Minnesota Twins (36-34) @ Florida Marlins (35-38)

So, why are the Marlins better than your team?

Because they're run by a bunch of self-important, holier-than-thou pricks -- yet they've won more World Series titles in my lifetime than the Mets. I fucking hate that.

Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis is one of the people who run Sports.Wikia and this was lifted from his 2007 Season Preview for the Marlins.

On the Grill
I really don’t get the Florida Marlins. On the one hand, you have an organization that has managed to win two World Series titles since 1993, they have an above average general manager, and a slew of good young talent. On the other hand, they’ve blown themselves up a couple of different times, had three different ownership groups including a certified nut job president, and they play their games in a horrible venue with miniscule fan support.

Slimy Fish
David Samson is the stepson of Jeffery Loria, the Marlins owner, and the current president of the team. Samson, a well-pedigreed guy, was given his start in baseball by his father in an executive capacity with the Montreal Expos. By all accounts it was a disaster in Montreal and it’s shaping up disastrously in terms of the Marlins’ attempts to secure a new stadium.

In Montreal, Loria’s slash and burn management style led to his alienation of the local business community, the collapse of a proposed stadium and an eventual exit in a too-good-to-be-true deal which resulted in his ownership of the Marlins. Though he is a step-son, it’s clear, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Samson is an elite triathalete and apparently a world class jerk.

Samson appeared on 790 The Ticket (WAXY-AM), with The Miami Herald’s Dan LeBatard. According to The South Sentinel columnist David Hyde, the Marlins' team president gave another supposedly comic discourse on that touched all the bases of women, sex and pornography. This isn't uncommon for Samson. In the past, he has "joked" of having Porn Night at the stadium. He's "joked" of having a sex toy in his car. He's "joked" which players looked like porn stars. Do you see the thread here? And are you laughing yet? Is this a personality you’d entrust with a business that has a value well in excess of $100 million?

"I will try to be slightly less lecherous for his girlfriend," Samson said. "And if he would like to bring her to my office, we could definitely talk about my lechery."

Oh, the Irony
The flip-side to Loria and Samson is Marlins’ GM Larry Beinfest, who by all accounts a bit of a miracle worker and one of the best talent evaluators in the game. Perhaps something that Terry Ryan might learn from studying the tenure of Beinfest is to put a little more trust in his kids and not be so eager to hedge his bets with bargain basement veterans.

And while Beinfest does get plenty of kudos for his ability to find cheap talent, there are some similarities to his approach with Terry Ryan and the state of each club’s farm system.

Some telling insights from “How Can You Walk with Four Balls?”

Outside of the Marlins' ineffective and injured pitching staff, the lineup outside of the big four is unproductive. As much as I love Beinfest and his ability to find cheap, valuable talent, there are obvious vulnerabilities in the building of this team.

Oh, and for the sake of ending where I started (like we were taught in high school and, surprisingly, college too): Boo the sophomore slump! Get a center fielder!

Right now the Marlins are in about the same shape as the Twins in that they are close enough to be considered competitive for the post-season, but far enough away that they could easily become sellers. Beinfest does think they have enough talent to still win.

To finish up this week's installment, here are a few nuggets to chew on.

Just for FunI loved this “feel good story” about Muscle Boy – who made his mark ten tears ago during the summer of 1997.

Twins Tie In
I forgot the former Twin Jim Eisenreich was a member of the Marlins’ 1997 Championship team

On The Grill- Beer Can Chicken
In the past week or so, this site's gracious owner asked when we'd be putting some "Chicken on the Grill" and in the interest of fulfilling my promise, here it is. This week's recipe is for Beer Can Chicken, which appeared in Steven Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible in June of 1998. There is a long folkloric history regarding the origin of this recipe, but based upon the link, it definitely served Mr. Raichlen well.

The basic theory is that by ramming a half full beer can into the nether regions of a well-spiced bird, the subsequent steam forced into the cavity will keep the bird moist and impart the flavor of the beer and spices into the fowl. I'll let the engineers and physicists duke it out over wether the science is real or not. What I do know, is that in the oven or on the grill, it is an excellent way to cook a chicken.

In Raichlen's classic recipe, lifted from Epicurious, he does not call for brining the bird. I'm a briner - because I think it does create a superior end product. For those not familiar, brining is the process of forcing water into the muscle tissues of the meat. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water. For a complete lesson on brining and the recipe click here. The one thing is, you need to plan ahead for brining, but in the end, don't feel obliged if you wanted to do this at the last minute or if you don't want to mess with the brining.

There are also raging arguments about which kind of beer to use. I'm more of a use what I have on hand guy - but people swear by Guiness and more full-bodied beers over something light. I've used the Memphis Dry Rub for this entry, but like anything else, this is more about the method of cooking versus the ingredient, so feel free to experiment with similarly great results.

Lastly, they do make special tools for executing the recipe. I live in a smaller house with a small kitchen, so generally, I'll improvise before I'll buy a gadget. I did buy one of the holders at Menards for 5-6 bucks. The point is, buying one is not necessary.

Ingredients
1 large whole chicken (3 to 5 pounds) or 1 chicken for every 3 adults
3 tablespoons Memphis Rub* or your favorite dry barbecue rub
1 can (12 ounces) beer preparation

Memphis Rub
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons accent (MSG; optional)
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all the ingredients in a jar, twist the lid on airtight, and shake to mix. Store away from heat or light for up to six months. Makes about 1/2 cup. Enough for 4 to 6 racks of ribs.

Instructions

1. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the chicken. Remove the package of giblets, and set aside for another use. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the body and neck cavities, the rub another 1 tablespoon all over the skin of the bird. If you wish, rub another 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture between the flesh and the skin. Cover and refrigerate the chicken while you preheat the grill.

2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling** placing a drip pan in the center. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium. For those without a grill - a 375 degree oven will do.

3. Pop the tab on the beer can. Using a "church key" –style can opener, make 6 or 7 holes in the top of the can. Pour out the top inch of beer, then spoon the remaining dry rub through the holes into the beer. Holding the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity down, insert the beer can into the cavity.

4. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss half the wood chips on the coals. Oil the grill grate. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan. Spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, to support the bird.

5. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until fall-off-the-bone tender, 1.25-2 hours depending on bird size.. With charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side and the remaining wood chips after 1 hour.

6. Using tongs, lift the bird to a cutting board or platter, holding the metal spatula underneath the beer can for support. (Have the board or platter right next to the bird to make the move shorter. Be careful not to spill hot beer on yourself.) Let stand for 5 minutes before carving the meat off the upright carcass. (Toss the beer can out along with the carcass.)

** Indirect grilling on a Charcoal Grill:

To set up you grill for indirect grilling, light the coals. When they are blazing red, use tongs to transfer them to opposite sides of the grill, arranging them in two piles. Some grills have special half-moon-shaped baskets to hold the coals at the sides; others have wire fences that hook onto the bottom gate. Let the coals burn until they are covered with a thin layer of gray ash. Set the drip pan in the center of the grill, between the mounds of coals. Place the food on the grate over the drip pan, and cover the grill. You’ll need to add about 10 to 12 fresh briquettes to each side after an hour of cooking. If you want to add a smoke flavor, add 1 to 2 cups of presoaked wood chips, or 2 to 4 chunks, to the coals just before you start to cook, and again whenever you replenish the coals.

I've got family in town this weekend so we'll be in the backyard with a couple of birds on the Webber. I'm going out this afternoon to seek out some New Glarus Spotted Cow.. Enjoy your weekend.

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