Miami, FL
‘A dream come true’: 25 years later, 1997 Marlins reflect on club’s first World Series
On this Oct. 26, 1997, file photograph, Craig Counsell scores the successful run within the backside of the eleventh inning on successful by Edgar Renteria in Recreation 7 of the 1997 World Sequence between the Florida Marlins and Cleveland Indians.
Miami Herald File Picture
The second remains to be recent in Craig Counsell’s thoughts virtually two-and-a-half a long time later.
He’s standing on third base with two outs within the eleventh inning of Recreation 7 of the 1997 World Sequence between the Florida Marlins and the Cleveland Indians, 90 ft away from glory. Edgar Renteria stood on the plate with an 0-1 rely.
Renteria lofted the pitch from Charles Nagy simply above the pitcher’s head, between the center infielders and into middle area. Counsell, along with his arms raised excessive and Professional Participant Stadium turning right into a frenzy, crosses dwelling plate.
The Marlins, 5 years into their existence, have received the World Sequence.
“To be the man that bought to attain that run,” Counsell mentioned, “you pinch your self. It’s a dream come true.”
That second, and the season that led to it, was on full show at loanDepot park on Saturday because the Marlins celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of the franchise’s first World Sequence group with Counsell within the opposing dugout because the Marlins hosted the Milwaukee Brewers.
Along with Counsell, 13 different members of the 1997 group had been in attendance: Supervisor Jim Leyland, World Sequence MVP Livan Hernandez, Kurt Abbott, Antonio Alfonseca, Alex Arias, John Cangelosi, Wealthy Donnelly, Jim Eisenreich, Alex Fernandez, Cliff Floyd, Charles Johnson, Renteria and Gary Sheffield.
“I didn’t notice how a lot time had previous,” Sheffield mentioned. “If you end up doing a whole lot of issues and have a whole lot of issues occurring they usually inform you one thing a few 25-year anniversary, you begin reflecting a bit bit and you then begin going again into your recollections and looking out on the good occasions we had.”
The group converged on the sphere pregame for a bunch photograph earlier than the official ceremony started.
Jeff Conine, given the Mr. Marlin moniker and now the affiliate head baseball coach at FIU, spoke on a pre-recorded video that was performed on the scoreboard. Conine couldn’t be in attendance as a result of FIU had a weekend collection at UAB.
After which they had been launched one after the other by Jay Rokeach, the Marlins’ public deal with announcer for that 1997 season, with loanDepot park’s multicolor-capable LED lights flashing in teal as every participant emerged from the house dugout.
“Speaking about that stuff by no means will get outdated,” Counsell mentioned. “It was one of the enjoyable occasions in your life. Profitable the World Sequence, you at all times need to re-live that stuff. That’s your favourite stuff in baseball.”
And whereas the lasting reminiscence is that remaining hit — Renteria driving in Counsell — the consensus among the many group is that the success was pushed by the belief Leyland had in his gamers.
Sheffield, who the Marlins acquired in a commerce with the San Diego Padres in 1993, pointed to a second when he was strolling to the facet fields throughout spring coaching. Leyland put his arm round Sheffield’s shoulder.
The message the supervisor was going to relay to his All-Star outfielder in a heart-to-heart dialog:
“This group goes to go so far as you are taking us,” Sheffield recollected Saturday. “Not that each one the stress goes to be on you, however if you happen to do your half, we have now the items round you to do it.”
Sheffield’s ideas at that second, after being a part of the primary 4 Marlins groups that had by no means completed a season with an above-.500 document?
“That’s once I began believing,” he mentioned.
The Marlins would find yourself going 92-70 that season to earn a spot within the playoffs as a wild card group. They swept the San Francisco Giants within the best-of-5 Nationwide League Division Sequence and beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 within the Nationwide League Championship Sequence earlier than reaching the top of the World Sequence.
To Sheffield, Leyland “gave the group some path and a few management from the highest.”
“He brough that from Day 1,” Sheffield mentioned. “He put the fitting items in place and we bought alongside. We had one heartbeat and that was the slogan all through the World Sequence.”
For Alfonseca, who the Marlins chosen with the No. 4 total decide in 1993, Leyland is like one other father.
Alfonseca made his MLB debut that season. He performed in simply 17 regular-season video games that yr and threw 25 2/3 innings, however Leyland trusted the rookie sufficient to provide him the ball within the eighth inning of Recreation 7 of the World Sequence with the Marlins inside a run of Cleveland. He retired 4 of the 5 batters he confronted, permitting only a stroll, to place the Marlins in place to tie the sport within the backside of the ninth.
“As a rookie in ‘97, I mentioned ‘Thanks, Leyland,’” Alfonseca mentioned. “He at all times taught me.”
Counsell, now in his eighth yr because the Brewers’ supervisor after a 16-year MLB profession that started in earnest after being traded to the Marlins in 1997, mentioned there have been classes he discovered from being round Leyland that he has taken into his managerial profession.
“We discovered from folks we had been round,” Counsell mentioned. “The hot button is you are taking it in, however you must be your self while you implement issues that you simply study. It by no means comes throughout the identical as Jim Leyland — and I wouldn’t need it to; I wouldn’t anticipate it to. You attempt to study from it and make it come throughout as genuine.”
The authenticity of the second, in the meantime, was nonetheless felt as teammates recollected on recollections 25 years within the making.
Alfonseca remembers being within the dugout as Recreation 7 went to further innings, anxiously ready to see if the second would come, if the Marlins would be capable of pull off the World Sequence win.
After which got here the second. Rentaria single up the center. Counsell scores from third.
Pandemonium begins.
“I’m going loopy and leaping like a bit child,” Alfonseca mentioned. “I see that and go, ‘That’s it.’”
A kosher Miami restaurant was vandalized last Sunday with pro-Palestinian graffiti, the Miami Police Department and Holy Bagels & Pizzeria said.
In a statement last Monday the police said that the restaurant and a flag had been vandalized with “antisemitic graffiti.” The police said that it was seeking public aid in identifying the culprit, and shared an image of the suspect.
“As a society, we must unequivocally reject and not tolerate hate crimes in any form,” Miami PD Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “Discrimination, violence, and prejudice have no place in our communities, and it is essential that we stand against such acts to create a safer and more inclusive community.”
The restaurant shared on Instagram last Monday that the phrases “Free Palestine’ and “stop genocide” had been spray painted on its windows. A half-American half-Israeli flag was also spray-painted with the slogan “free Palestine.”
“This is what they do,” said Holy Bagels & Pizzeria. “They hurt and destroy and want us to cover in fear. But we are strong and united and only love will destroy their hate. We will not back down, we stand forever united with Israel.”
Federal Judge Roy Altman, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniela Kava came to the restaurant to aid in the cleaning of the graffiti on Tuesday.
No tolerance for hate in Miami
“Hate speech, vandalism, and hostility will never be tolerated,” Suarez on social media on Tuesday. “We will always support these small businesses as they face antisemitism.”
Kava said on X on Monday that she was horrified to hear about vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses and asked the Miami-Dade Police Department to aid the Miami PD in the investigation.
The restaurant said that it was thankful for the unity expressed by the police, politicians, and community members.
“We were in awe from the support everyone came to show. Huge thank you to everyone that came out to help clean up the vandalism,” said the eatery.
On Wednesday Holy Bagels & Pizzeria published on Instagram that it had flown more Israeli and American flags on the business.
Local 10 News said that the incident was the fourth time that the Jewish owner’s shops had been targeted since the October 7 Massacre. Bagel Time Cafe had reportedly been vandalized in December and October. Nour Abaido, 24, had been arrested for the latter defacement.
Fans have speculated a relationship between Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo and Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson for some time now, but no one anticipated Adebayo’s teammate, Jaime Jaquez Jr., would chime in.
The 23-year-old was playing video game Apex Legends on Saturday, when one of his in-game teammates asked the question, “Is Bam dating A’ja Wilson?”
“Listen, I’m not saying nothing. I cannot confirm or deny anything I don’t know,” Jaquez shared. “I plead the 5th.”
Most believe Jaquez is all but confirming the suspicions, but none can know for sure. Regardless, both Adebayo and Wilson are shining in their respective leagues, as the Aces forward recently came in at No. 1 in the WNBA’s All-Star voting. She came in with roughly 1,000 votes more than Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Meanwhile, Adebayo is preparing to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside talents including LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Jaquez exceeded expectations during his rookie campaign with the Heat, playing more games than any other player on the team. He appeared in 75 games and was a staple in coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. Jaquez remained an important piece for the Heat in the playoffs. He played in four games in the team’s first-round loss to the eventual-champion Boston Celtics. He averaged 12.8 points during the series, scoring 14 points in the team’s lone win.
Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.
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Last week, I discussed CBS Sports having the Miami Dolphins wide receivers unit rank sixth and how that might be too low. I also put up a poll asking the following question-
Where would you rank the Miami Dolphins’ receivers in the NFL?
The results were-
- First, received 32 votes or 71 percent.
- Second, received 9 votes or 20 percent.
- Third, received 2 votes or 4 percent.
- Fourth, received 2 votes or 4 percent.
- Fifth, received 0 votes.
- I’m drunk with hate for the Miami Dolphins, so I rank them sixth or lower also received 0 votes.
I also asked the following question:
Where would you rank the Dolphins’ wide receiver unit overall in the NFL?
Below are some of your thoughts and answers-
Spok507 says on paper; they are number 1!
Since everything is basically ‘on paper’ right now, it’s hard to not put them first. What other team has 3 top WRs like Hill-Waddle-OBJ? Add in the rookie Washington and I’d put our WRs at the top. Nobody knows what the season would bring, but right now, on paper, they have to be #1.
21Dave says they are in second until they can show out as a unit in a big game.
I put second , they have the talent to be number 1, but in big games they don’t seem to show up fully and they struggle to get off press coverage, hence so many motion plays. Two things they can fix with a little determination and effort!!
ChumpPunk says Hill and Waddle may be overrated.
In big games, the Hill//Waddle duo disappeared. Was it all Tua’s fault, or mainly receivers? Perhaps both are overrated.
dolphinfan1323 says 5th and potentially first if all the new additions at WR work out.
I feel Miamis receiving core has been highly over rated we had to receiving threats hill and waddle the last two years then who? This year it really depends on obj and the two rookies but I definitely feel better about it now especially when adding in the TEs but from just the wrs I would say 5th and potentially 1st
72Phins4ever is correct!
Best rec core since Duper, Clayton and Moore
The comments were an array of opinions but the poll clearly has the majority believing that the Dolphins wideouts are the very best in the NFL. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to answer our Phinsider question of the day.
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