Miracle Over Miami: How the 2003 Marlins Shocked the World

From the Inside Flap
Nobody gave the Marlins a chance. The experts said their manager was too old, their pitching was too young, and their ownership was too frugal to compete against experienced opponents with deeper pockets. What rivals didn’t realize, however, was that the Marlins were making the most of their march toward the Emerald City. Like the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, the team coupled heart and courage to survive what seemed like insurmountable obstacles and clinch the NL wild-card berth with just two games left to play. Florida fooled the forecasters again throughout the playoffs, beating the odds and battling back in each of their three series victories. Winning the World Series, especially against an experienced New York Yankees club whose payroll was more than triple the size of Florida’s, was just another David versus Goliath challenge that was gladly met by the Little Teal Machine. This is the story of the most unlikely world championship in recent memory, a lesson in how to build a winning team with limited resources, how to plug holes with rookies and acquisitions, and how to win by having fun. Jeff Conine was the only man to play for both Florida world championship teams. In a rare inside-the-clubhouse look, he shares his thoughts on the 2003 Marlins in Miracle Over Miami: How the 2003 Marlins Shocked the World. Veteran baseball writers Dan Schlossberg and Kevin Baxter add their ace reporting to paint a picture that Marlins owner and prominent art dealer Jeffrey Loria would be proud to hang on his wall. They’re all here: rabbits Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo, local heroes Mike Lowell and Pudge Rodriguez, rookies Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, flamethrowing pitchers Josh Beckett and Ugueth Urbina, and the cigar-smoking Jack McKeon. Come again to the land of black-and-teal, where nothing is impossible and the unexpected is probable. Miracle Over Miami offers an open window to that wonderful world.


About the Author
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg is a freelance writer from Fair Lawn, NJ, specializing in baseball and travel. The author/co-author of 26 previous books, he has also contributed to the All-Star and World Series programs, Baseball Digest, Bill Mazeroski's Baseball, as well as numerous other publications. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research since 1981 and current Managing Editor of the syndicated baseball program BallTalk Radio, Schlossberg has one daughter, Samantha. Kevin Baxter, an award-winning journalist, is the national baseball writer for The Miami Herald. He is also a regular contributor to Baseball America and The Sporting News, for whom he has written extensively about Latin American baseball. The La Puente, Calif. native lives with his son in Miami-Dade County. Their home is the only one on the block with a batting cage in the backyard. Jeff Conine, "Mr. Marlin" in South Florida, played for the original Marlins in 1993 and for both of the Florida world champions, in 1997 and 2003. Florida's career RBI leader is a two-time All-Star. He now resides with his wife Cindy and their three children in Weston, Fla.


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This is the story of the most unlikely world championship in recent memory, a lesson in how to build a winning team with limited resources, how to plug holes with rookies and acquisitions, and how to win by having fun. Jeff Conine was the only man to play for both Florida world championship teams. In a rare inside-the-clubhouse look, he shares his thoughts on the 2003 Marlins in Miracle Over Miami: How the 2003 Marlins Shocked the World. Longtime baseball writers Dan Schlossberg and Kevin Baxter add their ace reporting to paint a picture that Marlins owner and prominent art dealer Jeffrey Loria would be proud to hang on his wall. They're all here: rabbits Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo, local heroes Mike Lowell and Pudge Rodriguez, rookies Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, flamethrowing pitchers Josh Beckett and Ugueth Urbina, and the cigar-smoking Jack McKeon. Come again to the land of black-and-teal, where nothing is impossible and the unexpected is probable. Miracle Over Miami offers an open window to that wonderful world.


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