Over the weekend, I wrote an article titled “The Miami Marlins Are The Worst Thing Ever”, detailing my dislike for all things Marlins.
FISH STRIPES: The Miami Marlins Are Not The Worst Thing Ever
Admittedly, the headline was a bit over the top. “Why I Hate The Miami Marlins” might have been a better introduction to the idea.
Michael Jong, proprietor of SB Nation’s Marlins blog Fish Stripes, penned a response to my feature, called The Miami Marlins Are Not The Worst Thing Ever, which is a reasonable reply coming from a Marlins fan.
In it, he admits that quite a bit of what I wrote is true, particularly the section about Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria:
A lot of the Marlins hate is centered around Loria. When it comes to reprehensible owners, Loria fits the bill perfectly. He orchestrated the second-worst fire sale in the team’s history. He deflated payroll an enormous amount. He claimed poverty and swindled tax money from the city of Miami to pay for a stadium. Prior to this, he bullied the Montreal Expos with threats of relocation before getting subsidized to escape Montreal and buy the Marlins, I mean, this is a terrible rap sheet.He then makes some excuses for Loria holding up the city of Miami for a new stadium, saying:
But rare is the owner that does not bully their city to fund them a stadium. It is happening in Oakland. It happened in Washington. It may not come in as strong-armed a fashion as it did in Miami, but sports owners almost inevitably get their publicly-funded stadiums, and Loria’s case is just the latest case of that happening.So, essentially, it’s a case of “everyone does it, don’t hate on us.” Which, again, isn’t unreasonable. Jong sums up by saying:
The truth is that the Marlins will never look good to outsiders, especially those who hold a fan’s perspective rather than an objective outlook.Absolutely true. I almost feel bad now, since he was so reasonable. Almost.
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