What Are Those Marlins Smoking?

With last night's victory in 11, the Marlins jumped to a ridiculous 10-1 record as they threaten to run away with NL East before the race properly begins. The team they beat last night, the Nats, are already out of it with their 1-9 record, as ridiculously bad as the Marlins' is ridiculously good.

It's all in the Beinfest

The primary reason Loria has been able to continually field competitive low cost teams is because, in GM Larry Beinfest, he's had one of the most savvy player evaluators in the business. This year's Marlins team, off to their best start since their 1997 world championship season, is just the latest testiment to Beinfest's baseball acumen.

It begins with the strength of the team, the young, power-armed starting rotation of Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad and Anabel Sanchez. Nolasco was acquired in a 2005 trade with the Cubs for Juan Pierre; Sanchez in the 2005 Josh Beckett deal with the Red Sox that also netted shortstop Hanley Ramirez - one of the five best players in baseball - while Volstad was a No. 1 draft pick in 2005. All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla, the Marlins' RBI leader going into the weekend, was a Rule 5 Draft pickup in '95; outfielder Cody Ross, a 22-homer, 77-RBI man last year, was acquired from the Reds for a non-prospect minor leaguer in '06, and first baseman Jorge Cantu, who had 29 homers and 95 RBI last year, was a released free agent. Beinfest's latest trade gem, speed merchant third baseman Emilio Bonaficio, obtained last winter from the Washington Nationals for extra outfielder Josh Willingham, has been their early season MVP with a .400 on-base percentage and a team-leading 12 runs and four stolen bases. You'd think by now rival GMs would be going out of their way to avoid Beinfest.

And for those of you fascinated by minutae, this gets personal with Cody Ross

Here's a bit of inside information, and do we mean inside. Cody Ross is wearing a round badge on his left rump, courtesy of a Peter Moylan pitch that struck him there last night.

But here's the catch: the circular welt isn't the imprint left by the baseball, but an empty can of Skoal put in his back pocket just before the at bat. According to Ross, Hanley Ramirez handed him the empty can just before his seventh-inning at bat and told him to put it in his back pocket for good luck.

The reason: Ramirez thought it would help cure Ross of his hitting slump.

"You know how baseball is," Ross said. "You'll do anything to get going."

Ross doesn't dip. But he's happy the can was in the right place at the right time.

"It kind of pinched when the ball hit," Ross said. "When I got to first, I thought to myself, 'This doesn't hurt as much as it should.'"

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Fans too stunned to speak, whooop! Go Yankees!

After losing 22-4 in humiliating fashion at home, the Yankees have allowed 70 runs in their six losses, an average of 11.7 per game.

In six innings, he has allowed 23 earned runs. His earned run average is 34.50. To reach his career E.R.A. coming into the season (3.79), Wang would have to roll off 48 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

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Of course the biggest news items of the week were reserved for the death of Fidrych and retirement of Madden.

The Bird's wondrous season, 19-9 as a rookie in 1976, leading the American League in earned run average (2.34) and complete games (24), was memorable. He was the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game and won the Rookie of the Year Award. Fidrych, along with Catfish Hunter and Frank Tanana were blasted by the National League that year, all giving up at least two runs in two innings work. Only Luis Tiant shone.

POWER RANKS WEEK TWO

1. Florida Marlins (10-1)
2. Cubs (7-4)
3. Toronto (9-4)
4. San Diego (9-3)
5. KC Royals (7-4)
6. Seattle (8-4)
7. LA Dodgers (9-3)

last week:

1. Chicago Cubs (4-2 on the road to start)
2. Phillies (two pretty impressive comeback victories this week)
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Toronto Blue Jays

You will note only the Jays, Cubs and Mariners have remained steady after the first week. Of them, will any make the post season? Well surely the Cubs are solid candidates and perhaps even Seattle, but the Jays? Anyone think the Yankees/Red Sox and Rays are not going to overtake once the season kicks in?

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers .538-2-7 and go on then, 6 for 6 hitting for the cycle?
Ryan Ludwick, St Louis .407-3-11
Jason Kubel, Minnesota ,435-2-10

Zack Greinke, KC 2-0 0.00 19 Ks
Mark Buehrle, Chisox, 2-0 2.77 10 Ks.