An incredible run

The Florida Marlins won their 7th game in a row today. That brings their record to 63-66 and they stand 4 games back in the wild card race.

This is incredible news on several fronts.

1- The Marlins traded most of their key personel last winter.
2- The present squad consists almost entirely of rookies.
3- In May after being swept by Tampa Bay, the team stood 10-30.
4- There is turmoil between the team owner and Knucklehead winner Jeffrey Loira and Manager Joe Girardi. Its so bad, Girardi was almost fired a few weeks ago and it looks unlikely if he'll be back next year.

Why would the last be happening if the team is surpassing all expectations this year? Here's the explanation.

Girardi is under contract through 2008. But his future became an issue Aug. 6 when Loria fired him, before being convinced to change his mind, after the two engaged in a shouting match during a game, according to sources with knowledge of the events.

The rift erupted when Loria, from his field-level seats behind home plate and next to the Marlins dugout, yelled at an umpire, prompting Girardi to tell him to shut up.

Loria will not endorse Joe Girardi past the end of this season. Girardi, an Ex-Chicago Cub is rumored to be headed to Chicago if the Cubs fire Dusty Baker.

As you could guess, the local MSM is already speculating about Girardi's fate. Today it was the Palm Beach Post's Greg Stoda.

It's difficult to envision Girardi managing the Florida Marlins next season with stench still lingering from his dugout/clubhouse episode with team owner Jeffrey Loria this month, and never mind the contract. Two more years might as well mean two more minutes, hours, days or weeks come final out of final game. Girardi will be sitting in the Chicago Cubs dugout as field boss or in the New York Yankees dugout serving renewed apprenticeship to Joe Torre next year rather than work a second Marlins season.

It took precious little time for Girardi and Loria to discover they can't co-exist.

Count on an agreement being reached as soon as possible upon conclusion of the season, after which Girardi and Loria gleefully will be rid of each other. That's almost as sure as another insultingly tiny crowd for the overachieving Marlins today against Milwaukee in Dolphin Stadium.

Loria, apparently, studiously avoided the subject when it came to giving Girardi much credit for Florida's surprisingly respectable performance this season.

"Managers obviously have some input during the course of the season," Loria said Saturday. "But what's important is the product put on the field by the baseball department as well. An amazing job was done by our organization before we started the season."

So who's next?

Girardi's departure, astonishingly, would mean there once again would be speculation about who might be the next Marlins manager. Weren't we just here? It was less than a year ago when Jack McKeon wouldn't say if he'd return to the job or if Loria wanted him to. McKeon, of course, disappeared to North Carolina and a consultant's position on the payroll.

I'm predicting Girardi will be gone next year. Loria's actions have shown he has both no baseball sense on the field or off. The man certainly lives up to the Knucklehead award I gave him.

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