Things are really ugly with the Marlins right now, both on and off the field. The team held their annual Fish ‘N Chips casino-style charity event Thursday night and advertised that fans would get an opportunity to “rub elbows” with some of their favorite players. However, none of the players showed up.
According to Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald, attending the event was not mandatory. However, a handful of players committed to going before ultimately bailing. Fans paid between $100 and $175 to come to the event.
Marlins president David Samson said he was disappointed with how things unfolded and planned to address the situation with the players. That’s not going to be awkward at all, especially after they put a manager with no experience in the dugout earlier this week. Steve Cishek said the players weren’t trying to send a message about the manager situation, but that they were just tired and frustrated:
“I can see why people are making a big deal about it — people pay money, want to be around the players,” said relief pitcher Steve Cishek, who is also the club’s player representative. “But you’ve got to realize we were here all day. Everyone is exhausted. You look at Dee Gordon, he’s stumbling around the locker room after the game, played his heart out. Everyone battled yesterday. It was just not the right timing. It’s tough to explain. It’s just the way things are going for us right now. All of our guys have taken it to heart. Everyone is an adult here. They just didn’t show up. Their decision.”
New manager Dan Jennings and most of his coaching staff were present for the event, as well as team president Mike Hill.
The Marlins have lost eight straight games and are 0-5 since Jennings moved from the front office into the dugout. After going into the spring with big expectations, the team sits at 16-27 and in last place in the National League East.
