UPDATE: Miami Marlins getting the first bit of bad news

Wait, so your telling me that the best player on your team, their "Super-star", only player that the team has EVER signed longterm with a significant contract(at a bargain price none the less), who is a 3 time all-star and bats over .300 lifetime does not want to change his position as he's entering the prime of his baseball career for a new guy you just brought in and paid somewhere around $30-$40 million more then him??? REALLY?> NO WAY! Typical baseball executives.


An espn writer has touched on this before in another article i've read also but i'll reiterate. How is it that you don't have this private conversation with your centerpiece before making this move? I understand your motives for wanting to sign Reyes but Ramirez is still young and already a seasoned veteran, at least show him the respect of talking to him face to face and explaining how important he is to the team and WHY you want to make the move. As of now from what i'm hearing, I know basically just as much as Hanley Ramirez. That shouldn't even be a statement that's close to reality if you really did value Ramirez. 


If Hanley Ramirez really was ok with it like you supposedly figured he'd be, then he would've came out before even being asked and said "i'd love for the team to sign Jose Reyes, he's a great player and I can't wait to get back to baseball. You'll be seeing the best left side of the infield in baseball for the next decade maybe." He'd of called Reyes on the phone and been recruiting him to play in Miami with him and help him build a winner again. None of this happened and now we get THIS.


I hope it eventually works out but who knows. We have all seen what an unhappy player in a dugout can do to a good team. It only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch. It's looking like a good start for the Miami Marlins, now maybe it's time for a owner, manager and Super-star to have a nice little steak dinner with a big plate of ass-kissing for dessert before we get into a big problem down the line, these guys got to play together for the next 5 or 6 years hopefully!


Personally, i'm a red sox fan and although trading him brought us a championship and i'd do it over and over a million times, i'd love the shot to get him back. He would've been great at short with those great sox line-ups and still developing, crazy to think about....




http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7323887/hanley-ramirez-miami-marlins-want-3b-move-source-says


+Joshua Hastings
 @joshuadavid1121
 www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
 http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

My take on Bill Simmons "Grantland" article- The 2nd day of NBA Christmas

Notice a trend below? Anything jump out at you when you glance over the numbers real quick? If you didn't guess the word "overpaid" then your either drunk, stoned, stupid or any combination of them. Didn't I keep hearing throughout the NBA lockout that the whole point was that the owners weren't going to accept a deal where they were forced into those long, overpriced, guaranteed player contracts that were successful about half the time in one way or another but still considered overpaid in relation to statistics. 

I mean, if you throw out some of these numbers, say 5 years and $100 million, give me a name that you think should match with that contract? It doesn't really matter who you say, the point is, for $100 million a team should be getting a franchise player they can think about building around. What would you do with Nene? On a championship team he's going to be your 3rd best player at most, and I really mean AT MOST! So what are you going to be paying players 1+2 then? They're going to want $140 and $190 million each after you bring in that stiff and insult their hometown discount they signed for to help you sign a star so they can get closer to said championship. They didn't envision Nene when they said "star", I really really really can't see him on your wishlist for centerpiece on an NBA powerhouse caliber team to compete with the Lakers, Heat, Mavericks ect. 

A piece sure, an average center overall with above average quickness and mobility/energy when he's actually on the court, with below average rebounding and defense in reality. You can hope that teams see him and think he's that stopper down low but if you check out the stats there is NOTHING TO BACK THAT UP. He wasn't even in the TOP 25! THAT'S RIGHT, THERE WERE 25 OTHER PLAYERS WHO OUTREBOUNDED HIM LAST YEAR, HOW INSANE IS THAT FROM A GUY THAT BIG PLAYING 32 MINUTES PER GAME? 

And as far as keeping him on the court, you pay 100 mil and your going to be spending the days counting down until he's off the books with one more bad landing after a dunk in warmups. That's a long time in NBA years, especially if you put him on a playoff team. I wish him all the best, I just can't see it working out that way....good luck mystery team.

Full article from Grantland on espn.com is the link and the rest below is a piece of that same article,  Bill Simmons, the Grantland article.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7319695/the-second-day-nba-christmas

Let's make some predictions for those 12 centers. Important note to Kendrick Perkins: Stop reading right now. Just trust me.

1. Nene
Prediction: Signs with New Jersey (five years, $100 million, thanks to a sign-and-trade with Denver³)
Verdict: COMICALLY OVERPAID

2. Marc Gasol
Prediction: Re-signs with Memphis (five years, $78 million)
Verdict: PROPERLY PAID

3. Tyson Chandler
Prediction: Re-signs with Dallas (four years, $69 million)⁴
Verdict: OVERPAID

4. DeAndre Jordan
Prediction: Re-signs with Clippers (five years, $46 million)⁵
Verdict: OVERPAID

5. Chris Kaman
Prediction: Traded to Sacramento (for Jason Thompson)
Verdict: One year away from being OVERPAID AGAIN

6. Sam Dalembert
Prediction: Signs with Denver (four years, $40 million)
Verdict: OVERPAID

7. Brendan Haywood
Prediction: Traded to Houston (for Patrick Patterson and a future no. 1 pick)
Verdict: ONCE OVERPAID, NOW SLIGHTLY OVERPAID

8. Greg Oden
Prediction: Re-signs with Portland (one year, $8.9 million)
Verdict: PROPERLY PAID

9. Andris Biedrins
Prediction: Stays put, much to the chagrin of every Warriors fan
Verdict: STILL OVERPAID

10. Josh McRoberts
Prediction: Signs with New Orleans (four years, $26 million)
Verdict: OVERPAID

11. Spencer Hawes
Prediction: Signs with Detroit (three years, $18 million)
Verdict: OVERPAID

12. Aaron Gray
Prediction: Signs with Indiana (three years, $15 million)
Verdict: OVERPAID

A quick recap: eight "overpaids," one "slightly overpaids," one "comically overpaid," two "properly paids" … and that's just the center position, (the team that, other than New Jersey, seems most desperate to irrationally overpay somebody). Come on out, NBA Groundhog … I have a feeling you're going to see your shadow.

Bill Simmons is the Editor in Chief of Grantland and the author of the recent New York Times no. 1 best-seller The Book of Basketball, now out in paperback with new material and a revised Hall of Fame Pyramid. For every Simmons column and podcast, log on to Grantland. Follow him onTwitter and check out his new home on Facebook.

As the re-named Marlins, now referred to as the Miami Marlins move into their new ballpark they have so far made the biggest splash in free agency as well. First they signed a solid all-star closer in Heath Bell and then just yesterday signed the top of the order short stop in Jose Reyes. Reyes was probably the 3rd biggest name in free agency behind Albert Puljos and Prince Fielder who are both power hitting superstar first basemen that will command far more money then that of Reyes and his $106 million. The thing is, the Marlins aren't done yet, after making an initial 9 year contract offer to Puljos at their initial meeting the Marlins are now said to have made a new 10 year offer just today. Looks like the team with a new ballpark and a new name would like a whole new group of players to mix in with their own talent such as pitcher Josh Johnson and shortstop Hanley Ramirez. It's been said that the plan is to move Ramirez to 3rd base to make room for Reyes but at this point, we haven't heard much from the all-star Marlins shortstop about his real feelings on the matter, for what its worth the Marlins ownership says that he's ok with it.

What could be the biggest pick-up for the Marlins this off-season could be acquisition of Spanish speaking Ozzie Guillen. Guillen is know as a tough hard working manager that goes all out for his players, due to his background in the game he is respected when he talks but sometimes speaking his mind gets him in a little hot water. Between the foul language on live television broadcasts to calling out opposing teams, players, ownership, fans and anyone else that gets in his way his straightforward attitude has its positives and negatives obviously.


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7322538/miami-marlins-offer-st-louis-cardinals-free-agent-albert-pujols-10-year-contract-sources-say