul I] died suddenly forcing a second conclave.

• In 1988, Michener was invited to give a talk in Poland and brought along Piszek, Musial and their families. The trip included a visit to the Maddanek concentration camp and watching a historic debate involving Lech Walesa in the home of the archbishop of Warsaw. On their way home, they stopped in Rome for a dinner with Pope John Paul II and a private Mass the following next morning at 5:30am. As they prepared to enter the Pope’s private chapel, Musial was recognized by some American priests. Musial delighted the priests by telling them, “I’m entitled to be here because I’m also a Cardinal.”
• In 1998 Musial would get to meet John Paul II again when the Pope stopped in St. Louis for a 2 day visit on his way back from a trip to Mexico.
• Michener died in 1997. Piszek in 2004 and the Pope passed in 2005.
• At the 2009 All-Star game held in St. Louis, there was a touching picture of Pujols adjusting the jacket of Musial, who now has Alzheimer’s. Here is what Vescey has to say about Albert Pujols: “…Pujols [was] caring for Musial, deferring to him, not because time was on his side but because grace was in his soul.”

Hat tip to great friend and Cardinal lifer Santos Perez. He’s like Musial in the most important way.

Following the Yuuzhan Vong War, the system of training Jedi became more regimented and organized, more closely resembling the setup of training in the Old Republic era. Students were divided into groups based on age, each group having a predetermined set of techniques to be learned, like Force Jump, Telekinesis, Force Persuasion, and center fielding exercises.

Now Padawan Morrison has had his training cut short so as to assist Master Yoda’s older brother, Master McKeon, in the loneliest of outposts. While there have been cases where leaving the training early has not done harm, every galaxy has its Darth Vader. Time will tell if this desperate maneuver — Younglings despise uncertainty — was short-sighted. After all, we of all people, know that Sith happens.

These are Larry Beinfest’s potential statements on the recall of Logan Morrison.

Statement A: Rarely in the annals of player development was so much accomplished in so little a time. We thank out staff in New Orleans for their tireless efforts. In a way, Morrison’s efforts in New Orleans had an Inception-like quality to them. While the calendar may have marked only 10 days, Morrison in effect put in the equivalent of a month-long Spring Training. So much so that we are willing to forego the final week of AAA-ball that we initially had carefully planned out. Some may see Morrison’s weak batting numbers [BA/OBP/OPS -- 167/222/597] and wonder what the heck we are talking about. We don’t expect them to understand, they probably never played the game.
 
Statement B: Sometimes we mistake good fortune for skill. When that happens, arrogance is the by-product. Recently, when a very good but immature player needed some guidance, I decided the most effective path would be a demotion. My 80 year-old manager thought it was a good idea as well, go figure. But now as I see a club in a free-fall and desperate to change the subject to something, anything more positive, the move looks more vindictive than effective. I was wrong to have pulled that stunt, welcome back Logan Morrison.

I’m assuming that not commenting is not an option, right?

Under the current MLB CBA which expires this year, a player is eligible for free agency after 6 full years of service. One of the main reasons the Marlins didn’t bring Stanton up from the minors until June last season, is to avoid having the 2010 season count as a full season and thereby extend the period of time they control him. Which means that this 2011 season, his 2nd year in MLB, is technically the first of six he needs to file for free agency [The Freedom from Loria Act]. That would keep Stanton a Marlin through 2016, five more seasons after this one.

Except that no team would sign Stanton to yearly arbitration-determined salaries, between the 2013 [he's a Super 2] and 2016 seasons, only to lose him for nothing the following season. Therefore, at the latest and maybe earlier, the California native would likely be traded before or during the 2016 season when he would be only 26 years old. Mike Stanton’s next non-arbitration contract could make him the highest paid player in MLB. Jeffrey Loria won’t write that check, unless Mike takes up painting. That’s why I believe that Stanton’s Marlins years will realistically last 4 more seasons past this 2011 season.

So who will the Marlins surround Stanton with? I go through each position player — forget pitching and injuries for now — and indicate what I think can be expected — using ESPN and Fangraphs [UZR/150] statistics to compare with other National League players — based on past performance.

Bottom line, unless there’s a Bizarro World Marlins farm system out there somewhere, this franchise doesn’t appear to have enough offense or defense based on its current position players and their performance to date to compete — Phillies and Braves are like the Patriots and Jets — during the next 4 Stanton seasons.

See the position players listed below:

John Buck, Catcher – Below Average

• Batting – OPS [.712] close to the bottom among NL starting catchers in 2011.
• Fielding – Average defensive rankings, combined with one of the worst caught stealing %’s.
• Other – Buck is signed for 2 more of the Stanton years.

Gaby Sanchez, 1B – Average

• Batting – We may need to get over the idea that Gaby is in a slump. His ‘slump’ has made his 2011′s number very similar to 2010. Like Buck, his OPS [.775] is close to the bottom among starting NL 1B in 2011
• Fielding – Has had two very good seasons, ranking 3rd or 4th among NL 1B.
• Other – We may come to see Sanchez’s first half offensive performance like Coughlan’s 2nd half in 2009 [or Ike Austin's 1997 playoff run], an aberration. If it is a slump, it’s costing Sanchez a lot of arbitration dollars.

Omar Infante, 2B – Below Average

• Batting – His OBP [.321] is average and his OPS [.682] is last among NL 2B.
• Fielding – Below average – The good news is that he will never be the worst defensively as long as Uggla is around.
• Other – Free agent likely to be re-signed since 3B and CF are bigger problems for the Marlins.

Hanley Ramirez, SS – Average

• Batting – Just average this year.
• Fielding – 2nd worst shortstop in MLB for the last 2 seasons. The good news is that he will never be the worst as long as Yuniesky Betancourt is around.
• Other – MLB player most likely to be picked up by Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

Mat Dominguez, 3B – Below Average

• Batting – Has not hit for a high average or power in the minor leagues.
• Fielding – Reports say very good.
• Other – To paraphrase Mike Tyson, ‘yeah yeah yeah, they all got a plan in the minors.’

Logan Morrison, LF – Average

• Batting – OBP [.327] dropped 63 points from 2010. HR’s up significantly, yet SLG % [.464] has only improved by 17 points. The National League’s LF with the 4th best OPS [.791] is in AAA.
• Fielding – The converted 1B is one the worst LF’s in the NL.
• Other – Marlins drafted and developed a very good hitter. Then they either taught him a lesson or alienated an emotional young player.

Cameron Maybin Emilio Bonifacio, CF – Above Average

• Batting – His OBP [.357] is about 34 points above his lifetime average. His impressive 2nd half may make his utility role a thing of the past.
• Fielding – His versatility — played 2B, SS, 3B & all the OF positions — has likely hurt his defensive stats, which are average, due to the constant switching.
• Other – His speed and versatility makes him a valuable player.

Mike Stanton, RF – On the verge of greatness

• Batting – In his first full year, has improved in all offensive categories.
• Fielding – 2nd rated [UZR/150] RF in the NL
• Other – Likely National League HR king for years

When the door opened to the media [after Saturday nights game], manager Jack McKeon said the moves were decisions made by the organization and that Morrison needed to “work on his whole game.”

Morrison was sitting by his locker with his head down, seemingly in shock after being summoned from the training room to the manager’s office, where President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest and GM Mike Hill delivered the stunning news.

“Heartbreaking move, disappointed. What are you hitting, .240?” Morrison said Beinfest told him. “I don’t know if that makes any sense to me or you guys, but all I know is I go out and give everything for this team. I play hurt, play through injury and this is how you get treated. It doesn’t seem very fair or right to me.

“They didn’t say anything about [my 17 homers and 60 RBI]. They didn’t say anything about maybe the reason I was hitting .240 was getting the guy over to third rolling over groundballs, not worrying about average.”

Of course, no one believed the reasons given by management and over the next few days it became clear that the reason for the demotion was not baseball related. I have no idea whether Logan Morrison deserves to be punished for his behavior. My point is that only an organization which has become accustomed to operating with disregard towards its fan base would pull such an arrogant stunt.

To appreciate why the Morrison demotion was such an arrogant move, you have to consider the following factors:

• The Marlins sole organizational focus as the season winds down is generating positive publicity about their new resort-tax funded stadium opening in 2012 – spoiler alert, it’s the coolest….
• Once Josh Johnson got hurt, the silly pretense of the playoffs was gone early.
• Once Hanley Ramirez hurt his shoulder [or feelings], the pretense of .500 was gone recently.
• The Marlins very young team has had 3 [technically 4, sorry Brandon Hyde, I can't even count you on this parochial blog] managers in the last 2 seasons.
• The Marlins very young team has an 80-year old manager because its owner prefers to be coddled rather than hire a manager which could have an impact on his young team, but who might have displeased him at some point.
• The Marlin’s former best player is Hanley Ramirez. A talented Dominican player approaching his prime in a city with an overwhelmingly Hispanic fan base and he is disliked. Having a bad image is about the only thing Hanley appears dedicated to.
• The Marlins best combination of talent and fan appeal is Logan Morrison.

That’s why the demotion, and the initial lies about why it happened, are so arrogant. Also, think of how the demotion was handled. Why do it right after a game when Morrison was returning to his locker with reporters standing around? If Mark Cuban was the owner of the Marlins, do you think that Logan Morrison’s personality would have been anything but encouraged and exploited? Bill Veeck would have hired a model to handle Morrison’s tweeting. The difference is that Veeck and Cuban would have cared about the fans reaction since they viewed their financial success as dependent on those customers being pleased. The key to the Marlins financial success is MLB’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement which failed to provide incentives for teams receiving monies to spend those monies.

So from an incentive-based perspective, the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Angels and Red Sox may be to blame. Revenue sharing payee teams guaranteed hand-outs have so emboldened MLB’s biggest corporate welfare recipient that they now seem incapable of operating in a way which might be interpreted as appealing to their fan base.

• Yes, for those who think that his track record consists mostly of successful moves.
• No, evaluating baseball talent is difficult. The most telling fact about that job is that Albert Pujols was drafted in the 13th round. Even the best have failures.
• Yes, but not the dent you’re thinking of, I’m thinking Dark Knight.

Harvey Dent once told Bruce Wayne, “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” I recalled that movie line after hearing about the recent exploits of Cameron Maybin and it made me think of Larry Beinfest, the Florida Marlins Director of Baseball Operations. If we alter the quote to fit Beinfest’s job, it might say;

“You either quit after a championship or hang around long enough to miss on four consecutive 1st round draft picks and cause people to snicker when they hear you referred to as a genius by fawning fans and/or radio personalities.”

The analysis below from the Elias Sports Bureau is why the two hyper-linked in my mind:

Cameron Maybin recorded two hits, including a home run, stole two bases and scored two runs to help the Padres earn a split of their four-game series against the Mets with a 3-2 win on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. It was Maybin’s 11th multiple-hit game out of the 26 games he’s played since the All-Star break and his third in the series against the Mets. He had two or more hits in only 19 of his 74 games this season before the All-Star break. Maybin’s two stolen bases on Thursday give him a major league-high total of 17 since the Midsummer Classic. He had only 12 steals at the break this year and was tied for 42nd in majors in that category at that time.

The Marlins traded then 23-year old Maybin last November to the San Diego Padres for Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb. If Maybin continues to play well, and especially as long as the Marlins don’t have a center fielder, the Maybin move may prove to be Larry Beinfest’s 2nd worst move, the Cabrera trade being Denton True Young career wins type-untouchable. If anything, it doubles-down on how badly that trade worked out in that the Marlins may have gotten a good player out of the trade, only to quit on that player right before he blossomed.

But unlike the Marlins finances, evaluating personnel trades or roster moves is rarely straightforward. Did you notice how I qualified my comment by noting ‘if’ Maybin continues to play well. Even the Cabrera trade is mitigated by the fact that the Marlins were desperate to move him for monetary reasons. This year, Beinfest’s best move is the one he didn’t make by sticking with Emilio Bonifacio [see my Boni cheerleading here and aqui].

So while I’m not interested in ripping the guy, I am a little frustrated to see managers come and go while Beinfest’s responsibility for the team’s supposed failures [playoffs?] is seemingly non-existent. I’ll use my unlimited blog space to list what I consider the most important trades and roster moves since the end of the 2005 season, when the Marlins made the strategic decision to drastically minimize player salaries.

I classified each move as good, even, or bad. The idea of weighting the moves — I get that the Cabrera trade should not be offset by picking up Ross Gload — makes my head spin, so I’ll have to live with the limitations of this type of review, although ideas are welcome. Another flaw in this approach is that deals which were not made may have been really smart moves that we’ll never know about, as I noted in hanging with Bonifacio this year. The biggest limitation is that I am not recognizing the positive results of the drafts [e.g., Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton] but only the negatives, when players were released. So consider this only a partial and flawed review of the job Beinfest has done. But it’s a start and the moves are tangible.

So here’s my flawed tabulation of Beinfest’s personnel moves, good-even-bad.

• 2005 — 2-1-3
• 2006 — 2-1-0
• 2007 — 1-0-1
• 2008 — 2-1-2
• 2009 — 1-2-2
• 2010 — 1-4-5
• 2011 — 1-0-1

===============
Good = 10
Even = 9
Bad = 14

My review shows that even people who are good at their jobs frequently get it wrong, like Dave Dombrowski signing Dontrelle Willis. But then again, I don’t see genius or even greatness in many of the moves. I see part of the reason that Freddi Gonzalez and Edwin Rodriguez had to move on to new jobs.

And yet, I’d rather have a guy like Beinfest doing that job, someone who’s been good enough at his job to survive his failures. Because I think people with experience and failures make the best type of management, those whose humility is real because everyday there is at least one box score [or tax return] to remind them. I like the stability of the Marlins baseball operations. I’d just like to see that stability extended to those outside the inner circle. How about to the dugout?

2005 record 2-1-3 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2005 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

2006 record 2-1-0 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2006 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

2007 record 1-0-1 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2007 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

2008 record 2-1-2 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2008 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

2009 record 1-2-2 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2009 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

2010 record 1-4-5 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2010 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

2011 record 1-0-1 — please click on image to enlarge or print

2011 Florida Marlins Personnel Moves

I couldn't figure why they would use a picture that didn't even show all their faces

This magical mystery tour came after another Marlins one run loss to Milwaukee and courtesy of a Beatles tribute band named The Fab Four [go figure], who wandered in from the outfield with the same urgency as Hanley chasing down a bloop double. Oh Shea, can’t you see?

The concert looked a lot like this picture, except for all the people and excitement

I was thankful the stadium lights were turned off for the performance. I’m sure that bright lights can’t be conducive to time travel. It also removed the possibility of my Grinch-like concert mode, grim-faced and arms folded — that’s right, no clapping, no swaying, no sing-alongs here mate — from appearing on the stadium’s big screen. I kinda resent people whose outward appearance conveys their every thought. They’re like human bumper-stickers. I have a similar issue with singing at Church. It feels phony when I do, so I usually don’t. Although exceptions are made for ‘This Little Light of Mine‘ [video inexplicably features Bruce Springsteen at 1:25], following Emmaus Retreats.

Speaking of awkwardness. When males sit next to one another at sporting events which feature the popular between innings medication for extroverts, aka The Kiss Cam [video inexplicably features Wade and Shaq at 1:35], the possibility of being targeted invites you to visualize how best to wordlessly communicate heterosexuality. I don’t appreciate real world thoughts intruding on OBP and OPS. Which reminds me. If you are put on the Kiss Cam big screen sitting next to a nubile partner, your options are as limited as Hernán Cortés troops landing in Veracruz in the 16th century. Not puckering up is not an option. The ‘I’d rather not kiss’ position reminds me of the Woody Allen line about the groom sensing there would be trouble in the marriage when the bride’s response to a sexual advance on the wedding night and bed was, “here?”

The Fab Four’s sound was amazing. They make it a point to announce before the performance that none of the music or vocals heard are prerecorded. It turns out that they operate with a Menudo-like concept. The ensemble cast have enough members to produce two distinct Beatles looks, Ed Sullivan and Abbey Road. We had the early sixties version. I’m sure professionals can tell the difference in the music, but I stopped trying to find flaws by Penny Lane, which came early. By Hey Jude, I was disappointed they didn’t go the full 7:11.

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.

Picture blurriness may be due to non rhythm swaying

See LeBron James was not the first icon to bring his talents to Miami. But by the End Of The Night of Jim Morrison’s visit in 1969 to the Dinner Key Auditorium, When The Music Was Over and he should have headed out the Back Door Man, instead the police arrived. They said, My Eyes Have Seen You and we were called by an Unhappy Girl. It was a Blue Sunday morning. A Twentieth Century Fox film would follow.

Have you seen the Florida Marlins numbers after 13 games? Logan Morrison must be thinking Someone Touch Me — except Maggie M’Gill from Love Street — he is first or a close second in every Marlins hitting category — see Marlins hitting stats here — 2nd in average to Sanchez [Spanish Caravan] and OPS to Dobbs [The Unknown Soldier]. Morrison has started to earn a reputation as a Wild Child and a very good hitter. He may look like The Wasp, sound like People Are Strange, but he hits like he’s ready to Break On Through To The Other Side [>1.0 OPS]. Morrison is so laid back he looks like he just Take It As It Comes, but I’m here to Tell All The People that it’s OK not to Touch The Earth for now, because The Changeling Logan Morrison is not.

The Marlins bullpen is turning former hit parades into The Soft Parade, with opponents hitting just .180 against them and sounding like Shaman’s Blues on a Moonlight Drive. They have Been Down So Long that it may seem like Strange Days to see where they stand in comparison with all of Major League baseball in the following relief pitching categories — see MLB pitching stats here:

• ERA – 1st
• BAA – 1st
• Wins – tied for 1st
• Blown Saves – tied for 1st
• Saves – tied for 2nd

As a Marlins fan, I try to be optimistic, so no one needs to Light My Fire. We know not to expect an Indian Summer here in Miami, but the view from here is that odds are Five To One that this Marlin team will be Riders On The Storm instead of singing the Roadhouse Blues while looking for the Alabama Song Whiskey Bar.

Peace Frog. The End.

“Oh Hanley!,” was the catchphrase the Marlins likeable TV play-by-play announcer Rich Waltz used to describe the excitement about Hanley Ramirez when he first came on the scene. That was then, Mike Stanton is now. By far, the player Marlin fans can’t wait to see perform in 2011 is Mike Stanton. From afar, it must seem like an good example of how fickle fans can be. After all, 21 year-old Stanton, for all his potential, has only 100 games in the big leagues coming into the year, whereas Ramirez is considered by some to be the best all-around shortstop in MLB and is only 27 himself.

Here’s what those who watch from a distance may be missing. In between Ramirez’s great debut in 2006 and now; he earned financial security in 2008, earned a 2nd place MVP in 2009, earned the public criticism of some his teammates, a reputation for surliness [the Miguel Cabrera Syndrome], and had a statistically disappointing 2010. Beyond disappointing, Ramirez became the 4th player [see the others here] in major league baseball history to be removed from a game for literally lollygaging.

So that’s how ‘Oh Hanley!’ morphed into ‘oooh Hanley.’ But when we fans start thinking we know what makes someone like Hanley tick [or not], we should consider how many of us can relate to being a can’t miss prospect since the age of 15. The can’t miss tag carries even more pressure when succeeding was his family’s best [only?] chance to escape poverty back in the Dominican. Poverty is a great motivator, and when combined with great talent, it equals riches in today’s MLB.

Once players like Ramirez achieve financial security for their families, we expect the transition in motivation — from a desperate need to succeed to a Ripken-like self-discipline — to be seamless. It’s not that easy. If it were David Allen would not be wealthy and playing on my iTunes in the background for encouragement. As an aside, I thought that Ramirez’s signing in 2008 was a good example of how to quantify risk vs reward [see here] when it comes to professional athletes salaries.

Maybe what we Marlin fans need is a little distance in in the case of Hanley Ramirez. Someone who has a little distance and is considered one of the best writers covering major league baseball, Joe Posnanski, put together a list of the 32 best players in MLB and listed Hanley as #7. More important than the ranking, which is arbitrary [he had Hanley at #3 a couple of years ago], Posnanski makes the follow undeniable points in Ramirez’s favor:

Last year was a harsh season for Hanley Ramirez. He seemed to be settling in nicely as the most amazing player in baseball that nobody ever talked about, a proud tradition that went back many years. From 2007 to 2009, Ramirez hit .325/.389/.549, banged 86 homers, stole 113 bases, played an ever-improving shortstop and basically did things so remarkable that few believed them and fewer still saw them.

Then, last year Ramirez got caught on camera loafing, got into a spat with his manager about it, and suddenly people in the mainstream KNEW Hanley Ramirez, but what they knew was that he was, in the famed words of the Bull Durham manager, a lollygagger. His numbers fell off quite a bit, and he got hurt toward the end of the year, and all in all it wasn’t too great. Based on perception, you would think Hanley Ramirez turned into Yuni Betancourt overnight.

And then you look at the season — .300/.378/.475 with 21 homers, 32 steals, 92 runs scored — and you can’t help but think that for a lousy season that doesn’t seem like too lousy a season.

At the time of the lollygaging incident, Posnanski offered up one possible explanation, but not an excuse, for Ramirez’s actions [see here]. When you factor in that we Marlin fans have that player locked in for the next 4 seasons at a reasonable salary — momentary time-out from hating on the revenue-sharing money-hoarding owner — I’m back to Oh Hanley!

You’re traveling through another dimension; a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are a diamond marked off at 42 paces. If you step up to that hot corner up ahead, your next stop could be the minor leagues?

There was an interesting article last week by Eric Seidman from the Fangraphs blog about how the Marlins should approach their search for a third baseman. The article was written before Matt Dominguez was hurt. Seidman’s conclusion:

… they are [Marlins will be] able to see if certain players can be considered assets moving forward. Assuming they handle this situation correctly-meaning they don’t work out a silly trade for Michael Young-the Marlins can really help themselves for the future by not forcing Dominguez into a starting role before he is ready.

The Marlins have played the development game since 2006 and played it very well. But their time as the Brazil [joke was that it was the country of the future and would always be] of MLB , is winding down precisely because of that success.

In his analysis, I thought that Seidman gave the Marlins too much credit for not forcing Dominguez into the lineup right away. There was no way that Dominguez was going to be with the Marlins to open the year because giving up one year of arbitration eligibility is not something the Marlins would have even considered. That’s just not how they roll, arbitrage eligibility speaking.

But that aside, the Marlins 3B search is an irresistible topic for us fans. Part of the reason is the perception that since so many of the Marlins are playing out of position, there is no reason not to continue to fiddle with the lineup. In reality, only Coughlan and Morrison are playing positions which were not their primary positions in the minor leagues. They both saw limited time in the minors in the outfield when it was evident that that was where they would get their opportunities to play. Gaby Sanchez was primarily a 1B in the minors, Omar Infante a 2B and Bonifacio was versatile, even in the minors.

Jonathan Sumple from the Through the Fence Baseball blog makes the case that if the Marlins go through the season with 3B as a development position, Edwin Rodriguez should not be judged as competing with a full roster. He wrote, “management’s willingness to wait for Dominguez – however long it takes – doesn’t sound like a win-now mantra.” Agreed.

I actually agree with the strategy of staying with the internal options at 3B and waiting on Dominguez. But management can’t have it both ways regarding expectations. Talk is cheap, but established third basemen aren’t.