Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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2003 World Series: Yankees In Five


The New York Yankees with all
the history in the world, the
most recognized team on the
face of the earth will face a
team that is ten years old
and has one World Series.
To go against the Yankees
here is suicide. But remember,
this is baseball.

By Amaury Pi-GonzálezThe Yankees against
the Marlins. Is this like
the Bad Wolf vs Little
Red Riding Hood ?
Or is it like the Wicked
Witch against Cinderella?
Is it the Evil Empire
against the Pudge
Force?

You can stay at a hotel
in Indonesia and say
New York Yankees and
people know what you
are talking about, but
if you say Florida Marlins,
people think you are
talking about going
fishing in the Florida
Keys.(and that can
also be 45 miles from
Miami).

But do not underestimate
the young Marlins with
the oldest manager, they
are up for this task, although
Yankee Stadium for games
1,2, 6 and 7 can intimitade
anybody.

I do not expect this World
Series to go seven games,
I am thinking 5 maybe 6?
The Yankees have the
experience, the pitching,
the hitting and the depth.
The Marlins got youth,
speed,better defense and
desire. The Marlins have
been a very discipline
team, they foul a lot of
pitches and they make
the pitchers they face
work very hard. When
Pierre or Castillo get
on base the best pitcher
in the world suffers a
migrane.

Yet I cannot see the Florida
team winning more than
2 games in this World
Series. Yet there is
something about this
Marlins team that makes
you ponder: Is it better
to be young and naive
than seasoned and smart?

Miguel Cabrera the 20
year old right fielder of
the Marlins was 10 years
old and in Elementary
school in Venezuela
when the Marlins franchise
was founded. He was 15
when the Marlins
won their first and
only World Series.
Iván Rodríguez was
a solid All Star catcher
with the Texas Rangers
during the whole existence
of this Marlins franchise
and Jeff Conine the veteran
left fielder of the Marlins
is the only Marlin that played
in the first game of this
franchise in 1993.

For the Fox Television Network
after the ratings bonanza
in the Cubs-Marlins series
and Red Sox-Yankees this
World Series could be a
real ratings disaster.

Position by position the
Yankees are the superior
team. Catching is the most
evenly matched, since Iván
Rodríguez for the Marlins
and Jorge Posada for the
Yankees are two of the
best behind the plate and
at the plate. The Marlins
do have an advantage
at third base if Mike Lowell
plays like the Mike Lowell
prior to the hand fracture
this season. Aaron Boone
the hero of ALCS game
7 is a good third baseman
and Enrique Wilson a
good replacement but
Mike Lowell has lots of
power and is a good fielder
also.

The bullpen is simple:
Mariano Rivera is with the
Yankees, nobody in baseball
(including the Marlins)have
that type of reliever.
Those that say Eric Gagne
of the Dodgers are not looking
at the Postseason record
and experience of the
Panamanian Rivera. The
only Playoff games that
Gagne has seen are on
the television.

Marlins win in speed.
No doubt about that,
with Juan Pierre who
led the Majors this season
with 65 steals. And Luis
Castillo almost imposible
to strike out and a
great threat to steal.
But I just checked the
stats, neither of them
had ever stolen first
base. Andy Pettie
has a great move to
first base, look for
a key out there
with one of these
two rabbits on base.

Pitching is all on the
Yankees side and their
scouts have been
following the Marlins
since San Francisco
3 weeks ago. The
Yankees hitters are
going to make the Marlins
pitchers work and work and
work until they get the
pitch they want.
In a way something
very similar to what
the Marlins have been
doing this Postseason.

It is about time we give
credit to the Marlins
instead of blaming
the Cubs for not
playing well. It could
have been very easy
for a young team like
the Marlins to “mail it
in”when they were
behind in this postseason
and they have been
behind just about in
every game and they
have won ! That spirit
is something that has
to be recognized on
a young team like the
Florida Marlins.

Here are a couple of
questions:
-Can the Yankee pitchers
cool down Pudge
Rodríguez bat ?
-Can the Marlins play
well in Yankee Stadium
(we know they use
Pro Player to their
advantage)and not
be intimitaded by the
mere fact of being in
the house that Ruth built?

I get the feeling that
Cuban defector José
Contreras is going to
pitch very well in this
series, lots of his Cubans
fans are going to be in
Miami attending games
#3,4 (5 if nec).
Contreras who makes
his permanent residence
in Managua,Nicaragua
is the “rookie”Yankee
pitcher who signed
a 4-year deal for
$32 million last winter
and the number one
pitcher for the Cuban
National Team until
his defection to freedom.

I like the Yankees to
win it in 5 games. It
might go 6, but I
cannot see the Marlins
wining more than 2 games.

South Florida has more
Yankee fans than Marlins
fans, so the crowds at
Pro Player Stadium will
be interesting to say
the least.
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