BigDrew102

the team has all the say basically, considering they have to stay within a certain budget. The Marlins probably submitted a wish list of items for the park and HOK probably came up with several design ideas to the team. I think that they will not make a homer-friendly park. The team has been built on pitching over the years & they'll want to keep it neutral at least. Not sure how dated this design is, but this is one I've seen posted before... http://bp3.blogger.com/_3vUVY5T6X_4/R7oHY1n4c3I/AAAAAAAAAaE/7Aelim8urq4/s400/New%20Marlins%20Stadium.bmp The problem with that design is it doesn't look anything like anything in the neighborhood. It stands out so bad it actually looks ugly. I'd like to see something more fitting to the architecture of Miami. That stadium would almost almost work downtown but its more abstract and futuristic than it is art deco. I hope loria doesn't try to get too "artsy fartsy" with it and try to make a statement or something. Keep the cost INSIDE the stadium, not outside.

Yeah, because sheltering your children from reality works wonders for them in the future.

Thanks. Anyone else? Yeah, next time you write something with that many words in it you should make sure there are a few opinions buried somewhere within. I feel like I just read a really bad book report about South Florida Sports. And don't ever.. EVER call something like that a rant. A rant is basically nothing but opinions, strong opinions or at the very least something that isn't common knowledge. But yeah, good considering the source.

I find it hillarious that Braman thinks its ok that bonds can be used for the Performing Arts center but not for the stadium. Of course, the main benefit of the stadium is that it will make money due to the fact that it has a solid main tennant with 81 homes games per year and the Performing arts center doesn't exactly have a main tennant nor are any of its performances guarunteed for the next 30 years. Maybe if the Arts center didn't take twice as long as they thought to build and come in a nearly triple the budget then maybe they'd have no problem building a stadium. The big difference here is the Arts Center is entertainment for the rich whereas the baseball stadium is entertainment for common folk. Further proof of the priorities of South Florida politics.

The only part of the stadium that would make any sense to re-use would be part of the lower bowl grandstands being re-used as the outfield bleachers. But the cost involved in working around something that is already there would probably outweigh the benefits, what I would like to see is take PNC park in Pittsburgh or "The Cit" in Philly copy it directly, put a roof on it and slap it down in little havanna, done and done. We already have enough people that can't let go of the past (new yorkers that live here for 30 years and still talk about "home" like they just left) we don't need any more. Blow it up, start fresh and try to come up with a few original ideas.

I believe the tourist-related dollars, i.e. bed taxes and whatever other convention taxes have to be spent on tourism related things. For example, the two big projects that were going to get a lot of this money from the county before was going to be to help renovate the orange Bowl and to possible expand the Convention Center. All of that money is now being funneled into this massive project. I think the beef Braman has is the money that was earmarked for a downtown development district is being used for the stadium and all the other projects, that is the difference between the deal now and the deals presented in the past few years. Before the (I can't remember the exact name) Downtown Redevelopment committee people we like "we're not givng the Marlins a dime", but now suddenly they are even though the stadium isn't in the downtown redevelopment district. That I believe is where the issue is for Mr. Braman and his people. Another thing I must mention is that Miami is the only big city that I know of in this country that doesn't have a significant park of any kind in its downtown core. Atlanta has Peidmont Park, San Diego has Balboa Park, NYC has Central Park and just about every big city that I've been to in recent memory has some kind of park and Miami, being the outdoor friendly city that it is, should have a park that put all the other cities to shame.. hopefully that is something we'll see in the not to distant future.

I know for a fact that a certain minority owner of the panthers who also owns an Advertising agency in Fort Lauderdale is also backing this. In fact his agency is producing and traffiking the spots AND they used to represent the Marlins a few years ago... hmmmmm. Strange thing is the the Panthers hockey arena was built with bed taxes, I guess they (the panthers ownership - including the man in question as well as Mike Maroone and others) have no problem benefiting from taxes being spent on sports teams when it involves their own. Perhaps they have a bigger beef with things like the street car (more mass transit = less people buying cars from their dealerships). I love it when rich people pretend to feel like the they care about poor people, I'd say they could all take lessons from the late Jim Moran. I guess we can rule out Braman from the long list of advertisers being plastered all over the new stadium... thats a shame, given their locations.

The only reason Samson thinks the teams colors involve orange is b/c of all the empty seats. So you are saying it's the fault of the fan base that we are changing our colors. I'm saying he is claiming orange as a matter of convienience. Oh. Right. It's not our fault all he sees is empty seats. I guess that depends on the "our" you are refering to. I think most of the people on this board support the team in more than what would be considered casual ways, however I think by not attending games in mass numbers we are sending a message to the owners, unfortunately that message is being mininterpreted by the rest of the baseball world. The people on this board are the more hardcore fans and they will be the first to hand over their hard earned money once some stability is found. Blindly handing over money to a franchise that is trying to purge its fanbase on purpose is insane. Personaly I put a little bit of distance between myself and the team so that I don't get crushed yet again. Basically the orange seats are a product of the mis-management from the FO and he is incorporating that color to hide his own mistakes.

Real cuban coffee, Arepas, Cuban Sandwiches, a LaSpadas (y'all dade county people don't know what you're missing), a LaGranja (great idea.. kinda like the Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh), Brother you're talking my language now! Although you know we have a Primanti Bros. in Ft. Lauderdale (I dare anybody to name me a better food than a slice at Primanti brothers on the beach at 3 in the morning, go ahead, I dare you!) too, right? So putting one in the future stadium down here might work. I can name something. A Primanti Bros sandwich on the beach at 3am. (for those of you unfamiliar with a primanti brothers sandwich. its your choice of meat, like a regular sandwich, with french fries and cole slaw served ON THE SAMMICH!!!). Strait up heaven, but since it already exists at PNC park in Pittsburgh, IMO it would be disrespectful to have it here when we could just as easily put a south florida original in its place. And BTW.. we have 2 Primanti Bros. in Fort Lauderdale.

The only reason Samson thinks the teams colors involve orange is b/c of all the empty seats. So you are saying it's the fault of the fan base that we are changing our colors. I'm saying he is claiming orange as a matter of convienience.

Here's what I'd like to see: Originality. I'm seriously hoping they have some things that no other park has and that none of us have thought up yet a real signature detail. Beaches, pools, fountains, mechanical things that do whatever when a home run is hit they've all been done (to death in most places). Also, no loud seats (color-wise) if you are going to have teal seats have them more aqua than teal.. heck why not light grey/silvery colored seats. I'd like to see black club seats as a contrast, especially around the middle of the ballpark, it would sort of give a formal look to the seating bowl. I don't believe I've seen anything like that. Real cuban coffee, Arepas, Cuban Sandwiches, a LaSpadas (y'all dade county people don't know what you're missing), a LaGranja (great idea.. kinda like the Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh), some kind of original-only-can-get-it-at-the-ballpark alcoholic beverage, maybe a nightclub/bar type thing (like what used to be Stanleys at the BAC only more south beachy), open concourses on every level, like Citizens bank park, and lots of open standing room areas. South Florida is a trendy place, you are going to want somewhere for all the extra people to go when they can't fit into the 37,000 seats. The most important thing is the architecture and design of the building. These drawings and models I've seen just don't fit the area, you either go art-deco or go with spanish tile and whatnot. It needs to look very south Florida, like a beach house or something. And somewhat unrelated, some of the best things I've seen at other ballparks are the teams that celebrate their history. They need to build a South Florida Sports Hall of Fame (from old barnstorming teams, minor leagues, spring training, the dolphins, the heat, the college teams here, the super bowls, the national title games everything) and have it on-site with some kind of discounted admission for ticket holders on game days - see The Cincinnatti Reds HOF / Maryland Sports HOF in Baltimore - and they should use parts of the Orange Bowl within the new stadium or in the HOF. Hell, use the old locker rooms as part of the HOF or use the old scoreboard as some kind of display or clock or even just a meeting point, check out Phillips Arena in ATL, the big hanging scoreboard from the old Omni is sitting there at the entrance to the main concourse. And they'd better have some kind of 'Welcome to Miami' or 'The City of Miami Welcomes you to The Fish Tank' or whatever, that was one of the best things about the OB. It would be a shame to destroy arguably the greatest (only??) palace of sports history in South Florida without honoring it properly. And just a plaque with some pictures and such would be a good example of NOT doing it properly. There should also be some kind of recognition to Steve Carlton, he is still the only Baseball hall of Famer to be born in Florida and he is from Miami. Maybe a statue or a plaque or something, we've obviously got another great one coming some day soon (a-Rod) but he's the first and even after all these years, still the only one in Cooperstown from Florida. And I was never fortunate enough to go to old Miami Stadium (I remember seeing it from I-95) but perhaps they could tie something significant from that stadium to the new one. So many people think of this team and south florida as having no history and this stadium would be an awesome place to show them different.

In all seriousness, I got 4 more minor league hats to add to my collection... to bad they don't fit my big head. And I'm hoping to get an FAU victory on friday.

The only reason Samson thinks the teams colors involve orange is b/c of all the empty seats. They need more (some?) teal and a little bit of orange wouldn't hurt as an accent. A lot of teams use 4 colors, especially the ones with more modern designs whereas the more traditional teams only use two and one of those is very often white. I could very easily see a black hat with a teal bill (reverse of the original road hats) or a black hat with an orange button on the top. Orange really has nothing to do with fish or the ocean (except corals) but I think orange is a very "miami" color.

Boy you have terrible reading comprehension. Speaking of carpetbaggers, since when wasn't Wayne Huizenga from Chicago via New Jersey? Since when hasn't he taken now two South Florida franchises (or is it three) to near ruination while lining his pockets every step of the way? Talk about your pot calling the kettle black and revisionist history. I really loved the line about how Wayne wants what's best for all of South Florida (...oh god help me, I know my failing is I don't suffer fools well). Let's ask how Broward County feels about their dealings with his organization or Miami when his family gained control of the Miami Arena Authority and made sure to drive hockey from what had been a very good venue for the sport. But I can't stop laughing at the "Wayne...does do what is best for the interests of South Florida as a whole" line. Dave Hyde is that you? That was just precious. Umm.. last time I checked AutoNation was based in Fort Lauderdale, so was (is) Republic Industries, so are most of his houses, so was Blockbuster before he sold it to Viacomm. Last time I checked the Huizenga name was on more than a few school buildings down here. How many does Mickey Arison have, how many does jeffrey Loria have? I'd say he cares plenty about South Florida compared to other people in his situation. Yes Wayne is from up north, he's also like 70-something how many native 70-something Floridians do you know? Now seriously, take your time and answer this question for me. What is your idea of a good sports team owner? Take your time, look around. Find one owner that is willing to take a serious financial hit to please his fans with any sort of frequency. Find me one guy who is willing to let the fans dictate how he runs things all while getting a decent return on his investment and winning enough to take the heat off his own arse. I mean it, never mind anything else I've said. Forget about the title of this post and just answer that with a strait face.

Boy you have terrible reading comprehension. Speaking of carpetbaggers, since when wasn't Wayne Huizenga from Chicago via New Jersey? Since when hasn't he taken now two South Florida franchises (or is it three) to near ruination while lining his pockets every step of the way? Talk about your pot calling the kettle black and revisionist history. I really loved the line about how Wayne wants what's best for all of South Florida (...oh god help me, I know my failing is I don't suffer fools well). Let's ask how Broward County feels about their dealings with his organization or Miami when his family gained control of the Miami Arena Authority and made sure to drive hockey from what had been a very good venue for the sport. But I can't stop laughing at the "Wayne...does do what is best for the interests of South Florida as a whole" line. Dave Hyde is that you? That was just precious. Umm.. last time I checked AutoNation was based in Fort Lauderdale, so was (is) Republic Industries, so are most of his houses, so was Blockbuster before he sold it to Viacomm. Last time I checked the Huizenga name was on more than a few school buildings down here. I'd say he cares plenty about South Florida. Yes Wayne is from up north, he's also like 70-something how many native 70-something Floridians do you know? Now seriously, take your time and answer this question for me. What is your idea of a good sports team owner? Take your time, look around. Find one owner that is willing to take a serious financial hit to please his fans with any sort of frequency. Find me one guy who is willing to let the fans dictate how he runs things all while getting a decent return on his investment and winning enough to take the heat off his own arse. I mean it, never mind anything else I've said. Forget about the title of this post and just answer that with a strait face.