Report: As part of possible stadium deal, Marlins agree to name change
October 30, 2003 MIAMI (AP) -- The Florida Marlins have agreed to change their name to the Miami Marlins if the city builds the World Series champions a new ballpark, The Miami Herald reported Thursday.
Team president David Samson said Miami-Dade County and Miami city officials requested the name change as part of negotiations for a new stadium.
``It was something (Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria) and I had no problem with,'' Samson was quoted as saying. ``It was not a negotiating point.''
Miami City Manager Joe Arriola said that a name change has been part of the negotiations all along.
``It has to be the Miami Marlins and that's all there is to it,'' Arriola told the newspaper. ``They agreed to it.''
Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas has said any stadium deal would be predicated on changing the name from Florida to Miami.
The Marlins and county officials have announced a plan to commit $210 million toward a new ballpark, which would carry a price tag of $325 million plus land costs. The 38,000-seat stadium would have a retractable roof and be open for play in 2007 under the plan. Officials are searching for a site for the stadium.
No announcement has been made on how the $115 million gap between committed money and planned costs would be covered. Penelas has said that the city and state would have to help with financing.
Gov. Jeb Bush said Wednesday that state money to help build the ballpark in Miami is a possibility, depending on how much the team wants. Opposition by Bush in 2000 scuttled a proposal by the Marlins to use cruise taxes to help finance a new ballpark.
Updated on Thursday, Oct 30, 2003 1:51 am
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
And why not? Pro Players stadium is terrible. Changing your name would be a small price to pay i would think (especially now that they are not the only team in Florida now, which i assume is why they were called "florida" in the first place).
John Bonzo wrote:And why not? Pro Players stadium is terrible. Changing your name would be a small price to pay i would think (especially now that they are not the only team in Florida now, which i assume is why they were called "florida" in the first place).
I agree it wouldn't be a bad thing to change the name.
As to city/state names, there are lots of examples of it. Take the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
John Bonzo wrote:And why not? Pro Players stadium is terrible. Changing your name would be a small price to pay i would think (especially now that they are not the only team in Florida now, which i assume is why they were called "florida" in the first place).
I agree it wouldn't be a bad thing to change the name.
As to city/state names, there are lots of examples of it. Take the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.
So are the Yankees named for the state and the Mets for the city, or is it the other way around?
Don King offers Palm Beach County site for Marlins ballpark
November 3, 2003 MANGONIA PARK, Fla. (AP) -- Boxing promoter Don King wants the Florida Marlins to build a ballpark on 54 acres of property he owns in Palm Beach County.
King owns a jai-alai fronton in Mangonia Park that he said would be an ideal site for the World Series champions' proposed park, spokesman Robert Weneck said. If the ballpark has a roof, King would stage boxing matches in arena during the offseason.
That would help the Marlins pay the estimated cost of $325 million for the stadium, King said.
``It's a marriage made in heaven for Floridians,'' King said Monday during a telephone interview from Atlantic City, N.J. He said he has not spoken yet to the Marlins and said no financial terms had been set for the offer.
Marlins spokesman Steve Copses did not have an immediate comment.
The Marlins and Miami-Dade County officials last week announced a plan to commit $210 million toward a ballpark. The 38,000-seat stadium would have a retractable roof and be open for play in 2007. Officials are searching for a site for the stadium in Miami-Dade, which is about 50 miles south of Palm Beach County.
The Marlins play in Pro Player Stadium, on the Miami-Dade and Broward county line. Mangonia Park is 67 miles north of Miami and about 60 miles north of Pro Player.
The team has said Pro Player, the home of the Miami Dolphins, is too big for baseball. The team also wants a roof because of South Florida's frequent summer rain and high humidity.
Updated on Monday, Nov 3, 2003 11:25 am ES
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
I really can't see Selig getting involved with King.
in the unlikey secanario that they do, I pray they make Don as hands off as possible. If they can keep him out of the stadium (ala Marge) all the better ..
That is a lose, lose situation for Floridians. You don't need the money that badly. Come to think of it, it will probably happen for sure now.
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by Madison » Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:34 pm 
You don't need the money that badly. Come to think of it, it will probably happen for sure now.
