The AAA Marlins Ain't Happy With The Sox

Many of you have probably heard about the recent hubbub about the Red Sox fielding less than an All-Star lineup on Thursday's spring training game in Jupiter, Florida against the Miami Marlins.

The Sox fielded just four players in the original lineup with any MLB experience, which is suppose to be the minimum for any Grapefruit League game. (It has been falsely reported the Sox fielded just two by many outlets.) The four players were Ryan Lavarnway, Jackie Bradley, Brandon Snyder and Allen Webster (the starting pitcher). The game ended in a scoreless tie when the rain came in the eighth inning.

This "scandal' has even been called "lineupgate" in some circles. (Can we please STOP using the suffix "gate" on everything that is allegedly a scandal? That crap is VERY annoying.)

Apparently, this really rubbed the Marlins brass the wrong way, and want the Red Sox fined for leaving all of their big stars back in Ft. Myers. GM Ben Cherington even issued an apology, but manager John Farrell would not.

If anyone should apologize, it's the Marlins management, who has abused its fan base time and again in its history. They increased prices for the midweek game, and I heard the highest price ticket was as much as $70. (Who pays that kind of money for a game that ultimately doesn't count when it is concluded?) And as it turned out, the majority of fans attending the game were dressed in Red Sox garb anyway.

The MLB lineup in Miami for the majority of the 2013 season was to say the least anemic, after they made that blockbuster deal with Toronto, sending Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and others to the Jays for a package of prospects. And previous to that, they traded arguably the best player in MLB, Miguel Cabrera, to Detroit for a bunch of prospects that didn't work out well for them. (Two of which, Andrew Miller and Burke Badenhop, are in the Red Sox bullpen this year.)

Marlins management gets a brand new ballpark in Miami, and proceed to dismantle their team, to the consternation of those who call themselves Marlins fans. And they are angry at the Sox over sending over what they feel is a subpar Red Sox team in a game that means absolutely nothing.

Excuse me if I have to stop writing now, as I'm laughing too hard.

Here's a good take on this whole thing from Red Sox Monster.