Loria's Rotation Shuffle Freezes Fernandez
The days were supposed to be over when 1%ers treated sports franchises as their own personal playthings.
Apparently, Miami Marlins poobah Jeffrey Loria is the last of a dying breed. Or at least a brain-dead breed.
His misdeeds and villainy are well-documented. Sandbagging the Montréal Expos right out of existence. Blackmailing politicos. Pulling out rugs from under whomever. Transmitting the 'stupid gene' to his stepson. Turning alienation into a cottage industry. Et cetera.
Now comes word that Loria is calling the shots with on-field moves. And of course, the result is another backfire.
The Marlins were forced to play a double-header in Minnesota on Tue 23 April due to a weather issue the day prior. Ricky Nolasco was due to start the opener, carrying over from the postponed game, and prize righty José Fernandez would follow the rotational plan and pitch in the nightcap. It was not to be.
Loria demanded that they trade places. He wanted the 20-year-old Cuban to go in the day game, when it would be warmer. This was wrong on so many levels. Here are but two of them:
- Does the switch mean Nolasco is chopped liver? To say he was angered is an understatement.
- Did Loria ever check the weather patterns first? It turned out that the day game started in colder weather (38ºF) than the nightcap (42ºF).
Just as ironically, Fernandez was the pitcher of record in Miami's 4-3 loss, and Nolasco won his game, 8-5.
Trust that his treachery has a continuous shelf life, too. How long will it be before Loria orders the unthinkable and dumps his most prized possessions in Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton? To answer that question, simply check the calendar to see when they're arbitration eligible.
Somewhere, the ghost of Marge Schott can finally rest, knowing that the torch of dirty, rotten scoundrels in baseball ownership has finally been passed.
Hell still springs eternal.