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The 7 - Baseball - Florida Marlins: We hardly knew ye
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sweetroll
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#1 Posted on 6.5.05 1851.49
Reposted on: 6.5.12 1852.42
Strikeout for Marlins stadium (miami.com)

The Florida Legislature refused to pony up the cash to build a new stadium in Little Havana.

The only hope for the Marlins to stay in South Florida is to cozy up to Wayne Huizenga and pray he lets them stay at Dolphins Stadium with a better lease than they have now.

As it stands now, the team gets NO money from parking or concessions, and they pay Wayne through the nose for the right to play there. Couple that with an atrocious TV deal, and under the status quo, the team's in a money losing situation.

This is just a bad situation from top to bottom. Even if the team had gotten their stadium next to the Orange Bowl... man, you think attendance stinks now? The new digs would be in a HORRENDOUS neighborhood that you don't want to be driving through 81 nights a year. Even with the assumed urban renewal, there was little chance the Boca/Lauderdale crowd was going to make the 60-90 minute drive with any regularity.

Sure, Dolphins Stadium sucks for baseball, generates little revenue, and is in the middle of nowhere. At least it's convenient for the 2.5 million people north of Miami-Dade.

Viva Las Vegas, Marlins.
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Whitebacon
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#2 Posted on 6.5.05 2024.59
Reposted on: 6.5.12 2026.08
So is Portland going to be the next spot to get a team? I would think No. Virginia is out of it now with the Expos moving to DC. I doubt MLB would EVER go to Vegas.
PeterStork
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#3 Posted on 6.5.05 2043.06
Reposted on: 6.5.12 2045.19
While it'll be a shame if they move, so be it given the fan support (or lack thereof.)

I don't have figures in front of me, so correct me if I'm wrong, but the ballpark looks half-empty every night even a year ago coming off of a world title. I can stomach that in '98 after The Fire Sale --- fan protest and all --- but they were a consensus pick to win the East last year and the fans still couldn't support the team as strongly as they should. Blame the stadium's location, blame the rain, whatever, but I'd walk naked through North St. Louis with John McClain's "I Hate [Black People]" sandwich board to watch the Cardinals play in the snow. If the fans don't share this passion at least by half and the Marlins can't finance a ballpark privately (since taxpayer dollars aren't needed for such an unnecessary tourist attraction; unlike STL, the area won't be crushed by the sudden loss of the team) then MLB should say goodbye and make Marty McFly's view of the 2015 World Series result officially null and void (barring realignment, of course.)

Portland would have to be the favorite, though baseball should really try and screw with people: buy the team and move it to Montreal.
sweetroll
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#4 Posted on 6.5.05 2117.15
Reposted on: 6.5.12 2119.08
So far this year, the Marlins are 20th in attendance, at 24,595/game -- better than the first place White Sox. Last year, they were 26th.

I'm going to veer wildly off topic here... this market (and Tampa's) is comprised heavily of new residents. Even people who grew up down here did so having a strong rooted interest in other teams. It will take at least a generation to grow up with the Marlins/Rays in town for true die-hards to emerge.

I grew up in Florida, and was raised a die-hard Cubs fan. And I still am one. The Cubs are my wife, the Marlins are my mistress. It's very difficult to just pack up a lifetime of memories and declare myself a Marlins fan.

Florida franchises in all sports -- save the Dolphins -- have only had attendance success when they've succeeded on the field (ice, court, whatever). Look at the Marlins WS run two years ago. It's hard to look at 65,000+ for every postseason game and not see SOME hope of prolific attendance.

Alas, the transient nature of Florida sports fans is a reason, not an excuse, for lame crowds. In the immediate future, the Marlins will be a money-losing venture.

Dolphins Stadium isn't too far away to be a burden to drive to. But, it isn't close enough to a major population center to have a pool of guaranteed attendees every night. Personally, I make it to about 20 games a year. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to divvy up 20 Designated Driver shifts among friends?!?

If Huizenga still owned the team, we wouldn't be talking about any of this. When he owned the Dolphins, Marlins and Panthers, the plan was to build a baseball stadium, hockey arena and super badass mall on the land next to Dolphins Stadium. He couldn't get the tax breaks he needed, and sold the Marlins and Panthers.

In a perfect world, Broward County would pony up the cash to build a new stadium in downtown Lauderdale. Unfortunately, in their infinite wisdom, officials thought it would be a good idea to pay for a hockey arena in the middle of the Everglades. That didn't turn out so well, so they're out of the stadium game.

The situation was so dire down here, it was said the Marlins gave strong consideration to Don King's proposal to build the team a stadium on his land WAYYYYY north of here, in Jupiter. I can't fathom on what parallel universe THAT would be a good idea.

Fish execs met with Vegas officials late last year. Take that for what it's worth.
geemoney
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#5 Posted on 6.5.05 2219.36
Reposted on: 6.5.12 2222.18
I've read that they're still hoping a deal can get done somehow- they're certainly not giving up.

I don't know much about Florida politics, but it sounds like Tom Lee is the one killing this deal.
El Nastio
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#6 Posted on 13.5.05 1034.26
Reposted on: 13.5.12 1036.53
As a (still) very bitter Expos fan, who I believe in a thread earlier wished a plague upon the house of Loria, I believe what I want to say now is;

How does it feel, Marlins fans? How does it feel to get screwed over by an owner and the government?

No place to move to. A bad lease in an aweful baseball building. All we need is the roof to collapse and things may in fact come full circle.




What a shame.

/sarcasim

(edited by El Nastio on 13.5.05 1136)
mountinman44
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#7 Posted on 13.5.05 1731.54
Reposted on: 13.5.12 1732.09
I never understood why they let Loria own another team to begin with. The man single-handedly destroyed baseball in Montreal. He has now failed in his Huizenga II attempt (win the World Series, buck for a new yard). The State of Florida was never going to go for this. They said so months ago, before Loria tried to play the Vegas card. It's just too bad that Florida will be stuck with the Devil Rays if the Marlins move.
geemoney
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#8 Posted on 13.5.05 2113.15
Reposted on: 13.5.12 2113.31
    Originally posted by mountinman44
    I never understood why they let Loria own another team to begin with. The man single-handedly destroyed baseball in Montreal. He has now failed in his Huizenga II attempt (win the World Series, buck for a new yard). The State of Florida was never going to go for this. They said so months ago, before Loria tried to play the Vegas card. It's just too bad that Florida will be stuck with the Devil Rays if the Marlins move.

Loria has been the best owner the Marlins have had (albeit the two others weren't great). It's not HIS fault we couldn't get a stadium, it's the state of Florida's fault (in my opinion). He's done everything he can to get us a new stadium.
Corajudo
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#9 Posted on 16.5.05 1014.39
Reposted on: 16.5.12 1021.58
It's not HIS fault we couldn't get a stadium, it's the state of Florida's fault (in my opinion). He's done everything he can to get us a new stadium.

He hasn't done everything within his ability. If it's that great of a deal and that much better than his current arrangement, then he would build it himself. Or, he could find private investors to fund the cost of the ballpark.

I don't see how the failure to secure public funding for a stadium constitutes 'everything he can do to get us a new stadium.' That is simply the easiest and least costly thing for him to do. If he's serious about this, then his work has only begun.
JoshMann
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#10 Posted on 16.5.05 1038.06
Reposted on: 16.5.12 1040.30
The reps from Orlando and Daytona put too many ornaments on the tree for this to viably pass, period. Orlando wanted money for a new arena or to have TD Waterhouse redone and Daytona wanted $75 million for a NASCAR museum, and that made the bill way too expensive for the Senate's liking.



(edited by Blanket Jackson on 16.5.05 1138)
geemoney
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#11 Posted on 17.5.05 1500.31
Reposted on: 17.5.12 1507.44
MLB has given the Marlins til' June 9th to hammer out a stadium plan.....OR ELSE.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/baseball/marlins/sfl-stadium17may17,0,2673554.story?coll=sfla-sports-marlins
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