Goodbye, Hurricanes, hello . . . Marlins?

 

Miami leaders reacted Tuesday with both disappointment and optimism to news that the University of Miami is leaving the Orange Bowl for nicer digs at Dolphin Stadium: disappointment at the end of a South Florida sports tradition, but optimism that the move might pave the way for a long-awaited new baseball stadium to house the Florida Marlins.

 

While UM's decision doesn't mean that a new Marlins stadium is a done deal -- the club released only a noncommittal statement Tuesday -- it does free up as much as $88 million that the city and Miami-Dade County had identified as money for renovating the Orange Bowl to keep the Hurricanes there.

 

Now, that money could go toward closing a $30 million gap in a $490 million plan to build a retractable-roof ballpark for the Marlins in place of the storied football stadium.

 

''It means a lot for baseball,'' Miami City Manager Pete Hernandez said of UM's decision. ``I'm sad, but at the same time, I'm looking forward to the opportunity of bringing the Marlins to the city.''

 

County Mayor Carlos Alvarez struck a similar tone in a written statement, paying homage to the Orange Bowl's place in sports history but saying UM's departure ``opens up new opportunities, including the possibility of a new stadium for the Florida Marlins.''

 

A full stadium financing plan remains to be worked out. It's expected to cost at least $490 million, but only $460 million has been secured -- $207 million from the club, and $253 million from city and county government.

 

Beyond that question, the Marlins would have to accept the idea of playing at the Orange Bowl site. In the past, though, the club has made clear its preference for a new stadium in downtown Miami.

 

The club released the following statement on Tuesday: ``The Marlins remain focused on building a retractable-roof, baseball-only facility in South Florida. We will continue to work diligently with both the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County. The urgency of the situation has been further crystallized by today's decision by the University of Miami.''

 

Building a baseball stadium at the 40-acre Orange Bowl site would likely require demolition of the current stadium, Hernandez said.

 

''You have to demolish the Orange Bowl, even though it's painful,'' Hernandez said. ``You don't want to have it smack in the center.''

 

Hernandez said he was at the Orange Bowl decades ago when President John F. Kennedy spoke there after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Hernandez also attended UM football games during the team's championship seasons.

 

A portion of the property could be turned into a museum documenting the Orange Bowl's past, Hernandez said. ''I think that's important,'' he said.

 

City Commissioner Tom?s Regalado said the uncertainty about whether UM would stay or go had stalled planning for a Marlins stadium. With the Hurricanes out, Regalado said ''the most logical, practical thing'' would be to turn the Orange Bowl into a place for baseball.

 

The Marlins' preference for a downtown site should not be a significant obstacle, Regalado said.

 

''I know that the Marlins don't like the Orange Bowl site that much, but if this is the only site that they've got, I'm sure they have to take it,'' Regalado said.

 

Hernandez noted that the Orange Bowl is only a mile and a half west of downtown Miami. Regarding parking -- one of the criticisms of the current Orange Bowl stadium, where many fans must resort to paying homeowners to park on nearby lawns -- Hernandez said one of his goals would be to upgrade the parking facilities.

 

''We need to have maybe sufficient parking to adequately handle an average baseball crowd,'' Hernandez said. ``You can't plan for the sellout.''

 

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said he hoped a Marlins stadium -- and the 81 annual home games it would bring -- would lead to improved retail and restaurant offerings in the surrounding Little Havana area. The redeveloped stadium site could also include public green space, he said.

 

''We have a great opportunity to do something special for that neighborhood,'' Diaz said.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_n...ory/210969.html

Sounds hopeful......now its up to Loria. We'll see what his real intentions are now that he has been cornered.

I hate the OB site for a baseball staduim take the money to build at the MLB site