fanfish

This should clarify things a bit. January 7, 2008 Marlins Stadium Update > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 11:41 PM Norman Braman?s ad campaign hit the radio airwaves Monday. The auto dealer and former Philadelphia Eagles owner has formed People Who Demand Honest Government to pay for a series of ads over the next three days aimed at encouraging Miami-Dade County residents to urge their commissioners to vote No on a propsed Marlins stadium financing plan and other projects. Bramanproposed says there are 174 spots in all running on a variety of radio stations. One focuses solely on the proposed $525 million ballpark project, saying the Marlins should pay for the stadium at the Orange Bowl site themselves, rather than relying on public money. The other mentions the ballpark, the proposed tunnel to the Port of Miami and streetcar project. What?s raised the ire of Braman is the county?s and city of Miami?s wide-ranging plan, approved last month, to expand the boundaries and extend the life of Miami?s Community Redevelopment Agencies to fund millions of dollars in projects, including paying off the debt on the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, thereby freeing up hotel taxes to pay for the ballpark. CRAs are designed to collect property taxes in blighted areas to revitalize needy neighborhoods. ?I?m opposed to this whole plan which is basically a ripoff of the Community Redevelopment Authority, which was established for a different purpose, to utilize it to build a sports stadium, to build a tunnel, a $200 million streetcar, to put $68 million into Bicentennial Park, to stretch the redevelopment area," Braman said. "It?s wrong. It?s wrong morally, it?s wrong legally and sometimes a citizen has to stand up and say it?s enough.? Braman wouldn't say how much is being spent on the ads. "Whatever is required," he said. The ads urge residents to call county commissioners before Thursday?s scheduled vote on the ballpark financing plan. But don?t be surprised if a vote on the plan is delayed ? not because of Braman?s ads, but because terms of the deal are still being negotiated. As always, stay tuned?

Spanish Media 2, English Media 0 yep. . . I was thinking the same Jerry Del Castillo called it several weeks ago.

Livan is probably asking for a multi-year contract, which the Marlins aren't giving to anyone, especially a pitcher. They have a ton of young arms ready to blossom in the next couple of years. If they could sign him for one year, to eat innings and be the veteran presence, they probably would, if the price were fair (2-3 mil range).

We lost a significant bat in Cabrera. Maybin has potential, but no one knows when he'll be ready for prime time. I don't think we lost much by trading Willis (other than his great personality and his constant, contagious, positive attitude). I actually think Andrew Miller will be better. The 2008 Marlins will do fine if the starting pitching rebounds and our defense improves.

Even if the package does win a majority, the last-minute nature of the deal leaves it vulnerable to a parliamentary attack. County rules allow any commissioner to defer a proposal if the details are not released within four working days of the vote -- a deadline the administration failed to meet. ''I hope they deliver it [Friday],'' said Commissioner Natacha Seijas. ``If not, there's no way of being able to make a decision for something that serious.'' Invoking the so-called ''four-day rule'' would likely push the vote to Jan. 10. That delay might cause problems for the port and ballpark projects, which involve private companies that might not be willing to wait. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_d...ory/344560.html Starting to get a little nervous.................

The sale of the Dolphins and the stadium should not affect the Marlins at all, as long as the Marlins get their stadium by the start of the 2011 season.

The sail roof ain't happening here in Miami. The team has been adamant about a real, retractable roof from the beginning. The problems down here are more than just the sun beating down on the fans. We have to deal with the heat, the humidity, and most importantly, the threat of rain every summer afternoon as well as the actual rain itself. A partial sail roof may protect the fans from getting wet but the game would be delayed or postponed since it would not cover he playing field.

Petco Park in San Diego relies on parking garages. I thought it would be a pain to get out of it when the game ended, but it was the opposite. The cars practically flew out of there with the help of the cops and traffic signal coordination.

What worries me is the soccer stadium. What's the deal with that? There may be an expansion franchise coming to Miami if a soccer stadium is built. According to the plan, the parking garages will pay for themselves if more venues we to use them, i.e. baseball and soccer.

Miami Marlins :confused i know the state didn't help with sh*t... but... Miami Marlins :confused Miami Marlins :confused i know the state didn't help with sh*t... but... Miami Marlins :confused Miami Heat Miami Dolphins Miami Marlins i don't live in miami and i don't like the heat or dolphins. coincidentally i do like the florida panthers. The only city and county that has put up hundreds of millions of dollars toward the stadium deserves to have the team named after it. (Enjoy watching the Sunrise Panthers)

Is this good news? Of course this is great news! How can you interpret this as anything else? I read the entire memo. I don't think the County manager would present this detailed document to the commission for their approval if the Team, MLB and the City had not basically agreed to it already. It may undergo some changes before a final agreement is reached and signed , but I suspect that this document is the result of the negotiations that have been going on for the last few months. After reading it, I am very optimistic.

The managers of the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County appeared together on a Spanish language radio show this morning. They spoke mainly about the planned tunnel for the Port of Miami, but they also mentioned the stadium issue. They said that they were disappointed that the Marlins were not contributing as much as they had promised earlier, but they realize the Orange Bowl site may not be as profitable for the Marlins as a downtown site would have been. Still they say that the Orange Bowl site is a good site that will benefit the area around the stadium. The city manager said something to the effect that perhaps there may be good news in the December 13th City Commission meeting and also in the County Commission meeting of December 18th, "so that everyone involved could have a good holiday season". There were no follow up questions. We'll have to wait until Thursday to find out.

any new update??? or did marlins and city miami gone into cave???? "any new updates? or did the marlins and the city of miami go into a cave??" couldnt resist anymore, sorry. "Are there any new updates, or did the Marlins and the City of Miami go into a cave?" If you are going to correct someone, do it right. Better yet, leave the guy alone. He should not be ridiculed for trying to communicate in a language that is foreign to him.

Maybin .143 hitter in limited use last year, reportedly very good center fielder. Miller ERA 5.63, but good with lefties. Rabello .256 hitter with no power. I don't know how good of a defensive catcher he is. I trusted Beinfest. I hope he knows what he's doing. Right now, I am very nervous.

Cabrera is responsible for his reputation. Loria didn't stuff his face so that he would get fat and slow (or slower). The team didn't make him stay out late and arrive late for games. The FO didn't ask him to miss Fan Fest. Other teams notice these things when it hits the papers or they find out on their own. I've never seen a player talk so much between pitches to the opposing team third base coach or with the opponents' dugout as Cabrera does. This has to affect his concentration on the field. On the other hand, there is no question of his abilities to hit the ball and his tremendous offensive value, which outweigh (no pun intended) by far his deficiencies. So don't worry. Sooner or later we will trade him and get what we want in return.

Jerry Del Castillo said on his radio show today (11/27/07) that the City and County continue in negotiations with the Marlins over the stadium. One of the points the politicians are trying to include in the deal is a guarantee that the team won't have a minor league payroll. They want Loria to guarantee a competitive team at least as far as salaries are concerned.

I renewed my tickets for next season early because I knew I was going to do it anyway, no matter what the team did or didn't do. By renewing early I saved money. Simple.

The State will never give them any money. No South Florida legislator would consider voting in their favor after seeing that the Marlins got nothing. Besides, money is realy tight in the State right now.

A business deal that means millions of dollars to all parties is never easy. There are millions of reasons and opportunities to try to make a better deal for yourself. I am not surprised at all that Loria would try to save a few million bucks by claiming that the OB site was not the site to which he committed earlier this year. He is just trying to make some money by stalling. I predict that he will get his way. The County and City (forget the State) will compromise on a reduced contribution from Loria because the Marlins compromised and accepted the OB location. MLB knows that the OB is the only option they have. I don't think they are going to blow this opportunity. The wheeling and dealing will probably go on for awhile. But by December or January, I believe we will have a deal. By the way, is it true that construction prices have gone down because of the housing slump? And if this is so, does that mean that the stadium cost will also decrease?

More of the same from MLB posted on the Marlins' site MIAMI -- Stadium haggling has gone on for years in the Marlins' quest for a retractable-roof ballpark. As the laborious process plods along, talks continue and Major League Baseball officials remain hopeful something could get done before the first of the year. However, a number of major hurdles need to be cleared. The Marlins have agreed that the new park, estimated at $490 million, would be built at the Orange Bowl location. Initially, the club and MLB favored a downtown spot just south of the Miami Arena. With that plan now off the table, the Marlins are seeking to lower their contribution, a move that has upset a number of Miami-Dade County officials. Speaking to reporters a few days ago at the General Managers Meetings in Orlando, Fla., MLB president and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy addressed Florida's stadium efforts. "The level of contribution the team makes has to be commensurate with what they believe they're going to be able to generate from a new ballpark and be viable," DuPuy said. DuPuy has been in steady contact with South Florida officials, and he met a week ago with Miami-Dade County manager George Burgess. "The [financial projections] would suggest that the Orange Bowl site would not necessarily generate as much as downtown," DuPuy added. "We hope we're wrong. We all hope that the Orange Bowl site will be every bit as good as downtown. But there are concerns about it."

They're not waiting for reasons totally unrelated to the Marlins. Leaving it empty and erect requires around the clock security and a huge liability issue. I know what is motivating the City to demolish the OB quickly, but I'm not at liberty to discuss it here. Here's a guess. The OB needs to come down no matter what happens with the Marlins new ballpark deal. It would not be smart just to leave it sitting there, unused, while it is costing the city. There are better uses for that land. However, I think everyone involved is very optimistic that there will be an agreement to built the baseball stadium and that there is no time to be wasted if they want to play in it by 2011. Therefore the City can get a jump start buy announcing and planning the demolition NOW rather than waiting until the final "i" is dotted in the deal, which may be in December or January. In this way the demolition can start Saturday, January 5th, right after the high school all-star game.

It may not be final, but this article is definitely good news.

Don't kid yourselves. I much rather have larger crowds at regular season games than having sellouts in the post season. All that means is that we have a lot of "bandwagoneers" here in South Florida as opposed to true baseball fans.

Someone in this forum must know something about what's going on with the new stadium. Lets assume that the downtown site is out, and the only site open for discussion is the OB site. 1. Who is going to cover the funding gap? Is the City of Miami going to do it alone with part of the funds originally intended for OB renovations, or are they demanding the county and team pitch in also, and how much? 2. Is the team (Loria) trying to negotiate a better deal now by pointing out that the agreement they had a few months ago was based on building the stadium at his preferred downtown site? 3. Is HOK still the firm that is designing the stadium? Is it similar to the one they made public when the plan was to build it next to the OB? 4. Is the cost still 490 million? If it has increased, is Loria changing the design to make sure it stays below that amount so he won't have to pay cost overruns? 5. When can we expect an official announcement of a new stadium deal? The last game at the OB will be in December 1, so can we expect demolition to start Monday, December 3rd ?

There is no way that the Marlins will agree to pay Miggy the kind of money that he will be demanding in a couple of years. My guess is that he will want a long term deal, say 5 to 8 years, for about 20 million per. We have to get used to the fact that he will not be with us for much longer. The sooner the Marlins trade for Miggy, the bigger the return. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cabrera traded to one of the big spending teams in return for a couple of "Hanley type of prospects". I also have a feeling that Willis will stay with us at least for another season. His trade value is not what it used to be and our rotation needs him next year.