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Dolphins Stadium
Experience
Miami, FL -
4/6/2005
by: Anthony Lorenzo
Heading down to
Florida in April sounded like a great idea for the 2005 Ballpark
Tour. Mike and I started to plan out trip in early December. What
better way to ring in the 2005 season than spending time along
Baseball’s Sun Belt? Our first stop was Dolphins Stadium, home of
the Florida Marlins. Since they played their first game on March 31,
1993 the Marlins have experienced unprecedented success for an
expansion franchise, winning the World Series in 1997 and 2003. Even
with these accomplishments the organization has experienced little
fan support during their time in South Florida. Attending a Marlins
game at Dolphins Stadium (Problem #1 A Baseball Franchise playing in
a Ballpark named after a Football Team) gave me first hand knowledge
of what the game of baseball and the Marlins mean to the people of
South Florida.
Dolphins Stadium
opened as Joe Robbie Stadium in the mid 1980’s. Initially it was
the home of the Miami Dolphins and the great Dan Marino, a statue of
him welcomes fans into the stadium. At the time there was no Major
League franchise playing its’ regular season games in the Sunshine
State, however Spring Training in Florida has been a tradition that
began in the early part of the 20th century. The first
baseball game ever played at Joe Robbie Stadium took place during
the 1988 Spring Training season. It was a match up between the Los
Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles, who make their Spring
Training home in Fort Lauderdale. The success of Spring Training
was the primary factor the Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays
where created as expansion teams.
Dolphins Stadium
is located in Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami. This location, along
with the nightly thundershowers has had an adverse effect on the
Florida Marlins attendance figures, since 1998 the team has finished
no higher than 13th in attendance in the 16 team National
League. In my opinion, the 2005 Florida Marlins took the field as
the favorites to win the National League East. With young pitchers
like 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett, fireballer A.J. Burnett,
and fan favorite Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins have what it takes to
end the Atlanta Braves 10-year run atop the Division. This alone
should draw more fans to Dolphins Stadium, but only time will tell.
Mike and I where
lucky enough to stay with his father, Frank, while in Fort
Lauderdale. It was amazing to meet so many former New Yorkers who
migrated down to Fort Lauderdale for fun in the sun. Where Frank
lived there had to be dozens of former Yankees who traded the hustle
and bustle of big city living for the peace and tranquility of South
Florida. I feel this also contributes to the lack of fan support
for the Marlins. With so many transplanted northerners retiring to
Florida, who is going to change the team they supported at “home”
for the Florida Marlins.
I took all of this
into consideration while driving to Dolphins Stadium for the 7:05
game between the Atlanta Braves and hometown Florida Marlins. Not
only was it Marlins Calendar Day, but the pitching match up was
between two former New York Mets lefties, Mike Hampton for the
Braves and Al Leiter for the Marlins. As Mike, Frank, and I settled
into our outfield seats we noticed the fans weren’t really into the
game. After a few innings we decided to move closer to the Marlins
dugout. This idea really paid off. The fans closer to the field
were pretty hardcore. I remember one fan standing up on every big
pitch. I was glad to we moved closer to the action because it made
the game more enjoyable. The 20,317 in attendance where treated to
free baseball, as the Braves and Marlins were tied at 1 after 9;
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones won the game with a 13th
inning solo home run off Marlins relief pitcher Nate Bump. The
Marlins hit into a franchise record 6 double plays, killing some
golden scoring opportunities.
For me, sitting
closer to the field enhanced the Dolphins Stadium experience. The
Marlins have a small number of avid fans that live and die with the
team. I hope these fans make their voices heard as owner Jeffrey
Loria entertains the idea of moving the Marlins to Las Vegas. This
idea would not even exist if the State of Florida and the Marlins
could agree on a new ballpark plan that would benefit all parties.
Having a retractable roof ballpark in or around Biscayne Bay would
offer baseball to a broad number of fans that cannot currently
travel to Fort Lauderdale to watch the Marlins. I would like to
visit South Florida again; hopefully it will include taking in a
ballgame at the new Marlins home.
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