The Future of the Florida Marlins

The Marlins as always have plenty of young talent that is scratching the surface. But, with this scratch, and to continue it, owner Jeffery Loria will need to open his wallet. The stadium is being built, and the stars for the future success are aligned. The elephant that is in the room is the contract status of pitcher Josh Johnson. This ace that can lead this staff for the next 6-8 years has become the type of pitcher that you want starting game 7 of the World Series. Time is ticking and by coming to Johnson with a contract offer sooner than later would show this kid the level of confidence and willingness to pay to win. The Marlins track record of not paying is not very attractive around the league. Players see the team as a stepping stone to greater day instead of a home. This culture of trading proven talent for unproven talent just to unload salary needs to end. Hanley Ramirez is locked up, but the stars that will lead this team to sustained playoff appearances aren’t. Cameron Maybin, Chris Coghlan, Gaby Sanchez, and Anibal Sanchez are all going to be key cogs in this bright future. Along with infusing some quality veteran leadership this team will be a force. But for this to happen, Loria and the front office will need to pay players, show them that this is no layover, but a destination. Baseball in South Florida should be an easy sell; no income tax, beautiful weather, a brand new stadium, and a proven front office. Only time will tell where the front office team will steer this ship in the coming years, but to create a winner, greater culture must be set. If they are waiting on the fans to show up, build a steady playoff contender and they will come.

Jacory Harris And The Pull It Out

Looks as if Coach Randy Shannon choice to go with Soph. QB Jacory Harris was the correct move. Harris broke Kenny Kelly's record for most passing yard against Florida State. This offensive battle went down to the wire with Miami winning 38-34 in front of 87,000 at Doak Campbell Stadium. The defenses allowed the quarterbacks to carve up the secondaries with no pass rush. Harris played cool, collected and never seemed nervous or bothered at anytime in the game. Greg Cooper and Travis Benjamin also provided sparks throughout the game. This Labor Day game brought back memories of this rivalries storied past, with missed kicks, speed and athleticism. But this night belonged to Harris, going 21-34 , passing for 2 and rushing for 1 touchdown. He displayed the savvy of a seasoned quarterback even though it was his first game; knowing that he was the man and the success of this team was on his shoulders. The Canes faithful had a scare when Harris was hit and injured by FSU CB Greg Reid. However, the toughness and calls by new OC Mark Whipple put Harris in a position to continue on. Harris a member of the 2008 National Champion Miami Northwestern Bulls, was prepared young for the big stage, winning is all he did from the time he picked up the football. Though the Seminoles played well, in the end Jacory "Cool Breeze" Harris, summoned the swagger and greatness of Hurricanes past, to lead this team to victory and credibility.

Tavaris Jackson Held Out

Before last nights game, there was a small but steady stream of people wondering if QB Tavaris Jackson could create a battle with another strong performance. However, Coach Brad Childress and company decided to silence this talk by keeping T-Jack out of most of the game. If he was given the opportunity to play a substantial amount of time, we may have seen this talk grow louder. Farve had a good game and with this performance is now in the drivers seat. Viking defeated the Texans 17-10 with a strong performance from RB Adrian Peterson. Personally, I would have loved to see Jackson push Farve to the "brink of the bench". In the long term Jackson gives the Vikings the best option in the future, by in the win now league, the front office believe that the had to go for a hale mary and bring in Farve. Hopefully, Jackson will sit back and learn something from Farve and become a better QB.