Don Mattingly Deserves To Be In Hall of Fame!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The reason why Baseball is such a true passion of mine is not only have I played the game, but have covered it for over 45 years.

The relationships one makes in this game are truly remarkable. 

I’ve made so many that it would be hard to list all of them.

On Saturday, August 23, 2025, there is one person that I wanted to do an interview with in person. 

We’ve talked so many times at Marlins Media Availabilities, Zoom Calls and privately, but there was some unfinished business to take care of. We worked together through Covid-19.

He was born on April 20, 1961 and is 64 years old in Evansville, Indiana.

He made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees on September 8, 1982 and his last appearance on October 1, 1995 for the Bronx Bombers.

His nickname is “Donnie Baseball” and spent his entire 14-year MLB Career with the New York Yankees, and later managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for five years and the Miami Marlins for seven years.

Don Mattingly has a lot of memorabilia in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the only thing that’s missing is a plaque. 

He hit .307, amassed 2,153 hits, added 222 home runs and has 1,099 RBI. 

Other players have made it to Cooperstown with similar numbers. 

The reality is a back injury cut Mattingly’s career short, but he still has a chance to be inducted through the veterans committee.

My good friend, Bob Ryan from the Boston Globe definitely believes Mattingly belongs in the Hall of Fame. Ryan is a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in Basketball. I value his opinion immensely!

My interview with Bob is in this story. I hope you enjoy it.

This Baseball Lifer and I go back many years dating back to the 1980’s when we were both in the Yankees farm system. 

I wrote for the Hallandale Digest covering the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and New York in Spring Training. Don played for the Greensboro Hornets and marched his way through the system and landed in the Bronx.

Although he’s not in the Hall of Fame yet, his No. 23 is retired and is in Monument Park as a honoree with the Yankees. 

He’s the only player without a World Series to earn that honor.

But to me, Mattingly is a friend and a brother! 

He’s the older brother that I never had! 

I love this guy!

When we’re not talking baseball on the microphone, we’re talking about life. 

In recent years, I’ve been dealing with head trauma such as concussions and now have Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Don felt bad when he heard this information. Don has always been there to give me moral support. 

The Toronto Blue Jays were in Miami to face the Marlins the weekend of August 22-24. 

We contacted the Blue Jays communication department to see if Don would come on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show for about 10-15 minutes. 

Last year, the Blue Jays did approve us to attend a game in Toronto and we reminisced on the field.

We told the Blue Jays that Don and I have been friends for years dating back to the 1980’s.

We received an email back from the Blue Jays and Don, true to who he is, gladly appeared on my show and our interview lasted nine minutes. 

As my friend and mentor Craig Mish looked on, Don and I did our thing and we talked about the Hall of Fame as well as other Baseball Topics. 

Once again, the interview lasted nine minutes and we covered everything that I had outlined. I knew Don had to take care of his coaching responsibilities on the field and also caught up with other people in Miami where he was very likeable by all.

When the interview was over, we took pictures with each other and exchanged hugs. 

Mish came up to me and said, “Scotty, I thought you were going to go 15 minutes, and you did a good job making it shorter. Short interviews are the way to go.” 

Those kind words by Mish were worth a Kodak moment as Craig is another great friend!

The Blue Jays Communications Department told Candy Ebling that Mattingly rarely grants one-on-one interviews, but he was glad to accommodate me and understood the value of our friendship.

Candy told the traveling Blue Jays Communications Department Representative that we plan on covering the team during Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla. 

They said they’ll be more than happy to accommodate us.

I hope that when that happens, that if it’s meant to be, Mattingly finally gets his due in Cooperstown and will finally have his moment on a bright summer day in Upstate New York. 

Back in the 1990’s when I was in Cooperstown, I spent $350 for a Hydrostone Statue with Mattingly holding a bat in his hand swinging. It’s currently sitting in My Studio.

While he’s comfortable in his own skin, as his accomplishments speak for themselves and is honored by the Yankees in New York, former Dodgers Manger Tom Lasorda once told me, “Because God Delays, Doesn’t Mean that God Denies.” 

The same can be said that he hasn’t been to a World Series yet. 

The Yankees made it in 1981 before he arrived and lost, then won it in 1995 the year he retired. 

My sentimental favorite is to see the Blue Jays at least get and hopefully win the World Series. 

A championship ring on Mattingly’s finger would have true meaning to this Baseball Lifer.

It’s time for Mattingly to get his moment in immortality!

In recent years, the Baseball Hall of Fame has seen many of its members unfortunately pass away.

Words of wisdom from Lasorda, another man that I cherish who has meant a lot to me throughout my lifetime are always things that I keep in my mind!

But Don Mattingly is simply one of a kind! 

I’m truly grateful to the New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays for giving me one more amazing memory with a person that I view as the older brother that I never had at LoanDepot Park in Miami! 

This was a day where a Detroiter/Midwesterner had the opportunity to hang with a fellow Midwesterner from Evansville, will remember. 

Once upon a time, the Detroit Tigers had a AAA team in Evansville called the Triplets. Mattingly and I once talked about this.

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

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

Scott has a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” that can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble. This book talks about Old School Media vs New School Media.

Marlins Surpass Last Year’s Win Total

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The Miami Marlins were attempting to take a page from the Florida Panthers.

They were looking to be the next feel good in South Florida. There was a period where the Fish were 8-1-1 in series, had a nine game winning steak and even sent a few players to the All-Star Game in Atlanta.

We did a podcast on the Marlins after they swept the New York Yankees 3-0 and sold out all three games at LoanDepot Park “Are the Marlins Contenders or Pretenders?”  Miami won on the field and at the gate as 101,000 + fans .

Many of us felt that Manager Clayton McCulllough had his young team trending in the right direction.

After the Yankees series, the Houston Astros came to town and the Fish were feeling good.

But it didn’t take long for the series and what took place from August 4-6 for reality to set in.

An August 4, the Astros pounded Miami 10-2 in front of 10,827. The Marlins lost 7-3 to Houston on August 5 as 12,186 saw them lose to the first place Astros. In the finale on August 6, 10,073 saw Houston lose 6-4 win as Miami averted the sweep. The attendance for the three games was 33,086.

At the time of the trade deadline, Miami decided not to sell. 

They kept Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera.

The only player that was moved was outfielder Jesus Sanchez to the Houston Astros for three minor leaguers. The way the Marlins change their roster, these guys can be in the Big Leagues in no time, 

But to be 55-55 after the Yankees series was quite an accomplishment. 

Miami is the only team to have a winning record all-time vs the Bronx Bombers. 

At one point, the Marlins were 16 games under .500 and rolled out six consecutive series wins to reach 55-55.

The 2025 season has had its’ peaks and valleys.

One of the lowest points of the season occurred during a three game series vs the Colorado Rockies. At the time, the Rockies were playing such poor baseball that there was a chance they could challenge the Chicago White Sox futility record last year.

Here is how things shook out during the series that took place from June 2-4.

On June 2, the Rockies defeated Miami 6-4 in front of 5,894 fans. The Rockies won their 10th game of the season.

On June 3, 7,583 attended a 3-2 loss while on June 4, the Colorado won 3-2 in front of 6,261 fans.

For the three game series, 19,738 fans attended in a ballpark that has a capacity of 37,442. The Marlins lost money staffing the ballpark for the Rockies series. What’s embarrassing about this series is Miami averaged 11,649 fans. 

The Athletics average 10,069 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, as the park’s capacity is 14,000. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays are averaging 9,872 At George M Steinbrenner Field which holds 11,206.

The biggest feel good story of the year has by far has been left-handed hitter Kyle Stowers, who was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline for All-Star Trevor Rogers. 

Before he went on the Injury List, Stowers was hitting .288 with 25 homers and 73 RBI in 457 plate appearances. The injury that sidelined him was a grade one left side strain. On July 13, he hit three home runs and collected six RBI., against his old team the Baltimore Orioles.

As of August 7, the Rogers trade for Stowers was a win-win situation for both sides. Stowers was hitting .294 with 25 homers and 71 RBI. Rogers had a 5-2 record with a 1.44 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP for the Baltimore Orioles.

Stowers and Nick Kurtz of the A’s won the player of the Month honors for July.

Kurtz hit .395, with 11 RR, 27 RBI and a 1.269 OPS.

Stowers hit .364, with 10 HR, 20 RBI and 1.269 OPS.

The Marlins playoff hopes have nose dived especially after the Houston series

Miami hit the road and lost to Atlanta 4-1 in a five game series. The Marlins traveled to Cleveland and lost a three game series to the Guardians 2-1. The road trip continued and so did the losing as Boston took the series 2-1 at Fenway Park.

Would coming home change in terms of winning series? 

No.

The Marlins lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves 2-1 in these respective series. In the opening game of the Cardinals series, St. Louis snapped a five game losing streak.

There is no question that losing outfielder Stowers has been a difficult blow to the Marlins. 

But injuries are part of the game.

Earlier this season, we saw Cal Quantrill pitch the immaculate inning. He was the only major league signing this off-season.

The right-handed pitcher was placed on outright waivers. He was owed the remainder of his $3.5 Million salary, posting a 5.50 ERA in 24 starts, including a 11.25 ERA in three starts in August.

The Atlanta wasted no time adding Quantrill, whose record stands at 4-12, with a 6.07 ERA and 85 strikeouts. 

In his most recent game, he gave up nine runs, nine hits in 3.1 innings as the Braves we’re shelled by the Philadelphia Phillies 19-4 on Thursday Night in Philly.

In this story, are some videos that I know you will enjoy and these will talk about the peaks and valleys that the Marlins are dealing with in the summer.

A year ago, the Marlins finished with a 62-100 record. 

With the Marlins 7-4 win at New York over the Mets Thursday Night, the Marlins won the 63rd contest surpassing last season’s total. 

It will be interesting to see what the final triumph total becomes.

Manager Clayton McCullough is one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. Not only is he pleasant to work with, but he has a good temperament with the fans. 

I hope he has the time to see the fruits of his labor. 

Unfortunately, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter and Kim Ng weren’t able to complete what vision they had for the franchise.

It’s good that the Marlins have had the opportunity to honor championship managers Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon this season.

Now we’ll see if the Marlins retire those skippers numbers and other players in the future who are inducted into their Hall of Fame, perhaps Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett.

To date, there are no numbers retired in the rafters and a good spot for them would be next to the Championship Banners of 1997 and 2003.

The lesson McCullough has had to covey to his players, these are the dog days of summer. 

Many of these players came from somewhere to get their chance of playing Major League Baseball.

It will be interesting to see if the Marlins can learn enough this season and change the narrative as to how to become contenders thus convincing fans to continue to coming to the ballpark. 

This is a fanbase which has experienced so much losing and when the team becomes consistent winners, aside from the New York Yankees, Mets, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers, it will be a tough sell. 

The Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers come every two years.

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

To see his broadcasts, go to YouTube and Subscribe to South Florida Tribune.

He also wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which talks about Old School Media vs New School Media. It’s available on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

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