How many championships have the Nats won? How many have the Marlins?
Uh oh, another case of LCS - Latent Cubbie Syndrome.
If you want to go there, be sure to also talk about firesales (1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007). Or, how about number of players ever signed to long-term contracts? How about players signed to multi-year contracts that have lasted even 2 full seasons (under Loria, that number is 1 - Mike Lowell)? Heck, just count the number of players brought up and kept through their arby years - that number for the Fish in their entire history is 2 (Derrek Lee and Luis Castillo). Castillo is the only Fish ever to have debuted with the Marlins and reached FA with them, though only played 1 year as a FA under a 3-year deal. Or how about a FO that is so stupid and cheap that until a year ago, at least the top 2, and as many as top 4, highest paid players on payroll were playing for other teams? Want to discuss who has lead the league in lowest payroll for 3 consecutive seasons, and 5 out of the last 8 with this owner? How about 2 seasons under this owner when the payroll paid to players with other teams exceeded the total payroll of players actually on the Marlins? Or 3 years in which A-Rod made more than the Marlins entire payroll including guys playing for other teams?
At least the Nats FO is trying to act like and MLB club and improve, just failing miserably. The Marlins operate as if they are a farm team. The Nats FO is a lot more respectable than one trying to destroy yet another franchise. Loria & Beinfest are driving guys away, and doing everything they can to drive the franchise into the ground. I'm not a big Fredi fan at all. He can't put together a lineup card (Beinfest actually selects the lineups, with Fredi only having say over the batting order), can't manage a pen, and screws up double changes in ways that defy any explanation. But, he does handle the clubhouse, does have his players backs, and like a good manager, generally gets them to do their best - whatever that may be. But, when it broke that Loria had ordered Fredi fired in June for no other reason than he hadn't fired anybody in a while, Mazzone canceled his interview with the Marlins. Peterson showed, but didn't take any questions and left moments later. When the best fielding coach, perhaps in history, Perry Hill left and stated he would never work for anyone in the Marlins FO. Four coaches were offered contracts, and told Loria & Beinfest that unemployment is better than working for them. Wiley accepted to become an assistant GM, but with him having the option to terminate at any time without notice and the Marlins not having any rights, and to be able to freely negotiate at any time with any other team. If Mike Hargrove takes a managerial position, Wiley's gone, too. He's already talking with the Rockies, just in case Hargrove doesn't end up managing.
Its a credit to Fredi and the guys in uniform they've accomplished anything at all with Steinbrenner's walletless Mini-Me and Beinfest using the managers and coaches are marionettes. The tough part is knowing what the Marlrins are foregoing due to having an owner and GM that have no desire win, and what a difference it would make to upgrade to an owner that is simply disinterested. The ineptitude as owner and GM of Loria and Beinfest kept them out of the playoffs in 2004 - 2006 (keeping McKeon beyond April of 2005 was inexcusable), and again in 2009, and arguably in 2008. You could give Loria and Beinfest the all star team, and they would destroy it.
St. Claire got the job only because he was the only candidate that was enough of a ball-less wonder to be a yes-man to Loria/Beinfest.
In a way, it is too bad Loria didn't fired Fredi and hire Valentine last June. If Loria had come to Valentine with St. Claire and said, "Here's your new pitching coach," Valentine would have shoved St. Claire up Loria's a$$.
