BasesLoadedWalk

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/press_...sp&c_id=fla At home plate will be the flags of Miami-Dade County, City of Miami and the Florida Marlins. First base will be marked with the flag of lead-architect, Populous. At second base will be the flag of the United States of America and at third will be the flag of the project's construction manager, Hunt/ Moss, a joint venture. The flags will also be illuminated at night and home plate, the bases and base lines are painted to form a baseball diamond.

http://www.accuweather.com/news-weather-fe...4&year=2009 "Only" two HRs last night. Wind was said to be unfavorable to hitters this time. Lots of Fankee fans breaking a sigh of relief. Doesn't change their weakness in pitching, though.

The team's planning to use a stadium camera very soon. Groundbreaking still is expected in July, but within weeks, visitors to the Web site will be able to see developments on the grounds of the future home of the franchise.

I guess from their perspective, the joy of spending summer nights in clear night sky is worth the tradeoff. :confused

I'm proud to say I read the whole article. :arms I think it took 45 minutes. I lost track of time even though the clock is right in front of me on the taskbar. :blink: Yeah I'm real interested on what it had to say, since I have my own thoughts about the place. So? What did it say? Anything we didn't know? Building code violations up the wazoo? Buildings will fall appart spontaneously? What what Slave labor, debt servitude, seizure of passports from migrant labor, Emiratis don't care and just look the other way. That's the article in short. The slave labor and debt servitude are bad enough. But what really gets me is that people's passports are seized. That's really scary! I've always thought that someone's passport is one's own property and belongs to the holder of that passport for as long as good. I would rather run and risk getting killed than give up my passport to some shady character who thinks he has the right to hold me indefinitely! I'll even go as far as to say that seizing someone's passport without just cause is against human decency. Unfortunately, the UAE isn't the only country where this thing is happening. Yes, I've read the article before. The Guardian doesn't pull any punches when it comes to criticizing rich rulers they don't like.

How many actually use this service? Now, I can understand if people think of AOL as ancient history but from listening to the service it is not all that bad. They've recently teamed up with CBS Radio, which provides feeds from their many radio stations for online streaming. I do like their K-Rock feed (No, not the radio station that changed formats last month but the internet station [used to be called K-Rock 2]) for they play a lot of the music that I like that haven't been played in a long time. They'll never approach the likes of Pandora or Live365 but if you're a novice at this whole internet radio thing then it's not a bad place to start.

f***ING JONAS BROTHERS I've heard of them. Never gotten the desire to listen to any one song of theirs. I guess I'm lucky that way. As for me, this is an easy one: "Day 'N' Nite" by Kid Cudi Why oh why do these radio stations have to play that song nonstop?! Give me "Love Spy" by Mike Mareen anytime. At least that song is more fun, even if it's eurodance.

They should put up a monument to these: More interesting than the Mets' level of play this season, to say the least.

I can live with 75?. At least it's not the unbearable, sticky mid-August at 1PM, body-draining, no-shade scorcher, with the only "relief" coming from a hurricane hundreds of miles offshore, that none but a few hardy souls would have dared to be in. :sweating Beggars can't be choosers.

Interview with Dave Howard (VP/Mets): http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?...audioId=3609825 Interview with Lonn Trost (COO/Yankees): http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?...audioId=3611073

http://blogs.trb.com/sports/custom/busines...ate_no_243.html Relevant quote: The ballpark is already part of the fabric at Dolphin Stadium. The team showed a video on the scoreboard with renderings by architecture firm Populous, the new name for architecture firm HOK Sport. And the left field wall, which for the past five and half seasons has been covered by a giant Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida advertisement, is now back in Marlins? hands. The tribe didn?t renew and now the team is using the wall to advertise its Super Saturday concerts; inaugural season in 1993; two World Series championships in 1997 and 2003; and projected 2012 ballpark opening. But Samson?s favorite part is the ballpark rendering and the words ?Priority Seating for the New Marlins Ballpark @ Marlins.com. ?I?ve been waiting for six years to get the ballpark seating priority,? Samson said. ?It?s been my dream, from the beginning. Reflecting the history was always something we?ve tried to do, this is the year we were able to do it.? Samson said if the team received ?an offer we can?t refuse,? he could see giving over advertising space, but he said the new ballpark seating reference is more valuable. ?The benefits we can derive, by having people buy tickets, priority in the new ballpark, is far greater than what we can get for an outfield wall,? he said.

Saw the Mets-Sox game on MLB.tv (free preview). That place is going to swallow a ton of fly balls. Plus the weather looked miserable there today. I don't know how the Sox were able to tag two HRs in that place.

Well, I don't want to get hopes up too high but some fans are trying to organize an effort to save at least part of the stadium. From what I have read, they want at least a section of the bleachers and part of the home plate entrance saved. This would similar to the plan to keep a part of Tiger Stadium up or that section of League Park in Cleveland. They have until June to make their case because that's when the city will actually start the demo. The city wants to turn the Yankee Stadium field area into new softball fields and parkland for the neighborhood, to replace the section of Macombs Dam Park that was taken for the new stadium. In the meantime, here are some more pics: BTW, National Geographic is filming the progress of the dismantling, similar to what they did for the Orange Bowl.

It looks like they've started from behind the outfield walls and then move inward from there. They've already taken out the grass from the field. Since the city officially owns the building, they had to negotiate over the sale of the seats from the old stadium. The bleachers may be next to go. Look to this thread for updates.

http://blogs.trb.com/sports/cu..._update_no_20_t.html Marlins Stadium Update No. 2.0 (The next chapter) > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 5:07 PM So, with financing approved, the Marlins ballpark project has now moved to the next stage ? permitting, issuing bonds, examining and tweaking blueprints. On Wednesday, Miami?s Planning Advisory Board considered the ballpark plans for a Major Use Special Permit. That?s the permit that?s needed to get the ballpark constructed. Since the $515 million ballpark and $94 million in parking spaces are planned for the former site of the Orange Bowl, the process is simpler than if it were planned for a site that had never housed a stadium. Planning Advisory Board members heard from representatives of stadium architect HOK Sport (the company was renamed Populous this week, but apparently the change hasn?t yet occurred in Florida), and a transportation planner. They got an overview of how the ballpark is meant to fit into the surrounding Little Havana community, some of its unique features and key details about getting to and parking at the ballpark. The architects said they view the ballpark as a ?piece of art,? or ?a sculpture? in an urban neighborhood. The ballpark will be ?facing toward the city of Miami skyline to really place the building in the city of Miami,? said Greg Sherlock, HOK Sport principal. The way it?s designed, the outfield frames downtown Miami. The roof is created in three panels that stack over the grand west plaza, a vast area with a reflecting pool that will become the focal point, not only for entry to the stadium, but also for pre- and post-game activities, and community events and gatherings. ?It?s a Kodak moment, where people want to enter the building,? Sherlock said. Four mixed use garages with retail on the first floor are to flank the ballpark -- two on the north and two on the south. They are to feature wide ? 15- to 21-foot ? sidewalks alongside them. The idea is to make the ballpark pedestrian-friendly and a good fit within the neighborhood. Three surface lots each are planned on the east and west sides of the ballpark. There are also plans for residential units and a mix of landscaping with palms and shade trees. Two Metrorail stations are within a mile of the stadium. Officials are exploring using water taxis on the Miami River as a method of reaching the ballpark. Planning Advisory Board members raised minor concerns about ensuring enough recreational space for the public and about the type of landscaping. Board member Paul Mann questioned the financing of the deal, worrying that it puts the city?s general fund at risk. ?It makes me very uncomfortable that the negotiators on the city side did not protect the general fund,? Mann said. ?We can build the stadium and hope everything works fine, but ultimately it?s the city of Miami?s general fund at stake here.? But Mann and other board members were reminded their role was to consider the details of the ballpark?s blueprint, not the financing, which had already been debated by the city commission. The board voted 6-1, with Mann dissenting, to recommend the permit for the ballpark?s construction. Miami City Commissioners are to consider the permit later this month. Miami-Dad County Commissioners are to consider the documents to issue more than $300 million in bonds for ballpark construction at their meeting on Tuesday.

First "official" batting practice at "New" Yankee Stadium...a.k.a. the House That Big Egos Built: http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3860/340798034678866d7d6cb.jpg http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4964/3407981990e31205219ab.jpg http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3899/34071680357c11e7cc20b.jpg http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2475/34079747628662efb093b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3586/3408489730_3b5b171e50_b.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/36646768@N06/ http://slidingintohome.blogspot.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/37008007@N04/ http://s315.photobucket.com/albums/ll448/jerseyloverx/

A little OT but here are some galleries from people who were at that game: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25298694@N03/...in/photostream/ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102...mp;l=0c4f092bdb http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102...mp;l=dbac4c8d02 http://sports.webshots.com/album/570736934GUknRb http://sports.webshots.com/album/570741768HhCAwe http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/jo...John%203-29-09/ http://picasaweb.google.com/metsforever751...JTi29GqvJuQ4wE# http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l7/reemowilliams/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeavena/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjway2006/set...57616096560160/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/20503670@N05/...57616011074615/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/thruartisticeyes/ http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/M...mview=slideshow http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w180/sc...4/Citi%20Field/

Bailout Field sort of opened this Sunday afternoon with a game between two college teams, St. John's vs. Georgetown. Pics can be viewed at the following: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25298694@N03/...in/photostream/ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102...mp;l=0c4f092bdb http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102...mp;l=dbac4c8d02 http://sports.webshots.com/album/570736934GUknRb http://sports.webshots.com/album/570741768HhCAwe http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/jo...John%203-29-09/ http://picasaweb.google.com/metsforever751...JTi29GqvJuQ4wE# http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l7/reemowilliams/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeavena/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjway2006/set...57616096560160/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/20503670@N05/...57616011074615/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/thruartisticeyes/ http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/M...mview=slideshow http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w180/sc...4/Citi%20Field/ I can imagine what it would be like for any group of people to encounter civilization for the first time. It's like they've just discovered fire. :shifty

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade...ory/971965.html I won't post the complete article, but here's the most relevant quote, imo: Claude Delorme, the Marlins' senior vice president for stadium development, said the team would hire Miami residents from federal enterprise and empowerment zones, which includes Little Havana, during the construction phase. This is part of a new community workforce plan. The Marlins have also agreed to hire small businesses locally -- specifically from the community and small business enterprise programs -- for both construction jobs and other post-construction work, DeLorme said. He also predicted that a fair amount of residents would work at the stadium on an event-by-event basis in areas such as concessions, operations and maintenance. ''People like to work close to their homes,'' he said.

Well, this would be a relaunch of the franchise. While I don't think the colors should be radically altered some other things can be: - First I would put a sleeve patch that has the logo of the seal of the city of Miami. I would put it on the right sleeve, so we'd only see it when a left-handed batter is at the plate or when a runner is on first. - As a compromise, a way could be found to promote Miami Beach on the Marlins uniform. Nothing too big. Just something to the tune of "Visit Miami Beach" that might mollify some the Miami Beach people who complain about the stadium. I would put them only on the road uniforms. - Go back to the mostly teal colors from the early years of the franchise as an alternative uniform for special days, the change being replacing the "F" with the "M" on the caps. - In the far future, they should have uniforms that can change colors depending on the movement of the players. That would be cool to see if we live long enough to see that happen. :cool

La Lechonera Park El Oranch Boal Parque Los Marlins No Blocky Blocky Parque El Exilio Calle Ocho Festival Field Park-In-Miguel's-Driveway Field

- The same crowd that was at the PR-Venezuela game, complete with the musical element. - Official T-shirts that say "No Blocky Blocky" on sale, to work the neighborhood vibe in. - Have the same people who call in Jerry Del Castillo's show do the Spanish language broadcasts. That would be fun to hear. - Mermaids that look like the dancers at the Calle 8 festivals.

It looks like we're ready to go! The circus is about to begin.

The Herald has this development: http://www.miamiherald.com/486/story/961948.html ''We want it to go forward as one big resolution that requires nine votes, with everything in it,'' Alvarez spokeswoman Victoria Mallette said Friday. That announcement came after Alvarez spent Friday morning at the Miami International Cattle Show, admiring prized stud bulls with key swing-vote Commissioner Javier Souto. The cattle show is Souto's pet project. Souto could not be reached for comment Friday night. The agenda for Monday's meeting, released late Friday, shows all five stadium contracts voted on at once. But the agenda can be changed by a simple majority. That would be kind of anti-climatic if it does go to just one vote. Part of me has liked the "entertainment" that has happened up to now. Will watch closely how this finally plays out.

And the Netherlands upset the DR 3-2... And they've now shown that they are not as bad at playing the "honkbal" as many of us thought before. Yes, I just learned that word today from searching for newsstories about that game. I just find it cute for some reason.