Worth the price of a subscription (if you aren’t subscribing already), The Athletic is featuring an article series this week about “the worst team I ever covered.” Pretty self-explanatory: beat writers with decades of experience in particular sports explain what it’s like on the field and behind the scenes of a non-competitive, dysfunctional season. Unsurprising, the 1998 Florida Marlins earned a mention in the MLB installment.
David O’Brien—now an Atlanta Braves beat writer at The Athletic—was working for the Sun Sentinel at that time. As he recalls, even the coaching staff had no delusions about defending their 1997 World Series championship:
Near the end of 1998 spring training, Florida Marlins manager Jim Leyland sat behind the desk in his office at Space Coast Stadium in Melbourne, Fla.