FISH ARE JUMPIN'

THE MARLINS REACH THE FALL CLASSIC BY UPSETTING TRADITION AND THE BRAVES

In the beginning was the letter carrier. When the brand-new Florida Marlins held their first open tryout six years ago, a stout 36-year-old mailman named Joe Ciccarone showed up in a Cubs cap and a softball jersey to audition at shortstop. At the time, Ciccarone told Gordon Edes of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, "When the Marlins win the World Series for the first time in the year 2011, I'll be able to tell my kids I was at their first tryout."

Ciccarone didn't make the team and may have made a terrible prediction. Last week the nouveau riche Marlins took the...

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