KingFish
02-23-2002, 02:28 AM
Johnson glad he stayed with Marlins
By Mike Bauman
MLB.com
Viera, Fla.-- We were looking for some pinpoint perspective on the mercurial Florida Marlins franchise, so we sought out a man who has seen both the great and the greatly disappointing while wearing the teal uniform.
Charles Johnson, four-time Gold Glove catcher, was the youngest starting player on the 1997 World Series championship team. Now, in the blink of an eye, at age 30, he's a veteran, a leader, really one of the older guys on a young 2002 Marlins team. He was traded away in the dismantling of that championship team, and when he returned to Florida last season, it seemed as though more than a few years had gone by.
"I came back last year, and I'm like the oldest guy in the starting lineup," he said with a smile. "Just a few years, complete turnaround."
Johnson is convinced that things are headed in the right direction again. There is considerable talent on hand, including some tremendous potential among the young starting pitchers. And Johnson says that new Manager Jeff Torborg and his coaching staff have made a very strong first impression.
After the Marlins worked out in a light but persistent rain Friday, Johnson was contemplating the past, the present and the future of the Marlins.
"I think we're in a good position right now," he said. "I think we're going to be a team that's going to compete and compete well. I'm very pleased to see that we have got a group of guys who are back from last year. My biggest concern is losing a bunch of guys during the offseason and then you have to do the same thing they did after '97 -- rebuild again."
And there it is, five years later, still a sore spot. For Johnson, the dismantling of that team was felt even more deeply than it was by most of his teammates. He grew up in Florida. He went to the University of Miami. He came up through the Marlins organization. It is not too surprising that the memory of the breakup of a championship team still lingers, still rankles.
"It was very painful," he said. "You're always reminded about the '97 team because people still talk about it--how amazing the team was and how much talent we had. If you look at almost each starter on that team, those guys went on to be great fixtures on other teams. Great examples. Robb Nen. Gary Sheffield. Kevin Brown. Moises Alou. The list goes on and on. We had all those guys on one team. Who's to say how far we would have gone if we had stayed together? We would have been reloading instead of rebuilding.
"So my biggest concern with this team was losing guys again like the 1997 team. Because I don't think the fans of Miami, of South Florida, could take that again. I really don't believe they could. We're trying to get our fan base going again. I think the fans want to see some type of longevity, some type of commitment to South Florida.
"I think it was a big move for (new owner) Jeffrey Loria to come in and say he was really going to make a commitment to South Florida, to do the best he can to put a good product on the field. Hopefully, the fans will see that. The Marlins have been going through a tough process, but without a doubt we definitely need their help. We want to win ballgames and hopefully they'll respond to us, to our play, to our hustle, to our aggressiveness in the way we play the game.
"If you look around baseball, everybody loves to come to South Florida to play. Everybody loves to come to Miami to play. You just don't want to see a team leaving South Florida. You just can't see that happening. You don't want it to happen. Hopefully, it doesn't happen, because it's just a great place to play. Yeah, it rains a little bit in the summer, but everywhere you go has some type of elements. If you go up North it's going to be cold."
Speaking of commitments to South Florida, Johnson has made some. He signed as a free agent with the Marlins before the 2001 season when there was undoubtedly more money elsewhere for somebody of his stature in the game. And more recently he had an opportunity to void out years of his five-year deal and go on the market again. He chose to stay with the Marlins, even at a time when there was considerable uncertainty surrounding the franchise.
"Yes, I definitely have a commitment to play here, to do whatever I can to help us win games," he said. "I had a chance to move on (during) the offseason, but I didn't really want to go anyplace else, because that's why I signed -- to play here. That's why I took less money than I could have had other places to come back home. I wanted to be here. My biggest concern in the offseason was: Would they keep this team together? It came time in December to make a decision and at that point I really didn't know. But I knew I wanted to be here and I decided to ride it out. And I'm glad I stayed. At that point, we didn't know if the Marlins were going to be here or not. We didn't know if we were going to be contracted or not. So in a way it was a very tough decision to make, but at the same time it was easy, because I was already here."
For a franchise not even into its teenage years, this one has lived through some serious peaks and valleys. It has been to the summit and it has also wondered around the wilderness. But the belief around this team, based on the talent and the new management is, as Johnson says: "Things are definitely picking up again. We can definitely compete if we respect the game, respect each other and play hard."
And there has been one sure thing about this franchise: It always had a better chance when Charles Johnson was playing for it.
By Mike Bauman
MLB.com
Viera, Fla.-- We were looking for some pinpoint perspective on the mercurial Florida Marlins franchise, so we sought out a man who has seen both the great and the greatly disappointing while wearing the teal uniform.
Charles Johnson, four-time Gold Glove catcher, was the youngest starting player on the 1997 World Series championship team. Now, in the blink of an eye, at age 30, he's a veteran, a leader, really one of the older guys on a young 2002 Marlins team. He was traded away in the dismantling of that championship team, and when he returned to Florida last season, it seemed as though more than a few years had gone by.
"I came back last year, and I'm like the oldest guy in the starting lineup," he said with a smile. "Just a few years, complete turnaround."
Johnson is convinced that things are headed in the right direction again. There is considerable talent on hand, including some tremendous potential among the young starting pitchers. And Johnson says that new Manager Jeff Torborg and his coaching staff have made a very strong first impression.
After the Marlins worked out in a light but persistent rain Friday, Johnson was contemplating the past, the present and the future of the Marlins.
"I think we're in a good position right now," he said. "I think we're going to be a team that's going to compete and compete well. I'm very pleased to see that we have got a group of guys who are back from last year. My biggest concern is losing a bunch of guys during the offseason and then you have to do the same thing they did after '97 -- rebuild again."
And there it is, five years later, still a sore spot. For Johnson, the dismantling of that team was felt even more deeply than it was by most of his teammates. He grew up in Florida. He went to the University of Miami. He came up through the Marlins organization. It is not too surprising that the memory of the breakup of a championship team still lingers, still rankles.
"It was very painful," he said. "You're always reminded about the '97 team because people still talk about it--how amazing the team was and how much talent we had. If you look at almost each starter on that team, those guys went on to be great fixtures on other teams. Great examples. Robb Nen. Gary Sheffield. Kevin Brown. Moises Alou. The list goes on and on. We had all those guys on one team. Who's to say how far we would have gone if we had stayed together? We would have been reloading instead of rebuilding.
"So my biggest concern with this team was losing guys again like the 1997 team. Because I don't think the fans of Miami, of South Florida, could take that again. I really don't believe they could. We're trying to get our fan base going again. I think the fans want to see some type of longevity, some type of commitment to South Florida.
"I think it was a big move for (new owner) Jeffrey Loria to come in and say he was really going to make a commitment to South Florida, to do the best he can to put a good product on the field. Hopefully, the fans will see that. The Marlins have been going through a tough process, but without a doubt we definitely need their help. We want to win ballgames and hopefully they'll respond to us, to our play, to our hustle, to our aggressiveness in the way we play the game.
"If you look around baseball, everybody loves to come to South Florida to play. Everybody loves to come to Miami to play. You just don't want to see a team leaving South Florida. You just can't see that happening. You don't want it to happen. Hopefully, it doesn't happen, because it's just a great place to play. Yeah, it rains a little bit in the summer, but everywhere you go has some type of elements. If you go up North it's going to be cold."
Speaking of commitments to South Florida, Johnson has made some. He signed as a free agent with the Marlins before the 2001 season when there was undoubtedly more money elsewhere for somebody of his stature in the game. And more recently he had an opportunity to void out years of his five-year deal and go on the market again. He chose to stay with the Marlins, even at a time when there was considerable uncertainty surrounding the franchise.
"Yes, I definitely have a commitment to play here, to do whatever I can to help us win games," he said. "I had a chance to move on (during) the offseason, but I didn't really want to go anyplace else, because that's why I signed -- to play here. That's why I took less money than I could have had other places to come back home. I wanted to be here. My biggest concern in the offseason was: Would they keep this team together? It came time in December to make a decision and at that point I really didn't know. But I knew I wanted to be here and I decided to ride it out. And I'm glad I stayed. At that point, we didn't know if the Marlins were going to be here or not. We didn't know if we were going to be contracted or not. So in a way it was a very tough decision to make, but at the same time it was easy, because I was already here."
For a franchise not even into its teenage years, this one has lived through some serious peaks and valleys. It has been to the summit and it has also wondered around the wilderness. But the belief around this team, based on the talent and the new management is, as Johnson says: "Things are definitely picking up again. We can definitely compete if we respect the game, respect each other and play hard."
And there has been one sure thing about this franchise: It always had a better chance when Charles Johnson was playing for it.