It isn't by coincidence that Richard Bush (Herald sports dept editor) had a couple of minions pry open the crypt where Edwin Pope is interred to see if he could coax one more anti-Marlins rant meant to squelch ticket sales this weekend. It isn't a coincidence that it appeared on the day the Dolphins opened their training camp either. These are the kinds of moves we expect from Richard Bush, leader of "I love the taste of Wayne Hizenga's butt club".

 

Why? Because the last thing, the very last thing Wayne Huizenga wants is another stadium in town, especially a domed stadium. Wayne likes things just the way they are now, and Richard Bush (cast in the role of Sherriff of Nottingham) knows exactly, after years and years of practice, what his lord desires.

 

A new stadium controlled by someone other than Huizenga opens up the opportunity for an upstart professional football league to set up shop in Miami. We've had the AFL, the USFL and WFL over the last forty years, there's no reason to believe it won't happen again. An improving economy and a desire by a new band of wouldbe professional football owners almost guarantees it will happen again in the next decade.

 

The way things are right now Wayne is the feudal lord and the Marlins the peasants forced to pay him all their hard-earned sheckles in order to work his land. Between parking and concessions and rent Wayne will make far more this weekend than The Fish. His big concern though is ticket sales for the mighty Dolphins and knowing there are only so many sports dollars to go around, Lord Huizenga has sent out the word to his syncophants to downplay The Fish and all this silly talk of a new stadium. Hank Goldberg made it plain the day after talk began "we don't need a new stadium in South Florida", which of course is true if your job is to shill for Lord Wayne. Richard Bush will no doubt be rolling out Linda Robertson and Lebatard to do his best to make sure The Fish never have another place to play other than PPS.

 

With only so many sports dollars up for grabs each season, Wayne currently has a win/win with his poor but overacheiving tenants. What he can't afford is for Dolphins season ticketholders to start limiting their expenditures to split money between the Dolphins and The Fish. Heaven forbid another football team shows up and further erodes his ticket sales. Wayne's only option is to nip this in the bud now and make sure the Marlins stay poor, and in his house, where he can control things.

 

So when you read an Edwin Pope column, or a Linda R. spewing her particular brand of poison over the next few months, keep in mind who is behind it all, Richard Bush, shilling for Wayne Huizenga. If The Fish can't sign Mike Lowell next year think about how much $$$ Wayne will be taking off the top in concessions and parking and rent, and before you blame Loria et al, think about Wayne and his cabal, fronted by Bush's sports department. They are the evil-doers. They are to blame.

Umm no other Football league will be formed and take over NFL.The Marlins leave the pro than it will affect Wayne pockets but is not like it really matters to him if new stadium is build or not.

Can you post a link to article ?

Helluva post Marlins2003.

 

Huizenga is scum!

what's funny is that the message boards and polls at the herald's website support a new ballpark overwhelmingly.

I really cant understand there being an uproar over this column. It did not slam the Marlins in any way. He said people should support the Marlins and ride the wave as long as we can. Nowhere did he say the Marlins dont need a stadium-in fact, quite the opposite. He advocated the Miami Arena site and gave advantages of putting a stadium there. All he did was to say that people have let their imaginations run wild simply because of an alleged phone call the Marlins made to the city manager. He is correct in saying is going to be very hard to get finances for a stadium. Some people have the glasses tinted a little too teal. Its going to take a lot of cleverness to get $200-$300 million out of a city with no money in a bad economy even if the Marlins do put up $100 million, which hasnt even been confirmed. This article is the stright dope that none of us, probably including me, want to hear. Of course I hope the Marlins get a stadium deal done. But, its going to be hard as hell. This column speaks to the fact that we're designing Billy's Beach before one cent has been committed. Im not trying to come off negative, in fact it was hard to write this because I want the Marlins to stay here so badly, but I feel its not going to be easy. Just as we feel the media is always looking for ways to slam the Marlins, I think we may be looking for a way to slam the media in this case.

I really cant understand there being an uproar over this column. It did not slam the Marlins in any way. He said people should support the Marlins and ride the wave as long as we can. Nowhere did he say the Marlins dont need a stadium-in fact, quite the opposite. He advocated the Miami Arena site and gave advantages of putting a stadium there. All he did was to say that people have let their imaginations run wild simply because of an alleged phone call the Marlins made to the city manager. He is correct in saying is going to be very hard to get finances for a stadium. Some people have the glasses tinted a little too teal. Its going to take a lot of cleverness to get $200-$300 million out of a city with no money in a bad economy even if the Marlins do put up $100, which hasnt even been confirmed. This article is the stright dope that none of us, probably including me, want to hear. Of course I hope the Marlins get a stadium deal done. But, its going to be hard as hell. This column speaks to the fact that we're designing Billy's Beach before one cent has been committed. Im not trying to come off negative, in fact it was hard to write this because I want the Marlins to stay here so badly, but I feel its not going to be easy.

Actually quite a bit has been committed in the sense that a tax that could be used to partially fund a new stadium already exists and is already collecting tax dollars. In fact (as I just said in another post) the City of Miami Beach is slated to receive $50 million from this pot of dough if a stadium deal isn't approved this year.

 

Edwin conveniently forgets or purposely omits that. Columnists can write as they wish, but of them make a living by manipulating the facts and including only those that fit their end game.

 

Pope also repeated the new media new mantra, support the team but don't trust the ownership. What Pope is very good at is first character assinating someone and then, as if to somehow level the playing field after you've repeatedly stabbed the guy in the chest, say well he's really not such a bad fellow or he had his reasons.

 

You can't read a single column (although a few of Lebatard's were so jaundiced I might disagree with myself) and know the writer. If you read this in a vacuum I can see your point. But this is the paper that refused, refused to put the Marlins on the front page of the paper last year when they were in first place. Richard Bush has orchestrated and will continue to orchestrate an anti-marlins, anti-ownership message as long as he is told to. And he does it well.

 

Much of your comments were on the mark. The road to a new stadium is frought with hurdles, enormous hurdles and the chances are slim to be sure. I do want to point out though that the City is not in this along, the County has enormous taxing abilities based on already existing taxes, plus the naming rights and revenue from non-baseball events. The chances are small, but the time is right and the Herald, because of their incestuous relationship with the Dolphins will do everything they can to make sure WH comes out smelling like a rose. No matter what it costs the Marlins or the taxpayers of Miami and Miami-Dade County.

 

The Marlins will never get a fair shake from the Herald. Every once in a while I enjoy pointing it out.

who wrote this? Is the best article i have ever read about the fish. It speaks the truth.

Exactly, there is a pot of $50 million the COULD be used, but certainly nothing has been committed. Even with that , that still leaves us about $300 million short, $200 million if you include the Marlins part, which they apparently denied ever offering on the radio. So, who knows? There are a lot of coulds and maybes, but until $300-400 million has been put aside with the Marlins name on it, there is no reason to start shopping for skyboxes.Sorry to disagree with you, but I think your being harsh about a column that actually speaks the truth of the situation based on past experience, which I can understand.

remember a ballpark would be payed off over 30 years. They will most likely have to issue bonds to pay for it, tax money is out of the question. The biggest problem with bonds is you need a source of revenue to pay them off.

who wrote this? Is the best article i have ever read about the fish. It speaks the truth.

I wrote it Burnetthead, I wish I had wordcrafted it a bit, or bothered to at least spell-check it, but I confess, twas me.

 

And thanks, I couldn't have done without the help of the Herald, their bigotry inspires me.

Here is an excellent artice.

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...marlins%2Dfront

I don't much see the point in Pope's article. Just a "not so fast..." kind of piece I suppose. I think he's overreacting if he feels people are already convinced it's going to happen. The FO has chosen not to make a big stink about the stadium for the most part, which was wise. It's been kept quiet for so long that just to hear the worlds "baseball stadium" starts getting people excited. It's still a long shot, but with the team playing better, every little bit makes the odds a little better.

 

If it's the Herald's point just to sow the seeds of doubt on a stadium, I think they could be in for a surprise. Sometimes a little public support is all it takes to get the ball rolling.

 

Pope's become pretty meaningless these days anyway. Like you said, they roll him out of bed once a month to rehash something...

Right on the money, RossInfo.... Ferral wold say "yudaman" on that one. :thumbup

 

I don't subscribe to a vast and far reaching conspiracy by Wayne H., the Herald, and every other member of the media who has ever muttered a negative word about the Fish. Truth is the article just points out what should be very obvious and relevant facts.

 

It's time for people to grow up here and look at articles in an objective manner. You can't anoit every writer that prints something positive as the second coming of Christ, nor can you accuse the auther of a negative article the demon seed of a H. Wayne conspiracy.

The article is objective, to a degree. He seems to mock the idea of a ballpark actually going to happen. The big issue seems to be if the Marlins can show the city the money.

 

WAKE UP EVERYONE! I want you all the look up something called LaBatt Park. It was to be the new ballpark in Montreal. In that proposal, which the city of Montreal turned down feeling the team would not ever prosper, he put up $100 million.

 

Maybe he has had the money in the bank this whole time, I mean it has been 2-3 years sinc ehe proposed LaBatt Park. He sold the naming rights to LaBatt Brewing Co.

 

He may have the money.

Here is a link to the LaBatt Park proposal.

 

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/monbpk.htm

Good reference-link Cape. Some differences exist, though. Look at the initial requirements of capital from both city and owner along with the overall cost of construction. Much lower, even if adjusted for inflation.

 

The more and more I think about this issue, the more and more I beleive that the stadium has to be built somewhere else than Dade. There is no money there, the public is pissed off already at the government for being one of the most corrupt of it's kind in the last half century, and fans are disgruntled and disillusioned after 97. Plus, even if a deal in the works with the MDC or city gets close to completion count on the local gov't. to "bait and switch" and muddy the water (remember the "Miami Marlins" requirement?)

 

Plop that puppy on the New River in the FTL or south Broward.

Fish Fillet, I forgot to note that all currency was in Canadian Dollars.

I would like it near the Panther Arena so I could drive to games in 2 hours 15 minutes instead of three hours. The D-Rays ballpark is well located and I get there in 1 hour 15 minutes because it is near highways.

Do you mean the American Airlines Arena?

Fish Fillet, I forgot to note that all currency was in Canadian Dollars.

Wow am I dumb. Call me captain obvious. I wish I would of stopped stiffing glue before I calcualted the inflation rate over the years since that proposal.... DOH! :banghead

Wow am I dumb. Call me captain obvious. I wish I would of stopped stiffing glue before I calcualted the inflation rate over the years since that proposal.... DOH! :banghead

lol.

Wow am I dumb. Call me captain obvious. I wish I would of stopped stiffing glue before I calcualted the inflation rate over the years since that proposal.... DOH! :banghead

I noticed the little 1 next to the $200 million on the link I posted and it was in canadian dollars.

 

So $100 million dollars canadian would be $72,463,768.00 as of today's closing. Calculated by Yahoo! Financial.

Exactly, there is a pot of $50 million the COULD be used, but certainly nothing has been committed. Even with that , that still leaves us about $300 million short, $200 million if you include the Marlins part, which they apparently denied ever offering on the radio. So, who knows? There are a lot of coulds and maybes, but until $300-400 million has been put aside with the Marlins name on it, there is no reason to start shopping for skyboxes.Sorry to disagree with you, but I think your being harsh about a column that actually speaks the truth of the situation based on past experience, which I can understand.

I thought long and hard about whether to just let this thread die but I felt I had to get in the last word. Or at least for a minute knowing how prolific the posters are here.

 

Ross, you seem extraordinarily well informed and I respect your opinion. But I think you're ignoring my primary premise. The reason this piece showed up today was solely meant to put a dent in weekend ticket sales. It continues the Herald's message, the same mesage they've been delivering for years - "don't bother, don't invest your energy or your money in the Marlins, they aren't worth it".

 

Edwin Pope was merely a vessel. That piece could have run at any time, Sunday is always anice venue for Pope, there was no urgency to its appearance. If it hadn't been his piece I suspect it would have been there in another form, by another author. It was there for a reason.

 

First of all, I think we can agree Richard Bush is not about to make his next hire a pro-Marlins writer or columnist. He either despises the team or his bosses have directed him to do nothing that would aid the team. Whatever the reason, he has zealously gone about the task of minimizing The Fish in the eyes of the sports loving fans of south florida year after year.

 

Second, the Herald perceives that the area around their offices, Bi-Centennial Park, BaySide, the now being constructed Performing Arts Center to all be part of "their" campus. With 395 possibly being submerged and a view of Bi-Centennial Park almost assured, they feel they buy enough ink to control who goes where and why. They are practicing NIMBYism of the worst kind. In their world the Marlins are just not the right kind of people to be living next door.

 

Their idea of where the Marlins should go was this horrendous piece of no-mans land by the river that by most accounts you'd need a shoehorn to fit a stadium into. If you ever need a picture to describe urban desolation, go take a picture of that site. It's funny how the Herald is quick to demand the Marlins be urban pioneers when they want to move next door.

 

Third, and the core issue, the Herald is terrified of being cutoff from insider coverage of the Dolphins. They are consumed with the knowledge they live and die by them. The Dolphins make them a ton of money every year, it drives their (calendar) third quarter and impacts the fourth as well, their games are the equivalent of having a Masters tournament (visavis client relationships and tie-ins) every other weekend. Play into January can set Knight-Ridder toes tingling. It isn't so much that Wayne's on the phone to Bush with his daily directive, that is not being implied or stated by me, the Herald inately knows what's good for WH is good for them. And they also know that they can be on the outside looking in if they stray too far afield.

 

Its about power. Raw power.

 

Ross, I'd like to hear your comments. I have a feeling you know about the power politics the Herald plays. Whether its the airport or governorship, the Herald has its toe in the debate. They see themselves as a player, and they want to shape the city of Miami, and the county for that matter, in their vision. Fish Fillet would say there is no media conspiracy, I believe while it is not a conspiracy in the sense of some smoke-filled room where cronies meet to plan their collective future, and I believe this applies to every media outlet in town and far too many personailities, I believe its a conspiracy of fear, fear that if they stray from the reservation they'll be the ones getting yesterday's news tomorrow as it concerns the Dolphins.

 

The internet is a wonderful invention. Here I get to editorialize on the editor. Why do I single out Richard Bush? Well because he is who he is, and I believe he has ruthlessly cultivated an environment of worthlessness around the Marlins. He is the sports department editor for the biggest paper in Florida. He sets the tone for sports coverage throughout the region.

 

And most of all, because he should be accountable. Accountable for the almost daily insults he's allowed his staff to throw at the Marlins, and their fans by proxy, over the past few years, the slurs, the outright falsehoods that are hinted at until they almost become facts. Over and over last year was the suggestion, sometimes veiled, sometimes blatant, that this years Florida Marlins would be nothing more than a bunch of retreads and minor leaguers, that the loss of Dempster and Floyd were the acts of despicable characters aiming to move the team elsewhere, or worse to somehow profit while it died a death by contraction. Where was a modicum of objectivity? Where was the honest debate?

 

Some may not hold him accountable for LeBatard's "implants on a corpse" column, but I do. Some may not think it's an editor's job to tell Clark Spencer to maybe lay off the editorializing in his reporting role, but I do. As an editor, one who's job it is to make sure what goes in the paper is accurate and fair (talking about reporting now, not columnists) he has been a dismal failure. I don't think I have to even mention the debacle surrounding their coverage of the Kentucky Derby. He should have been dismissed right then and there.

 

It's not about the man. It's about the job the man is doing. Richard Bush is no doubt a consummate professional, probably a lovely guy to chat with, but he has shown a side of himself regarding the Marlins that demands inspection at the very least.

 

So that's the end of "my" editorial. I feel better now. I want to thank Al Gore for inventing the internet (small joke there). I wonder what the Herald will say in the morning about tonight's win as I bid you all good night, but one thing is for sure, they'll be four times the Dolphins coverage as the Marlins, four games out or not. That's what you get for living in fear.

During the 2000 election, the Herald commissioned a manual recount of all the ballots in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach and found that Bush won because many of the Gore ballots were illegal (people voted twice, dead people voting, etc.)

 

For some reason, they never really published the results.