Miami Marlins Derek Jeter Surpasses Jeffrey Loria
By David Hill
Derek Jeter has not owned the Miami Marlins for long, but he has already surpassed former owner Jeffrey Loria in one way.
Remember back when Jeffrey Loria had finally sold the Miami Marlins? One of the most hated owners in baseball was finally gone, the sport brighter for his leaving. He had destroyed baseball in Montreal, ending the Expos very existence. He refused to spend money on the Marlins, excluding the one year that he bilked the tax payers out of a new stadium. Then, once that stadium had been built, he dismantled that team, instead of looking to fill those various holes on the roster.
As Derek Jeter was set to take on the lead of the new ownership group, it appeared as though a bright new era was dawning for the Marlins. Jeter was a player who had epitomized class and dignity during his lengthy career with the Yankees, a player whose retirement generated the Re2pect hashtag. Even Red Sox fans admired his greatness and character, no small feat for a star on their hated rivals.
And then, Jeter took ownership. His first move was a disaster, as he demanded that fan favorite Jeff Conine, as well as Andre Dawson, Jack McKeon, and Tony Perez, take substantial pay cuts to remain with the franchise. From there, he announced that the Marlins would slash payroll further, and have been actively shopping Giancarlo Stanton. Yet, as bad as those moves have been from a public relations standpoint, the Marlins latest gaffe far surpasses any of those moves.
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On Friday, it was learned that the Marlins let go of scout Marty Scott, who had been in baseball for over 40 years, the past six with Miami, on October 16. Normally, that would not be that big of a deal, except that there are different circumstances surrounding Scott’s dismissal. At the time, he was hospitalized, recovering from colon cancer surgery, and waiting to receive a kidney transplant.
One has to imagine that the Marlins were aware of Scott’s medical situation. After all, major surgery, and cancer treatment, would involve taking time off of work. At the very least, leadership would be aware of someone not being at their job.
Granted, Scott’s contract was ending in a couple of weeks. The Marlins, at the very least, let Scott know that he would not be offered a new deal. However, the timing of such a move is utterly repugnant. It is a move that even Loria likely would not have considered.
For a player whose entire image was based upon respect and dignity, Jeter has not displayed those traits with the Marlins. Although every ownership group seeks to rebuild the front office in their image, to run roughshod over franchise icons does not happen. To remove members of the front office suffering from serious illness does not happen. Unless, one is the Marlins.
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In his time with the Miami Marlins, Derek Jeter has done the unthinkable. He has actually made Jeffrey Loria seem like a decent owner. While the Marlins may end up better in the long run, Jeter has lost a great deal of re2pect.