Wednesday Halolinks: Miami Marlins Become Owner's ATM, Again

The word of the day is "sociopath" - a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

• In case you haven't heard, the Marlins became the biggest joke in baseball: Jeffrey Loria goes too far in latest fire sale of Miami Marlins -FOX Sports. "The Marlins reportedly are clearing all but $4 million of the approximately $165 million-plus owed to shortstop Jose Reyes, left-hander Mark Buehrle, right-hander Josh Johnson, catcher John Buck and infielder/outfielder Emilio Bonifacio." Although they could be commended for giving Jeff Mathis his chance to play in his home-state of Florida, this is just another attempt by the Marlins' owner to line his pockets.
• The Marlins are not a baseball team. They’re a kleptocracy - HardballTalk. (Okay, I'll admit it...I had to look it up: kleptocracy - government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed). "In addition to team team profits and the substantial appreciation of the franchise since he purchased it, Jeffrey Loria pays himself around $10 million a year in "administration fees." As a result of last night’s trade, he is now paid nearly twice the salary of the Marlins’ highest-paid player." By the time the 71-year-old Loria is done, he'll probably be the best player in the organization.
  
• But, but, but...they've got a really pretty pachinko machine in the outfield: For Marlins, Perception Is Now Reality - FanGraphs Baseball. "As long as Loria owns the franchise, they’re going to be perceived as a minor league team. A farm system for the rest of the league. A bottom feeder whose entire existence is focused on funneling cash to the ownership."
• Although it drips of hysterics, this is a pretty good post summing up how slimy the whole thing is:Marlins' owner rips team, and city, apart with despicable trade and must be stopped - CBSSports.com. "This time next year, only things left will be tumbleweeds, cockroaches and Jeffrey Loria."
  
• Not sure if serious: Whicker: Cabrera over Trout for MVP right call - The Orange County Register. "And, after Aug. 31, Trout hit a commendable .289 for the desperate Angels with a .900 OPS. But Cabrera hit .333 with a 1.071 OPS for the just-as-desperate Tigers, who were three games behind Chicago on Sept. 11. On Sept. 30, they were three games ahead, and Cabrera gave them eight homers and 20 RBI during that surge." Wait, I get it now...
  
• Oh, good lord: Angels' Witherspoon breaks out in Scorpions' rout - angels.com. "Witherspoon had two hits in his previous nine games and collectd most of his RBIs on Oct. 27, when he homered and drove in three runs. The three-hit effort raised his average 29 points to .214." .214? Two-fourteen?
• Remember this guy (Part 1): Kevin Frandsen agrees to 1-year deal with Philadelphia Phillies - ESPN. "Frandsen hit .338 with 10 doubles, 14 RBI and a .383 on-base percentage in 55 games last season. He also hit .302 in 99 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley."
• Remember this guy (Part 2): Rockies hire Dante Bichette as new hitting coach - HardballTalk. "Bichette and first-year manager Walt Weiss were Rockies teammates from 1994-1997"
• Wilin Rosario, Jordan Pacheco, and idiosyncratic award voting - Baseball Nation. "I will suggest that favoring Pacheco over, say Frazier or Aoki seems, for lack of a better word, idiosyncratic." (This one too, but only because I wanted to make sure: idiosyncratic - A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.) Later today, SBN will announce their choices for Pitcher of the Year. Without letting too much out of the bag, I'm guilty of being idiosyncratic in my voting.
• Bob Melvin scores narrow AL Manager of the Year victory - HardballTalk. "Mike Scioscia Melvin scored the win with 16 first-place votes to Mike Scioscia Showalter’s 12. Rookie manager Mike Scioscia Robin Ventura of the White Sox came in third place with 12 third-place votes. Mike Scioscia Joe Maddon was fourth, followed by Mike Scioscia Joe Girardi. Mike Scioscia Jim Leyland and Mike Scioscia Ron Washington were named on two ballots apiece." Mike Scioscia didn't win.
• Now Even ESPN's Announcers Are Mocking ESPN's Tebow Obsession. Here's the rant: "Didn't we get word from Bristol that we had actually allowed like 11 minutes of ESPN airtime to go by without mentioning Tebow? I think that's the standard company rule. Every 15 minutes of every program, regardless of what sport is being aired, Tim Tebow must be mentioned. So good job of you following the company line."