Jeter bags Mr. Marlin

Mr. Marlin wasn’t interested in what Mr. November & Co. had to offer.

Jeff Conine, an original Marlin and former special assistant to then-team president David Samson, told the Miami Herald that he turned down a diminished role within the organization under the new ownership of Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman.

It would have cut his salary in half to about $50,000, according to the newspaper.

“To say I’m disappointed, that I won’t have a role in this organization, yeah, I’m disappointed,” Conine said on Thursday.

“I spent 7½ years as a player and the last nine years as someone working with the organization,” he added. “I’ve always considered myself a Marlin. I’m a member of this community. I want to see them win again. I want to see them get back to the World Series and the playoffs.”

After he, along with other special assistants Jack McKeon and Tony Perez, were fired in September, they were all offered new jobs. Conine said his role would have been confined to spring training and “community service type things.”

“It was diminished everything across the board,” Conine told the Miami Herald. “I didn’t feel it was worth my time and I’m going to explore other opportunities.”

Last month, the league announced that an ownership group led by the Yankees icon and Sherman was unanimously approved by current MLB owners to purchase the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria.