Hello Miami!
December 18, 2007
The time is here. The time is now!
The Board of County Commissioners along with the City of Miami council has finally given the Marlins the support that they needed to finalize the dream of many Marlins fans nationwide.
With a 9-4 vote (Joe Martinez, Natascha Seijas, Rebeca Sosa and Javier Souto as the “No” votes) on Tuesday afternoon at the County Commission meeting along with a 4-1 vote (Tomas Regalado as the lone “No” vote) last Thursday at the City of Miami Council meeting, the wheels are now turning in order to finalize a new Marlins ballpark in the area that is now the Orange Bowl in Little Havana.
Bargain Shopping
December 15, 2007
The Holiday season is upon us, and it seems every mall and store in the land has great deals on gifts and other items. It also happens to be the season that baseball scouts and general managers begin looking for great bargains themselves, perhaps to round out their roster or add some extra arms or bats to challenge for spots in Spring Training.
New Stadium Close to Reality
December 13, 2007
Miami Commissioners today decided to move ahead with a historical public work project. Included in this is a new Florida Marlins stadium at the current site of the Orange Bowl. Marlins President, David Samson said ”This is one of the two days we’ve been waiting for.”
Earlier this week, a new stadium plan was unveiled. The details of the stadium are as follows. It would be a 37,000 seat stadium with 60 luxury suites and a retractable roof. There would be a 6,000 car garage on the property and it would be located where the Orange Bowl currently resides in Miami. As part of the agreement, the Marlins would contribute $155 million towards the cost of the $525 million stadium.
Don’t Quit on the Marlins
December 4, 2007
Today’s trade was a significant modification of our team. Not only were two players traded, but the two were fan favorites and the last remaining pieces of our 2003 championship team. A trade like that will sting for awhile no matter who the players coming back are. On paper it looks like another firesale, upon further review it still resembles one but it was inevitable just because of the way this team operates. We can not pay a player upwards of 15-20 million dollars a season. This means that when Cabrera and Willis hit the open market in the future, we would have lost them for nothing. Yes, I know other teams are able to keep their players. I wish the Marlins could as well but the fact is they wouldn’t have so at least now we were able to secure key pieces for now and the future.
Cabrera, Willis Traded to Tigers
December 4, 2007
The rumors have come to an end as the last two pieces of the 2003 championship squad are now gone. The Detroit Tigers have acquired both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. In exchange, the Marlins will get outfielder Cameron Maybin, catcher Mike Rabelo, pitchers Andrew Miller, Eulogio delaCruz, Burke Badenhop, and Dallas Trahern. Maybin and Miller are two of the top prospects in all of baseball and could be on the 2008 Opening Day Roster.Cabrera and Willis were in line for about $20 million combined in arbitration for the 2008 season. After this upcoming season, their salaries would escalate even further out of the Marlins budget. They were moved in order to stay within payroll restrictions while at the same time getting value back that would allow the Marlins to remain competitive.