It's National Donut Day?

Ok, look for the Marlins to get shut out again!

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Marlins

35-35 away.

25-41 home.

Wonder why?

The difference is only $182,492,435

AP reports that the Florida Marlins again finished with the lowest payroll in baseball last year coming in at $37,532,482. The difference between them and the top-spending Yankees was a mere $182,492,435.

Think about it. These two teams are competing in the same league.*

You know, if you make the kids start paying, you might have a few more dollars.**

Just sayin.

*No, I am not talking about the "American League" and "National League" but you get the picture.

**From a selfish perspective as a father of two young baseball fans, I don't think kids should pay for anything but still....

Marlins ticket price freeze!

I note that the Florida Marlins announced this weekend that they will not raise prices for season tickets or individual games next year.

That is freaking drop-dead appendicitis-inducing hilarious!

They get like 3000 people a game!

Like they could have raised prices if they wanted to.

I am sure their fan(s) are so relieved.

What's with these umpires?

I knew that Bobby Cox got thrown out of Monday's game with the Marlins but I really did not know anything other than the basic facts in the AP article on the game. Well, here is the rest of the story.

In an article by David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it appears that several Braves players saw rogue umpire, Bill Hohn (yea that guy in the picture above) bump fists with Marlins catcher John Baker after the final out in the Braves 6-3 loss.

"Shocking," Chipper Jones said of the Hohn-Baker fist bump. "But it kind of makes sense considering how the ebb and flow of the game went, the way the game was called."

"Never seen it before in my 16 years," Jones said. 'Players and umpires exchange banter all the time. But never a handshake or a fist bump. I guess Baker thought he deserved a hand shake."

"And as a player, it makes you not want to play when that stuff happens. Because you don't have a chance," Jones said.

"No comment," Hohn told two reporters after the game. (At least deny it....if you can)

You can't make this stuff up. You just can't.

As kind of a public service, I think I will provide the following basic, timeless rules for umpires so to prevent these kinds of problems.

1. Do not wear paraphernalia of either team while on the field. (Stick with generic mlb gear. No snazzy emblems but that is how it goes.)

2. Do not sit in either team's dugout between innings. (Even if it is hot and you are tired. Gut it out.)

3. Do not lend or borrow anything from anybody while on the field. (Even if Jim Leyland tries to bum a smoke off of you)

4. Do not at any time while you are on the field give a fist bump or high five to any player or manager competing in the game. (People are watching you know)

Actually, there are quite a few other rules to eliminate any potential evidence of umpire bias in games but consider these just a start. If we can get through a few weeks with no problems on these, we can work on some others. Our long-term goal is bias-free umpiring. Because right now, we have players that don't want to play. And we don't want that.

And here I thought Bobby Cox got ejected all on his own.