Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria stood in front of the dugout, savoring the anticipation of a World Series game as he watched spectators filling seats long empty.
Then, several fans began shouting at him.
"Don't sell the team next year!" one hollered. "Don't do another Huizenga!"
"If you keep them, we will come!" another yelled.
Loria ignored the fans. But when the World Series ends, he'll be forced to confront the subject they raised.
Keeping this year's surprising NL champions intact will likely cost more than Loria's willing to spend, but any significant roster purge would evoke painful memories of the dismantling ordered by former owner Wayne Huizenga after Florida won the 1997 World Series.
"I'm not doing that," Loria said. "I don't want to hear those words."
Following the 1997 season, Florida slashed its payroll 70 percent to $16 million. Loria is expected to keep the 2004 payroll around its current level of $54 million, but that will still require some tough decisions.
Keeping the current team together would mean a payroll of at least $80 million.
"Obviously there are trades and deals in the offseason," Loria said. "We'll deal with it at the right moment."
Budget constraints may make it difficult to keep catcher Ivan Rodriguez, second baseman Luis Castillo and closer Ugueth Urbina, all of whom will become free agents.
Third baseman Mike Lowell, first baseman Derrek Lee, right fielder Juan Encarnacion and starting pitchers Brad Penny and Mark Redman are among those eligible for salary arbitration, and at least one or two of them might be traded.
If most of those players depart, fan backlash could be as severe as in 1998. Huizenga's dismantling led to five losing seasons in a row and four consecutive years of declining attendance.
The capacity crowds at the World Series have been quite a contrast to those dreary days. Lowell recalled a game against Pittsburgh several years ago when vast Pro Player Stadium was virtually empty following a rain delay.
"There might have been 600 people here," Lowell said. "We actually heard the radio guys doing their broadcast while we were hitting. It felt like A-ball, where you hope the radio guy shuts up in between pitches so he doesn't distract you."
Improvement came slowly after Loria bought the team from John Henry in early 2002. Florida still ranked third-worst in the major leagues in attendance this season with an average of 16,290. But crowds improved during the September wild-card race, and the final six postseason games in Miami drew nearly 400,000 fans.
The challenge will be to keep them coming.
"In '97, after we won the World Series, we kind of had a grip on South Florida," said left fielder Jeff Conine, the only player with the Marlins then and now. "Unfortunately, we all know what happened to that team, and I think with it, the enthusiasm for baseball went right out the window.
"Now, with this team and the enthusiasm the fans have shown the last couple of weeks of the season and during the playoffs, you've got to feel encouraged that if we keep the team together next year and play as excitingly as we have, they'll come out and support us."
There's financial motivation to keep the club's core together, even though the Marlins claim they'll lose $20 million this season. A competitive, popular team helps Loria's chances of winning public support for the new ballpark he says the Marlins need.
Loria refuses to discuss the tough roster decisions ahead, saying he wants to focus on the postseason, not the offseason. One move likely soon after the final game is the re-signing of 72-year-old manager Jack McKeon, who has played a big role in revitalizing baseball in South Florida.
"You'd like to see this team kept together," McKeon said. "But the way the business of baseball operates today, it's pretty tough. I understand the ownership is going to do the best they can within their means to keep as many guys as possible together."
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Then, several fans began shouting at him.
"Don't sell the team next year!" one hollered. "Don't do another Huizenga!"
"If you keep them, we will come!" another yelled.
Loria ignored the fans. But when the World Series ends, he'll be forced to confront the subject they raised.
Keeping this year's surprising NL champions intact will likely cost more than Loria's willing to spend, but any significant roster purge would evoke painful memories of the dismantling ordered by former owner Wayne Huizenga after Florida won the 1997 World Series.
"I'm not doing that," Loria said. "I don't want to hear those words."
Following the 1997 season, Florida slashed its payroll 70 percent to $16 million. Loria is expected to keep the 2004 payroll around its current level of $54 million, but that will still require some tough decisions.
Keeping the current team together would mean a payroll of at least $80 million.
"Obviously there are trades and deals in the offseason," Loria said. "We'll deal with it at the right moment."
Budget constraints may make it difficult to keep catcher Ivan Rodriguez, second baseman Luis Castillo and closer Ugueth Urbina, all of whom will become free agents.
Third baseman Mike Lowell, first baseman Derrek Lee, right fielder Juan Encarnacion and starting pitchers Brad Penny and Mark Redman are among those eligible for salary arbitration, and at least one or two of them might be traded.
If most of those players depart, fan backlash could be as severe as in 1998. Huizenga's dismantling led to five losing seasons in a row and four consecutive years of declining attendance.
The capacity crowds at the World Series have been quite a contrast to those dreary days. Lowell recalled a game against Pittsburgh several years ago when vast Pro Player Stadium was virtually empty following a rain delay.
"There might have been 600 people here," Lowell said. "We actually heard the radio guys doing their broadcast while we were hitting. It felt like A-ball, where you hope the radio guy shuts up in between pitches so he doesn't distract you."
Improvement came slowly after Loria bought the team from John Henry in early 2002. Florida still ranked third-worst in the major leagues in attendance this season with an average of 16,290. But crowds improved during the September wild-card race, and the final six postseason games in Miami drew nearly 400,000 fans.
The challenge will be to keep them coming.
"In '97, after we won the World Series, we kind of had a grip on South Florida," said left fielder Jeff Conine, the only player with the Marlins then and now. "Unfortunately, we all know what happened to that team, and I think with it, the enthusiasm for baseball went right out the window.
"Now, with this team and the enthusiasm the fans have shown the last couple of weeks of the season and during the playoffs, you've got to feel encouraged that if we keep the team together next year and play as excitingly as we have, they'll come out and support us."
There's financial motivation to keep the club's core together, even though the Marlins claim they'll lose $20 million this season. A competitive, popular team helps Loria's chances of winning public support for the new ballpark he says the Marlins need.
Loria refuses to discuss the tough roster decisions ahead, saying he wants to focus on the postseason, not the offseason. One move likely soon after the final game is the re-signing of 72-year-old manager Jack McKeon, who has played a big role in revitalizing baseball in South Florida.
"You'd like to see this team kept together," McKeon said. "But the way the business of baseball operates today, it's pretty tough. I understand the ownership is going to do the best they can within their means to keep as many guys as possible together."
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