Interview With Tigers Prospect Jake Rogers In My Return To West Palm Beach

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

 I have been in my fair share of Spring Training ballparks, but there was a certain feeling that I have when I come to West Palm Beach, FL.

Back in the early 1980's, I used to cover Florida State League (FSL) games at the now demolished West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. I also covered an FSL All-Star Game.

The Montreal Expos had a lot of prospects that went on to play in the major leagues.

On Sunday, March 4, 2018, I returned to this city to see the Detroit Tigers visit the Washington Nationals at FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches.

The 2017 Season was the inaugural season for the ballpark. There were record crowds for the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals (formerly the Montreal Expos), who share the same facility.

On this day, the attendance was 4,481 to see these two teams compete.

Until the ballpark opened, the closest drive to cover a game was about an hour in Jupiter from Deerfield Beach, where the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals play. Roger Dean Stadium is a nice facility.

The New York Mets are about an hour and a half from Deerfield Beach in Port Saint Lucie.

For me, a 30 minute drive was great which allowed me to sleep in my own bed.

Otherwise, to see the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland is about four hours and requires me to get a hotel across the state, though I have commuted the trip from time to time if I get in my crazy driving moods where I like to meditate and do intense mental thinking.

My wheels are always turning.

To cover the Nationals was neat because it was like covering the Montreal Expos all over again. It's unfortunate that the FSL doesn't have a team yet, otherwise I'd be there a lot.

One theme stayed consistent as I returned to West Palm Beach.

I was seeking recommendations from Tigers PR Guy Chad Crunk, who is always a huge help to me about good ideas.

He suggested catching prospect Jake Rogers, who was acquired on August 31, 2017, from the Houston Astros in exchange for Justin Verlander.

To date, Rogers is going to be one of the Tigers top prospects, who will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.

During the 2018 season, he smacked 17 HR and 56 RBI while playing in 99 games with 408 At Bats.

Defensively, Rogers had 857 put outs, 102 assists, caught 50 runners stealing with a 56% caught stealing percentage.

Rogers, 23, is 6-1, 190 pounds and hails from Canyon Texas. He played college baseball for Tulane University.

He's a right-handed hitter that also throws right.

Before the Tigers 6-2 loss to the Nationals in a contest where Nationals superstar outfielder Bryce Harper hit his first HR of the Spring, Rogers and I spoke about his professional career in this exclusive interview.

Q: I understand that you were acquired in the Justin Verlander trade. What were your thoughts when you heard about it?

A: I had a lot of emotions going through. I was with a couple of buddies and I didn't know what to take at first. After it all settled down, I was real excited to come over and really happy to be a part of the new organization, the Detroit Tigers.

Q: To be in a trade involving Verlander, were there any extra feelings involved knowing this is a guy the Houston Astros organization classified as a difference maker who subsequently helped lead them to the first World Series Title in Franchise history?

A: Oh yes, for sure. Obviously, he's a great ballplayer who was a huge part of the Tigers and then the Astros when he went over there. It's an honor to be traded for him and I've been loving every second of it.

Q: Tell me what it was like growing up in the Astros farm system. What did you learn from that experience that you'll be able to bring over to Detroit?

A: I learned a lot from them. They drafted me in 2016. Throughout that 1.5 years I was with them, I tried to accumulate and learn a bunch of different things throughout the organization and kind of bring and accumulate into my game. When I came over here, I learned some of the stuff the Tigers were teaching. I was trying to mix it and make me the best baseball player I can be.

Q: Tell me some of your strengths and weaknesses?

A: Strengths, you know I'm a catcher and take pride in being a great catcher controlling the running game and getting strikes called strikes, balls called strikes, helping the pitcher out and the staff out any way I can possible. I take pride in driving runners in. That's a big part of my game. That's who I try to be.

Weaknesses, I'm trying to improve on everything, everyday any way possible. If Gardy (Manager Ron Gardenhire) says something about my catching that he thinks will be better, and puts it in a professional way, I'm going to try to do it. There's little things in my game that can be made better, and everyone can do better every single day so that's what I'm trying to do.

Q: Tell me what your experiences have been like this Spring Training working with Ron Gardenhire, a guy who has undoubtedly been around baseball for the longest of times?

A: It's been awesome man. Gardy is a great dude and he's a players manager. He's great to be around and I've been trying to soak up as much knowledge any way I can along with his entire staff. Like I said, I'm trying to get better everyday. What, and ever they say, I'm going to try to go out there and do the best I can, then get out there and do it.

Q: No Rogers interview would be complete when I mention a Kenny Rogers reference. I see you smiling a bit. Do you follow his country music at all and how do you like having the same last name?

A: It's good. He's got some great music. I don't listen to him personally, but he has some great songs. I couldn't honestly name one. But I know he has some great music out there and a lot of people like him. So it's kind of cool.

Q: Finally, what about Miguel Cabrera. Have you had much of any opportunity to interact with him?

A: Yes. he's a great guy, man and he's fun to be around. He's a fun guy and loves the game and that's the guys I like to be around.
                      

To this date, the Tigers have won 61 games and have used a lot of players in a rebuilding season.

Do the Tigers have their catcher of the future on their existing roster?

I doubt it but time will tell.

It will be interesting to see how Rogers performs in the Arizona Fall League.

But it was neat to return to West Palm Beach, FL and it felt like old times seeing if there is another
prospect that will be a future major league player.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Media.

Boston's Brian Butterfield

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

My Grandmother Sophie Morganroth always taught me that there is a time and a place to do things.

Sometimes I take her comments to different extremes.

But during Spring Training, along with My Photographer Candice Ebling, we spent Easter Sunday covering the Boston Red Sox vs Philadelphia Phillies at jetBlue Park (also known as Fenway Park South) in Fort Myers.

Spring Training is a great opportunity to write feature stories because of the relaxed environment.

Since I've been covering baseball dating back to the 1981 Baseball Winter Meetings at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, FL., attending Spring Training is My Favorite Time to cover sports.

I've enjoyed catching up with players, managers and trainers who launched their careers in minor league baseball. I've also established friendships while covering the Detroit Tigers.

When I returned to live in Florida in 2002, I was eager to cover Grapefruit League Games.

During this time, I've been able to cross paths with former Fort Lauderdale Yankees Pitcher Chuck Hernandez, who was once a pitching coach for the Tigers. In all my years of covering baseball, the left-handed Hernandez had the best pick-off move I've ever seen to first-base.

Detroit's Head Trainer and Mastermind Kevin Rand always finds a way to keep the Tigers competitive especially with the team's recent rash of injuries the past couple of seasons. We've talked many times since my return to Florida.

It's always great to see former Tigers Manager Jim Leyland every year.

Another great friend that I've known since the 1980's is former Tigers and current Milwaukee Brewers Hitting Coach Darnell Coles.

Former Tigers third baseman Dean Palmer and I worked together when I was the Director of Public Relations for the Gastonia, NC Rangers (Texas Rangers Class A) in 1987.

But one of My All-Time Favorites is Boston Red Sox Third Base Coach Brian Butterfield.

We had a championship season together in 1982 and during the campaign we talked together a lot in the clubhouse.

During this year's post-season, you'll probably hear his name from time to time by the broadcasters on whether he decides to hold a runner at third base or wave him home.

Even though I could have written this story during the regular season, I decided to do it later because I felt confident that Boston would reach the playoffs, thus this would create more interest.

There are times which my timing for posting stories can be questioned, but for the most part, I do my best to make things work and more timely.

On March 27, 2016, Easter Sunday, the Red Sox hosted the Phillies.

It was a great opportunity to see Red Sox legend David "Big Papi" Ortiz enjoy his last couple days as a Boston player at his Spring Training Home in Fort Myers at an awesome ballpark.

But more importantly, the highlight of this day was spending time with a championship buddy. Butterfield and I had a great conversation reminiscing about the past and his career.

I  hope you enjoy this exclusive interview with a guy who was the first third-base coach in Arizona Diamondbacks History under Buck Showalter from 1998-2000.

The 58-year old Butterfield has also been a managerial candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays and Red Sox.

Q: Brian, you and I go back a long ways dating back to our 1982 Florida State League Championship while I was a sports writer for the Hallandale Digest. Tell me what it was like to experience that feeling with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees?

A: Anytime you win a championship, it doesn't matter what level it's at, whether it's high school, college, legion and little league. That was a very memorable season with a bunch of great guys, great people around the team, and it's a championship I'll never forget.

Q: What were your thoughts about Fort Lauderdale Stadium?

A: It was fantastic. You have the backfields to work on that were always in good shape. It was a real nice main field, good cages, and a nice clubhouse. So it was nice living in the Florida State League even though it was Class A Ball.

Q: There is Class A Ball and Advanced Class A Ball. I've always told people not to underestimate this level especially because of the logistics and dimensions of the park. I've also mentioned to people that due to the fact that many of these venues were made for Spring Training, the statistics are accurate. Would you agree?

A: That's a great point. The Florida State League has always been considered one of the absolutely toughest Class A Ball Leagues. It was an honor to play there with such a great organization (New York Yankees).

Q: Tell me how your career has progressed since our days in the Florida State League?

A: To make a long story short, this is my 20th year in the Big Leagues. I've been blessed to be with good organizations. I was out in Arizona with the Diamondbacks for a while. I've been with the Yankees for a long time as a manager in the minor leagues as well as a coach. I got a chance to coach in the Big Leagues with the Yankees.

I moved on to the Toronto with the Blue Jays, came over to Boston from Toronto where I spent 12 years. Now I'm a member of the Boston Red Sox, and this is my fourth year here. I was blessed to be a part of that 2013 World Championship.

Q: John Farrell was manager in Toronto. Did you follow him to Boston?

A: Yes, yes. I went through several managers in Toronto. It started with Carlos Tosca. It went from Carlos to John Gibbons, to Cito Gaston and then to John. I was also able to play under some outstanding managers.

Q: What was the 2013 World Championship like in Boston? By then there were no curses to deal with.

A: I have "The Ring" put away. It was special and a great group of people. We had a veteran core of players that played the game with great respect and, I had one thought, one night, that we were trying to win ballgames. We did a great job, stayed healthy, and everybody did a fantastic job.

Once we got in the playoffs, and the World Series, the players took it to another level, and it was even better. That was a memorable World Series Championship I've ever been a part of. It will be something that I will cherish forever.

Q: You have a lot of interesting characters on the Red Sox including Ortiz. What's it like to be around these guys?

A: It's hard to pick out a select few that I enjoy being around the most. Dustin Pedroia is a guy that as soon as we came here, he bought into everything we did, and he's an easy guy to coach because he does everything right. He buys into the program. He's been a great leader for us.

There have been so many good guys. We have a great group here. They're young but have high character players. The organization has done a great job in the way they draft players and bring them along.

Guys like Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez and the list goes on and on. But it's a good group to be around and we're going to do this thing together.

Q: What's it like to coach in an iconic historical place like Fenway Park especially since it's hitter friendly?

A: It's a dream come true for me since I grew up in Maine. Our current home is a two hour drive from Fenway. We're right down the southern tip of Maine. I grew up a Red Sox fan, dreamed of playing for the Boston Red Sox. But I'm doing second best as coach of the Red Sox. It's a great, great place to play.

The passion of the fans in New England are second to none. It's a great opportunity for my family and my grand kids. They had a chance to come on the field when we won the World Championship in 2013. That's something I'll remember seeing those little people running on the field celebrating with us.

Q: Growing up in the Yankees system and being part of the Red Sox food chain now, if anyone knew this rivalry well, it has to be you. Do you agree?

A: You understand it as good as anybody, but think about it, growing up as a Red Sox fan, there is nothing but the Boston Red Sox.

As soon as you become a New York Yankee, you learn to hate the Red Sox. I did it for a stint as a minor leaguer in the Yankees organization. As soon as I got out of the Yankees organization, I quickly became entranced by this organization. I'm very happy and very blessed to be back with the Red Sox.

Q: Unlike any of the other four major sports, with baseball, there is Spring Training playing 30 games, in addition to a 162 game season. If a team's fortunate enough, there is a wild card elimination game plus three full tiers culminating with the World Series. I've always believed that injuries play a larger role than most people think. Also, it seems as though there is a lot more luck involved to win a championship. What are your thoughts?

A: I agree. One of the most important things with a Major League Team is depth. You better have a lot of depth because injuries will occur during the season. Players may need rest. We may have an advantage going in because we are deep position players wise. We're deep with arms and we might be able to hold down the fort for awhile if guys go down.

Q: I will say one thing about the Red Sox is that ownership has a big checkbook and isn't afraid to spend as evidenced by the signing of former Tigers Pitcher David Price. Isn't it easier to have access to unlimited resources?

A: They've done a great job. There is great people in the front office. We've been so impressed with the work of Dave Dombrowski. He knows the game, is a great baseball man, but he's a great person who is so respectful to everybody that works for him. It's an honor to work for him. He is so respectful to this great game.

Q: How would you describe what the Boston Red Sox fan base is like?

A: That's one of the biggest thrills. There is nobody in the country that's as passionate than the people of New England. The demands are great and the demands we put on ourselves are great. We kind of look at it as bring it on, and we want to do well for our fans, as well as our franchise. We're met with challenges everyday, and that's the way it should be.

Q: What do you think of jetBlue Park? This is my first time being here. To me it's "Jet Jewell Park" because it resembles Fenway, which is on my bucket list before I die.

A: That's a great name for it Scott. I echo your sentiments. It gives us an ideally great look at what we're going to be playing 81 home games. It gives our guys a chance to see our dimensions. It's a great idea by the Red Sox, plus there is a great fan base in Fort Myers. We travel well and our fans follow us all over the country. Not only during the regular season but during Spring Training.

Q: I recently visited Chain of Lakes Park, the former Spring Home of the Red Sox in Winter Haven. I know you played there with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees. What are your thoughts of the place?

A: I went there again and there was the mystique of the Boston Red Sox organization. I was always interested growing up and watching the Red Sox on TV. Even though I was wearing another uniform of the hated New York Yankees, it was always fun to play against the Red Sox, It was a challenge but it was fun.

As things stand at the moment, the Cleveland Indians hold a 2-0 lead against the Red Sox in the ALDS beating former Tigers Pitchers Rick Porcello and David Price. The series resumes Sunday at Fenway Park so the Red Sox have their hands full.

Whether Butterfield gets another championship ring remains to be seen.

But I have a gut feeling down the road that you'll see Brian Butterfield manage an MLB Club down the line. He's come close to landing a managers job so it appears to be inevitable as those jobs will open up this off-season.

Nonetheless, it's great to reunite with another great person from the past and see that individual do well.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Obbie VS Motor Mouth MLB Greats

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

A few days ago, Steve Obrien and I debated the NBA Greats.

Now, it's time for Round Two and will his age of 35 and my 51 years on this planet make a difference with the National Past Time?

Will the Steroid Era affect our opinions?

We know that baseball is based on numbers, and computers have started to change the way managers adjust their strategies.

Managers rely more on their bench coaches especially as technology has played a larger role in their decision making process.

One can only wonder how many players have played in MLB Stadiums over the past century.

But we've decided to choose 20 pitchers and 20 hitters to stimulate the debate. .

When you think of pitchers, do you take complete games and multiple inning saves into consideration? What about the designated hitter?

Here we go. Once again, the order of the numbers doesn't reflect where the players stand. The bold names are where we differ.

Once again, it will be Motown VS Beantown.

Here is our Top 20 in Each Category.

MYSELF HITTERS:

1. Ty Cobb
2. Ted Williams
3. Hank Aaron
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Babe Ruth
6. Stan Musial (Photographed)
7. Joe DiMaggio
8. Pete Rose
9. Willie Mays
10. Tony Gwynn
11. Al Kaline
12. Lou Gehrig
13. George Brett
14 Roberto Clemente
15. Johnny Bench
16. Reggie Jackson
17. Rod Carew
18. Robin Yount
19. Cal Ripken Jr.
20. Paul Molitor

STEVE OBRIEN HITTERS

1. Mickey Mantle

2. Babe Ruth
3. Willie Mays
4. Ty Cobb
5. Ted Williams
6. Rickey Henderson
7. Lou Gehrig
8. Pete Rose
9. Derek Jeter
10. Tony Gwynn
11. Rogers Hornsby
12. Honus Wagner
13. Mike Schmidt
14. Miguel Cabrera
15. Hank Aaron
16. Ken Griffey Jr.
17. Wade Boggs
18. Carl Yastrzemski
19. Dave Winfield
20. Ichiro Suzuki

MYSELF PITCHERS

1. Cy Young
2. Walter Johnson
3. Bob Feller (Photographed)
4. Steve Carlton
5. Greg Maddux
6. Tom Glavine
7. Bob Gibson
8. Roger Clemens
9. Sandy Koufax
10. Randy Johnson
11. Jim "Catfish" Hunter
12. Nolan Ryan
13. Warren Spahn
14. Jim Palmer
15. Christy Mathewson
16. Rollie Fingers
17. Tom Seaver
18. Hal Newhouser
19. Robin Roberts
20. Don Drysdale

OBBIE PITCHERS

1. Cy Young
2. Roger Clemens
3. Tom Seaver
4. Sandy Koufax
5. Randy Johnson
6. Nolan Ryan
7. Bob Gibson
8. Walter Johnson
9. Greg Maddux
10. Steve Carlton
11. Pedro Martinez
12. Mariano Rivera
13. Warren Spahn
14. Trevor Hoffman
15. Bob Feller
16. Curt Schilling
17. Dennis Eckersley
18. John Smoltz
19. Luis Tiant
20. Tommy John

Like any list, championships were indeed a factor with these players. Some players were big factors in ending their team's long championship droughts or winning a franchises first title like Schilling with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.

There were starting pitchers that re-invented themselves and became legendary closers.

Smoltz and Eckersley were two that stand out.

In addition to having a fine career as a hurler, Tommy John's Surgery has saved the careers of many pitchers.

I will be writing a future story on current Jupiter Hammerheads Pitching Coach Joe Coleman, (photographed with me taken by Candice Ebling) who has the challenge of developing young pitchers for the Miami Marlins.

Coleman and I discussed at great length the challenges that he has of making sure his pitchers learn proper mechanics to prevent future Tommy John Surgeries at Roger Dean Stadium.

Coleman is in the Class A Florida State League and had a fine career in the MLB. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers by the Washington Senators on October 9, 1970 in an eight player trade that featured the last 31-game winner in the Major Leagues, Denny McLain.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Sonny Hirsch's Dream In Miami

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I think of the Miami Marlins, it was a totally different era.

The team's General Manager was my late friend Sonny Hirsch. The Marlins played at the now demolished Miami Stadium.

In 1949, the cost to build Miami Stadium was $2,200 and it was located at 2301 Northwest 10th Ave, Miami, FL 33127.

This building was within a couple miles from the historic Orange Bowl  and also used to hold concerts. The stadium held 13,000 and was demolished in 2001. The Miami Stadium Apartments now occupy this address.

The Orange Bowl's address was 1501 NW 3rd Street, Miami, FL, 33125 and opened on December 10, 1937.

The Baltimore Orioles called Miami Stadium their Spring Training Home from 1959-1990. Their Class A Florida State League (FSL) team the Miami Orioles produced young talent like Hall of Famer Cal Ripken among others from 1971-81.

The history of the Miami Marlins dates back to 1956-1960 when they played in the AAA International League.

From 1962-1970 they played in the FSL and after the Orioles departed the Marlins returned from 1982-1988. They were affiliated with the San Diego Padres and produced Benito Santiago in 1983 during their lone season affiliated.

Hirsch, who was a South Florida Sports Radio & TV Personality, loved baseball and once told me that in order for this area to land major league baseball that there had to be a team in Miami.

The Florida Marlins inaugural season was in 1993 and Hirsch was the official scorekeeper up until his death due to a heart attack at his Miami Lakes home on March 25, 1999. He was found by his longtime companion Betty Sands, and had no survivors. Hirsch was 65.

When I was covering the Fort Lauderdale Yankees from 1982-84, Hirsch and I used to talk baseball all the time.

My best memory of Sonny was back in 1983 when there was a double-header on a Sunday night which started at 6:30 p.m., and ended around 3:30 a.m. at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

There were numerous rain delays and the umpires never called the game. But everyone in the press box never cared. When the food at the concession stand wasn't available, we found a place to order out. Sonny and I just talked baseball all night.

Hirsch has a street sign named after him and he was the voice of Miami Hurricanes Sports for 28 years.

When I returned to see baseball on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 as the Marlins faced the Milwaukee Brewers, It was a totally different feeling. I have seen games in the past with the Florida Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The last time I saw a MIAMI MARLINS game was with Hirsch.

My last trip to the Orange Bowl was on November 24, 2007 as the Florida Atlantic Owls blasted the Florida International University Golden Panthers 55-23 to win the Don Shula Bowl.

Only 6,122 fans showed up in a stadium which had a capacity of 72,319. Needless to say, there were plenty of good seats available in a venue, that from 1977-1980, held 80,045 fans.

The Orange Bowl closed on January 26, 2008 and was demolished on May 14, 2008.

Marlins Park holds 37,442. There are 39 premium suites, and the stadium is 928,000 square feet on the former Orange Bowl site. The cost to build this facility is $634 million.

The roof opens and closes in 13 minutes. The glass wall opens and closes in 4-5 minutes and Marlins Park is the sixth retractable roof facility in Major League Baseball.

It's constructed on 17-acres of the 42-acre Orange Bowl site with parking garages very convenient.

As for less congestion with the final football capacity, there is a difference of 34,877 less fans on game day.

In the Marlins 5-4 win over the Brewers, a season low of 13,110 fans saw the contest.

But it was a different feeling for me on this night. I've covered the Miami Dolphins and Hurricanes many times. To see a baseball diamond take the place of a gridiron took some getting used to.

This is a beautiful stadium and now the question remains will the area be able to support Major League Baseball?

During their history, the Marlins have won a pair of World Championships in 1997 and again in 2003. In both cases, the team got rid of its star players.

If only the Chicago Cubs could have such luck since they've been without a championship for 104 years.

The Detroit Tigers reaped the benefit of the Marlins salary dumps by landing Ivan Rodriguez, Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and Triple Crown Winner Miguel Cabrera. They also had to eat Dontrelle Willis' salary as part of a throw in to acquire Cabrera. Willis struggled with Detroit and was eventually shipped out of town.

President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski and Manager Jim Leyland are a big part of Marlins history.

The former Tigers that are a current part of Marlins history include pitching coach Chuck Hernandez (former Fort Lauderdale Yankee), infielder Placido Polanco, catcher Rob Brantly, pitchers Brian Flynn and Jacob Turner. Against the Brewers, Turner earned a no-decision.

Detroit will get a chance to see Marlins Park for the first time during a season ending series from September 27-29. I'll be curious to see how many Detroit fans show up for this series. We'll see if Cabrera is on the verge of repeating as a Triple Crown Champion and whether the Tigers will win another division title in hopes of returning to the World Series.

Will Cabrera alone be able to draw more than 13,000 being a former Marlin with star power? We shall see.

But once again, this is a very nice ballpark!

I do wonder down the road if this building should have been built more centrally located towards Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Considering the fact that the Marlins got a sweet deal on the land and concessions deal,  I get that.

Also, anytime a historical sports site gets replaced by a new one, it does enhance an areas tradition connecting generations and past memories.

However, down the road, I still have doubts as to whether this team can keep the fans interest.

As I've seen over the years, in South Florida, if teams win, the fans will come out. The Miami Heat does pack their stadium downtown as they continue to be in the hunt for an NBA title.

But the fans in Miami are furious because a year ago Owner Jeffrey Loria spent lots of money to land veterans. He spent $108 million and has slashed the payroll down to nearly $35 million which is one of the lowest in MLB getting rid of its star players.

Now his 20-47 team looks like a squad of minor leaguers playing in front of paltry crowds. To date, the Marlins have used 14 rookies.

Yet, in Miami, it's still baseball and Hirsch would be proud to see a major league team in a stadium where he had many memorable sports moments.

Baseball is alive in Miami, but is it well?

Now the question remains, will the Marlins be able to do what the Dolphins and Hurricanes did and that's win championships at this historic location.

The Hurricanes have five National Championships while the Dolphins own a pair including the only undefeated season in NFL history.

When will No. 8 come? Stay tuned, but rest in peace Sonny because you're the Real Reason Baseball is back in Miami.

Because of your hard work decades ago, Your Dream Came True.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.
Photos By Candice Ebling.

The Miami Marlins

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The 2011 Baseball Winter Meetings have turned out to be a place where trades and free agent signings have taken place.

It also appears as though it was the coming out party for "The Miami Marlins."

When I think of the name of this franchise, it seems like I can use the song by Whitney Houston "One Moment In Time." Child Stories start out "Once Upon A Time."

In the 1980's, "The Miami Marlins" used to have a front office consisting of the late Sonny Hirsch and his assistant Larry Bluestein. Hirsch died of a heart attack on March 26, 1999 at the age of 65.  The Florida State League Marlins played at the now demolished Miami Stadium.

One of their prospects in the San Diego Padres farm system was named Benito Santiago. Occasionally, I would go to Miami Stadium and in this declining area, a crowd of 100-200 people used to show up for a game at the 13,000 seat venue.

I used to see a lot of games between the Marlins and Fort Lauderdale Yankees at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. One of my best memories was when the Marlins and Yankees played a doubleheader on a Sunday Night in Fort Lauderdale that lasted until 3 am. All of us in the press box were ordering food at midnight.

Hirsch, Bluestein and I were talking baseball all night as we would whether the constant rain delays.

Last Sunday, my old colleague Dan Bluesten and I talked about whether these Marlins could be successful in Miami at the old Orange Bowl site.

I reminded Dan that Miami stepped up to the plate and built the Marlins a stadium. Palm Beach and Broward Counties had their opportunity to bring Major League Baseball but decided to pass. The construction cost of the Marlins stadium was $515 Million. It is the third smallest stadium in MLB by official capacity and the smallest by actual capacity as it holds 37,000.

Yet during the Winter Meetings, the Marlins signed closer Heath Bell to a three-year $27 Million contract. They added starting pitcher Mark Buehrle for four years, $58 million and shortstop Jose Reyes with a six-year contract worth $106 million. The three signings were for $191 million.

No Thanks to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,  the Marlins were unable to add the other two fish to  their new start in Dade County. They offered Albert Pujols a 10-year deal worth $210 Million and starting pitcher C.J Wilson six-years for $80 Million which would have been worth another $290 Million.

This is definitely not the same franchise that has six winning seasons in it's 19-year history which does however include two World Series Championships and two Fire Sales, notoriously known for having one of the lowest payrolls in MLB playing at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The hiring of former Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen was brilliant.

I predict that if the Marlins draw between 15,000-25,000.

The new stadium will be at least close to 50% full instead of the embarrassing crowds at Joe Robbie Stadium. I find it amazing that the Marlins did win a pair of World Series at Joe Robbie Stadium. But the new stadium with it's retractable roof will definitely address the rain issue therefore eliminating delays and rainouts.

If you're a Chicago Cubs fans, it must be agonizing to see the Marlins with two titles in 19 years while you've endured 103 years of frustration.

But if the Marlins can become consistent winners in their new stadium, this would energize their fan base so that these people can finally identify with their players enabling them to finally build a tradition. For the past 19-years, all fans can do is continue to buy scorecards because of the massive player turnover. It will be interesting to see how many more jerseys are sold with the stable core of players on the squad.

If this happens, Hirsch will be able to smile in heaven and be thankful that his dream of major league baseball became a reality in Miami. It's being played at a location where he was the play-by-play announcer for the Miami Hurricanes for 30-years at the Orange Bowl where the "U" won five National Championships of it's own.

I've never viewed South Florida as a good sports town because if you don't win, they won't support.

Yet in this case, there is hope for long term stability on the diamond as Major League Baseball has found a home near South Beach.

I'll definitely be watching these Miami Marlins, yet deep down inside, I'll never forget the old Miami Marlins, that were guided by my late friend Sonny Hirsch. I hope you're resting in peace Sonny.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can also be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

George Steinbrenner Memories

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I've dealt with a lot of unbelievable people over the years.

But the most intimidating, yet misunderstood, had to be the late New York Yankees Owner George M. Steinbrenner, who passed away on July 13 at the age of 80.

Back in the 1980's, I met Steinbrenner for the first time at his hotel in Tampa, The Bay Harbor Inn.

We were walking down the hallway and I asked him for his autograph.

At first, he didn't give it to me as he walked past because there were a lot of people nearby. But as I walked further down the hallway, he approached me and asked, "Son where would you like me to sign?" I had a piece of paper and he was very polite. I thanked him very much and he said it was his pleasure as we shook hands.

I used to go to The Bay Harbor Inn a lot because it was very convenient being located off of Route 60 otherwise known as the Courtney Campbell Causeway. I took this route to see my best friends Gus Pantelides and Mike Pantel, who lived in Clearwater Beach. Pantelides once took me to a rib place for a birthday in the hotel.

My next encounter with Steinbrenner occurred at Fort Lauderdale Stadium when the Yankees used the facility for Spring Training and then had a team in the Florida State League.

When I was working with the Hallandale Digest, I convinced Publisher Peter Bluesten to let me cover the Fort Lauderdale Yankees.

His son Dan was totally against the idea because it wasn't local.

I felt the weekly paper needed a South Florida identity. It had to be a factor in the area not limited to our city therefore, I convinced Peter that by marketing in all areas, covering all sports, it could increase revenues and give our publication a major league identity.

It would put the Hallandale Digest on the Media Map.

Peter decided to give me the freedom to run the Sports Department and told Danny that "I have a young writer that I want to see develop and I want to see what he can do!"

Thus, Danny was forced to live with his fathers decision and told him to concentrate on the papers business side.

Dan and I had a respectful working relationship but I felt there was an adversarial side where he wanted to try to challenge me at every opportunity that he could.

Thankfully, Peter was there to be the buffer between us and this enabled me to do my job.

Dan once told me that he felt former Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda wouldn't remember me after an initial interview which we had months earlier. I proved Dan wrong when I played the tape in front of Peter, who gave me a big, smile, hug and kiss.

But back to the Yankees. I loved baseball and knew that it would be a lot of fun to write about the most storied franchise in sports. I thought Class A Baseball would be great because it gave me an opportunity to view "Tomorrows Stars Today" because these future major leaguers have to come from somewhere.

The Florida State League was an excellent training ground for younger players because the ballparks statistics wouldn't be misleading because of spring training.

I enjoyed writing feature stories about future players that went on to have productive & outstanding careers. I enjoyed presenting ideas to Dan and while he reluctantly accepted some of them, as I would track their progress and see them get promoted, while I knew I had Peter's respect, I began to gradually gain Dan's confidence and was questioned less because I depended on my eyes and instincts.

I'll never forget the time when I walked into the office one day and Dan said that he heard that Steinbrenner was at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. I told him "is that right or are you just kidding me?" He told me he was serious. This entire conversation took place in front of Peter.

I told Dan, "what you heard was true but I have to tell you something. I interviewed Steinbrenner and that story will appear in next weeks paper."

I proceeded to pull out the tape and played it to them. These two guys were shocked!

Peter proceeded to rip Danny again and told him that I told you he knew what he was doing!

You could hear this conversation from the United States to Iceland.

During the interview with Steinbrenner, I asked him the easy questions about developing his farm system, why he traded younger players for more established ones, what players he expected big years, how he felt about the teams slow start. He was candid about every question that I asked him "until the very last one."

This question was about why he changed managers so frequently. He explained the success to me in a very authoritative voice on how many championships his teams won under his tenure and after he finished answering my question, he abruptly ended the interview.

I knew even at the age of 20, to start with the softer questions and hit him hard at the end.

By the end of the interview, I had everything I needed and was satisfied with what I accomplished. By no means was I upset as to how things ended.

We're talking about a guy that fired Billy Martin five times and dismissed Dick Howser after a 100 win season. All Howser did was win a World Series after he left the Yankees with the Kansas City Royals.

With Steinbrenner having seen so many people, he never remembered that we met at The Bay Harbor Inn. I didn't care to bring it up either because my role this time was as a writer.

The message I pounded home to Danny was loud and clear. You can find great story ideas anywhere as long as you're out there available to to the public.

By covering the Fort Lauderdale Yankees, this enabled me to be able to write about the New York Yankees for a couple years. I had great memories dealing with Dave Winfield, Martin, Don Baylor, Butch Wynegar, Ken Griffey Sr and many others.

I would gain a measure of satisfaction when Steinbrenner appeared on ABC News Nightline with Ted Koppel. Like myself, the managerial firings were one of Koppel's questions and "The Boss" ripped Koppel as he did myself explaining the success of his decision making methods.

The Wonderful World of Journalism has moments where you can't be afraid to take chances and ask the tough questions. It's the publics right to know information and feelings about subjects pertinent to them.

But I feel grateful that in both of my dealings of Steinbrenner that the man was cooperative. I learned different lessons from each experience. I'm glad that Steinbrenner passed away as a World Champion and he has now won seven titles.

When we spoke in the 1980's, he had only one two World Series. He learned to become more patient over the years winning five with two managers. Since 1996, there have only been two Yankees skippers as I mention Joe Torre and Joe Girardi.

Indeed, Steinbrenner mellowed over the years, listened to his baseball people and was rewarded as a result. As "The Boss" rejoins Martin in heaven, will these two men begin attempting to win more titles with the likes of the many past Yankees immortals at the old Yankee Stadium? Whether Martin and Steinbrenner win championships elsewhere, I'm sure the man upstairs will be completely entertained by this duo.

We'll let the imagination take over and draw your own conclusions.

But this story has given me the unique opportunity to share a couple nice memories about Steinbrenner, in addition to my father like relationship with my loving mentor Peter Bluesten.

Steinbrenner's bold behavior taught me to never to take things personally and gain as much out of every interaction.

As for Peter, he was just "one of a kind" and both of these individuals are in good hands with the man upstairs having positive impacts on those people they were around.

I'm grateful to George and Peter and I hope you both rest in peace.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.