This talented young bunch needed a leader. They got themselves a
Rock
By Jeff Pearlman
As they stumbled into fourth place, Alex Gonzalez
and the Marlins couldn't get out of their own
way.
Erza Shaw/Allsport
ENEMY LINES
An opposing team's scout sizes up the Marlins
"The Marlins are lacking a little in the bullpen, especially
from the lefthanded side. ... Antonio Alfonseca had a horrible last month and a
half. God knows how old he is. He's closed for three years, and he's been
so-so. But if you don't take good care of your body, which he doesn't, your arm
starts to wear down. ... Ryan Dempster is a No. 2 or 3. I love the kid's
makeup -- he battles and competes very well. But last year he didn't look very
comfortable. He had control problems, and maybe that got into his head. ... A.J.
Burnett and Brad Penny are both potential No. 1s. Burnett has the better
stuff, but Penny's makeup makes him the better pitcher. His fastball reaches 95,
and he has a power curve. He's also a bulldog, the kind of guy you don't wanna
meet in a dark alley. ... I heard that the Marlins' new coaches say they've
figured out Matt Clement 's problem, and it's that he throws across his body.
That's b.s. He just lacks concentration. He's been throwing across his body
since I scouted him in high school. If you eliminated guys who throw across
their body, 20 Hall of Fame pitchers would have never existed. ... I saw where
Jeff Torborg compared Charles Johnson with Pudge. Ha! He doesn't move real well
back there anymore, and his body isn't young anymore. ... I give up on Derrek
Lee . When the Marlins got him, they thought he'd consistently hit 30 homers and
drive in 120. He just has too many holes in his swing. ... Alex Gonzalez can't
hit breaking balls, and he makes no adjustments at the plate. You wonder if he's
even
trying."
On his first day in the Marlins' clubhouse in February, Tim Raines was treated
as a cross between Yoda, Jesus and, well, a guy with 22 years of big league
experience. Some of the Marlins' guppies were too intimidated to make eye
contact. Others smiled sheepishly from afar. Cliff Floyd, the 29-year-old
All-Star outfielder, shook his hand and insisted that Raines take Floyd's number
30, which Raines has worn for most of his
career.
"You are number 30," said Floyd. "You're the Man around
here."
It's easy to suggest that last year's Marlins, an early wild-card hopeful that
wilted into an 86-loss creep show, were done in by a mediocre bullpen and an
offense that went from powerful to punchless. Truth is, Florida was an immature
crew in need of a captain. Or, more appropriately, a Rock.
"When we had distractions, nobody knew how to handle it," says Floyd.
"We were stupid, and we had no one to wake us
up."
Enter Raines, 42, one of the game's great clubhouse stabilizers. When the
Marlins signed him as a free agent, it was not to add a basestealing threat atop
the lineup (Raines, who has 808 career stolen bases, hasn't swiped more than 10
since 1996) or to bolster a suspect outfield. (He hasn't played regularly in six
seasons.) No, Raines is here because Florida is long on young talent and short
on guidance
counselors.
Last year, in no particular order, Florida:
Staged a minicoup against manager John Boles, who after a 22-26 start was
ripped by reliever Dan Miceli for having no major league playing experience.
Boles was fired shortly thereafter. "Bolesie lost the players," says
Floyd, "and that can't
happen."
Grumbled among themselves about perceived mistreatment by ownership.
"Seven or eight times the entire team went to downtown Miami to [help
ownership] drum up support for a new stadium," says Floyd. "But when
we wanted certain foods and a new TV in the clubhouse, we got nothing. That kind
of thing gets to
you."
Stopped hustling and played selfishly. Floyd admitted during spring training
that last season he had focused more on his stats than on winning. "I found
myself trying to hit .300, get 30 home runs, drive in 100 runs," he says.
"Those are fine numbers, but what kind of attitude is
that?"
On the first full day of workouts, new manager Jeff Torborg, who came to Florida
with former Expos owner Jeff Loria, spoke to his men behind closed doors for
nearly an hour, insisting that this was a team talented enough to reach the
playoffs. According to several players the meeting was uplifting. "You
can't help but be excited," says Floyd. "The attitude is 100 percent
different."
Having Raines on board helps. On his second day with the team the seven-time
All-Star sat at a clubhouse table surrounded by a dozen Marlins while he told
stories and cracked jokes. By week's end he was analyzing hitting with Floyd,
centerfielder Preston Wilson and third baseman Mike Lowell, and shooting the
breeze with a handful of the team's young players. "He speaks, we
listen," says Lowell. "His experience is invaluable. He's just so
positive."
Why shouldn't he be? While playing for Oakland in 1999, Raines learned he had
lupus, a rare autoimmune disease that led to his immediate retirement. However,
after missing the 2000 season, he came back last year, hitting .308 in 47 games
with the Expos, then joined the Orioles in September to play alongside his son,
outfielder Tim Raines Jr. The Marlins signed him to a one-year, $350,000
contract in February, and Raines says this is his last
season -- maybe.
"I see this as a chance for me to pinch-hit, play a little outfield and,
most important, lead by example and by words," says Raines. "There's
enough talent here. Sometimes a team just needs to find the right
path."
In Florida that should be easy. Just follow the guy wearing ... number
32.
