Down in Front - Part Two

Let me begin by stating that first and foremost, I am a baseball fan. Last week’s blog was not intended to disparage the Florida Marlins franchise, but to bring to light the uphill struggle facing them in terms of media respect, fan base and the prospect of a new stadium. With that said; I ‘m appalled at what the Marlins have had to, and continue to endure. They deserve much better.
Currently, the Marlins sit atop the National League East standings with the best record in baseball at 11-3. That’s after having lost their first two games of a three game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Who, by the way, play at PNC Park which opened in 2001. I mention this because the Marlins have yet to have their own stadium, while the Pirates have had two in the last thirty years or so. Also, they played in front of approximately two thousand fans the last two nights due to the cold weather, about the same as the Marlins will be playing in front of come July due to the ghastly hot weather. But the Pirates probably won't find themselves contending by then. The Marlins, if the bullpen holds up, will still have hope.
Prior to their trip to Pittsburgh, the Marlins concluded a three game sweep of the Washington Nationals. The Nationals also play in a new stadium. In terms of attendance, the Nationals as they say, “can’t draw flies.” A three game sweep away from home is always special regardless of the opposing teams capabilities, or in the case of the Nationals, lack there of. However, what makes the Marlins sweep of the Nationals all the more remarkable was that each game was a come-from-behind victory won in their final at bat. For the Marlins fan, you can’t get any more exciting baseball than that. Yet, the Marlins will return “home” to sparse crowds, and the weather hasn’t even gotten really foul.
To add insult to injury, despite the Marlins amazing play in Washington, the sports portion of Sunday's local CBS4 News broadcast lead story was the upcoming Miami Heat first round playoff game. This was followed by the results of the Los Angeles Lakers-Utah Jazz game. Then came the Marlins and their third consecutive miraculous win. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Los Angeles is located in California, and Utah is located next to Nevada. That means that the basketball game took place in the west. The Marlins play baseball in Florida, outside Miami, in the east. CBS4 News operates out of, wouldn’t ‘cha know it, Miami! It really sucks when local news doesn’t deem the Marlins accomplishments worthy enough to be the lead sports story. Rodney Dangerfield got more respect than the Marlins. And Marlins President David Samson, predicts sell out crowds for every Marlins game the first year in their new ballpark. If you believe that, I have a stadium deal to sell you.
In their short existence the Marlins have won two World Series titles. They currently feature a team loaded with youth, and a starting pitching rotation that’s arguably one of the best in the Major Leagues. In 2008, the Marlins finished second in the National League in team home runs behind the Philadelphia Phillies. They wound up fifth in the Majors trailing the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers from the AL. This, despite playing in cavernous, heavy air, wind swept, Dolphins Stadium. And nobody was there to see it.
They have one of the finest all-around players in the game in shortstop Hanley Ramirez. They have speed to burn in new acquisitions Cameron Maybin and Emilio Bonifacio. What they don’t have is fans.
According to Harold Reynolds of the MLB Network, and formally of ESPN; South Florida has the finest and most competitive youth baseball program in the Nation. He once commented that other areas of the country aspire for their youth baseball to reach the level of those found in Broward and Dade counties. On any given Saturday local city parks are jammed with spectators to witness a particularly competitive youth contest. Rival high school baseball games generate above average crowds even if you exclude the parents of the participants. Miami Hurricanes baseball, usually a national power, regularly draws ample support. Why can’t professional baseball attract these same folks?
Last week the venue was discussed. Back in 1991, Wayne Huizenga answered the critics of South Florida summer heat by stating that there would be no 1:00 start times for games in July and August. Those games would be moved to 4:00. That proposal didn’t last very long. You see, 4:00 is just about the time showers begin at that time of year. Fortunately, until the last couple of years, the Marlins have had tremendous luck avoiding rainouts and weather delays. Another reason the 4:00 start time didn’t hold fast was television. Since television pays the bills, it’s really up to them when games should be started, not team ownership. It’s said the weather plays a roll in keeping fans away. But isn’t it brutally hot in St. Louis in July and August? How about New York, Boston, Detroit? Don’t those cities experience hot, humid weather that makes even breathing unbearable at times? As a hedge against the stifling heat and inclement weather, the new ballpark will have a retractable roof. That way the weather won’t factor into why people won’t show up right? There is more to this lack of attendance than meets the eye. Consider this; the Marlins aren’t the only South Florida team slighted.
The Dolphins couldn’t pack Dolphins Stadium for a playoff game. Frequently, home games are in danger of being blacked out on television due to lack of ticket sales. Only local business owners buying up remaining tickets at the eleventh hour allow for folks to watch the games at home.
The Miami Hurricane’s storied football team wasn’t always able to fill the Orange Bowl. It is unlikely that they will fill their new digs, Dolphins Stadium.
The Miami Heat basketball team rarely played before a full house this season. The only team that draws better than anticipated is the Florida Panthers hockey franchise. It seems attending sporting events is not high on the population’s “things to do” list. What makes David Samson think his unreasonable guesstimated attendance figures for Marlins games at the new ballpark are sweet enough to feed them to Miami city commissioners like so many M&Ms?
I went directly to the offices of Major League Baseball to see if someone there could shed some light on this issue. What I found was no one had changed the bulb since 1991.

To be continued next week. Unless the NFL Draft offers some good shit, then two weeks from now the Marlins Stadium issue will be addressed.