Since Fish Stripes rebooted in November, we've heard a lot from me and the new voices here on the site. However, it was always my goal to get as many people involved as possible in the new Fish Stripes, and today I am happy to introduce some of the new faces here on the site who will help to bring some more diversity to Miami Marlins coverage.
The New Fish Bites
The first thing that I am excited to introduce is an increase in the Fish Bites coverage here on the site. We initially planned to do Fish Bites twice a week, but it has lagged recently in part due to my busy school schedule. In order to help cover as many Marlins-related links as possible, Fish Stripes is bringing in three writers to cover links for the site, which adds up to five days of Fish Bites link coverage every week for Fish Stripes.
Terrence Hunley, Monday Fish Bites
Terrence is a 22-year old sports writer who currently works for Amarillo.com in Texas, along Route 66. Terrence has been a baseball fan since 2006 when he read an article on Jose Reyes in Sports Illustrated. Since then he learned all there was to learn about the New York Mets and everything about baseball. He quickly embraced sabermetrics though he doesn't understand all of the more advanced aspects. He is a recently converted Marlins fan, as he followed Jose Reyes. Terrence is excited to see how everything goes.
Brian Mati, Thursday Fish Bites
Brian will get a chance to introduce himself later this week, but he too is very excited to be contributing to Fish Stripes.
Scott Gelman, Friday Fish Bites
Scott's history as a Florida Marlins (now "Miami Marlins") fan has been brief but full of excitement. He attended his first game at then Dolphins Stadium in April of 2008. He instantly fell in love with the team, as he enjoyed watching young superstars such as Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla at the peak of their careers. Although he was not a fan for either of the two World Series Championships, he has done his research and has loved learning about this franchise's exciting history. Scott joined Fish Stripes about two years ago, as he gained a passion for sports journalism. He looks forward to an eventful, exciting future in the new stadium as a Marlins fan. Go Fish!
Analysis Game
In addition, we are adding two analysts into the fold, especially with the departure of Chris Towers from the site (good luck to Chris in his new, lucrative job with CBSSports Fantasy Sports). These two writers will be adding to the analysis game, including a look at the Miami Marlins' prospects and minor league system.
Eric Ely, Analysis
Having been born and raised in Wisconsin, Eric's Marlins fandom has been largely from afar and dates back to the 1997 World Series victory. His earliest baseball memory was staying up past his bedtime by sneaking to an extra bedroom his family had in their house and watching the series. He will never forget Renteria's single in the bottom of the 11th inning and Counsell coming around to score the winning run with his arms raised in celebration.
Dontrelle Willis is his favorite all-time Marlin. His leg kick and delivery are unforgettable. His rookie year and the second World Series in 2003 were so entertaining to watch.
Outside of baseball Eric is a history major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With any luck he'll graduate in a year and finally enter the real world. In his free time, he enjoys reading and traveling. Believe it or not, he considers himself lucky to have made a trip to see a series in the final season at Sun Life Stadium. Unfortunately the series was against the Brewers in early June, which wasn't the best of times for the team. On a more positive note it is such an exciting time to be a fan of the Marlins. The future looks very bright. Eric looks forward to writing here at Fish Stripes and being able to interact with everyone. Go Marlins!
Eric Weston, Prospects Analysis
Eric lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many of the local San Francisco Giants fans are still bent out of shape by the 2003 playoffs and Scott Cousins's enthusiastic hug of Buster Posey, but he quite likes the Marlins. His father is not native to Northern California and has been a Marlins fan since the 1993 expansion, so he has been as well. Eric has always had a deep respect for the team's attempts to compete on a shoestring budget, although that era may be coming to an end. It is certainly an exciting time for Marlins fans and Eric is very excited to be joining the Fish Stripes team. Eric will be providing analysis on the team's minor league system, so stay tuned for my take on the state of the farm. Go Fish.
Dustin F, Weekend Caption Contests and Polls
As Dustin already alluded to below, I forgot to include him in the original list of new additions. He will be adding a most interesting aspect to the site: caption contests and polls for the readers! This will give the readership a new way to interact with everyone around them and get involved with Fish Stripes in a whole new way. Look for Dustin's pieces on the weekends.