Florida Marlins

The Florida Marlins were off to a hot 13-1 start and playing well until they ran into the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Obviously, the Pirates’ advance scouts saw holes in Bonifacio’s swing as the Bucs handcuffed both Hanley Ramirez and Emilio Bonifacio. 

The Marlins have been struggling to get wins from their rotation as they went through 20 straight games without a win from a starter, 14 short of the Major League record.

After the announcement of the renaming of the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins, I can’t help but feel a bit alienated.

The Florida Marlins have always played in Miami-Dade County, but near the county line. Over the last decade, the embracing of the latin-inspired Miami culture has been apparent. Don’t ridicule me—I may be a gringo, but I’m all about juevos rancheros and salsa dancing.

By renaming the Marlins, the franchise is sending out a message to Broward and Palm Beach County fans. We’re not as important.

On Friday, the Marlins announced that Dolphin Stadium will now be known as LandShark Stadium. This comes off of the Marlins business relationship with singer Jimmy Buffet, who owns a brand of beer call LandShark Lager.

Chris Coghlan is going to have to learn on the job.

Florida Marlins starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez was sent to the DL with a shoulder injury, and instead of calling up a pitcher, Florida will roll with an 11-man pitching staff and look to Coghlan to provide a spark.

The 23-year-old is a natural second baseman who also has experience at third base, but he is going to see time in left field. The last time he played in the outfield on a regular basis?

P.O.W. is our weekly tribute to those players who have had a tremendous week. We are currently in our MLB schedule at thesportspa.blogspot.com, so these articles will showcase the best hitting and pitching performances of the previous week.

I chose to focus solely on offense this week since so many players had great weeks. These, in no particular order, were the best offensive performances of the past week in my eyes.

Johan Santana should be 5-0.

Mets fans know that best, but Marlins fans probably know that second-best.

That is because both Santana's one loss and his no decision have come against Florida. As it happens, Johan has faced Josh Johnson in both contests.

Filed: April 30, 2009

Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles turn two against the Marlins Thursday (Cubbie Nation/file)

Click here for the photo gallery of last night's game.

What did we expect?

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We aren’t even a full month into the 2009 MLB season and we’ve already seen scandals, big innings, great games, and unexpected division leaders. Baseball’s recent purge of steroids has considerably lowered the league’s offensive output, as well as attendance.

However, the sport is still surviving and looks to bring fans yet another great year. Here are a few things worth noting so far this season:

1. Check the Standings

So much for it bending our way.

New York pitcher Johan Santana didn't pitch a gem, but he did well enough for a win.  He gave up two runs in the first, including Jorge Cantu's third homer in two games, but pitched shutout ball the next six innings after that.

But the bullpen (a.k.a. J.J. Putz) had different plans. Putz allowed a two-run single to Cody Ross to be the deciding factor as the Mets lost 4-3 Wednesday afternoon and lost the series to the Florida Marlins.

The United States of America is the home to the greatest broadcasters in the sports world.  Since sports are universal, it is only fitting that a legend receives the publicity that is due. The person who will be the subject of this profile is Felo Ramirez.

Felo Ramirez was born in Bayamo, Oriente Province, Cubaand has the nickname of “El Orgullo de Bayamo” [The Pride of Bayamo].