Marlins Stadium

[Ron Brand]

There's a good article in last week's New Yorker about the Marlins, their new manager and their new stadium. It's well worth the read and gives a little illumination behind some of their choices.

“You walk into that ballpark and see it, you’re going to say, ‘Oh, my goodness,’ ” he said, and began describing a towering mechanized sculpture by the Pop-art all-star Red Grooms that had been built to enliven the outfield backdrop. “It’s only going to be activated when somebody hits a home run on our team. There are two marlins that spin around. One dives into the water while the other’s exiting the water—a great splash of water. Another marlin goes straight up to the top of the sculpture and spins. There are flamingos that flap their wings. There’s an L.E.D. light show. There’s music. There’s a pair of doves that fly in opposite directions. There’s—what’s the word?—a cacophony of things going on.” He didn’t mention the tropical aquariums that have been installed behind home plate, or the outpost of a South Beach hotel lounge, the Clevelander, under construction next to the bullpen in left field. Who could have predicted that the man often blamed for killing the Expos would prove to be the second coming of Bill Veeck?
“I think it’s important for people to use their eyes and to be entertained,” Loria went on, describing the unlikely convergence of his two great loves. “Baseball is an entertainment business in many ways.” He was wearing a black cap with the team’s new logo—a rainbow-colored “M,” with a flourish resembling a marlin’s dorsal fin and bill—and explained that the uniform redesign, in which he played an active role, had been two years in the making. “The colors did not just come arbitrarily,” he said. “The red-orange is for those incredible sunsets. The yellow is the sunlight that you see during the day. The blue is the water that surrounds the community.” Goodbye, teal. The colorscape at the new Marlins Park, meanwhile, was “sort of an homage to Miró’s palette,” Loria explained. “The outfield is all green—Miró’s green.”

I'd never heard of Red Grooms but he's got some pretty interesting work in his history.

[94CougarGrad]

Cacophany. That's a great way to describe the place. Or, for the unsophisticated, a "hot mess."

[ducktaper]

I'm calling it Fuzzy Dice Stadium.  It's concise and accurate.

[Fredia]

wonder what the artist was on and where we can get some

[Navin R Johnson]

Just back from Miami, some thoughts on the Marlins park.  Very Miami-esque and I really enjoyed the 2 games I attended. I'm sure there was a ton of talk about it, but the place is going to take some 2000 Jose Lima like pitching to yield many home runs.  344 to LF with a 12 foot fence seems a bit much, I am guessing like Detroit, they end up moving the fences in.

There is a huge glass wall in LF, that runs from the foul pole to CF.  It was closed Friday and opened Saturday it didn't seem to make a difference.   The Stadium looks much better with the roof open and the view of downtown Miami.

The stadium has huge concourses around the field level, the concessions were very efficient but surprisingly drab, nothing really Miami about them, just dogs and pizza, and nachos, etc...   

Seats were spacious with plenty legroom, much more so then most stadiums I have been too.

The Clevelander, which is the bar behind the LF fence is a spruced up Lefty's Pub.  If you enjoy watching the game thru a chain link fence, then it is your spot.

We had JD Martinez's girlfriend sitting in front of us Friday night, and the Myers clan for both games.  The Myers kids are a handful.  But the little suckers were into the game, chanting and cheering and beating on chairs to the rhythm of, Lets go Astros, for innings on end.  I would guess the kids are 5 & 6, plus another 1ish year old who was with mom the whole time.  All three went nuts when dad got into the game.

I was surprised to see so many Astros fans there, considering the state of the franchise.  JD Martinez obviously had a huge group of family and friends there too.

As for the homerun thingy they built in CF.  It is ridiculous and annoying, which is exactly what just about every opponent of the Astros said about the original Astrodome homerun spectacular. 

The area surrounding the stadium sucks, but it was only a $15 cab ride from downtown.  Getting a cab post game was a bit challenging.

And in a Grand Theft Auto Vice City Moment, this is what we saw when we got back to our Hotel after the game Friday night.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130297/The-400-000-accident-Valet-driven-Jeep-vaults-Mini-Cooper-Maserati--200-000-Porsche.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[Bench]

As for the homerun thingy they built in CF.  It is ridiculous and annoying, which is exactly what just about every opponent of the Astros said about the original Astrodome homerun spectacular. 

When I first saw it I thought it was the Marlins version of the old Dome spectacular.  I think that's why I like it so much.  It's loud, garish, and entirely their own. 

[Fredia]

but they dont have colt 45s

[NeilT]

When I first saw it I thought it was the Marlins version of the old Dome spectacular.  I think that's why I like it so much.  It's loud, garish, and entirely their own. 

+1

[Mr. Happy]

When I first saw it I thought it was the Marlins version of the old Dome spectacular.  I think that's why I like it so much.  It's loud, garish, and entirely their own. 

I like it too. It fits them to a t.

[Navin R Johnson]

I like it too. It fits them to a t.

That was my thinking, seeing it in the setting it is located.  It works there, for them, as ridiculous as it is.

[AstroFrog]

Guillen revels in his honesty. On his twenty-ninth wedding anniversary, a few weeks ago, he was asked by his twenty-six-year-old son, Oney, how he was planning to celebrate. “I’m going to fuck your mom very well tonight,” he said.

That Castro-loving bastard sure is a funny, funny guy.

[MusicMan]

That was my thinking, seeing it in the setting it is located.  It works there, for them, as ridiculous as it is.

Loved this quote from another board on the Marlins' sculpture:

It's a great complement to Zambrano. It’s stupid and loud and gets lit up for home runs.

[roadrunner]

If you didn't catch the special preview of The Franchise on Showtime this past weekend, I recommend you find it.  It is extremely entertaining.