Latest news with #FloridaMarlins

Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Former Marlins manager Jim Leyland is having a moment. See the big one in 1997
Florida Marlins Manager Jim Leyland left a legacy in South Florida, leading the team to its first World Series championship in 1997. With a lineup that included Moises Alou, Gary Sheffield and Bobby Bonilla, the Marlins won a seven-game series against the then-Cleveland Indians to become MLB champions. The Florida Marlins, which also won the World Series in 2003, became the Miami Marlins in 2012, when the team moved to the new loanDepot Park. In July 2025, Leyland was enshrined into the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2024. Here is a look back at Leyland's World Series victory with the Marlins in 1997:


National Post
02-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Ex-MLB star rakes in $1.19M annually despite not playing for 24 years
Article content He's not Canadian and he's not an NHL free agent, but it's safe to say that nobody looks forward to July 1 as much as this guy. Article content While the first day of July marks Canada Day and signals the start of free agency for NHLers hoping to score big paydays, it is also recognized by some as 'Bobby Bonilla Day.' Article content Article content Named for the 62-year-old former MLB star, it's safe to say there's at least one person who has the big day circled on his calendar. Article content That would be Bobby Bonilla. Article content That's because, every year on this day through to 2035, Bonilla collects a cheque for $1.193,248.20. Article content Not too shabby considering the New Yorker hasn't laced up his cleats since 2001. Article content The annual cash infusion comes courtesy of what is arguably the most infamous deferred payment setup in sports history. Article content Bonilla signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 1980s and made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 1986. Article content He starred for teams including the Pirates, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, winning the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins. Bonilla was also a six-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award three times in his career. However, by 1999, he was on the decline in the middle of his second stint with the Mets, who ultimately decided to release him. Article content The stickler was that the Mets owed him $5.9 million to pay out the remainder of his contract. Article content That's when Bonilla's agent went to the Mets with an offer: They would agree to have the payment deferred for a decade with interest. Bonilla would get paid over $1.19 million per year, every July 1 from 2011 to 2035. Article content Article content While it meant the payout would balloon from $5.9 million to $29.8 million, the Mets agreed to the deal, in part because Mets owner Fred Wilpon was heavily invested with Bernie Madoff in his infamous Ponzi scheme at the time. Article content Wilpon believed that the 10% returns he was making on his investments with Madoff would outweigh the eight per cent interest he'd be required to pay to Bonilla on the $5.9 million, so he accepted the deal.


Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Bobby Bonilla day: Mets pay ex-MLB star another $1.19 million
By It's a day that New York Mets fans want to forget - but one that will continue to happen every July 1 for another eleven years. Today is known in baseball circles as Bobby Bonilla Day (pictured) - a day where the Mets pay $1.19million to a player who retired in 2001. So who is Bobby Bonilla? And how exactly did he manage to still get paid all this time? Bonilla signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 1980s and by 1986, he made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox. Over the course of his career, he'd star for teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Mets, and the Baltimore Orioles. He also won the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins. He was also a six-time All-Star and had won the Silver Slugger Award three times in his career. But by 1999, he was on the decline in the middle of his second stint with the New York Mets. It was after that 1999 season where the Mets decided that they wanted nothing more to do with him and released him. The only issue was they owed him $5.9million to pay out the rest of his contract. But Bonilla's agent went to the Mets with an offer: they would agree to have the payment deferred for a decade and with interest, Bonilla would get paid over $1.19m per year every July 1 from 2011 to 2035. While that meant his payout would balloon from $5.9m to $29.8m, the Mets agreed to the deal. One person joked, 'Too many people tweet about the Bobby Bonilla contract stuff now. It used to be a cute little cottage industry, a few mom-and-pop accounts having fun. It's gone corporate.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How does Brad Marchand's Stanley Cup Finals performance stack up with other Miami stars?
The Stanley Cup Finals are rolling on with the Florida Panthers one game away from securing back-to-back titles. As the Panthers try to fend off the Edmonton Oilers, Brad Marchand made history as the first player to score five goals in two separate NHL Finals series with different teams. Advertisement It got us thinking: Who are the athlete's with the best finals performance in South Florida history? Let's take a look at a few players: Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers - 2025 Stanley Cup Finals Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers react during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 09, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida. A history maker for the Panthers, Brad Marchand has the Florida Panthers one game away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions. He scored two goals in Game 5, bringing his total to five goals in the NHL Finals. It marks the second time he's scored five goals in a finals, doing so as a member of the Boston Bruins as well. It's a feat that's never been accomplished by a single player for two separate teams. Advertisement Time will tell if he'll make any more history as Game 6 rolls around. Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat - 2006 NBA Finals Before "Wade County" was known, a young Dwayne Wade helped rally the Miami Heat from a 2-0 deficit in the 2006 NBA Finals. Wade averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists during the finals, winning MVP behind his strong efforts. He averaged 39.25 in the last four games of the series, effectively sweeping the Dallas Mavericks after falling behind by two games. Fast forward to present day and Wade's legacy is commemorated with a statue and a history that'll never be forgotten in the minds of Heat fans. Josh Beckett, Florida Marlins - 2003 World Series SAN FRANSISCO - SEPTEMBER 30: Josh Beckett #21 of the Florida Marlins throws a pitch during the first inning of Game 1 of the NLDS against the San Fransisco Giants on September 30, 2003 at Pacific Bell Park in San Fransisco, California. (Photo by) Josh Beckett came up big as the Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in the 2003 World Series. Advertisement Beckett had an ERA of 1.1 with 19 strikeouts in two appearances during the series. His big time play in Game 6 helped get the Marlins the win. He had a five-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and earned World Series MVP for his efforts. Jake Scott, Miami Dolphins - Super Bowl VII Jan 14, 1973; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Miami Dolphins safety Jake Scott (13) against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Dolphins defeated the Redskins 14-7 completing a 17-0 undefeated season. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports Jake Scott recorded two interceptions during Super Bowl VII to help the Miami Dolphins complete a perfect season. Scott's interceptions helped the Dolphins record a 17-0 undefeated season as the Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins 14-7. Scott has the most interceptions in franchise history with 35. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat - 2020 NBA Finals Sep 17, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Jimmy Butler delivered a heroic performance in the 2020 NBA Finals, averaging 26.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals while playing 43 nights a game. Advertisement He logged an impressive 40-11-13 game in Game 3 to keep Miami from going down 3-0 to the Lakers and added 35-12-11 in Game 5 to keep the series alive. He played himself to exhaustion, only scoring 12 points in 45 minutes in Game 6 as the Lakers won the series 4-2. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami athletes with the best Finals performances?


New York Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cubs players young and old keep oral history tradition of baseball alive
CHICAGO — When Craig Counsell was a fresh-faced rookie second baseman with the 1997 Florida Marlins, the veterans had a postgame routine. Win or lose, they would gravitate to the training room and talk about what just happened on the field. 'Or just bull—-ing,' Counsell said. 'But in between the chatter was talk about baseball.' Advertisement That was a team loaded with veterans, such as Darren Daulton, Bobby Bonilla and Gary Sheffield. The Marlins went on to win the World Series and Counsell famously scored the winning run in Game 7. Those BS sessions are where Counsell, now the Chicago Cubs manager, got his education about baseball. 'It's where you learn how to act, it's where you learn about the highest level of the game, it's where you learn what not to do, it's where you learn what you want to do,' Counsell said. 'You learn there's an oral history to the game and how you will be treated. … Often, how you are treated as a younger player is how you're going to treat the next generation behind you.' Twenty-eight seasons later, despite all the advancements in technology that allow us to shelter ourselves from the outside world, the oral history of the game is still being passed down in training rooms, dugouts, clubhouses and team planes. Perhaps nowhere more than with Counsell's Cubs, where the old players and young players are treating each other pretty good these days. 'I know, like, it's a little thing, but I know a flight attendant who worked one of our flights recently,' Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon told me the other day. 'She had also worked flights for a different team and she's like, 'You guys are so much more interactive. You are all talking to each other.' I was like, 'Oh, what does the other team do?' She said the minute they get on the flight, it's headphones. No one interacts. For us, we have guys going up and down the aisle. Everyone's just moving around, talking, it's cool.' Justin Turner, Taillon and Ben Brown were recently sitting around discussing how Nolan Ryan's career spanned from the late 1960s through the early 1990s, which got them into a deeper conversation. 'We were talking about that in the locker room actually, just like how closely connected you are in baseball,' Taillon said. 'We did it with Justin Turner. You can connect him to (Hall of Fame pitcher) Robin Roberts through like five or six dudes. (Roberts) played in the '40s and '50s. That's something I hope never gets lost in baseball, just understanding the history and how closely connected we are to each other.' Advertisement Roberts pitched 19 years, starting in 1948 and finishing in 1966. It took me a few minutes to make a connection between him and Turner, and it only took three players. Roberts finished his career with the 1966 Cubs and he pitched with Fergie Jenkins, who came back to the Cubs at the end of his career and pitched in 1983 in front of a second baseman named Ryne Sandberg, who finished his Cubs career in 1997, when a 26-year-old pitcher named Miguel Batista appeared in 11 games (getting tagged with an 0-5 record). Batista was a 40-year-old reliever on the 2011 Mets with Turner. Turner and Taillon talked about the oldest guys they played with, and although Cubs pitcher Drew Pomeranz wasn't in that conversation, he noted he would win that competition. 'Jamie Moyer,' he said. 'I was there for his 49-year-old win.' A 23-year-old Pomeranz started 22 games for the 2012 Rockies and was locker neighbors with the almost-50 Moyer, who broke into the majors with the 1986 Cubs. Moyer led Pomeranz around, showed him the ropes and wasn't shy about sharing his advice and stories of a lifetime in the game. 'They would just come out of him, you didn't have to ask,' he said. Something Moyer might've learned from Rick Sutcliffe or Dennis Eckersley on the Cubs almost 40 years ago could be passed down today on a pitching staff that includes seven pitchers between the ages of 33 and 38 and young starters such as Brown (25) and Cade Horton (23) and up-and-coming closer Daniel Palencia (25). Pomeranz credits advice Randy Wolf gave him about keeping a mental checklist on the mound. Taillon said Gerrit Cole, a contemporary in Pittsburgh and New York, taught him about creating a weekly routine. I got the idea for this column after hearing about how Taillon and fellow veteran Matt Boyd were teaching younger Cubs pitchers to chart pitches, which is apparently a lost art these days. 'When we were in the minor leagues, the day after you pitched, you did the computer in the stands,' Taillon said. 'Day two, you did video. Day three, you'd chart in the dugout. Every day as a starter, you were working during the game, and it taught me a lot about watching the game, not just sitting there and wasting time in the dugout. … I think it's less about doing a chart, more about let's see if we can learn how to watch what's going on. I think that's true in life, in general.' Advertisement When we talked, Taillon had just returned from throwing a bullpen session, and he noted that Brown and Horton probably stopped to watch because they saw Boyd there. 'Now, when we're out there for the game today, they might want to ask me questions about what I was working on or what I was doing, which is really cool,' he said. Taillon noted that he takes in as much as he gives out from younger players, particularly when it comes to things like nutrition and training techniques, which have evolved since his days as a high schooler in Texas. 'You get on the right team with the right guys and it's like I want to talk pitching with Ben Brown because he's such a great dude,' he said. Brown feels the same way. 'We're just constantly in conversation,' he said. 'Whether he's asking me questions or I'm asking him. I feel like our relationship is so unique and special in that way, and he's so humble that he would want to listen to what I have to say about something.' Palencia credits conversations he's had with guys like Pomeranz and Ryan Pressly, whose job he took, with helping him figure out how to do a very stressful job. 'Drew and Pressly, we talk about the game a lot,' Palencia said. 'Every time we're watching games, we talk, like what you can do in this situation. If you got a two-run lead, you can just attack here because a solo homer is not going to beat you, don't let the games speed you up, stuff like that.' Taillon said during a game, infielders like Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner will come up to him and talk about pitches he threw. Palencia said Turner gave him confidence after he blew a save in Miami. 'It's easy for some position players to be worried about their at-bats or whatever,' Taillon said. 'Our guys are invested in everything.' Last week, we were talking to Javy Báez in the visiting dugout on the South Side. I told him how Pete Crow-Armstrong, whom he was traded for in 2021, said he used to watch Báez's base running as a learning tool. Báez, the wild-swinging baseball artist, broke into the majors 11 years ago and is now the veteran on a young, first-place team. Advertisement 'It feels great, honestly, that people look up to me,' he said. 'But what I tell young guys is to not copy but to take some stuff from the players that they look up to and just do it yourself with your style. And if it works, you gotta keep using it.' Crow-Armstrong (23) and Matt Shaw (23) don't have to look far for role models in their clubhouse. Swanson, Hoerner, Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, on and on. Everyone has something to offer. 'The more different guys you're around, the different organizations you're in, you see different ways and styles of doing things, and you kind of cherry-pick the stuff that you like and that applies to you and that you think you can use to make you a better player,' Turner said. Counsell remembers how a veteran hitter he played with in Arizona showed him how to anticipate pitchers' patterns. 'My favorite guy to just be around hitting was Mark Grace,' he said. 'It was just very simple for him, and the way he communicated it was very simple, and really it was helpful for me.' While it's his job to run the team, Counsell is self-aware enough to know that some of the best advice and encouragement comes from teammates, not coaches and managers. But on occasion, he will offer his two cents. 'We faced (Justin) Verlander the other day and they pulled a clip of Counsell's homer off Verlander,' Turner said. 'He said, 'Look guys, if I can do it …'' (Top photo of Justin Turner talking with Matt Shaw: Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images)