Hurricanes Storm Past Gators

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

In the days leading up to the Miami Hurricanes vs Florida Gators game on Saturday, August 31, 2024, I was very consistent with my prediction leading up to this state rivalry.

I truly believed that the Hurricanes were going to win the game 27-17. 

I figured that the Hurricanes were going to turn the corner in Coach Mario Cristobal’s third season and he landed QB Cam Ward, who was named ACC Preseason Player of the year in a poll of media at the conference’s annual media day in Charlotte, NC.

Ward was also named to the preseason watch list for nearly every major offensive award, including the Maxwell Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.

I also saw Cam at the Spring Game on campus and I was impressed with everything that I saw.

The Miami Hurricanes vs Florida Gators is a unique in state rivalry.

Going into this game, Miami held the series lead 29-27. The Canes and Gators are tied 14-14. In Gainesville, Miami led 12-9. On neutral sites, Florida leads 4-3. 

In their last meeting, Florida defeated Miami 24-20 on (7/24/2019 in Orlando).

Prior to this contest, they had met four times in the past 20 years. They played in 2004, 2008, 2013 and 2019.

The Canes were making their first visit to Gainesville since 2008 and opening the season with a true road game for the first time since Louisville in 2014.

Of the 57 total meetings, 27 have been decided by a touchdown or less. 

The last time I saw these two teams meet was on September 1, 1984 when the defending National Champions Hurricanes defeated the Gators 32-20 as a sellout crowd in Tampa Stadium, saw new coach Jimmy Johnson earn his first win with Bernie Kosar at QB. 

At that time, a close friend of mine bought two tickets from a student, whose car broke down. I was a junior at the University of South Florida. 

Ironically, Miami will face USF at Raymond James Stadium on September 21. 

This was the first college game ever aired live on ESPN. 

During the Canes championship season, Miami’s lone loss was to the Gators under Coach Howard Schnellenberger.

Now 40 years later, the head coach is Mario Cristobal. 

The UM alumnus lone matchup vs Florida as head coach occurred on November 21, in 2009 when he was coaching FIU. When you’re a program builder, there are games that are mismatches to collect a big paycheck to fund your athletic program. The Gators thrashed FIU 62-3.

Coaches do remember these things and I mentioned this to Cristobal in his Monday Press Conference in Coral Gables. You can see how he addressed that question in the enclosed video. In fact, check out all the videos in this story.

There is a history between Cristobal and Napier as they were on the same Alabama staff from 2013-2016. Cristobal was in charge of the Tide’s offensive line and Napier led the program’s wide receivers.

What would occur was satisfying on all levels for the 19th ranked Miami Hurricanes as they rolled to a 41-17 win in front of 90,544 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Hurricanes dominated in all key categories and Ward put on a show. Ward was 26-35-385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 36 yards on three carries.

Miami led in total offense 529-261. The Canes led in passing yardage 385-122. Miami had five rushers that amassed 144 yards. The Canes utilized 10 receivers, led by Xavier Restrepo’s 7-112 and a touchdown.

As for the Gators, six rushers gained 139 yards while the receivers were 6-122. Don’t let the rushing totals fool you because running back Montrell Johnson Jr was 11-106 and had a 71-yard touchdown run.

Cristobal avenged his lone loss to Florida in Gainesville, while Napier watched his squad lose six straight contests leaving the Gators fans extremely restless and nervous.

The loss marked Florida’s first defeat in a home opener since 1989 and set the program record for most points allowed in that contest. Napier said, “They beat us today and I don’t have a ton of excuses.”

The Gators lost starting QB Graham Mertz to a concussion. At the time of his departure Mertz was 11-20- with one interception and 91 yards. He was also sacked three times. DJ Lagway took over and was 3-6- with one interception and 31 yards.

With the openers in the books, the Hurricanes face Florida A&M at Hard Rock Stadium while Florida is looking for its first win against Samford at The Swamp with Lagway at QB.

If you’re wondering when these two teams meet again. It won’t be long as the Gators come to Hard Rock Stadium on September 20, 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium. The only question is whether Napier will have a chance to avenge the loss to Cristobal.

The Hurricanes now lead this series 30-27 and are 13-9 in Gainesville.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can find him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

To watch Scott’s broadcasts, feel free to Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Also, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone “ Turning Into the Enduring Wisdom of Visionary Leaders. It’s available on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Marlins Vs Cubs, Tale of Two Seasons

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Every time I think of the Miami Marlins vs the Chicago Cubs, what comes to mind is “The Fish” have won a pair of playoff series.

A year ago under first year Manager Skip Schumaker, the Marlins made it to the playoffs only to be ousted by the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Ironically, this weekend Miami and Philadelphia are squaring off.

Had the Miami Marlins built on last season’s success, you never know, they could have been on a collision course to face the Cubs. I always like to see these two squads play at least one game per year.

The one I chose to attend occurred on Sunday, August 25, 2024. 

In the first two games of the series, the Cubs defeated the Marlins by successive 6-3 and 14-2 scores. The attendance for the opener was 13,992 and for the second it was 18,138.

Could the Marlins at least salvage one game of this series?

If you looked at the pitching match-ups on paper, the answer would be no.

The Cubs sent right-handed pitcher Javier Assad, who entered the game with a 6-3 mark with a 3.11 ERA.

Meanwhile, Miami’s hurler was Adam Oller, a right-hander that entered the game with a 0-1 record with a 9.64 ERA.

The Marlins jumped on Assad early as Connor Norby and Jesus Sanchez hit homers in the first inning to give Miami a 2-0 lead. Norby was a thorn in the side for the Cubs as he came a triple shy of the cycle and went 3-4 on the afternoon. Norby’s homer was his fourth of the season and the first lead-off homer of his career.

Like we’ve seen pretty much all-season long, there have been wins for a lot of different Marlins pitchers. On this day, Oller picked up his first of the year by tossing 5.2 innings, yielding four hits and just one run, adding six strike outs. He only walked two and threw 95 pitches, 57 for strikes. His ERA dropped to 5.23.

The bullpen allowed only one run and the Marlins went on to earn a 7-2 win in front of 17,275.

Assad pitched seven strong innings. He gave up six hits and allowed three runs. He threw 87 pitches, 59 for strikes.

The Marlins proceeded to add four runs in the eighth inning to complete the scoring. 

All in all, this was a frustrating afternoon for the team that plays in the north side of Chicago. Third baseman Patrick Wisdon was ejected by umpire James Jean as he threw his helmet on the ground and it bounced up.

Since the Cubs left Miami, they’ve managed to work their way into the National League Wild Card Picture. They left Miami with a 65-66 mark. 

Chicago is 72-68 and is nine games back in the National League Central Division. In their last 10 games, the Cubs are 7-3.

They’ve scored 641 runs and yielded 584. They are currently four games back of Atlanta and the NY Mets in the Wild Card Chase under first year manager Craig Counsell.

Two days ago, Shoto Imanaga and two relievers combined for a no-hitter as the Cubs blasted the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 31-year old left-hander in his first season with the Cubs after pitching in Japan for eight seasons, struck out seven and walked two over seven innings. He threw 66 of 95 pitches for strikes to improve his record 12-3. The no-hitter for Chicago was the 18th in franchise history.

The Marlins have been playing better as of late.

Since the Cubs series, they hit the road and were 2-2 against the Colorado Rockies. They were 2-1 against the San Francisco Giants. After an off day on Tuesday, September 2, the Fish returned home and were 1-1 against the Washington Nationals.

This weekend Miami has a four game series against the Phillies. Philadelphia won Thursday’s contest 5-2.

While the Cubs are trying to reach the post-season, Miami has been officially eliminated from the playoffs. The Marlins are 52-88 for last place in the NL East, 32 games behind Philadelphia.

What’s left for the Marlins to play for. Their jobs!

This season has been like an extended Spring Training as Miami has to play as many players to see what their roster will look like in 2025. 

As for Schumaker, he’s going to be a free agent and it will be interesting to see where he lands next season.

The Cubs season is a story that will play itself out over the next few weeks.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@Gmail.com. He can be found on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

If you want to see his broadcasts, please subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” Tuning Into The Enduring Wisdom of Visionary Leaders that can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Marlins and Padres Unique History

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I never had a chance to mention this to Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker because I was focused on pre-game questions prior to their August 10, 2024 contest. 

If I had time, I would have asked the Marlins manager did he know that Miami was the Class A affiliate of the Padres in the Florida State League in 1983-1984?

This squad played at the now demolished Miami Stadium, which are now apartments.

The team was managed by Jim Breazeale and their best player was catcher Benito Santiago. My good friend and baseball life Brian Butterfield also played on this steam which finished 44-89 (.331).

Under Manager Steven Smith, the 1984 fared much better by compiling a 64-74 (.464) and the best player on the team was pitcher Lance McCullers. He went on to have a pretty good career,

At the game, my questioning was on the recent acquisition on outfielder Derek Hill and one of the new cornerstones Xavier Edwards. I told Schumaker the last time that I saw Edwards play was when he hit for the cycle in Milwaukee, buy Skip said, I’m glad you’re back.

You’ll see Schumacher’s comments in the enclosed video.

Edwards proceeded to get nine total bases in the game we attended. He walked and reached third (3) had a single and scored (4), had another walk (1) and hit into a fielders choice (1).

The Marlins and Padres unique history has taken on a new meaning this season.

The Fish traded last year’s batting champion Luis Arraez in May for prospects in a move that signaled to the fans and media to get ready for a tear-down under the new front office regime led by Peter Bendix.

When the trade deadline came a few weeks ago, these two teams made an another huge move.

This swap saw the Marlins send closer Tanner Scott and reliever Bryan Hoeing in return for prospects. Time will tell how these prospects will develop, but Scott and Hoeing are making a difference for the red-hot Padres. These two hurlers go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.

In the game we saw, Arraez reached base twice and scored a run. Scott amassed his 19th save and first with the Padres in a 9-8 win in 10 innings.

San Diego would win the series 2-1 with the Marlins lone victory occurring on Sunday, 7-6.

But when you look at the Padres season, former Manager Bob Melvin resigned and signed with the San Francisco Giants.

San Diego hired former St. Louis Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt. 

The Padres record is 73-57 (.557) and they’re a really dangerous team despite playing without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr.

San Diego currently has the best record in MLB since the All-Star Break with a 22-6 mark.

If there is a team to watch down the stretch, it’s the Padres. Once Tatis Jr. returns, they figure to add another bat to the line-up.

As for Miami, Schumaker will be a free agent at the end of the season as both sides mutually agreed to void the third year on his contract.

For the manager, his main objective is to do the best with what he has to work with, then both sides will have fresh starts in 2025.

I never thought I’d see the day that I would put Santiago, McCullers, Arraez, Scott and Hoeing in the same story, but that’s the “Unique History” of these two franchises.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can subscribe to see his broadcasts on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

If you want to reach him on Twitter/X you can do so @TribuneSouth.

Finally, his book “Lessons From The Microphone” can be obtained for purchase on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Eventful Day In Milwaukee

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During the Miami Marlins most recent three game series at the Milwaukee Brewers from July 26-28, it was a very chaotic weekend.

The trade deadline was looming and the Marlins were sellers. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was sent packing on Saturday, July 27 to the New York Yankees. Before the series began, AJ Puk was sent to Arizona and Trevor Rogers landed in Baltimore.

Despite these trades, the Marlins did manage to win the first two games of the series 6-2 and 7-3 scores.

Would the Marlins be able to pull off the sweep on Sunday July 28, at American Family Field?

The Brewers were honoring long time outfielder Ryan Braun inducting him into Walk of Fame as he played his entire 13-year career in the Beer City. It was certainly a heart warming ceremony before the game.

The Brewers jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the first inning and proceeded to cruise to a 6-2 win.

The Marlins had their chance to score runs in the third inning, but the stellar play of Brewers second baseman Brice Turang stymied them. Turang made two sensational diving plays off the bats of Jesus Sanchez and Otto Lopez. The Brewers held their 2-1 lead.

Milwaukee scored two runs in the fourth and fifth inning to extend its lead to 6-1. Miami would add another run in the seventh inning to close the gap to 6-2.

But aside from Braun, there was another story unfolding for Miami as rookie shortstop Xavier Edwards became the second player in Marlins history to record a cycle. The other was Luis Arraez, who had his during the 2023 season.

When I returned to LoanDepot Park on Saturday, August 10, there was one man that was glad to see me at the ballpark. It was Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker before Miami played the San Diego Padres.

During the pre-game media availability, I asked Skip about the Marlins recent acqusition of outfielder Derek Hill.

But my second question was about Edwards. 

I told the skipper that the last time I saw Edwards play was when he hit for the cycle. That’s when he told he was glad that I was back.

I asked him what he brings to the team and you’ll hear his response by clicking on the video.

After the Marlins loss to the Brewers, this would be the final game for first baseman Josh Bell, was subsequently dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks for their stretch run.

When you talk about an “Eventful Day In Milwaukee” how often can you see a player who spent his entire career with one organization get honored and one from the opposition hit for the cycle?

Of the three games, this was certainly the best one to attend and one that I’ll never forget!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, there is no charge to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, Scott’s book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which emphasizes Old School Media vs New School Media is available at Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble. 

They Come And They Go

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

How would you define the 2024 Miami Marlins season?

There are numerous ways and as of today, the Fish are 43-74 going into this afternoon’s game vs the San Diego Padres.

Before Opening Day, Miami found out that Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara would miss the entire season due to injury. Shortly after that, another hurler Eury Perez would be another season ending casualty.

As the losses piled up early, Miami shipped 2023 National League batting champion, Luis Arraez to the Padres in May as President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix was ready to sell early.

I can only imagine how much ink the Marlins used with player transactions all-season long.

For myself, it’s been interesting trying to find feature stories as the players came and went.

In Detroit, thanks to the efforts of Luis Dorante Jr. who has become my most dependable resource in the Marlins organization, we landed outfielder Dane Myers. Unfortunately for Myers, about a month ago, he would get injured.

During trade deadline week, Dorante and I exchanged text messages when I traveled to Milwaukee and covered a game on July 28, 2024.

I sent Dorante text messages to get pitchers Trevor Rogers and AJ Puk, but they were traded before we could get to them. 

We both laughed about it because we knew this would be a challenging week to get players.

Because Sunday games are earlier, it’s close to impossible to get any interviews.

But at Noon Central Time, Dorante worked his magic again as he told me he could land a relief pitcher. I told him to go for it.

That pitcher turned out to be Bryan Hoeing and after briefly looking at his bio, I knew I had a great catch. 

Hoeing hails from Indiana and his first name is spelled the same way as my middle name. I have a lot of fun talking to Midwesterner’s.

Hoeing is one of the most down to earth players I’ve ever dealt with. 

Hoeing played two sports. In addition to baseball, he also played basketball. 

There is nothing better than talking to an Indiana athlete who plays basketball when you consider that the late Bobby Knight coached the Indiana Hoosiers. My favorite movie of all time is “Hoosiers.”

We talked about basketball and the Marlins recent flurry of trades that even included Jazz Chisholm being shipped to the New York Yankees.

He also gave his thoughts about playing for Marlins skipper, Skip Schumaker.

What would occur after Sunday was another unbelievable story that will appear in “Lessons From The Microphone, Part 2” that will be released at the beginning of 2025.

What did happen at the trade deadline was closer Tanner Scott and you guessed it, Hoeing was traded to the Padres in exchange for prospects.

You talk about timing, this was unbelievable. 

Who knows if I’ll be able to land Hoeing again this afternoon but if I don’t, I’m just thankful that we had a chance to have a good time and now I’ll begin tracking his career.

In baseball, you never know what stories unexpectedly fall into your lap. But when they come, it’s vitally important that you pounce on them and have great friends like Dorante in your corner to help you get the job done.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

Also, to see his broadcasts, please subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Scott’s Book, “Lessons From the Microphone” can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes’s & Noble. 

Marlins Limped Into All-Star Break

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Lets make no bones about it, this years All-Star Break has a much different felling than last years.

Former GM Kim Ng did a masterful job assembling a team that enabled first year manager Skip Schumaker a team that he was able to pilot into the 2023 Playoffs.

But now as we look at the clock a year later, the 2024 Season has turned out to be very forgettable.

The Marlins reside in the NL East Basement with a 33-63 record.

During the All-Star Break, the fish added more players from the MLB Draft.

The trade deadline is upon us and expect Miami to be sellers. 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Schumaker will have something in common with former Marlins Manager Joe Girardi as both will have won the Manager of the Year, then lose their jobs.

But if I were Schumaker, I’d get the moving van ready as it won’t take long for him to find employment.

The last game we attended was the Marlins contest vs the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, July 7. This was the final game of a three game series at LoanDepot Park.

During the first game of the Series on July 5, the White Sox pulled out a 3-2 win.

Game two saw Miami defeat Chicago 4-3.

The finale which we attended turned out to be an entertaining contest between these cellar dwellers.

The White Sox got a solid outing from starting pitcher Jonathon Cannon, who pitched six frames and allowed just one run.

Chicago held a 4-1 lead through six innings.

To Schumaker’s credit, his team doesn’t quit. Miami added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to close the gap to 4-3.

The Marlins bullpen held steady as it limited the White Sox to a pair of runs and all five pitchers used gave Miami a chance to win the contest going into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Second baseman Vidal led off the ninth inning with a walk, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a double Josh Bell. The game was tied at 4-4.

But the fun was just getting started.

Bell was replaced for a pinch runner by Emmanuel Rivera. 

White Sox Manager Pedro Grifol decided to intentional walk Jesus Sanchez to face struggling third baseman Jake Burger. On July 4 vs the Boston Red Sox, Burger struck out five teams on five plate appearances.

On the surface, this seemed like the correct move. But I re-emphasize the word “Seemed” since Burger was hitless in four at bats. He had two groundouts and a pair of strikeouts. But to Schumaker’s credit, Burger was hitting in the fourth, cleanup spot and had faith in his veteran player.

When someone shows faith in you, it’s important to prove them right which is what Burger did to award his manager.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Burger hit a three-run walk-off homer off loser Michael Kopech, who got the loss and dropped to 2-8. When you walk off a home-run, it’s a jubilant feeling especially when you’re struggling. I’m sure Burger didn’t mind having his favorite beverage thrown on top of him and getting interviewed after the 7-4 win.

The victory enabled the Marlins to win the series 2-1 as South Beach defeated The South Siders in a battle for the top pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

How would the Marlins fare after the White Sox Series?

Miami was swept 3-0 in their next series on the road to Houston Astros. Miami lost by successive scores of 4-3, 9-1 and 6-3 margins.

The final series before the All-Star Break occurred in Cincinnati as Miami lost this series 2-1. In game one, the Reds won 7-4. The Marlins pitching didn’t do them any favors as the Fish were on the losing end of a 10-6 margin. The finale saw Miami earn a 3-2 win going into the break.

When they return from the break, the New York Mets await them at LoanDepot Park for a four-game series. Following the Mets, the Baltimore Orioles come to town before the team goes back on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers.

When Baltimore comes to town, the Orioles used to conduct Spring Training at Miami Stadium in the 1970’s and 1980’s and had a farm team in the Florida State League which produced Hall of Fame Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. among others.

These are the dog days of summer and at this time of the year, Schumaker is going to try to win as many games as possible. By the same token, I-95 will be busy as the Jacksonville to Miami trail will be filled with lots of roster moves.

When the team returns, it will be interesting to see how Miami comes out of the gate against their New York rivals, which is also another battle of I-95.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can also reach him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcast, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

Finally, check out Scott’s book, “Lessons From the Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble. 

July 4th With The Marlins and Red Sox

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The schedule makers have been great to me the past two years as the Miami Marlins have been home for July 4th.

In 2023, the Marlins crushed the St. Louis Cardinals 15-2 at LoanDepot Park to improve to 50-37, while the Cardinals dropped to 35-50. The line score was indicative of what July 4 fireworks should consist of. Miami scored 15 runs and had 19 hits, while the Cardinals had two runs and nine hits.

The Marlins proceeded to make the playoffs.

As we move the clock forward to 2024, the Marlins hosted the Boston Red Sox. 

Miami was 30-56 entering the game while Boston was 46-39. Boston won the first two games of this three game series by 8-3 and 7-2 scores.

What would occur in the final game of the series?

You couldn’t ask for a better media meal as there were hamburgers and hot dogs.

Boston starter Nick Pivetta pitched a sensational game by throwing no-hit baseball into the seventh inning. The right-handed hurler saw his no-hitter broken up as Jesus Sanchez tripled in the seventh inning, Pivetta went on to amass 10 strike outs of shutout baseball.

Meanwhile, for Miami, right-hander Kyle Tyler had a solid outing of his own by going 5.1 innings and gave up two runs. The Marlins trailed Boston 2-0 when Tyler departed the game.

Once both starters exited the game, the bullpens took over in a game that lasted 12 innings and Boston won 6-5.

What stood out in this game?

For Boston, David Hamilton and Tyler O’Neill had double steals on two occasions. They pulled the trick in the first inning and again in the sixth, Hamilton scored runs in those innings. By the end of the day, Hamilton’s stolen base total for the season hit 23.

The Red Sox led 2-0 until Miami erased the deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the contest at 2-2. The Marlins runs came via the walk.

The teams remained tied at 2-2 until the 11th inning when they would be tied at 4-4.

The Red Sox would score a pair in the 12th, while Miami countered with one run for what turned into an eventful 6-5 triumph for the Red Sox.

The major bright spot for Miami was the bat of Sanchez, who had a double, triple and home run, but needed a single to get the cycle. The Marlins amassed eight hits and Sanchez was responsible for three of them.

Both teams had eight hits apiece.

Marlins DH Jake Burger had a day that he would like to forget as he had five at bats, all were strikeouts.

Zack Kelly pitched two innings for Boston and improved his record to 3-1, while John Andriese was the losing hurler and saw his record drop to 0-1.

A crowd of 20,539 saw this game. Boston improved to 47-39, while Miami dropped to 30-57. The game took 3:36 to complete.

The Red Sox earned a three-game sweep.

At the gate, in the first game, 14,676, in the second, 20,285 and in the finale, 20,539 gave the Marlins decent numbers for the series.

A tale of two July 4th contests that took different twists and turns.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. 

You can see his broadcasts by subscribing at no charge to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

In addition, Scott’s Book, “Lessons From The Microphone” can be purchased through Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble.