The Florida Marlins Needs To Feel The Heat

Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is really confident that his team can make it all the way to October this season.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the recent Mets-Marlins series, his words to the media were clear as water.

"We're very good at what we do, and we can make it a lot better," Loria said. "We should be able to make a charge. I haven't given up on the season, and neither have the players. Period."

However, after so many disappointments throughout the unsteady history of their franchise, it is not easy to find a baseball fan that does not feel fishy about their team.

Specially these days with the latest news from the NBA's Miami Heat.

Maybe it could be a fantasy, an invention or pure utopia, but whoever is running their public relations really knows their business well.

Heat fans these days are looking forward to see if Pat Riley can really pull it out to have Dwayne Wade return and play alongside Chris Bosh and LeBron James.

At the moment, with the NBA free agency period just starting, it sounds like it isn't something imaginative at all, but if it happens it would sound like the most inconceivable team put together in Miami.

Most of the South Florida media is already calling it the most extraordinary sports crew ever built since the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season and consequent winners of the Super Bowl in 1972 and 1973.

In comparison, nobody have incurred in at least mentioning the Florida Marlins World Series Champions teams of 1997 and 2003.

Great teams no doubt about it, but in the memory of South Florida baseball fans, however, there is still some hesitation even today.

Both championship teams were consider “Cinderella squads”, as they won their right to post-season via the wild card. Moreover, there is still distrust and disbelief in the owners.

Both the 1997 and 2003 teams were dismantled and not giddy to be a dynasty like the New York Yankees.

On the other hand, the Heat at least sounds like they are in a real quest to build a dynasty and return to be kings of the NBA courts. A long rundown like the Los Angeles Lakers.

It is unfortunate that these days, it is more common to listen around any corner in South Florida if probable All-Stars Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross will be traded before the end of this month.

If Hanley Ramirez will have another tantrum with his new skipper Edwin Rodriguez and will ask to be traded in order to make true his dream to get out of an Marlin uniform.

It is time the Marlins not to fool their own fans.

Chris Coghlan is great. Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton are great prospects and they could be National League Rookie of the Year candidates. However, Marlins fans want to not only be just a contender for this season, they really want consistency and a dynasty.

Loria—if he wants to be credible and erase his image of distrust—should make the Marlins feel like their rivals Miami Heat.

The Marlins need to make a serious pitch for a starter like Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee or Dan Haren and a more consistent closer, such as a Joakim Soria. Most definitely they also need at least two real quality middle relievers.

The Marlins need help offensively, what about bringing in an Adam Dunn, Carlos Lee or David de Jesus, or getting a Hank Blalock or Ty Winnington out of the bench.

There are always those Pittsburgh Pirates willing to trade anybody at anytime. Go to the trade market and bring real Latino stars if the Marlins really wants to be the “Team of the Americas”.

Bottom line, the Marlins have to get their game and court their fans. No new stadium will be the miracle of this franchise that in many nights truly looks like there are 500 fans in their seats at "whatchamacallit" stadium.

It is up to the Marlins if they really want that major league baseball be the real heat in South Florida.