The longtime radio broadcaster spent Sunday night tweeting his case for why this overachieving rebuilding team is worth supporting in person. The Marlins have returned to Miami to kick off a six-game homestand on Tuesday. This will be the last opportunity for local fans to see the Fish prior to the All-Star break. In what he called “my first real thread” on Twitter, Marlins radio play-by-play broadcaster Glenn Geffner urged South Florida to support a team that’s been fun and competitive in recent weeks: I love the enthusiasm I’ve seen on social media over the last several days. The young starters have been fun to watch. Bats are coming alive. Guys are playing hard every night. Win or lose. 20-15 over the last 35 games. More and more fans are telling me that they now see where this is headed, and they’re getting excited for the future of the Marlins franchise. They see great talent graduating from the minors to the majors with more talent developing in waves that will arrive later this season, next year and down the road. Now it’s time for people to start showing up at Marlins Park to support this team. You think it’s a coincidence they play better in front of 40,000 fans in St. Louis and Philadelphia than they do in front of 9,000 at home? Having energy in the ballpark makes a huge difference. Seriously. You can get tickets for $10. There are even free tickets available to select games for first responders, active and retired military and seniors. You wanted a new ballpark? You got one. You wanted a roof to get you out of the heat and rain? You got one. You wanted a new owner? You got one. For anyone who claims they’re not coming to games because of players who were traded away, this team was last in attendance (and below .500 annually) with all the guys you now claim you can’t live without. This ownership group is doing what they said they were going to do. They’ve invested in the ballpark experience and the community. And they’re building a team from the bottom up that will be able to compete annually, not once a decade. I know there is a small core group of you who come out regularly. In some cases literally every night. I love you guys, your incredible passion and undying devotion. You deserve a winner more than anybody. But for the rest of you, it’s time to start showing up. You’ve never been to Marlins Park? Grab the family and check it out once. You come once a year, come 2 or 3 times. There is no doubt this team and this franchise is headed in the right direction for the long haul. It’s time for you guys to start showing up. The Nationals and Phillies are in for 6 Tuesday-Sunday. Final home games before the All-Star break. Enough with the excuses. Grab some tickets and allow yourself to have some fun and support the hometown team. It’s time. The ballpark is great. The food is great. Parking is close, safe and convenient. And, in my experience, it’s cheaper than other pro sporting events in town or at any other big league park I’ve seen for comparable convenience. Geffner truly put in a hard night’s work (1:45 in the morning!), personalizing rebuttals for each person who attempted to poke holes in his argument. Do you know how long people drive to attend games in most major league cities? In LA traffic, or traveling across New England, or across the Midwest to see a Cardinals or Cubs game. And no one ever complained about long drives to see Dolphins or Canes at OB. Or Heat at AAA.— Glenn Geffner (@GlennGeffner) June 23, 2019 You know what helps you afford players? Among other things, asses in the seats. And I hate to burst YOUR bubble, but they signed Stanton & Yelich and others, and were still last in attendance. More people didn't show up when they gave Stanton a 13-year deal. That's not ownership.— Glenn Geffner (@GlennGeffner) June 24, 2019 They do. And you know what helps you get an even better TV deal? Generated interest in the team with things like rating and attendance.— Glenn Geffner (@GlennGeffner) June 24, 2019 During year one of Derek Jeter’s rebuilding process, the Marlins set an all-time franchise low with an average announced attendance of 10,014 fans per game. They are behind that pace so far in 2019—9,378 per game—despite a slightly improved product on the field. Promotions and special ticket deals applicable to the upcoming Nationals and Phillies series include: Social Media Night (Friday)—professional panel and Marlins player meet-and-greet Tómale Suave (Friday)—curated wine and food pairings; must be 21 or older Miguel Rojas bobblehead giveaway (Saturday)—first 10,000 fans Beerfest (Saturday)—early entry into the ballpark two hours before first pitch; must be 21 or older Kids pullover giveaway (Sunday)—first 5,000 fans 14 or younger Aside from the encouraging team performance that Geffner detailed, the Marlins are expecting Neil Walker (quad strain) back from the injured list in the coming days. Jorge Alfaro (concussion) is eligible to return on Friday. This is a topic that Danny addressed on the podcast last week. “The Marlins don’t only have to ‘win’ this rebuild: they have to dominate it” to bring back fans who chose self-imposed exile over Jeffrey Loria’s dysfunction. And even then, it’s hard to say what share of the population can bring themselves to step inside a building that was inefficiently funded with the community’s tax dollars. For those of you who live within 100 miles of Little Havana, when’s the last time you attended a game at Marlins Park? And what factors could persuade you to attend more often in the future?

Tank rose. Tank fell. What’s next? Miami Dolphins cornerback Cordrea Tankersley started for the first time Week 4 in a 2017 contest against the New Orleans Saints. He’d have more defensive snaps in this game (73) than he did in his 2018 campaign (29), before succumbing to an ACL injury during practice in preparation for Week 9. Drew Brees went at him early and often. Five times to be exact. On the 5th throw, Tank would nearly pick Brees off in the red zone. He was the seam help over the top, and flipped his hips to get his mitts on the target near the pylon (as a kid I always thought it was a “pile on”). The Saints would go at him twice the rest of the game (although one of those a 3rd quarter TD where Tank gets caught flat-flooted against Michael Thomas’ out route and Thomas barely sneaks in upon contact just before the goal line). For all intents and purposes, the Saints game at Wembley Stadium was a strong introduction to the NFL, and appeared ready for limelight: a confident competitor, sound tackler, and the moment never seemed too big. I liked Tony Lippett more than most, but I truly believed Tank would win the CB2 battle in 2018. In my best Foghorn Leghorn voice: shocked, I tell ya, shocked I was when neither won. 2018 is almost impossible to evaluate — not sure what the defensive coaches saw in practice/meetings that limited their trust in Tank (whether his fault or the coaches, I have no idea), and 14 pass coverage snaps is such a small sample size to make any conclusions about a significant drop-off in game situations. Phinsider Radio interviewed Armando Salguero last year as the news became known that Bobby McCain would be the starting boundary corner opposite Xavien Howard. Paraphrased, of course, because I can barely remember what I did yesterday, but the effect was this from Mando: he’s overthinking and as a result, losing confidence. Tank may start the season on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform list). Precarious situation, if true, in the sense that he’ll be joining a team who theoretically will be in “mid-season form” when coming back from the 6 week stint on PUP. I’m doing an article on the rise and fall of Cordrea Tankersley this week on @thephinsider. Who do you think is more likely to win the CB2 job, Tank or Eric Rowe?— A-A-Ron (@ASuttonPFN) June 23, 2019 As of this writing, 124 votes and Tank has 24%. I’ll admit to wording the tweet poorly, it should be framed around snap count, but still, the general impression is that CB2 is Eric Rowe’s job to lose. There’s more questions about how this situation will play out than the last season of Game of Thrones. Most importantly, how’s the knee and his recovery? Or, here’s another thought, can we just blame Matt Burke for Tank’s sophomore slump and call it a day? I’m banking on this coaching staff’s ability to get the most out of each player, especially young players. Whether or not Dolphins fans like the result after the dust settles, questions will get answered.

The Marlins went 5-2 overall against the Cardinals and Phillies, as their young starting pitching continues to set the tone. Last week’s Marlins games: June 17—Lost to the Cardinals, 5-0 June 18—Beat the Cardinals, 6-0 June 19—Lost to the Cardinals, 2-1 (F/11) June 20—Beat the Cardinals, 7-6 (F/11) June 21—Beat the Phillies, 2-1 June 22—Beat the Phillies, 5-3 June 23—Beat the Phillies, 6-4 Featured highlights include Zac Gallen’s much-anticipated major league debut, Trevor Richards and Jordan Yamamoto piling up the strikeouts, special game-winning plays from old-timers Sergio Romo and Wilkin Castillo, plus one of the most productive weeks of Brian Anderson’s Marlins career. Miami Marlins Highlights of the Week: June 17-23, 2019

Today we are going to take a look at one of the newest Dolphins and the man who will probably be leading their offense in week 1. The Dolphins were looking for a veteran who could play this year and mentor their new rookie quarterback next year. So the team went out and got the bearded wonder, Ryan Fitzpatrick. 2018 Review Fitzpatrick signed a one year contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and entered the season as the starter after Jameis Winston was suspended the first three games. In Fitzmagic fashion, the veteran balled out in the first three weeks meaning he got to keep the job when Winston came back. But that only lasted a bit, as Winston quickly replaced him in week 4. In week 8 against the Bengals, Winston was benched and in steps Fitzpatrick, who almost got them the win. In his eight games, Fitzpatrick recorded 2,366 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a career-high passer rating of 100.4. Contract Fitzpatrick signed a two-year, $11 million contract that included $7 million guaranteed.(OverTheCap) Why he will progress With Ryan Fitzpatrick, you are going to have some high highs and some low lows. There really is no in between with this guy. Perhaps he has more pop off games this year, but we already know what the Dolphins are getting with the veteran gunslinger. Why he might regress As I just stated, we already know what Fitzpatrick is capable of. It’s just a matter of when he decides to drop off and is then replaced by Josh Rosen. Chances of making the 53-man roster 100% percent. Fitzpatrick should be the starter week 1, as much as that pains a lot of people to see. Fitzpatrick will put together a ton of highlights followed by a ton of plays of “what was he thinking”. Honestly, Fitzpatrick is an exciting player to watch as you never know what you are going to get from him.