Marlins new stadium ...
"That should be a tremendous boost to the team and fans."
We'll see. 2011 is still quite a ways off. A larger percentage of fans filling seats at the current stadium come from Broward County and suburbs that actually are much closer to that stadium. For many of them, the move will be a deal-breaker. The hope is, the team will make its real money from selling corporate boxes and with the stadium and team now proprietary to "Miami", they can better sell to Miami corporate interests. (Part of the deal for the stadium is that the team will change its name from Florida Marlins to Miami Marlins). Of course the flip side is that now if you're from Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach, it isn't your team any more. That means about 1/2 the gold coast population goes adios, in terms of team identity.
As for what it means to the team, it's hard to say. The players are at the mercy of the ownership. Not just for their paychecks and the competitiveness of their roster, but for the level and sort of support they enjoy in the community. And in that regard, a new stadium won't change anything. The public doesn't like the owner or his son-in-law President. They are, to say the least, unpopular. The GM is first rate. The players themselves have been the best thing about the franchise, especially in the lean years. The GM is not just a whiz at spotting talent and doing an amazing amount with no money, but he's even managed to get "quality" people characteristics in his players. Good, decent, likable, standup guys, for the most part. The kind of kids you really want to root for.
On the flip side, I sense more than a bit of just-beneath-the-surface distaste for the idea of 1/2 billion dollar taxpayer handout to a billionaire and a bunch of multi-millionaire employees, in the nation's 2nd most impoverished city. Particularly in that city, it's a rather embarrassing screw job for taxpayers and society, generally. Given the economic strife and challenges coming down the pike, I suspect that sentiment is only going to worsen, and I wonder if there isn't going to be an eventual backlash of sorts.
AI
