Posted March 8, 200619 yr http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14050073.htm San Antonio would offer $200 million towards a $300 million open aired ballpark. Marlins would need to decide if a roof is needed. Voter approval(election) can happen no sooner than November. The deadline for calling a November election would be early August. Also, as a sidenote. Loria was at the game today, and his interview is on ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2360043
March 8, 200619 yr Loria arrives at Marlins camp Club owner talks about stadium, relocation and more By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com Owner Jeffrey Loria discussed the state of the Marlins franchise on Wednesday. (Rick Bowmer/AP) JUPITER, Fla. -- Twice in their comparatively short history, the Marlins have turned young rosters into World Series winners. In time, team owner Jeffrey Loria sees the organization molding another wave of winning talent. "Yeah, we're young, but young doesn't have to mean that there is no talent," Loria said. "I think the fans are going to be very, very, very excited and surprised when they see the caliber of talent we've been able to bring into this organization. We've done it before and we will do it again." Making his first appearance at Spring Training on Wednesday, Loria picked an ideal day to arrive. His underdog squad routed the Red Sox, 12-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 8,163 at Roger Dean Stadium. Some of the blossoming talent stepped up, with rookie shortstop Hanley Ramirez going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and a triple. Dan Uggla belted a two-run homer, and Mike Jacobs had a double and a single and scored twice. Before the game, Loria spoke at length with manager Joe Girardi, who inherits a youthful squad at a time the franchise's long-term future in South Florida is in question. Stalled stadium talks in South Florida prompted the team to be granted permission to explore relocation options. Club executives have met with officials in San Antonio, Texas, Portland, Ore., Norfolk, Va., and Oklahoma City. The most realistic options in South Florida are Hialeah and across the street from Dolphins Stadium, the team's home since its inaugural 1993 season. But there is little political support to help the franchise secure a retractable-roof stadium. "Let me say this about the stadium: There has been very little progress towards a new stadium," Loria said. "And, I was thinking the other day, reflecting back on the last four years, if any of the thousands of fans -- good fans -- who were on that World Series parade route were in touch with their elected officials and expressed their desire to keep the team in South Florida, and keep it going, it probably would have been done by now. I'm very surprised that it hasn't been done by now, especially with our contribution. That's really all I want to say about it. We have options, and we're looking at all our options right now." Loria assumed ownership of the Marlins in 2002, and after the team won the World Series in 2003, some public momentum was stirring to get a baseball-only stadium built in South Florida. Now that progress locally is stalled, Loria is not sure how the stadium situation will pan out. The team is under lease to remain in Dolphins Stadium through 2007. And their series of leases with Dolphins Stadium expires after the 2010 season. "I'm hopeful it will eventually come to fruition, but we have to look at other options," Loria said. The unsettled stadium situation resulted in the Marlins dramatically scaling back their payroll after three straight winning seasons. "It was difficult," Loria said of trading away top talent. "But I want to look forward; don't want to look back. We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish." Girardi is taking over the new-look Marlins after being with the league's highest-spending team, the Yankees. But Girardi says Loria and Yankees owner George Steinbrenner share a strong desire to win. "Jeffrey really wants to win, that's the bottom line," Girardi said. "But he also loves the game. He wants to learn about the game. That's a great type of owner to have. I don't think it's so much of a business to him, I think it's a love of the game. "He's talked to me a little bit about a lot of changes. I don't care how many changes we have, we still want to win. I want another one of those rings. Let's have a different design on the next one. ... He doesn't owe me anything. He's given me the biggest opportunity I've had since I stopped playing." Girardi says Loria and Steinbrenner are both great owners to work for "because their first priority is winning. That's the bottom line. Obviously, George has more financial means than Jeffrey, but their desires are the same." For the payroll to go up again, the Marlins maintain they must have a new stadium to generate the revenues necessary to remain competitive. "We did exactly what I promised to do," Loria said. "We came in, changed the team and got better. We tried hard to win. We won a World Series. We had winning seasons [three years in a row], and we are going to rebuild it and do it again. People understand we did what we had to do to make our market correction." The estimated cost of a retractable-roof stadium is $430 million, and the team has pledged to chip in about $200 million. There are reports out of San Antonio that the community would like to have some form of local ownership stake in a Major League Baseball franchise. Loria declined to comment about specifics regarding San Antonio. "The team is not for sale," Loria said. "When we came down here [in 2002], we extended our hand to see if people were interested in local ownership. Nobody came forward. I've done what I had to do the last four years. It's time now to look forward." Although he was vague on specifics, Loria may be receptive to having another financial partner no matter where the team ends up playing. The opportunity thus far hasn't presented itself. Asked where the Marlins will be playing three years from now, Loria added: "I can't tell. My interest is in baseball, not with a crystal ball. I just feel we made an enormous contribution towards it. Now it's up to others. I'm hopeful [about remaining in South Florida]." Flamarlins.com *sigh* With the things the FO has said lately about fans I doubt they want to stay.
March 8, 200619 yr $100 million + a roof's cost if they absolutely needed sounds worse than the deal in Dade County. Another thing, many fans have kept in touch and made their voices heard. Problem is the politicos are not doing anything and the Marlins don't push them to do the referendum. How can you complain about the voices not being made heard when you don't openly support it going to voters?
March 8, 200619 yr "Let me say this about the stadium: There has been very little progress towards a new stadium," Loria said. "And, I was thinking the other day, reflecting back on the last four years, if any of the thousands of fans -- good fans -- who were on that World Series parade route were in touch with their elected officials and expressed their desire to keep the team in South Florida, and keep it going, it probably would have been done by now. I'm very surprised that it hasn't been done by now, especially with our contribution. That's really all I want to say about it. We have options, and we're looking at all our options right now." Funny. I was thinking about this the other day too. And if our owner, our bad owner, who was also on that World Series parade route actually paid money to decent lobbyists and removed his detestable weasel son-in-law from the negotiating progress, it probably would have been done by now. Keep passing the buck Loria...man I f***ing hate him.
March 9, 200619 yr Loria and Samson are looking for MLB to come in, remove them from negotiations, and allow Miami politicos to screw them royally. Anyone see that 50 year lease coming?
March 9, 200619 yr Didn't they hire Ron Book as a lobbyist??? Too little, too late for Mr. Book. He was given too little backup and too little time to work.
March 9, 200619 yr Loria and Samson are looking for MLB to come in, remove them from negotiations, and allow Miami politicos to screw them royally. Anyone see that 50 year lease coming? I wouldn't mind! :lol :lol :lol
March 9, 200619 yr Didn't they hire Ron Book as a lobbyist??? Only after Samson sent himself, open hand ready, to Tally-town.
March 9, 200619 yr This "offer" is good news to me. $100M + roof costs if deemed nec. by the Marlins + overruns = No deal in S.A.
March 9, 200619 yr This "offer" is good news to me. $100M + roof costs if deemed nec. by the Marlins + overruns = No deal in S.A. first offer in not always the best offer.
March 9, 200619 yr It's not free, so Loria and Samson are going to pass. Next! :lol So true. ???? I'm pretty sure Loria was willing to put several million into a stadium here.
March 9, 200619 yr first offer in not always the best offer. When you have outstanding debt having to be refinanced after voter approval, first offer may be only offer.
March 9, 200619 yr It's not free, so Loria and Samson are going to pass. Next! :lol So true. ???? I'm pretty sure Loria was willing to put several million into a stadium here. Well, technically. All the money was from future rent payments and naming rights. So, essentially, if you asked the Marlins to put their money on the table, they couldn't as the "money" wouldn't exist without the stadium. The deal collapsed after, essentially, the Marlins were told that they needed to put up $60 million of 'real' money to fund start up costs for the stadium. The Marlins balked and here we are. Essentially, looking for a "free" stadium.
March 9, 200619 yr Now S.A. is looking for $100M up-front. I doubt Bexar County could float the bonds to help the Marlins rent-finance their payments like Dade plans to.
March 9, 200619 yr Good luck getting that thing built for $300M! :lol Must be Miami Arena Part II. Texas land is wayyyyy cheaper than South Florida land... they can get it done for that.
March 9, 200619 yr Good luck getting that thing built for $300M! :lol Must be Miami Arena Part II. Texas land is wayyyyy cheaper than South Florida land... they can get it done for that. Land isn't adding $160M to the project.
March 9, 200619 yr Texas land is wayyyyy cheaper than South Florida land... they can get it done for that. $300M for an open air park is about the norm......for 1997
March 9, 200619 yr Good luck getting that thing built for $300M! :lol Must be Miami Arena Part II. Texas land is wayyyyy cheaper than South Florida land... they can get it done for that. That figure also doesn't have a roof in there, just think about that.
March 9, 200619 yr $100 million + a roof's cost if they absolutely needed sounds worse than the deal in Dade County. Another thing, many fans have kept in touch and made their voices heard. Problem is the politicos are not doing anything and the Marlins don't push them to do the referendum. How can you complain about the voices not being made heard when you don't openly support it going to voters? I'd guess the Marlins studies might show that a majority of voters don't favor tax dollars going to a stadium and that a referendum wouldn't pass. As a last ditch effort (which they're nearing now anyway) it might be an option, but if (and this is speculation, though I think it's probably true) their data shows the public as a whole doesn't support building the Marlins a stadium, requesting a referendum when other options were on the table wouldn't have been smart.
March 9, 200619 yr I'd guess the Marlins studies might show that a majority of voters don't favor tax dollars going to a stadium and that a referendum wouldn't pass. As a last ditch effort (which they're nearing now anyway) it might be an option, but if (and this is speculation, though I think it's probably true) their data shows the public as a whole doesn't support building the Marlins a stadium, requesting a referendum when other options were on the table wouldn't have been smart. Marlins studies? They are too cheap to commission studies. They didn't get a real lobbyist until the last minute. The referendum may pass, but the Marlins are doing nothing to help it along.
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