Marlins To Break Ground on New Ballpark on July 18

             The Marlins have announced on their website that ceremonial groundbreaking for the team's new ballpark will be July 18.

             The 37,000-seat, retractable roof ballpark, which will be located on the former site of the Orange Bowl, is scheduled to open in 2012.

             The groundbreaking ceremony will occur from 10 a.m. to noon on July 18 and will be open to the public.

            

Comments

[Bob Greasy]

Hurray!

[James]

Thats if the bond is approved.

[greg]

At some point you have to feel sorry for all of those who actually think a new ballpark is going to do anything for the Marlins. They will still attract several thousand fans for each game - maybe less considering the rathole they are putting the new stadium in (good luck on parking!). Payroll will always be the lowest in the league. Miami has so many transplants that there will never be a consistent fan base as with most other major cities. The fact that I walked up and paid face value for a lower level ticket to game 7 of the 1997 World Series says it all about this town....

[Alejandro Sosa]

What a joke! Teachers are losing their jobs, our infrastructure is failing, the roads suck, and all our politicnas care about is having a box seat and their name permanently on the entranceway. Millions of tax dollars given away. It will take me four hours to get out of the area after a game. What a load of miedra. If I were ever to support a stadium it would be placed in a location such as bicentenial park. Look at the coverage Candlestick park, er, 3COM park gets. So instead exterior shots of this new stadium will show a run down disgusting part of Miami. The folks in the US will need a translator to read the signs vs. showing beautiful pictures of downtown Miami overlooking the waterways to entice visitors. The fact of the matter is if the owner cannot afford his own ballpark then take your sorry arse to another city. I will not support this team or the owner and it is time to vote the current bunch of politicos out of office so they can get a real job.

[blackastronaut.blogspot.com]

this is a complete waste of money

[Sammy From Miami.]

The best situation is look @ pittsburgh pirates. They got a new stadium in 2001. Since completion, PNC Park has been hailed as one of the best ballparks in the country. It has the third-cheapest average ticket prices of any MLB stadium and has helped attract business to surrounding establishments, though the Pirates have not had a winning season since they moved to the stadium. The owner once affirmed that he was frustrated with his own team referencing popular and political complaints about an implied "promise" that the publicly-funded PNC Park would provide the owners will all the resources they needed to field a winning team. The Pirates have finished under .500 for 15 straight seasons.(trailing the Phillies with 16) Yet the owner has one of the highest income revenue in baseball. And am supposed to believe the Marlins theory.

[Bama003]

I farted!!

[Luisga]

At some point you have to feel sorry for all of those who actually think a new ballpark will do nothing for the Marlins. -GREG- The development will do wonders for the area, and the fans will go. The only reason you got Series tickets is because they make all Land Shark Stadium seats available for a game of that magnitude...i believe it was about 70,000 seats for the playoffs that year. Why are people so negative. Atleast we are using the money for something. Improving the infrastructure in an area that needs it, and the parking lots are part of the deal so stop talking about the parking situation people. Another thing...THIS MONEY CAN NOT BE USED FOR THINGS LIKE EDUCATION AND TEACHERS...SO STOP, STOP MAKING THAT ARGUMENT.

[Luisga]

By the way...the ballpark is happening. If you don't like it don't go. Don't support the team. Who cares. The Marlins and the real fan base will not care. TV rating as great. People don't go to the games because the stadium is in BFE, and it rains half the time. Solution...a balpark that is closer...and with a roof. WOW. OH! and the payroll will go up since the team wount have to pay the ridiculous fees to the Dolphins for the use of the ball park. That is why the Marlins lose money everyyear...not because of attendance.

[jim]

Mr "god" Samson has invited all Marlins fans to the groundbreaking ceremony. the announced attendance at games include all season ticket holders and all skybox seats, whether or not anyone actually shows up. Will the attendence at the ceremony include those people?

[DoesHisResearch]

I love those who complain about the schools, hospitals and infrastructure when griping about the stadium. If they only took 10 minutes out of their day and did some research they would find out none of the stadium money can be used for any of those functions BY LAW.

[Don]

I think its better. Its a rathole area where the football stadium is. the new baseball stadium is only a few minutes from bayside, 15-20 minutes in the evenings to so be w/o traffic, and you do have the little havana culture which if they spice up that area like other cities, it can be great. WE needed a new stadium, more of the people that live on so be, the expensive islands, key biscayne, grove, coral gables, would be willing to go to a game there, then drive thru rush hour to go north. ITS THE MIAMI MARLINS-they belong in Miami, and thats the real miami------all the culture from the beach to the taste of the islands is all a short drive from the new park

[Don]

REGARDING TIME LEAVING THE NEW STADIUM----IDIOTS-THIS AINT the old 75000 people leaving at the same time from a 80's dolphin or canes game. its 37k, parking garages and lots, and most baseball games are different and people dont stay until end. There wont be any traffic issues like the old days--------get over it. 37k seats, vs 700000 at orange bowl, big difference. get over it

[datruth55]

I take it no one here gripping at city officials voted for them. If you did, well, that's your own fault. Maybe next time you'll do some research on their voting history instead of listening to their rhetoric.

[keithmiller]

HURRY UP & GET IT DONE SO THE FINS CAN HAVE THIER STADIUM BACK!!! MAKE IT BIG ENOUGH TO PLAY SOCCER & WHAT EVER ELSE CAN BE PLAYED THERE, SO YOU WONT HAVE TO DESTROY THE LAND SHARK STADIUM!!!

[thejuandiggler]

Greg is an un-informed bafoon.
I too would rather spend $$$ on teachers , cops and some for my fire dept , but reality is that it's not available so let's help that side of town and the Marlins at same time.
I do think it should have been mandated for the Marlins to fork out more $$$ in stadium deal.

[Manu]

This stadium is one of the most irresponsible things I've seen in the 3 years I've been a Miami resident. The fact that the city would rather spend money on building a stadium instead of focusing on the failing school system is amazing.

Baseball stadiums do not bring long term economic growth to a city. If you want to stimulate the economy start with an educated work force. This will attract companies and jobs to the area....that's long term economic growth.

No one is going to attend these games...it's Miami Arena all over again.

[Manu]

DoesHisResearch.....

You're telling me they can't reallocate that money to schools???

When I lost my job I reallocated my savings account to my checking account to pay my mortgage. This was done because I needed to do it. When Miami high schools are rated amongst the worst in the nation...money needs to be reallocated.

[Dave in Homestead]

greg...get on I95 and head north. You'll be back in new york in no time

[Kim]

While I didn't agree with how the stadium will be funded, now that it's a done deal, I hope it is a success. I just hope all of those who who were in favor of it, especially the officials who approved it, put their money where their mouth is and support the team as much as possible.

[Rab]

I love how most of you seem to have absolutely no clue where the money is coming from and how it can and can't be used.

It can't be used for teachers, it can't be used for hospitals, it can't be used for infrastructure that isn't related to things like stadiums, it can't be used for police, it can't be used for any of that.

It CAN be used to pay all the construction workers who will be building it though.

[Rab]

Manu, maybe you're right, we do need better education, that way people will learn that none of this money is coming from anything like a savings account and moving it to a checking account.

Seriously, it's literally ILLEGAL to use these funds for what you want to use it for.

[Jose Medina]

boycot the Marlins until they pay for their own stadium!

[jeff b]

Really ridiculous I would say. I go to about ten games a year. I live in N Bro ward. Looks like they lost me as a customer. I will still watch on TV though

[The Addick]

You want ridiculous? All that money went on the new Yankee stadium, but they've already had postponed games due to the weather. That's ridiculous.
Genius, they spent a fortune, and didn't feel a retractable roof was necessary?
At least the Marlins will have that, which will encourage more fans to attend. No more "running for cover" or melting in 90 degree heat and 90% humidity. All the haters and nay-sayers can piss off, if they don't like it, they're not Marlin fans, so who gives a crap what they think?

[Julian]

Can't wait!

[n hernandez]

To all ignorant Broward County lover, we don't want you here in Miami-Dade County, specially in Little Havana. Get it HAVANA !!!! And if Broward if so great why do you have to come to work in Miami every day. We all know that it was not the best deal ever but it is better than nothing and it beats driving to that stadium with that ugly name and giving all that money the FAT BOLD OLD MAN FROM THE NORTH

[Sammy From Miami.]

I read some of these post and it sounds like david sampson, jeffrey loria, larry beinfest wrote some of them just to make it sound good.

[Rab]

And I get the feeling some of them are working for Norm Braman. Your point?

Not everyone who understands the fact and disagrees with you is a plant.

[Manu]

Rab:

Illegal? So we can change that law. Does every law on the books make sense to you? I don't understand government financing, but if I apply logic to this situation it doesn't make sense to spend the money where it's going. If you have money earmarked for infrastructure, use it for another city works project. Build something that makes sense. The city is going to economically tie itself to something as fickle as a baseball team. It's not a sound investment...IMO.

[Manu]

The Addick....the Yankees paid for most of their stadium. That pretty much entitles them to build whatever they want. We are paying for the Marlins' stadium which gives us the right to moan, complain, hate, and criticize as much as we want.

True, I'm not a Marlins fan, but so what, this isn't about sports. It's about our government handing over millions to private company with the stong possibility that we won't see anything tangible in return.