Marlins would agree to new name
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- To improve their efforts to secure a new stadium, the Florida Marlins are agreeing to go by a new name.
Should a baseball-only facility be built in Miami-Dade County, Marlins president David Samson confirmed to MLB.com Thursday morning that the team would be called the "Miami Marlins."
"It was an understanding," Samson said. "We didn't use it as a negotiating point."
The Marlins, who startled all of baseball by winning the World Series, have gone public in their talks for a new ballpark.
To secure the long-term future and prosperity of the franchise, team officials have been working behind the scenes for months on plans for a retractable-roof stadium.
Samson, along with city of Miami and Miami-Dade County officials, outlined Tuesday tentative plans for a 38,000-seat stadium somewhere in Miami.
"Our singular goal is to ensure the future of the Marlins for all of South Florida," Samson said. "We would never turn our back on people in Broward County and Palm Beach County."
Since their inception in 1993, the team has been called the Florida Marlins because of its sprawling fan base.
Calling the team the Miami Marlins was discussed a few years ago when former owner John Henry was negotiating for a new baseball facility in downtown Miami.
Henry, who sold the team to Jeffrey Loria before he took over the Red Sox, agreed to the name change. But efforts to secure a stadium fell apart.
No specific site location has been discussed for the proposed ballpark. One possibility is near the Orange Bowl, where the University of Miami plays football. Samson said wherever the stadium would be will have the necessary access for fans from Broward and Palm Beach counties.
"Every team has to be a regional team," Samson said. "People in Kentucky go to Great American Ball Park [in Cincinnati] every day."
The Marlins have agreed to pay $137 million toward a new stadium. Another $73 million would come from the city and county, leaving $115 million to be worked out.
Samson is encouraged that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has not ruled out using state money to help finance the ballpark.
"Every sports team, every stadium built [in Florida] has had state support," Bush told The Associated Press. "But if the [request] is so large that it begins to cut into priorities, that makes it a little more difficult."
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on Tuesday issued a statement regarding the Marlins' stadium push.
"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am extremely pleased and excited that the Florida Marlins have been able to transform their success, both on and off the field, to renewed interest among their fan base and significant movement towards the possibility of building a new ballpark in South Florida," the Commissioner said.
"We look forward to working with the club, the state, the county, the city, and all the communities involved in bringing this important project to fruition."
The Marlins are hopeful of having a stadium deal complete by March 15.
"That's an important date for us to understand the future of the franchise," Samson said.
This has been a whirlwind week for the Marlins, who won their second World Series title last Saturday against the Yankees.
On Tuesday, the team was honored at three parades, and Loria announced manager Jack McKeon would return in 2004.
The owner also gave a vote of confidence to the fans, stating the nucleus of the team would not be dismantled.
The Marlins currently play at Pro Player Stadium, a football-baseball facility.
Because of the unpredictable weather in South Florida, where it rains almost daily in the late afternoon, the club feels a retractable-roof would significantly boost attendance.
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- To improve their efforts to secure a new stadium, the Florida Marlins are agreeing to go by a new name.
Should a baseball-only facility be built in Miami-Dade County, Marlins president David Samson confirmed to MLB.com Thursday morning that the team would be called the "Miami Marlins."
"It was an understanding," Samson said. "We didn't use it as a negotiating point."
The Marlins, who startled all of baseball by winning the World Series, have gone public in their talks for a new ballpark.
To secure the long-term future and prosperity of the franchise, team officials have been working behind the scenes for months on plans for a retractable-roof stadium.
Samson, along with city of Miami and Miami-Dade County officials, outlined Tuesday tentative plans for a 38,000-seat stadium somewhere in Miami.
"Our singular goal is to ensure the future of the Marlins for all of South Florida," Samson said. "We would never turn our back on people in Broward County and Palm Beach County."
Since their inception in 1993, the team has been called the Florida Marlins because of its sprawling fan base.
Calling the team the Miami Marlins was discussed a few years ago when former owner John Henry was negotiating for a new baseball facility in downtown Miami.
Henry, who sold the team to Jeffrey Loria before he took over the Red Sox, agreed to the name change. But efforts to secure a stadium fell apart.
No specific site location has been discussed for the proposed ballpark. One possibility is near the Orange Bowl, where the University of Miami plays football. Samson said wherever the stadium would be will have the necessary access for fans from Broward and Palm Beach counties.
"Every team has to be a regional team," Samson said. "People in Kentucky go to Great American Ball Park [in Cincinnati] every day."
The Marlins have agreed to pay $137 million toward a new stadium. Another $73 million would come from the city and county, leaving $115 million to be worked out.
Samson is encouraged that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has not ruled out using state money to help finance the ballpark.
"Every sports team, every stadium built [in Florida] has had state support," Bush told The Associated Press. "But if the [request] is so large that it begins to cut into priorities, that makes it a little more difficult."
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on Tuesday issued a statement regarding the Marlins' stadium push.
"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am extremely pleased and excited that the Florida Marlins have been able to transform their success, both on and off the field, to renewed interest among their fan base and significant movement towards the possibility of building a new ballpark in South Florida," the Commissioner said.
"We look forward to working with the club, the state, the county, the city, and all the communities involved in bringing this important project to fruition."
The Marlins are hopeful of having a stadium deal complete by March 15.
"That's an important date for us to understand the future of the franchise," Samson said.
This has been a whirlwind week for the Marlins, who won their second World Series title last Saturday against the Yankees.
On Tuesday, the team was honored at three parades, and Loria announced manager Jack McKeon would return in 2004.
The owner also gave a vote of confidence to the fans, stating the nucleus of the team would not be dismantled.
The Marlins currently play at Pro Player Stadium, a football-baseball facility.
Because of the unpredictable weather in South Florida, where it rains almost daily in the late afternoon, the club feels a retractable-roof would significantly boost attendance.
