Marlins Announce Jose Fernandez Not the Opening Night Starter

[Namaste]

This needs its own thread.....

As mentioned first by rmc523, the Marlins are starting Chen on Opening Night.

Jose to start Game 2 at 4:55 PM.

[Blackout Pact]

What the reasoning behind not starting Jose?

[Mainge]

Has to be box office motivated, no?

[Namaste]

I think so, Mainge.

They're claiming it will afford him more rest days this season.

They want a full house Opening Night and the next day.

[tjfla]

Has to be box office motivated, no?

$$$. They get a full house for opening night and then should get a really nice crowd for Jose

The same reason why we kept Ichiro around and are fine playing in NC. Anything to get free marketing and sell more merch

He is gonna be gone so might as well make what u can off him now

[emkayseven]

mlb teams share merchandise sales equally

[Swifty]

mlb teams share merchandise sales equally

Not true. Items sold through local team store/ballpark is the team's to keep. MLB.com and other retailers is split 1/30.

[Party]

Swifty is correct.

[thatnewguy]

This is not a move I'm happy with but I'm pretty sure this isn't unprecedented. If memory serves, the Mets did this with Matt Harvey and the Nationals did it with Steven Strasburg.

[HUGG]

Yeah, this is hardly uncommon.

[Namaste]

Yeah, this is hardly uncommon one time

True true

[Maddawg]

What do they pull for the 3rd game ? Target practice with Loria in the bullseye ? That should get a full house and then some....and that's just the managers, former GM's and former Marlins players that hate that FPoC.

[thatnewguy]

I think the 3rd game is just gonna be Adam Conley.

[Namaste]

And to think how the 2016 ended. I still get sad when I see a picture of Fernandez. Sad for so many people.

[fish16]

I dont even remember this happening. Jose dying is still horrifying a year later. Seeing his last out and then his mom and grandmother celebrating while in retrospect knowing that he would die like 3 days later is so terrible. Say what you want about how reckless and irresponsible the way he died was, you just have to still feel terrible for a grieivng mother, grandmother, wife, and child who will never know their father.


*Whispers* Not to mention it really set the franchise back about 5 years.