More Good Marlins News

This story is slightly outdated, so I apologize for that in advance. I planned to post about it this weekend...I forgot. Sorry.

Anyway, it's still worth evaluating three days later. According to Fish Stripes, the Marlins' TV ratings are absolutely soaring. Friday's Marlins-Phillies game had the highest TV rating in two years (which was a September playoff-like game), and the Marlins are consistently in the middle of the pack this year.

Here's what this means to me:

1. Fan interest is definitely out there.

2. With the new stadium, maybe some of these people will actually attend the games.

3. Are some of these people purposely not going to the games out of protest? I think so.

4. The general South Florida sports media needs to pay WAY more attention to the Marlins. They should be a much more prominent story than Bill Parcells or Jason Taylor. That's the problem.

Either way, I'm very encouraged by the recent surge. The Marlins could have a prosperous future here, after all.

Bring Back the Doubleheader

Today I went to a Marlins doubleheader, a regularly scheduled game with a second make-up game from last night's rainout, and it brought back loads of memories. Memories of my childhood, memories of 7-hour days and nights at Shea Stadium, and memories of days gone by.

When I was a kid, back in the 60's, we would all eagerly await the baseball schedule to see when there would be a doubleheader. See, back then, doubleheaders were a part of every team's schedule. As a Met fan in those days, there would be around two doubleheaders scheduled on Sundays during the year, often against one of the less popular teams to draw a crowd. They were the most sought after tickets. I remember my first, a doubleheader against the very popular St. Louis Cardinals, and they split. It turned out to be one of the greatest days I ever spent with my dad, at the ballpark on a hot June day in 1964 I believe.

Best of all were the twilight-night doubleheaders, the ones that started around 5:30 P.M. and ended around midnight (unless there were extra innings or a rain delay). There often used to be one of those per season too. Even if you got there late, or left early, there was plenty of baseball to be enjoyed, and the exhaustion at the end of the evening was well worth it. I once remember getting home so late that my parents thought I never would and couldn't reach me at all (no cell phones way back then).

Doubleheaders usually had a headliner pitcher in Game One, and frequently a rookie or part-time starter in Game 2. That was just the way it was today at Dolphins Stadium, with Hendrickson on the mound in the first game and an unknown pitcher, de la Cruz, called up from the Minors for the second. There was around a twenty minute break between games, and a twenty-nine minute rain delay to boot. The crowd was not too large, especially for a doubleheader, and particularly for game 2, but there was plenty of enthusiasm. It didn't hurt one bit that the Marlins swept, coming from behind in both games.

I wish they would schedule at least one doubleheader per season for each team. After all, if the Marlins get the retractable domed stadium as they expect, there won't be any more rainouts or doubleheaders at all. And that would be, well, just tragic!

Rain-Outs Soon to Be Gone

The Marlins were rained out for the first time at home this season. The precipitous Florida weather has finally decided to appear after a long hiatus (remember those wildfires?)

Enjoy these rain-outs while you can, because 2011 should mark the end of them. When the Marlins put that retractable roof atop their new stadium, every fan can feel certain of a game, all while enjoying the benefits of air conditioning. I for one can't wait.

One also has to wonder if Jay Warman will attend the double-header to make up for the game he missed.

Hanley Signing Now Official

Here's a reason to get excited again. According to our friends at Fish Stripes, the Hanley Ramirez signing is now official!

The press conference is taking place at...yes, the Orange Bowl site. If that's not symbolic of Hanley being the face of the franchise as it enters the new stadium in 2011, then I don't know what is. Here are some details:

"Ramirez will make $5.5 million in 2009, and the deal bumps up considerably in the upcoming years.

By coming to terms now, the Marlins will lock up Ramirez through his arbitration years (2009-2011), and then three more years, where he could have qualified for free agency. For those three seasons, the shortstop will earn $23.5 million.

The Dominican Republic native will get $15 million in 2012, $15.5 million in 2013 and $16 million in 2014.

So in what could have been his first three seasons of free agency, Ramirez will collect $46.5 million.

The contract doesn't not include a no-trade clause or a signing bonus."

An excellent deal for the Fish. My only concern? Carlos Delgado also had a backloaded contract, you may recall, which the Marlins precipitously took advantage of by dealing him to the cash-happy Mets. Let's hope that doesn't happen again. Positive thinking, positive thinking, positive thinking.

SFDB Gets An Interesting View of the Draft

Contrary to popular belief, ESPN does not have a monopoly on NFL Draft coverage, at least not in the Miami area. Read about The South Florida Daily Blog's sojourn to Dolphin Stadium for the Dolphins' Draft Day Party/Select a Seat event.

The pictures are pretty intriguing, and I have to highlight one quote:

"Throughout the stands, small groups of people relaxed in a kind of surreal setting not unlike a regular season Marlins game."

Rick's observation is reason #2011 why the Marlins need their own stadium.

Orange Bowl Demolition a Disco for Marlins

Most of you have probably heard of the horribly-gone-wrong Disco Demolition Night ballpark promotion in 1979 (Comiskey Park, Chicago). If you haven't, you must read (and laugh) about it here!

Many thought that was the end of disco in America, save for a few devout Whit Stillman fans in love with The Last Days of Disco. (By the way, if you want to give Whit Stillman a viewing, I highly recommend the one-of-a-kind Metropolitan).

Anyway, the point I'm inarticulately making is that the demolition of the Orange Bowl may be a sad, emotional day for Hurricanes fans, but it's a moment of reckless disco-like jubilation for Marlins fans. The Marlins owe the ghost of Hurricanes past for their fairy of Marlins future, and that is a phenomenon worth thinking about. Where do the rest of you stand on the issue?

In Defense of the Fans

DSponge had some disparaging remarks for the fans of South Florida, prompted by the embarrassing 10,000 man sit at the game last night. There's no question that South Florida fans are notorious front-runners - especially when it comes to the Marlins - and that they've been at their worst so far this Marlins season.

My defense is not so much for last night, but as a general mea culpa for the embattled psyche:

1. No group of fans has been through the kind of roller-coaster ride Marlins fans have endured. From a booning fanbase in 1993 that was thrilled to have a team through the World Series Championship in 1997, Marlins fans showed in pretty good numbers. It was the disastrous firesale of 1998 that set the franchise back a decade in support. Even with the inspiring victory in 2003, there were still remnants of that earlier distaste. Add the recent firesales of 2006 and 2008 (2004 gets a pass because every championship team has trouble paying all their players. All were kept except Lee and Pudge), and you can see why people don't care to show up.

2. I maintain that there's still significant interest in this team. The TV numbers may be slightly down this year, but the incredible ratings in years past can be attributed to real fan interest more than any great love for Tommy Hutton. Perhaps the new stadium will bring those people back off their couches and into colored seats.

3. It's been a horrible year for sports in general down here. Every team has been a disappointment, so I think people are just disenamored in general.

My Solution: The way to bring the fans back is to sign the current youngsters to long-term contracts (Hanley, Uggla, Willingham, perhaps Olsen, Miller, Volstad as they develop). What the fans want to see is commitment from the ownership just as much as they want a new stadium. It would seem ideal for these two to go hand in hand.

Marlins Stadium Info

Yesterday, I offered a few essential links for the 2008 Marlins fan. Those focused on the playing aspect of the team, including the farm.

For those intrigued by the business side of affairs (and let's face it; that's what the Marlins are concerned with), here is a cant-miss analysis of where the Marlins stand. It's a brilliant four-part series, with comprehensive diagrams, in-depth commentary, and general business savvy.

We at The South Florida Fan are extremely interested in the stadium issue (after all, it was the topic of our inaugural post). We will be keeping ourselves informed through Fish or Cut Bait throughout the season, as should you.

The Marlins Have a Stadium

What topic could be more fitting for an opening piece than the Marlins getting a stadium, an odyssey that lasted only 15 years (take that Ulysses!).

And yet in spite of all the waiting and deliberating, the Marlins - in typical fashion - have still managed to offend much of what was left of their fanbase. Here's a short list of the complaints:

1. Dade County and Miami shouldn't be bailing out cheap owners with a ridiculous payoff on the stadium.

How does one argue against that? You really can't, but faced with the possibility of our beloved Marlins leaving (look at Seattle), I can't help but cheer. Exploitation of resources for public works isn't a new concept, and if Miami wouldn't have built it, someone else would have (see San Antonio, Las Vegas). Let's rejoice that we still have a team!

2. It's a bad area.

True, but it's not as if they'll be checking weapons at the gate (shotgun, #31...pick it up after the game). Besides, if Miami has any competence, they'll be cleaning up the area by 2011 (maybe I'm giving them too much credit). Either way, this situation is salvageable.

3. The traffic will be a nightmare.

Um...I don't really have an answer for this one. Anyone who's traveled US-1 during rush hour knows how sluggish things can get, and I can't imagine ballgame traffic helping. Let's hope for good public transportation.

4. There won't be any parking.

That's if you ever get to the stadium. All joking aside, the traffic and parking quandary is so obviously untenuous that there has to be a new plan. Think of this on the bright side; if traffic and parking were only anticipated as slight problems, little action would be taken. The problems are so blatant that we'll get something major.

5. The team won't make money anyway.

Ahah! That's where you come in, and let's really prove those naysayers wrong. I'll see you all at the game!