The NL East Leading Marlins took the redeye and are in Washington to play the Nationals.  The Nats have been hot of late winning 7 of their last 10.

Nolasco is just looking to get back into a groove.  If he has command of his curve ball, split finger and fast ball he should be fine.  It is just a matter of building stamina and getting a consistent feel for his pitches.

Redding has been showing the Redding form of old lately and that ain't good.  The good news is, he normally doesn't go past six innings pitched.  So if he happens to be on and the Fish can't do anything with him, there will still be some time to beat up the bullpen.

Ichthyomancy is set for action.  Best of luck to everyone!

Norman Braman had his first day in court and there was some good news and some, maybe, bad news.

Sarah Talalay keeps us up to date .

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Pedro Echarte Jr. let stand Braman's claims that the proposed $515 million ballpark at the site of theOrange Bowl violates Florida's constitution. Braman's suit says the deal relies on public funding for a private business and uses $50 million approved by voters in 2004 to renovate the Orange Bowl, not build a ballpark.

Echarte dismissed claims that County Manager George Burgess violated the state's public records law by negotiating the agreement in private. 

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The case is scheduled to go to trial on July 1. 

If I'm reading this correctly, here is where it stands at moment: initially Braman will argue that the $50 million agreed to by the voters shouldn't be used to build a new baseball stadium since it wasn't what they voted for.  That argument probably won't have legs to stand on especially since a new baseball stadium brings in more revenue to the community than a renovated Orange Bowl ever could.

Also, if I understand county procedure when it comes to bond financing, they can move monies around as long as the proper conditions are met.  And they were.

The next thing he will argue is that CRA money is being used for the performance arts center in order to free up tourist dollars to pay for the stadium.  But since the stadium deal stands alone, as I understand it, from the mega-plan, that's the county's headache should the court agree with Braman.  They still have to come up with the money or default on the agreement and pay the City of Miami and the Marlins back all of their cost.

The final thing he will try:

whether the stadium "serves a paramount public purpose."

If the court decides the new stadium doesn't "serves a paramount public purpose" then government money can't be used to build it.  This argument is a shot in the dark given the amount of public money that has been spent on facilities in the past that serve a small number of the population.

His lawsuit reminds me of the Racehorse Haynes  theory on defense (in this case, offense).  Mr. Haynes was once asked his style of defense to which he said (and I paraphrase):

Let's say my dog bites you.  My first defense is my dog doesn't bite.  If you bring in witnesses who have been bitten by my dog then: my second line of defense is that my dog was tied up in the back yard on that day.  If you bring in witnesses who say my dog was roaming the neighborhood on the day in question then: my last line of defense is:  I don't have a dog.

I don't think Braman's lawsuit is going to fundamentally change anything.  The county has lawyers and they, presumably, looked over everything before it was approved.  The only thing the lawsuit has the potential of doing is causing a delay in the construction of the park.  But right now, given a construction agreement hasn't been approved, this may not end up being a big concern

Mike Jacobs is claiming he could be ready to go today .

He said he is "95 percent sure" that he will be in the lineup tonight when the Marlins start a three-game series in Washington.

I bet he isn't.  Given that last night's game was so long and the Marlins left the park and had a plane ride to D.C., I doubt he will feel up to challenge and Helms will once again man first.

On the other side of the equation, I miss my bets a lot, so we will see.

Luis Gonzalez has the attention of the younger the players .

(Note: I'm having to put some post together very quickly due to time constraints.  Sorry.  And this is one.)

''He's been a huge part of the next step to us becoming a complete team,'' said catcher Matt Treanor, whose three-run homer Thursday night sealed a 7-2 victory that ended a nine-game homestand with a three-game sweep of Milwaukee. ``It's instant credibility. I call him E.F. Hutton, because when he speaks, everybody listens.''

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'Our leader,'' Jorge Cantu puts it simply.

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Gonzalez has seen a difference in the team he met this spring and the one trying to prove itself a playoff contender. He doesn't take much credit. But he should.

'I've seen a change in guys' attitudes, the way they approach games. Their preparation,'' he said. ``I see more guys staying later after games, sticking around, watching other games on TV, talking baseball. That's what fosters teamwork.''

That isn't something you find in a box score.

It is too big to put a number on.

Read the whole story, if you have time.  It really is pretty well done.

Matt Lindstrom made his first appearance on the mound since his back slippage problem .

Right-hander Matt Lindstrom had been ready and able to pitch to for several days, but he didn't get his first opportunity to test his back in a game until Thursday. Lindstrom hit 99 mph in striking out J.J. Hardy, but he also walked a batter and gave up a pair of hits in allowing an eighth-inning run. The appearance was his first since April 30, when he left after one-third of an inning with back soreness.

"You can't really simulate games out in the bullpen," said Lindstrom, who threw three side sessions between outings. "Everything's good. I can throw 100 percent with my back. I'm not favoring it at all."

Matt looked a little rusty last night, which is to be expected after his time off.  The only thing he had going for him was a very straight fast ball and his breaking ball was nonfunctional.

Fredi picked a good time to send him out to the mound, unfortunately, Lindstrom wasn't up to the task and it required the bullpen to get a little extra work.  Assuming he is healthy, and he claims he is, it shouldn't take too many more outings to get him up to speed.

Mark Hendrickson couldn't find the feel for any of his pitches last night, but he proved to have a sense of humor along the way .

Hendrickson said it was a strange pitching night for him.

"I've never really had another one like this," he said. "Nothing was working."

He said Treanor came out to talk to him at one point when he was struggling, and suggested they go with Hendrickson's best pitch.

"I told him, 'Do I have a fifth pitch? Because the four I'm using aren't working.' "

By Marlins early season standards for starters, he wasn't that horrible giving up only one run and walking two in the 4.1 innings he pitched.  Naturally, we anticipate a little better outing for Hendrickson. but if that is an off-night, it can be lived with.

The Fish have an excellent bullpen and they can take the game home from there, as long as they don't have to do it every night.  Fortunately the pen was well rested thanks mostly to Ollie and the Hopper chipped in to the cause.

Hendrickson even unnecessarily accepted the blame for the length of the game .

"I just apologized to everybody for the pace of the game," Hendrickson said about the 3 hour, 19 minute affair. "That was a long game. Too long."

No apologies necessary.  The Brewers pitching staff probably had more to do with the length of the game than anyone.  And anyway, if a win for the Marlins takes all night long that is something we can live with.

Also, if any Marlins player happens to make the starting roster for the NL in the All Star game, they only have last night's game to thank, since it gave us ample time to vote our butts off.

Breakout the brooms Florida because the NL East Leading Florida Marlins are going for the sweep.

Hendrickson is.....oh, boy, what to say about Hendrickson and not jinx everything.  Mark did well in his only start against the Crew this season pitching 6 innings and giving up only 2 ER in a no decision.

Villanueva matched Hendrickson in their head-to-head outing in Milwaukee also pitching 6 innings giving up 2 ER for a no decision.  Villanueva has been known to give up the long ball.

Ichthyomancy is  set on go and is ready to see some action.  Best of Luck to you!

Fredi Gonzalez took to heart something Bobby Cox told him during his time in Atlanta.  Or at least I assume it was when he was with the Braves, but it really doesn't matter when it happened, so onto the story .

Again, though, Gonzalez dismisses any suggestion of complicated theory as an explanation for Florida's success so far. It requires no genius, he said, and instead he made reference to something mentor and Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox once told him.

"He said most managers get fired for one reason - they don't handle the bullpen right," Gonzalez said. "We have some pretty good guys out there."

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"It's almost to the point where anybody could do any job at any point," Gonzalez said of his bullpen after the win. "It's a nice problem to have.

Fredi's greatest in game strength as a manager this season has been his ability to manage the bullpen.  While I'm sure he gets advice from Mark Wiley, it is Fredi's decision to make.

The real test will come in July and August if most of the starters can't go deeper in the games than they are now causing the pen to become arm weary.  While he did sit at the feet of Yoda and all, there isn't much one can do with a dead arm pen.

Hopefully over working the bullpen won't be a season long problem.  Olsen should be good all season, if they don't allow him to throw an inordinate number of innings.  Hendrickson is looking solid.  Badenhop has promise.  I still think Nolasco will come around.  And then there is Andrew Miller, we will see about the young Mr. MIller.

If the starters can do their part, Fredi knows how to handle the relief.

Whatever tweaked means.  Mike Jacobs experienced some tightness in his left quad last night in what should've been a home run trot .

The Marlins first baseman was removed in the third inning on Wednesday after he experienced tightness in his left quad while getting out of the batter's box on a two-run double at Dolphin Stadium.

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While approaching first base, Jacobs began limping, and he trotted slowly into second base. The Marlins went on to win, 6-2, securing a series victory over Milwaukee.

Actually, Jacobs first tweaked the quad during his third-inning, two-run homer in a 3-0 win on Tuesday night.

"I didn't think the ball I hit out [Tuesday] was going out, so I came out of the box pretty hard," Jacobs said. "It kind of tightened up on me a little bit. The same thing tonight. I came out hard, and running the bases, I just felt it a little bit."

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"He felt a little tightness," Gonzalez said. "We'll check him out tomorrow."

Pressed more, Gonzalez sounded more like he would opt for using Wes Helms at first base, giving Jacobs more time to recover.

 

The encouraging thing is the Marlins and Jacobs don't believe the problem is serious.

Who knows what Jacobs could do if he ever remained healthy for a full season, but given the data we have so far, we may never know.  If there is an injury floating around in space, it will find Jacobs and make a home.

I have no idea why one player is cursed by nagging injuries and another is not.  It's kinda like I have friends who drive twenty miles per hour over the speed limit and they never get a ticket.  Me, however, I get speeding tickets for driving 35 mph in a 30 mph zone, complete with a lecture from the officer.  I guess some people are lucky and others aren't.

Hopefully, it is as everyone thinks and his quad tweak is nothing to be concerned about.  And anyway, Helms has a history of making Brewer fans cry so giving him some playing time in the last game of the series ain't all that bad.

I doubt that the purpose of this workshop is to go grow young Marlins fans, but it can't hurt .

Broward County teachers returned to class Tuesday to learn how to teach American history using baseball.

Studying the evolution of the baseball uniform, for example, will teach students about significant social and technological changes during the 20th century. Changes in textiles and styles correspond with advances in transportation, technology, and communication, as well as historical events such as world wars, the Great Depression and the Space Age. 

Former Florida Marlins manager Tony Perez, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, was on hand to help drive home the curriculum for teachers during the workshop.

Ah, the Space Age.  The time of astroturf fields, cookie cutter multi-sports ballparks and possibly some of the ugliest uniforms to ever grace the diamond.

Maybe the young ones can learn from the mistakes of the past and somewhere along the way they will become fans.

But baseball is an excellent choice to see how America has changed threw the ages.

As James Earl Jones, playing the character Terence Mann in the movie Field of Dreams , so eloquently stated .

...The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. 

Of course, baseball wasn't all good in the past, but there is no reason to bring up all of the problems at this moment.  Especially since it is good news that the youth of today will be learning about the ages by using baseball.  And that is a good thing.