One from a major league veteran and the other from a "veteran" on the Marlins.
The first is from Luis Gonzalez about the Marlins denying Brandon Webb his chance to become the second pitcher since 1919 to win his first 10 starts .
'Everyone was watching,'' Gonzalez said of the historic night. ``Of course, our fans didn't know it. They were worried about [NBA Draft talk] on the radio.''
Gonzo, Gonzo, Gonzo. Yes, we knew it.
I have no doubt that the sports talk radio shows were all about the NBA Draft. Also, there is little doubt that the NBA draft dominated local TV sports. And please don't confuse the turnout in the stadium with whether the Marlins fan are interested or not.
You are new to the market and just to let you know, the Marlins have many loyal and knowledgeable fans. However, most of them watch the games on television, for a number of reasons. Marlins baseball may be an after thought on local sports talk radio and on local sports coverage on television at 11:00 pm. But those don't represent the Marlins fans.
Go and talk to Matt Treanor, he has been a Marlin long enough to understand the situation .
Gonzalez scored standing up as first baseman Conor Jackson fielded the ball and tagged Treanor. “It’s awesome, especially when you hear the crowd going wild as you’re getting tagged out,” Treanor said.
Treanor knows that not only the 11,227 knowledgeable fans in the park were going wild, there were hundred of thousands at home jumping to their feet and screaming. Is this an ideal situation? By no means, but it is what it is for now.
Gonzo, we knew the historical significance of the night, believe me. And we were cheering loudly. Just don't judge us by the local sports on air media.