Sports Agenda for Tuesday (2/26/13)
Big Story:
Jeffrey Loria continued to go on the worst PR campaign this side of O.J. Simpson looking for the 'real killer' last night in front of the print media, today the rest of the media get their shot. Plus, the Heat head back on the court against a good Division I college team, aka the Kings, and the Panthers hit the ice again tonight for another los…
Quote of the Day:
"Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder." – John F. Kennedy
Miami Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria:
I've continued to search for the best comparison to Jeffrey Loria's media campaign in recent days and haven't come up with the winner yet.
Is it: Nixonian? Is it worse than "I didn't have sex with that woman?" How about Larry Craig and his "wide stance?"
Yeah, there are a ton of them, and none of them end up well.
Here's some of what Loria has to look forward to as the most hated owner in South Florida…
No more Showtime deals.
No more season ticket sales (last year more than 12,000; this year, less than 5,000)
No more full stadiums
Marlins Park is going to look like Sun Life Stadium during the Marlins worst days
Last night, he said "We lost tens of millions last year."
Again, the stupidity of saying something like that when other teams lose money and put winners on the field…plus, saying that to a fan base that is on the hook for $2.4 billion for his new shiny stadium is so tone deaf Helen Keller would be proud.
I loved when he said he takes full responsibility for last year's failures.
Yknow, back in the day, when someone said that, the next line was and because of that I will resign.
In his case, it should be sell.
But here's where it could get interesting for fans…
If you remember back a couple of years, what got MLB and the MLBPA upset wasn't that Loria was spending so little on his roster, it was he was pocketing the money from revenue sharing instead of investing in the roster.
If fans truly don't turn out at all this season and send the attendance plummeting, that will get the attention of MLB.
Why?
Because MLB doesn't want to have to be put in a position where they have a god-awful team that has management so incompetent they can't compete sucking resources out of other quality teams.
Only then will pressure be exerted on Loria from MLB.
As it is now, as long as they come close, he will own the team.
He's just on a different planet than everyone else and I honestly don't think he's ever been told how wrong he is by anyone in his life.
He's convinced himself that only he knows the best way to take the team and that everyone should fall in line behind him.
And nothing is ever, EVER his fault.
He tried to deflect what Jose Reyes said about him, but I don't believe Loria for a second.
And this was my favorite I read in the Sun-Sentinel….about the Dolphins throwing the Marlins under the bus for fleecing the taxpayers…
"That smear campaign. I'm sure it's just an effort to get a deal done."
No, the only smear campaign being run by the Marlins is claiming they're a major league baseball team with a competent owner.
Miami Heat: (vs. Sacramento Kings, 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports)
Ah, from the worst run franchise in South Florida to the best.
You ever hear Micky Arison complaining about financial losses?
Anyways, the Heat look for their 12th straight victory tonight with a game against the woeful Sacramento Kings.
Now, while the Heat should run over the Kings like the Marlins fan would over Jeffrey Loria, the Heat have played down to their competition during the winning streak.
The Heat blew a 22-point lead against Cleveland and struggled against Charlotte during the winning streak.
Still, they are winning, even if it's winning ugly.
Sacramento is just a mess with ownership that is akin to Loria, namely the Maloof family.
I don't want to say they are bad, but even Michael Jordan can run a franchise better than they can.
And we all know how well he's done with the Wizards and the Bobcats.
Still, the Kings have a few intriguing players, namely center DeMarcus Cousins.
He's a beast on the inside, but is still very immature as an NBA player and has showed that at different points in the season.
Sacramento has lost five in a row including Sunday in a blowout loss to the New Orleans Hornets.
The Kings have won just twice in February and it's not looking like number three will come Tuesday against the Heat.
Florida Panthers: (vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Florida)
Yknow I feel bad for the Panthers.
I want them to do well because there's nothing like Stanley Cup playoff hockey.
Plus, I think general manager Dale Tallon is really trying to put a good team out there.
He's done it before in Chicago.
But between injuries, age, and poor play at home, the Panthers are just awful this year.
Now, the Cats, who have won just twice at home, welcome in the Penguins who are 8-2-0 on the road this year and are 18-5-0 against the Panthers over the teams last 23 matchups.
Danger Will Robinson
The Panthers apparently are going to turn back to Jose "Ole'" Theodore to stop the bleeding in goal.
I thought Markstrom played fairly well in his brief callup, but Florida sent him back down to the minors.
Don't quite get that move, I mean at this point, why not put Markstrom in goal for a month or so to see what you've got long-term.
Keep watching though, if the Panthers lose many more games, the whole roster not named Jonathan Huberdeau is going to be made available for trades.
