The Marlins Remember

Over the past couple of weeks, the Marlins lost two dear members of our family: Clyde King and 'Puck' O'Neal.

Clyde King, a native of Goldsboro spent basically his entire adult life in the world of professional baseball in some capicity, most notably with the New York Yankees. He was a player, coach, manager, general manager, and most importantly- a mentor. I've was lucky enough to meet Mr. King on two seperate occasions. Once during the Forest City All-Star Game luncheon and again during a Marlins game where he was honored as guest manager. His last mangerial win came on July 30th in Morehead City with his own Marlins jersey on. What a special treat for me, the players, and the fans.

Also, last week we learned of the passing of the generous 'Puck' O'Neal. I do not know Mr. O'Neal like most people do in Morehead City, but I do know none of what the Marlins have done and continue to do would have been possible without Mr. O'Neal's support. For his contributions, the field at Big Rock Stadium bears his name-Puck O'Neal at Big Rock Stadium. One of his dreams was to have a proper baseball facility to host legion games. With the help of City Council this offseason, Mr. O'Neal received the opportunity to throw out the first pitch on opening night, the Marlins first ever game at Big Rock Stadium in Morehead City. All the hard work by countless individuals all led up to opening night and the park was packed with 2146 fans. Mr. O'Neal will be forever remembered as a big baseball fan and generous individual. We would like to do something next season to honor his legacy. He surely would not want any recognitioin, but I think it's time and it's well deserved.

World Series

Well, the San Francisco Giants prevailed in the end. As a Yankee fan I was secretly rooting for them. Although the Rangers certainly deserved to be in the World Series. Pitching always wins and the Giants showed why. I had given the Giants the slight edge to begin with but it wasn't by much. I really never expected them to hit much, but it's all about timely hitting.

Now that the World Series is over, what to do now? Do I have to watch basketball? I really have to wait five months for baseball again? Are you asking yourself these questions? Well don't worry, there are plenty of people just like you and I am one of them. Actually, baseball is played year-round all over the world in the fall and winter. There are leagues in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Arizona, Puerto Rico, Venezuela. Some games are even broadcast on TV. So keep a look out. A lot of upcoming prospects play in the Arizona Fall League, where as a lot of veterans play in the other leagues. Either way, it's baseball. I've heard that it's quite a big deal in Puerto Rico too.

I usually get the most enjoyment out of the Hot Stove rumors. A great resource is mlbtraderumors.com. This is a time where proposed trades are being discussed and free agents are looking for new homes. Sometimes I wonder what I enjoy more: the hot stove or actual baseball! MLB Winter Meetings are about to get underway next month. This is where all Major League GM's get together to discuss potential deals. I been to a couple winter meetings before and it's quite interesting to see all the general managers, players, and coaches walking about. Baseball is a business and the preparation for next season starts with Winter Meetings.

League Fall Meetings

Each year the CPL has two general meetings during the spring and fall for all owners and general managers. Last Thursday the CPL had GM league meetings in Fayetteville. We usually discuss the league on a whole and how to improve operations for all 15 teams. In owner meetings, ideas sometimes are put to a vote, then this vote is usually discussed in the GM meetings. The owners definitely made some changes for next season. The CPL, like most leagues, would like to make changes for the betterment of all players, fans, owners, and staff. Over the course of the last four years, the league (and teams) have made big strides. Ideas usually start in meetings like these.

I won't go into detail because of confidentiality agreements, but we discussed the 2011 schedule, Rawlings (official CPL ball and bat), Zephyr (official CPL hat), Coastal Plain League logo, coach contracts, player contracts, roster number, conditional players, exhibition games, team programs, trainers, All-Star Game, and Petitt Cup Playoffs etc.

Also at the fall meetings, the Defensive and Offensive players of the year plaques are presented to their respective team. The organization of the year and the Petitt Cup is also presented to a team.