Fredi Gonzalez, the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves has replaced Joe Girardi as the new manager of the Florida Marlins. The move comes on the same day as Girardi's firing.

The Marlins signed Gonzalez to a three-year contract.

Gonzalez was the Marlins' third base coach from 1999 through 2001. Before joining the Marlins major league club, he managed in the minor leagues for nine years, earning league manager of the year honors from Baseball America three times: in 1993 when High Desert finished 82-52 in the regular season and won the Class-A California League championship; in 1994, when Brevard County went 78-61 in the Class-A Florida State League; and in 1997, when he guided Portland (ME) to a 79-63 record and first place in the AA Eastern League.

(MLB.com) 

If you are shuttling between New York, Boston and Washington, you can now hop on "The Wright Flight", named after the New York Mets' All-Star third baseman, David Wright.

The plane's name and Wright's signature and jersey number (5) are next to the boarding door.

 "I use Delta to go home to visit family and friends," Wright said Monday, "so this will be pretty cool to take a plane named after me when I go home."

(The South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

The Blue Jays made a splash this past off-season by increasing player payroll by $26,195,500, which placed their Opening Day payroll at $71,915,000 -- an increase of 57.3% over the year prior.

It appears that the Blue Jays aren't done yet. There is speculation that their payroll might rise as high as $95 million (USD) next year, although the budget process won't be finalized until the end of October. "I think in the grand scheme of things we're coming a lot closer to coming in first place," said GM J.P Ricciardi. "I don't think we're that far away. We may need a couple of shakes here and there but I think we're in a better position to do some things now."

Key areas to address will be resigning Vernon Wells who becomes a free agent after the '07 season. As reported, Starter Ted Lilly, reliever Justin Speier, catchers Gregg Zaun and Bengie Molina (whose $7.5 million option won't be picked up) and left-fielder Frank Catalanotto are all headed for free agency and will have to be replaced if they're not re-signed. 

(The Canadian Press )

What has been speculated for over a month has, today, become a reality. Joe Girardi has been fired as manager of the Florida Marlins after one season with the club. He had a three-year guaranteed contract, meaning the Marlins will have to pay him for the two seasons he would have otherwise managed.

As we reported Sunday, Fredi Gonzalez is expected to fill Girardi's shoes.

As reported:

Girardi's strained relationship with [owner Jeffrey] Loria and general manager Larry Beinfest became public this summer. Loria subsequently declined to endorse the job Girardi did in his first year as a manager, even though the Marlins far exceeded expectations while playing 22 rookies.

The rift erupted at a game Aug. 6 when Loria berated an umpire while sitting behind the plate. From the dugout, Girardi asked the owner to stop, witnesses said. Loria angrily left his seat and confronted Girardi after the game during a 90-minute clubhouse meeting.

Loria declined to comment on the episode or respond to published reports that he fired Girardi, then changed his mind. Beginning in spring training, Beinfest clashed with Girardi over personnel decisions, and during the second half of the season the general manager was rarely seen in the clubhouse or manager's office.

(The South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

At the end of a three-day symposium hosted by the International Association of Athletics Federations yesterday, officials announced the need for better tracking of athletes' physiological makeup, and suggested the use of "health passports" to assist in that effort. The system would use a worldwide data base for storing and evaluating the information.

As reported:

"It's not that we suspect individual athletes but we wish to protect the vast majority who aren't doing anything wrong from those who try to cheat you, rob you and steal your glory," World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee member Arne Ljungqvist said. "That's why we need to profile all athletes individually."

Health passports - or medical profiles - could help anti-doping agencies identify abnormalities or detect sudden changes in an athlete's blood. WADA first championed the idea in 2001, but it has recently gained momentum.

Currently, testers measure athletes' samples against predetermined average levels for substances naturally occurring in the body - such as EPO and testosterone. But this potentially allows athletes with naturally low levels to cheat without being detected.

The IAAF's medical and anti-doping commission hopes to launch the project before the world championships at Osaka next August.

(The AP)