Marlins Man had a strange interaction with Derek Jeter

It wasn’t exactly a meeting of people involved in the meth industry in New Mexico desert, but there was a sort of “Breaking Bad” moment on Tuesday night when Marlins co-owner Derek Jeter met with some unhappy fans at Marlins Park.

Laurence Leavy, aka Marlins Man, was one of those fans. When he got his chance at the microphone, Leavy asked Jeter, “do you know who I am?”

Jeter, who had 3,465 hits, won five World Series titles and made 14 All-Star Game appearances during a 20-year career with the Yankees, responded: “I’ve heard of you.”

The only thing that could have made that exchange better is if Leavy had channeled Heisenberg from “Breaking Bad” and requested: “Say my name.”

That didn’t happen, but Leavy’s ensuing monologue was unusual but ended with a good suggestion.

Leavy told Jeter about being a season-ticket holder since the team’s inception in 1993 (he also has season tickets for the Yankees and Mets), and had 20 tickets per game at one time. He cut that to 10 the last two years and then referred to himself in the third person.

“I have not renewed. The Marlins Man has not renewed, OK?” Leavy said.

Leavy then said his appearance at sporting events around the nation gave the Marlins exposure on his dime.

“I have promoted your product, because it’s yours now, nationwide for over five years for free,” Leavy said. “I’ve spent over half a million dollars every year wearing this product. The prior Marlin regime did not promote me.”

In fact, Leavy suggested to the previous Marlins owners that they have a “Marlins Man Monday,” in which fans wearing orange to the game would get a discount. Alas, the owners declined, Leavy said.

After that recap of all he’d done for the Marlins, Leavy said he’s interested in helping the team-fan relationship improve.

“I could wear any jersey I want,” Leavy said. “I have been offered by four ownerships to become their guy. I stand here today wearing your jersey. I want to work with you to make it better.”

No word on if the Royals are one of those teams, but Leavy’s appearances in Kansas City at games and with charitable donations have made him a favorite.

Leavy suggested that season-ticket holders get discount prices if they buy in long-term, because after Miami traded Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna, the near-term outlook is bleak.

“You want us to be loyal to you when you are not doing well. Give us a bargain for being loyal to you three or four or five years from now,” Leavy said.

Here is video of what Leavy said.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 11:14 AM.