Lou, I honestly don't think Loria can afford to trade Stanton at this point, simply because of the negative reaction already received and how that would amplify exponentially against him ... from ALL sides ... if he were to trade his most talented player (unless he received more than 1 in return, not likely though).

Lou, I confess it is beyond my ability to sufficiently dumb down my comments so that this cretin could understand. And yes, you are correct, I am a product of a prestigious (read: well known) eastern institution of higher learning.

Bottom line for the Marlins ... choosing to have the lowest payroll in baseball, breaking their commitment to our community, Stanton (if he has half a brain) has already decided to leave as soon as contractually possible, I'm certain he's hoping for even sooner than that, No quality players will want to play here; no quality players will want to stay here; that leaves only players (and coaches and managers) who are grateful just to have a job, which is another of saying that can't get a job anywhere else. Who wants to root for a team like that? Jeffrey Lurid has made a shambles of this franchise. And note that he's accomplished this in spite of a new stadium. EVERY single other owner in the history of the game had his team flourish in the same circumstances (ie new stadium). But not this guy. Jeffrey Lurid is a fraud.

Dog, language in this forum is unnecessary and inappropriate. You must not be a parent (and maybe a child yourself) else you'd realize there are children out there following the Marlins for better or worse, and thus more likely to come across your coarse and uncouth method of communicating. I don't always agree with the Herald, but that can be expressed in more intelligent ways. Like corporal punishment, whatever message you may have is lost in the transmission.

Flags, you're absolutely right about there being no gentle men's agreements in sports. But the fundamental issues here transcend sports and winning ... it has to do with giving your word. When a leader in a community gives his word to that community and to his employees, especially when doing so to comcessions or sacrifice ($$$) from said community, then thinks nothing about breaking his word, without explanation other than to send his lackeys out to bear the heat that only he is getting ... then it's about integrity and trust. Those are an individual's values and vision (or in Jeffrey Lurid's case, a lack thereof) that make baseball and winning pale in comparison.

Speaking of the SEC, regardless of their findings, maybe the best way to describe Jeffrey Lurid is not liar but fraud.

Finally, some news with teeth in it and, more importantly, the truth. I was wondering when someone was going to being up Delgado. Good going, Spencer. Keep it up. Jeffrey Lurid is a liar. He lied to Buerle, Reyes, Delgado, and as Buerhle put it, to the fans on numerous occasions. He's got his his stadium, what does he care about us? The slogan for a fan protest against him should be "Figure it out!"

Bull. If someone in my office provided me with an analysis that consists solely of what everyone already knows, I'd fire him. What purpose is he serving? What's really ignorant is insulting those who offer an opinion here simply because you disagree. It's a sign that you don't have the wherewithal with which to respond intelligently. And it's not about burning sources, it's about writing the truth and not being afraid to do so. Beat writers in just about every other town have demonstrated that they're not afraid to criticize management when warranted, columnists or not. Like I said, puff piece. You can go right on ahead drinking the kool aid and repeating his (and Loria's) talking points.

For example, the $40 Million loss ... where does that amount come from, SPECIFICALLY? The Liars Club? Very likely. But is that a number that any legitimate accounting firm would attach their name to? I seriously doubt it. And, of course, the puff piece above simply mentions that amount without sourcing it ... not even a pretense, like "unnamed sources" or something like that. That's what passes for journalism????????

What a puff piece this is!!! The Herald should change the byline from "Posted by Clark Spencer" to "Testimonial transcribed by Clark Spencer."

And the acquisition of Pierre is intended to deflect attention away from the facts. Pierre is 35, not 25, so his value is diminished, not to mention that he'll allow as many runs to score with his noodle arm as he can ever hope to score for the team.

In his interview with Lebatard, Sampson claimed "immense personal risk" for Loria. This is a lie. He neglects to mention the increased valuation of the franchise as a result of the stadium built largely with public funds. So what is/was he actually risking? Also, according to Rosenthal at foxsports, promises were made to both Buerle and Reyes when they signed that they would not be traded. More lies.