The Marlins and Braves canceled their game at Marlins Park yesterday afternoon, but "scores of fans -- many of them tearful -- showed up anyway" to pay tribute to Marlins P Jose Fernandez, who was found dead yesterday morning, according to a front-page piece by Healey & Clary of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. The fans "formed a makeshift shrine of flowers and handwritten notes outside one of the stadium’s entrances." The video board in center field at Marlins Park, as well as electronic signage outside the stadium, "went all black with orange lettering" of Fernandez' name and number. On the mound, the grounds crew "stenciled in a white '16.'" The team store "was open, and many fans snapped up Fernandez T-shirts and jerseys." Marlins President David Samson said, "As you see around you, there are no words to describe how this organization feels. There’s no playbook. There’s no words of consolation." Every Marlins player and coach, plus other team personnel, attended a news conference Samson held (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/26). In Miami, Greg Cote writes the Marlins today will "try to get back to work," playing a game against the Braves "in the honor of the teammate shockingly gone." Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton said of the team, "We’re a wreck." Cote notes Fernandez' loss to the Marlins, in a baseball sense, "is seismic" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/26). The SUN-SENTINEL's Tim Healey notes the Marlins "have not announced how they will honor Fernandez." Samson indicated that the team will work to ensure Fernandez' "legacy and memory stay strong" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/26). In New Jersey, Bob Klapisch writes the franchise "will never fully recover from an incident this horrifying" (Bergen RECORD, 9/26). The NATIONAL POST's Scott Stinson writes yesterday was a day to "remember that wins and losses can sometimes feel very small" (NATIONAL POST, 9/26).
FALLEN STAR ATTRACTION: In DC, Barry Svrluga notes the Marlins have traditionally "struggled to draw crowds," but Fernandez' starts "became events known as 'Jose Day.'" The Marlins this season "averaged 16,932 fans on nights Fernandez didn’t pitch." On the 16 times he took the mound, that average "jumped to 20,975" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/26). A's 1B Yonder Alonso, who is from Miami, said, "When he pitched, they would sell 6,000-7,000 more tickets. He was the guy for the Marlins who was their face. He was beloved. It’s a blow to the team, to the city, to everyone" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/26). Marlins broadcaster Rich Waltz said, "He was such a touchstone of enthusiasm and joy and all of those things to the ball club." Marlins broadcaster Preston Wilson added, "He was passion personified, that’s really the best way I could put it. He engaged with the fans" (MLB Network, 9/25).
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: In N.Y., John Harper writes had Fernandez not died, he "may well have become one of the most famous, greatest, and important players in the history of the sport." He was "on his way to becoming as much a face of baseball as anyone in the game." Fernandez was the "perfect player" to help make baseball "more appealing to younger fans" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/26). ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes, "The 'what might have been' scenarios shouldn't merely be confined to what he could have accomplished on a pitcher's mound. This was a guy who was going to make a mark on the planet" (ESPN.com, 9/25). On Long Island, David Lennon writes Fernandez "quickly grew into one of the sport's most brilliant young stars, a sturdy pillar for the game's next generation" (NEWSDAY, 9/26). SI.com's Tom Verducci wrote the death of a player "this accomplished and this young is virtually unprecedented" (SI.com, 9/25). In Buffalo, Mike Harrington writes MLB "probably hasn't had such a loss" since Thurman Munson died in a plane crash in '79 (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/26).
GENERATIONAL PERSONALITY: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner writes Fernandez "stood as something of a cultural bridge in baseball, challenging its staid behavioral norms with unbridled verve" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/26). USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes the shock of Fernandez' death "was evident in every clubhouse in baseball, with grown men weeping, others sitting numb in front of their lockers, everyone in utter disbelief." Never had a "younger, brighter star, with a résumé already establishing himself as one of the game’s greatest, left us so quickly" (USA TODAY, 9/26). USA TODAY's Jorge Ortiz writes at a time when MLB is "trying to appeal to the younger set and the Hispanic market," Fernandez "personified many of the traits the game wants to promote." He was "at the forefront of a new generation of players expected to carry the game past its stodgy ways and into a future where self-expression is welcome, the better to attract a youthful audience raised on social media" (USA TODAY, 9/26). ESPN.com's Dan Le Batard writes in the "history of South Florida sports," only former Marlins P Dontrelle Willis has matched Fernandez' "contagious enthusiasm and charisma" (ESPN.com, 9/25). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jared Diamond writes Fernandez was "one of the most exciting and beloved young stars in all of baseball." He already was known "as an icon and an ambassador for baseball, bringing flair and personality to a sport that historically has repressed public displays of exuberance" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/26).
LOSS FOR THE COMMUNITY: A South Florida SUN-SENTINEL editorial states of Fernandez, "You could feel his charisma if you were sitting in the upper deck of Marlins Park. You could feel it if you watched him on TV. When he pitched in Miami, it wasn't so much a game as it was a joyous event. He was everything good and meaningful about Miami. In an era when too many sports stars remain aloof, there was nothing but passion and enthusiasm coming from Jose Fernandez" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/26). A MIAMI HERALD editorial runs under the header, "Death Of Miami Marlins Jose Fernandez Is A Blow To Our Community, But Remember His Joy." Marlins broadcaster Wilson said, "The timing for him coming to the Miami Marlins was perfect, it really was. You had a community that needed a reason to come out to watch baseball, you had a guy who was engaging, bi-lingual and could engage both massive demographics here in South Florida" (MLB Network, 9/25). ESPN's Pedro Gomez said Fernandez was "viewed as the shining beacon in this community, and the community is numb" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 9/26). ESPN's Eduardo Perez: "The impact he left on the community, the Cuban community, on the children, those kids won't forget" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN2, 9/25).
RIPPLE EFFECT: The WASHINGTON POST's Svrluga notes none of the 14 ballparks that hosted games yesterday "escaped the impact" of Fernandez' death (WASHINGTON POST, 9/26). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan notes a moment of silence was "held in every ballpark." Some teams "wrote his No. 16 on their caps, or, like the Cubs, hung jerseys with Fernandez's name on the back in their dugouts" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/26). Also in Chicago, Tom Musick notes the marquee outside Wrigley Field yesterday read, "Jose Fernandez -- 1992-2016" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/26). In Boston, Peter Abraham reports Red Sox DH David Ortiz "asked the Rays to cancel their on-field ceremony to honor him" ahead of his upcoming retirement "out of respect for Fernandez." Ortiz: "They asked me about it and I was like, ‘No, it’s not a day to celebrate'" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/26). In Miami, Adam Beasley notes the Dolphins yesterday held a "moment of silence before kickoff of their home opener" against the Browns (MIAMI HERALD, 9/26).
