Florida_cane

Horsefeathers. There has never been any significant base of paying Marlins fans and there still isn't to this day. About 5,000 before and after the stadium. Pitiful. And who was "pilfered"? Tourists? If you want to make the argument that someone was "pilfered" the logical objects of that are people who work in the local hotel industry -- they are the ones who suffer from lower employment than would otherwise be the case in the absence of the 6% hotel-bed tax (1% of ) which pays for the stadium. But, that tax was enacted long ago and the stadium didn't raise it one iota, unlike what the Dolphins want to do. Loria will spend money only as revenue justifies it, as they have repeatedly said. When they get optimistic and stick their necks out and then get them chopped off to the tune of 47 mill when the fans don't show up they have to cut back drastically. '12 was a total financial disaster. Until fans figure this simple equation out, it will continue to be the case, no matter who owns the team. This ain't New York and Loria ain't Steinbrenner. And there are at least 10 MLB owners with equally lousy records -- starting with the Cubs. Fans can either show up or watch the cycle repeat ad infinitum, no owner will tolerate large losses. I understand what you are saying about the fans but that is also a marketing problem. The 47 million, sorry can go with that number based on the organizations history of jiggling numbers. They might have lost money but the FO signed those players and their contracts. Maybe, just maybe a decent FO would help the team, along with keeping Jeffy out of the public eye.

Beckett's shut out complete game to win the WS