The Marlins Ballpark News

Trial delayed in challenge to new Marlins stadium

2008-06-27T17:46:00.000-04:00

MIAMI (AP) -- A lawsuit challenging the financing of a new stadium for the Florida Marlins and other Miami projects is on hold.

Trial in the lawsuit brought by auto magnate Norman Braman was supposed to be held next week. But on Thursday the judge in the case stepped aside because a relative is distantly related to a lawyer in the case.

The new judge, Jeri Beth Cohen, said Friday she might be too busy to take the case. A decision on what happens next is expected next Tuesday.

Braman claims that the $3 billion financing plan for the Marlins ballpark and several other projects is unconstitutional because of the method of proposed financing. The Marlins hope to begin play in the new 37,000-seat stadium at the site of the old Orange Bowl in 2011.

Marlins to be on FOX Saturday Baseball during All Star Week

2008-06-20T23:52:00.001-04:00

The Marlins game on Saturday, July 19th against the Philadelphia Phillies has been moved to FOX. No word on who will be calling the game, but Kenny Albert is likely and it will be in High Definition.

Originally scheduled for that date:

Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners
San Diego Padres at St. Louis Cardinals

Now scheduled for that date:

Boston @ LA Angels of Anaheim
Philadelphia @ Florida
San Diego @ St. Louis

Due to the regional nature of FOX telecasts, we should expect to see all FOX affiliates in Florida all the way up to Pennsylvania air the Marlins game on July 19th.

This will be the second nationally televised game for the Marlins in 2008. The first was a TBS Sunday Baseball game also against the Phillies. Hopefully the Marlins can even their record at 1-1 in nationally televised games.

Wednesday's game on MAJIC 102.7

2008-06-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

Marlins-Mariners pregame coverage to begin at 9:40 p.m. ET
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- Due to a lightning strike, the radio broadcast of the Marlins' game in Seattle on Wednesday has been switched to MAJIC 102.7 FM.

Lightning knocked out the signal at the team's flagship station, 790 The Ticket, so for one day, the game will air on MAJIC 102.7.

The pregame show also will be broadcast on MAJIC 102.7 FM, beginning at 9:40 p.m. ET. The first pitch of the series finale with the Mariners will be at 10:10 p.m. ET.

The Marlins and Mariners split the first two games of the series.

Marlins working on new stadium visuals

2008-06-16T22:47:00.000-04:00

Club will meet with local officials to hammer out ideas
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

SEATTLE -- A vision is close to becoming a visual on the Marlins new stadium front.

Coming up on the horizon is a meeting where local leaders and team officials will get together to come up with the basic design of the 37,000-seat retractable-roof ballpark on the Orange Bowl grounds in the Little Havana section of Miami.

A meeting has been set for June 24, when representatives from the city of Miami, Miami-Dade County and the team will hammer out what the baseball-only facility will look like.

"We hope to make the final decision on the conceptual design of the stadium," Marlins president David Samson said. "Once you have the conceptual design, that's what enables us to go forward with the release of the renderings."

For months, ideas have been tossed around. Soon a definitive look of the state-of-the-art park will be drawn up.

As of now, any rough sketches that may have appeared in public over the past few years are loosely drawn-up pictures.

"We feel very happy that we can get a date," said Samson of the upcoming meeting. "This is the conceptual design of what the stadium will look like."

The team has already said the ballpark will have a modern look, and it will incorporate the personality of the Miami area, while showing recognition to the history of the Orange Bowl and Florida baseball.

Since starting this exclusive series of stadium updates with MLB.com, Samson has encouraged stadium-related e-mail suggestions from fans. Thus far, he's received about 1,000 e-mails, ranging from local to international.

"Some of them are very interesting and worth considering," Samson said. "Some of them are impossible to consider, either because they are not cost effective or because they are not realistic. But I want to thank our fans from around the world who are taking this process very seriously."

Yes, e-mails are coming in from all over.

One reader from Ireland caught Samson's attention with a request to include an Irish pub in the ballpark.

Considering that the stadium is being built in the heart of Little Havana, Samson replied: "Do Irish pubs serve Cuban coffee?"

"I didn't get a response back," Samson said.

Another reader suggested the building of a restaurant in the ballpark, similar to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where people can enter from the street.

"I can picture a restaurant where you can enter both inside and outside the stadium," Samson said. "I don't know if that is going to happen yet. That is something that has been suggested."

The ballpark projects to be among the smallest in the big leagues, and it won't be nearly as large as the old Orange Bowl football stadium, which was demolished in recent months.

The vision is to create growth and development with shops and restaurants surrounding the new Marlins home, which is scheduled to open in 2011.

"The stadium is going to spur baseball-related development, and it's going to change Little Havana," Samson said. "It's Little Havana's turn. That whole area is going to become like a redesign area."

The project is expected to create thousands of jobs through the construction stages and after the ballpark is in operation.

Even though the ballpark will have a retractable roof, Samson says there will be plenty of areas outside for fans to gather.

"Whether that's through decks, we are not forgoing the outdoor experience, just because we have a roof," Samson said. "I envision an area outside the stadium that will be a plaza-like area. There will be pre- and postgame activities, every day, and not just on Saturdays.

"So it will be a year-round area for people to congregate and be around baseball. It will be a great area before and after games."

The reference to Saturday relates to the team's "Super Saturdays" series, where after every home game on those nights there is a concert and fireworks display. The Super Saturdays concept was initiated to make attending a game an event-like atmosphere.

The same theme is taking place with the new ballpark, to make going there more than just a three-hour baseball experience.

By developing a gathering destination, it should ease the traffic flow to and from the games since people don't all have to arrive and depart at the same time.

"In baseball, unlike a Broadway play or the opera, people can leave at different times anyway," Samson said. "That's another reason why traffic flow will be OK."

Plans also are in the works to include a merchandise store outside the stadium, while inside the park will be an area to honor the history of the sport in South Florida.

"There is certainly going to be a nod to the history of baseball in Florida and the history of the site," Samson said. "We were able to secure some of the memorabilia from the Orange Bowl, and certain things from the Marlins and baseball."

Florida Marlins to move forward on stadium, despite lawsuit

2008-05-30T16:07:00.000-04:00

by Eric Fisher
South Florida Business Journal

The Florida Marlins are set to begin a series of events and announcements for their new ballpark, including the release of updated drawings of the facility.

The events are coming despite auto dealer Norman Braman's continued legal challenge on the project's financing.

Marlins President David Samson is facing depositions as part of the lawsuit from Braman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. Braman contends that the proposed $515 million ballpark, at the site of the Orange Bowl, violates the Florida Constitution by using public funding for a private business and misappropriates voter-approved bond funding to renovate the Orange Bowl. The matter is expected to go to trial July 1.

"We are moving forward, just as we have since Feb. 21, when this deal got done," Samson said. "I can't think of one new stadium that got built without litigation of some kind. It's certainly been a time-consuming thing, but we're still operating under the premise of this stadium being done on schedule and on budget, and on the suit, we'll let the facts speak for themselves."

Marlins select Hunt Construction to build new ballpark

2008-05-10T17:47:00.000-04:00

According to a report in SportsBusiness Daily, the Marlins have completed the second round of bids for the project and have selected Hunt Construction. Hunt Construction has plenty of experience in building retractable roof stadiums including projects in Phoenix, Seattle, Milwaukee, Glendale, and Indianapolis. Hunt is also the company selected to build the new Orlando Magic facility up in Central Florida. Miami-Dade County must approve this decision by the Marlins and join the contract.

The architect for the project continues to be HOK Sport based out of Kansas City. HOK has been involved with most of the newer ballparks built in the league.

Stadium issues gain clearer picture

2008-05-09T20:51:00.000-04:00

Two rulings by judge has both parties claiming victory
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Legal hurdles remain in the Marlins' new retractable-roof stadium deal, but what is being contested is a little clearer.
On Thursday, a Miami-Dade judge handed down two rulings that had both parties claiming victories.

Circuit Judge Pedro Echarte allowed Norman Braman's challenge to some parts of the funding to move forward to a trial on July 1. But the judge also dismissed the argument by Braman that Miami-Dade county manager George Burgess was in violation of Florida's public records law by negotiating the stadium deal in private.

Braman, a South Florida auto dealer and former owner of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, has repeatedly argued against public monies going toward the $515 million stadium on the Orange Bowl grounds that is scheduled to open in 2011.

At issue in the trial now set for July 1 is $50 million that voters approved in the past that was designated for renovations to the Orange Bowl. With the University of Miami football team scheduled to begin playing at Dolphin Stadium this year, the old stadium became vacated.

County commissioners shifted that $50 million to the Marlins' stadium. Braman is challenging the designation of that money.

The Marlins on Friday had no comment on the upcoming trial.

As the legal angles move forward, so does preparation to wrap up a number of loose ends, in hopes of breaking ground in November.

This month, representatives from the team, the city of Miami and the county are meeting with the architect, HOK Sports, the Kansas City-based company that is designing the ballpark.

HOK is going over how the park will look on the outside and inside.

Sun Sports quality compared to FSN Florida

2008-05-09T20:30:00.010-04:00

Tonight, Sun Sports had the Marlins game and usually I notice no difference. However, tonight the scorestrip was different. It appeared to be too far left which cut it off on most of the TVs in my view.

Compare for yourself: Fish on SUN above, Rays on FSN below

Either way, I hope Sun Sports fixes the issues. A nice thing would be if Sun Sports used its nice baseball graphics (like they use for FSU and UF baseball) for Marlins games instead of just mooching off the FSN look.

Normally, Marlins telecasts on Sun Sports look like the third picture.

Update: The fourth screenshot is the one from the FSU baseball game on Sun Sports.

Braman lawsuit moves on to trial on July 1st

2008-05-08T20:54:00.003-04:00

From Local10.com:

Judge OKs Braman Lawsuit To Stop Stadium
Auto Magnate Says Spending Taxpayer Money On Stadium Illegal

MIAMI -- A Miami judge Thursday gave the go-ahead on a lawsuit filed by automobile magnate Norman Braman to stop a $3 billion redevelopment plan that includes the construction of a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins.

Judge Pedro Echarte dismissed one count of Braman's lawsuit against Miami-Dade County but said the remaining issues would be decided at a trial in July. Attorneys for the county wanted all of Braman's complaints thrown out.

At issue is the $3 billion plan that calls for a tunnel into the Port of Miami, a new stadium for the Marlins at the site of the Orange Bowl (which is nearly demolished) and a major infusion of money for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

Braman's attorney, Robert Martinez, claims the plan is in violation of Florida's constitution and the money invested is not being used as it was intended.

"What we have alleged here and what the facts show, as far as we know them, is that the Marlins are getting a business operation delivered to them on a silver platter for business purposes," said Martinez.

County attorneys said spending taxpayer money on a new stadium is perfectly legal.

Braman, the owner of Braman Motors, has said he would dismiss the lawsuit if the public got a chance to vote on it.

From CBS4.com:

Braman Lawsuit Against Stadium Moves Forward
Trial Date Is Scheduled For July 1st

Video Report

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Auto magnate Norman Braman recently sued Miami-Dade to kill a $3- billion public works megaplan, which includes building a Marlin baseball stadium where once stood the Orange Bowl.

At a hearing on Thursday, a Miami-Dade judge ruled in favor of the lawsuit moving forward.

Plantiff's attorney Bob Martinez told CBS4 Liv Davalos that the judge sided with the complaint, "that public money, public credit to aid a private party" is being questioned.

It was only last month when Miami-Dade commissioners approved what amounts to a fifty-fifty split of the coveted off-duty security work for Marlins games if a new stadium opens in 2011. Miami-Dade County police would handle work inside while the City of Miami police would handle the work outside.

But there are still deeper cracks in the proposed $525-million stadium deal. Some commissioners still argue it's a waste and misuse of taxpayer money.

In short, there are still plenty of bases to cross and agreements to be sealed. If the votes aren't there, or the courts say foul, there's big trouble.

One count got thrown out, but the rest go on to trial. The county is pretty good legally, so this should be an interesting trial to say the least. Think Braman Motorcars could feel some backlash from this if people get annoyed by the constant headlines with his name? Or is any news a good thing for him?

On site of Orange Bowl, a new beginning

2008-05-05T16:10:00.000-04:00

Marlins partner with fans, community in planning new stadium
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

This is the first of what will be an on-going series of updates on the Marlins new stadium. Twice monthly, team president David Samson will address developments, issues and various timelines with MLB.com/FloridaMarlins.com on the progress of the retractable-roof park that is scheduled to open in 2011. The aim is to run the series every other Monday, schedules permitting.

MIAMI -- For 70 years, the Orange Bowl has been synonymous with football. It's been the home of the University of Miami, the Miami Dolphins, numerous college bowl games and a half dozen Super Bowls.

In the not so distant future, the grounds will begin a baseball tradition.

Several months ago, officials from the city of Miami, Miami-Dade County and the Marlins were able to hammer out a binding stadium agreement that will eventually make the Orange Bowl site a big league baseball destination.

A 37,000-seat, retractable-roof park is slated to open on the grounds in 2011, and behind the scenes representatives of all sides are working diligently to accelerate the $525 million project.

Marlins president David Samson says the month of May is focusing on how the stadium will look -- outside and inside.

Representatives for the stadium are working with HOK Sports, the world-renowned, Kansas City-based architectural firm that is designing the facility.

"We've spent many hours going from room-to-room with HOK, and figuring out exactly what is happening with the stadium," Samson said. "We're looking at different seating areas. How the offices are going to look. How the suites are going to look. How the clubhouses are going to look. How the press boxes are going to look. Literally, we're going room-by-room from the top level of the stadium, all the way to the bottom. That's taking up a lot of our time right now."

HOK is dealing with a design committee, comprised of people from the city, the county and the ballclub, to come up with the overall look of the stadium, and how it is going to fit into the Little Havana neighborhood, where the Orange Bowl is located.

Little Havana is about 1 1/4 miles from downtown Miami, and there will be views of downtown from the new ballpark.

"We want to incorporate downtown because it is not very far," Samson said. "If you think about it in New York City terms, our stadium is going to be on 85th [Street] and Park Avenue, and downtown is on 60th and Park Avenue. That's how close it is to downtown. We want to make it a whole feel, not only of Little Havana, but of downtown."

The final drawings remain months away from being unveiled, but the building will have a modern design, complete with shapes and forms. Team owner Jeffrey Loria, an art dealer, envisions a state-of-the-art building that will lure in visitors globally.

"It's going to be very colorful," Samson said. "Something Jeffrey thinks about, with his incredible eye, is how things look. It's really an exciting project, and I can't wait for the unveiling of this project, which will come soon.

"We want to have the culture of Miami. For example, we can picture having a place to drink coffee, a place to smoke cigars, a place to have Cuban food. It's really to capture the diversity of our population. We want something for everyone."

The Marlins also are open to fan input and suggestions. Samson encourages e-mails to his D.Samson@flamarlins.com address, offering ideas.

Already the team is incorporating a fan's request for better seating sight lines. So plans are in the works for every seat to be angled toward the infield.

The stadium itself will be among the smallest in the league. It is projected to be 960,000 square-feet, and the team is seeking to create an intimate atmosphere, where fans are literally on top of the action.

Also in the works is an area behind home plate that typically is designated for Major League scouts.

"We know that fans are interested in scouts," Samson said. "So we're going to have a seating area where fans and scouts can sit together. Like the scouting area behind home plate, there are going to be season-tickets sold there."

An objective is to have different areas for each type of fan. Party suites for groups will be included, and they will be able to accommodate gatherings as small as 10 or as large as 200.

A recent e-mail suggested renaming the highway that runs by the stadium. The fan inquired about changing the "Dolphin Expressway" to the "Marlins Expressway." Samson called the concept interesting, but he isn't sure if it is possible to get local leaders to move forward on the name change.

"To the extent that we can incorporate people's suggestions, we will do it," Samson said. "That's a hard one."

What the team can control is affordability of tickets at the park.

"We already are the most affordable ticket price of all the South Florida professional sports, and we will remain so in the new stadium," Samson said. "There will be thousands of seats that will be extraordinarily affordable. Let's put it this way, fans won't be unable to go to the new stadium because of price.

"Now there are going to be fewer seats, and there will be a higher demand for tickets. Fans will have to buy them earlier, but there will be affordable tickets available. The fans are going to be right on top of the action. That is one thing we want to promote, which is being part of the game."

Turner bows out of ballpark bid

2008-04-25T17:46:00.000-04:00

South Florida Business Journal
by Don Muret, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal

The Florida Marlins' second proposal for a construction manager to build the team's new ballpark in Miami is on the street, but one of sports' three biggest contractors won't be rebidding for the job.

Turner Construction, a firm whose eight new or renovated MLB stadiums on its résumé include the new Yankee Stadium, has made a decision not to pursue the project, budgeted at $515 million.

Dale Koger, VP and GM of Turner's sports group, would not specify why his company declined to submit another bid.

"We've been there once," he said. "That's enough."

The Marlins are aware of Turner's decision as they move ahead with the project, team President David Samson said. Bids are due May 2.

The Marlins reissued the request for qualifications for a construction manager on April 2, almost three years to the day after the team selected Mortenson to build a $360 million facility next to the Orange Bowl. Turner and Hunt Construction were the other finalists.

The lack of state politicians' support to provide public money for the ballpark in 2005 doomed that deal, but the city and state have since agreed to help the Marlins pay for constructing a 37,000-seat ballpark set to open in 2011 on the site of the Orange Bowl.

Under the new agreement between the club and the public bodies, the Marlins had to restart the process for selecting a construction manager, Samson said.

Hunt and Mortenson officials did not return phone calls to confirm they would resubmit for the Marlins job.

Agreement ready for action on police, fire protection for Marlins stadium

2008-04-09T23:24:00.001-04:00

By Lou Ortiz

The City of Miami and Miami-Dade County have agreed on how their police and fire departments would share off-duty work at a new Florida Marlins stadium, though the leader of the city's police union has not signed on.
"This is something we've all agreed to," County Manager George Burgess told commissioners Tuesday about sharing duties and overtime at the proposed $525 million stadium and surrounding area.
Members of the county's police and fire-rescue union told commissioners the agreement was equitable, but not Armando Aguilar, president of Miami's Fraternal Order of Police.
"We have not agreed to this," he told the commission.
The city and county hammered out the agreement because "union leadership has not been able to reach a middle ground on this matter," Mr. Burgess said in a report to the commission.
The pact between the city and the county is to be etched into a stadium management agreement with the Marlins.
The commission, which reacted favorably to the terms, voted to accept the report from Mr. Burgess that contained details of the city-county pact.
Under the agreement, which the city commission is expected to consider this week:
•County police are to provide off-duty staffing within the stadium and within about 100 feet of the park for baseball events, and the city is to staff other areas, including the garage, retail and commercial development and a planned soccer stadium.
•City police are to staff the surrounding neighborhood and streets during ballgames.
•The city and county are each to provide one fire-rescue unit for ballgames.
The city and county are each allowed eight community events at the stadium under the pact. "For our eight days, we do it all," Mr. Burgess told commissioners. "For their eight days, they do it all."
In his report, Mr. Burgess said: "We are open to adjusting these terms if the respective unions are able to mutually agree to another approach, using the [the city and county] terms...as a starting point."

Stadium Gets Tentative Approval On Police Issue

2008-04-08T23:07:00.002-04:00

Dispute Between Two Police Agencies Stalls Construction

CBS4 Video Report

MIAMI (WPLG) -- The Miami-Dade Commission Tuesday approved an agreement that would have off-duty county police officers patrol the inside of a new baseball stadium at the site of the Orange Bowl site and city of Miami officers patrolling the outside.

A dispute between the two police agencies had stalled action toward construction of a $525 million stadium, approved in principle by Miami and Miami-Dade officials in February.

"The county manager has presented this as a done deal, but it's not," said Armando Aguilar, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police.

He said the Miami FOP is willing to split the off-duty work at the stadium, but the city should have the last say when it comes to command and control, Local 10's Michael Putney reported.

The agreement, approved Tuesday, said the ranking officers at the stadium on any given day would work cooperatively, but doesn't say which department would have the final say.

The debate over the policing agreement led to a larger debate over approval for the larger stadium agreement. "You don't have nine votes to move ahead with it and you need nine votes," said Commissioner Joe Martinez.

Commissioner Carlos Gimenez agreed with Martinez, arguing that county administrators and the mayor, who supports the stadium deal, do not have the votes needed to approve construction and management agreements that will come before the commission on July 1.

Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz, the most enthusiastic stadium supporter on the commission, said that his constituents tell him they want a stadium, and that it would be "a shame" for Miami to lose the Marlins.

The team had talks with Las Vegas officials about two years ago, but has consistently said it wants to stay in Miami as long as a new stadium can be built. The team's current lease at Dolphin Stadium expires in 2010

MLB takes action to reduce TV blackouts

2008-04-06T21:40:00.000-04:00

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports

Major League Baseball is finally trying to white out its blackout problem – and the restrictions that prevent so many from watching games on television and over the Internet may be lifted as early as the 2009 season.

At the owners’ meetings in May, all 30 teams are expected to deliver reports outlining the territories in which they currently broadcast games or have concrete plans to in the future, according to an MLB source. Based on the information, MLB will redraw its territorial-rights map – the outdated gerrymandering that causes areas such as Las Vegas and Iowa to be blacked out from 40 percent of games on a full schedule – to better reflect the present broadcast landscape.

The catalyst behind MLB’s sudden action is president Bob DuPuy, who at last year’s meetings took a hard-line stance on the blackouts. Aware of the outrage among baseball fans and torrent of letters pouring into MLB offices over an issue with a fairly painless remedy, DuPuy told the owners they had to stake legitimate claims to their territories or risk losing them.

Some owners, another source said, were concerned about existing TV contracts and potential discord among advertisers who were promised certain territories covered. DuPuy understood the conflict and allowed them one year to work out any issues.

The year is nigh, and though the MLB source said it’s too late to implement the changes this season, MLB will try to do so before 2009, when it launches the Baseball Channel, potentially its biggest money-making venture since MLB.com grew into a $2 billion business. The Baseball Channel will be a free cable offering much like the NFL Network.

MLB.com’s success helped fuel the hullabaloo over the blackouts. MLB.tv advertises that it broadcasts “every game” over the Internet, conveniently forgetting to publicize the caveat that sometimes leaves more black screens than RGB. The majority of the public is unfamiliar with blackout rules until confronted with them from MLB.tv or the televised Extra Innings package, then outraged at a policy that originated around the Summer of Love and hasn’t changed.

Back then, MLB had 20 teams and little television coverage beyond the postseason. Territorial rights were analog endowments carried into the digital age, and while in some cases they still apply – the Red Sox own a legitimate claim to the entirety of New England with regional-sports network NESN’s ubiquity there, and the Yankees and Mets are big enough draws for the YES Network and SportsNet New York to stretch across their territories, and perhaps beyond – most should be up for grabs.

Is Des Moines a Twins territory? Do the White Sox have a genuine claim? Why not the Royals? They’re closest. The Cubs are the most popular, the Cardinals traditionally the most successful, the Brewers currently the best. If nothing else, the re-written territorial-rights map could give teams incentive to actively pursue areas such as Iowa and Las Vegas and draw new fans instead of relying on what they inherited. The forgotten would turn into the recruited.

Obstacles do remain, which is why 2009 is an optimistic date and the blackouts could stretch into the next decade. DuPuy may not be satisfied with teams’ findings, and teams may fight for their territories out of fear that the have-have not divide would only deepen with a re-drawn map.

Take, for example, El Paso, Texas. It is about six hours from the nearest team – which happens to be in Arizona. The two teams in Texas, the Rangers and Astros, are about 10 hours away. So who gets El Paso? Surely it’s not an orphan.

Cities with multiple cable companies offer problems too, if teams work out TV distribution deals with one outlet but not the other. Technically, the game would be available in that area, no matter how limited. Would it be blacked out?

Baseball is well-versed enough in compromise to figure out ways to satiate both the owners and public. Fans already give up most Saturday afternoon games to the blackout Fox bought so it could have exclusivity. It isn’t fair. It is business, and the financial prosperity derived from TV contracts and other media rights has helped baseball avoid work stoppages for consecutive collective-bargaining agreements. The trade is worth it.

Most promising is baseball listening to its public. During the MLB Extra Innings debacle last year, in which baseball held cable companies hostage by threatening not to offer them the package unless they put the Baseball Channel on basic digital cable, MLB ignored the outcries of its fans and instead chased a buck. Cable companies didn’t and bowed to MLB’s request, thus ensuring the Baseball Channel the largest launch in cable history.

This time, it was different. You wrote the letters. You lodged the complaints. You hammered home the inanity of it all.

And when the black cloud is lifted, you’ll have reason to celebrate, right there on your screens in beautiful color.

Some Clippings: "Loria wants special design for ballpark"

2008-04-01T19:56:00.001-04:00

From The Miami Herald:

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said the team's new Miami ballpark, which is scheduled to open in 2011, will have a contemporary design, a departure from the recent trend of retro-looking stadiums.

''The architects and I have had some discussions about doing something special, realizing that we are in Florida,'' Loria said.

Loria's guest for Monday's opener was Vincent Scully, his art and architecture professor at Yale.

Very interesting indeed. Nationals Park more than Oriole Park at Camden Yards was what we expected, but this a shove in that direction.

Miami hopes to host '09 Classic games

2008-03-29T18:54:00.000-04:00

Dolphin Stadium among prospective sites for second round
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

MIAMI -- As Opening Day approaches, there is a natural baseball buildup.

In the case of South Florida baseball, the market is hopeful to add some international flavor to an area that embraces the game.

Miami is in the running to host the second round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. If awarded, the games would be played at Dolphin Stadium.

"We've applied and are in the running to be a host in the second round, and we hope to hear as soon as possible," Marlins president David Samson said.

Recently, the World Baseball Classic announced four sites for the preliminary rounds: Mexico, Tokyo, Toronto and Puerto Rico.

Sometime in April, it is expected that the Classic will decide on a site for the second round, as well as the championship.

To secure the Classic in 2009 would be yet another boost to South Florida baseball.

Recently, a binding stadium agreement was reached that secures the Florida Marlins a retractable-roof 37,000-seat stadium on the Orange Bowl grounds in Miami.

The new Marlins park is slated to open in 2011.

Major League Baseball was very active in the Marlins' efforts to secure funding for their own park. And the league has already pledged to open an urban youth baseball academy in Hialeah, also located in Miami-Dade County.

Along with applying for the Classic in 2009, South Florida also projects to bid for the 2013 Classic. That year, the new Marlins ballpark would be opening for the third season.

Miami-Dade Extends Stadium Security Deadline

2008-03-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

Video Report

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Miami Dade County commissioners have extended the deadline to settle a dispute over which police agency will provide security at the new Miami Marlins' stadium.

Both the Miami Dade Police Department and the City of Miami Police Department want the contract which would provide lucrative off-duty pay for officers.

The original deadline to reach a security agreement was Friday, March 21st, but now commissioners have pushed it back an additional 30 days. If no agreement is reached, it could put the entire stadium deal in jeopardy.

Earlier this month, county commissioners voted to require county police officers and firefighters to provide security, police and fire rescue services at the new stadium. The vote was just another step toward a showdown with the Miami Police Department which feels their officers should provide security and fire services since the new stadium sits inside the city's limits. The county counters that while the stadium may sit within city limits, the stadium itself will be owned by the county government.

The unions which represent both city and county officers are preparing for their own battle to secure the police and fire contract rights to the stadium. In an effort to make some sort of concession to their city counterparts, county commissioners have considered giving city police the outside-the-stadium traffic spots, as well as all positions at a new soccer stadium the city has plans to build next door.

FSN Florida releases Marlins HD Schedule

2008-03-10T14:09:00.002-04:00

We've been waiting and now FSN has delivered the list of 75 games to be in high definition. All pregame and postgame shows associated with these games will also be in HD.

Mon Mar-31 4:00PM NY METS
Fri Apr-4 7:00PM PITTSBURGH
Sat Apr-5 7:00PM PITTSBURGH
Sun Apr-6 7:00PM PITTSBURGH (Sun Sports)
Sat Apr-12 7:00PM @ Houston
Tue Apr-15 7:00PM ATLANTA
Sat Apr-19 7:00PM WASHINGTON
Wed Apr-23 7:00PM @ Atlanta
Sat Apr-26 7:00PM @ Milwaukee
Tue Apr-29 7:00PM LA DODGERS
Wed Apr-30 7:00PM LA DODGERS
Fri May 2 7:00PM SAN DIEGO
Sun May-4 1:00PM SAN DIEGO (Sun Sports)
Tue May-6 7:00PM MILWAUKEE
Wed May-7 7:00PM MILWAUKEE
Sat May-17 7:00PM KANSAS CITY
Tue May 20 7:00PM ARIZONA
Wed May-21 7:00PM ARIZONA
Thu May-22 7:00PM ARIZONA
Sat May-24 7:00PM SAN FRANCISCO
Mon Jun-2 7:00PM @ Atlanta
Tue Jun-3 7:00PM @ Atlanta
Wed Jun-4 1:00PM @ Atlanta
Fri Jun-6 7:00PM CINCINNATI
Sun Jun-8 1:00PM CINCINNATI
Mon Jun-9 7:00PM CINCINNATI
Tue Jun-10 7:00PM PHILADELPHIA
Thu Jun-12 7:00PM PHILADELPHIA
Fri Jun-13 7:00PM @ Tampa Bay
Sun Jun-15 1:30PM @ Tampa Bay
Tue Jun-24 7:00PM TAMPA BAY
Wed Jun-25 7:00PM TAMPA BAY
Fri Jun-27 7:00PM ARIZONA
Sun Jun-29 1:00PM ARIZONA
Wed Jul-2 12:00PM WASHINGTON
Thu Jul-3 8:00PM @ Colorado
Sun Jul-6 3:00PM @ Colorado (Sun Sports)
Sun Jul-13 4:00PM @ LA Dodgers
Fri Jul-18 7:00PM PHILADELPHIA
Sat Jul-19 7:00PM PHILADELPHIA
Wed Jul-23 7:00PM ATLANTA
Thu Jul-24 8:00PM @ Chicago Cubs
Fri Jul-25 2:00PM @ Chicago Cubs
Sat Jul-26 1:00PM @ Chicago Cubs
Mon Jul-28 7:00PM NY METS
Wed Jul-30 7:00PM NY METS
Thu Jul-31 7:00PM COLORADO
Sat Aug-2 7:00PM COLORADO
Wed Aug-6 7:00PM @ Philadelphia
Thu Aug-7 1:00PM @ Philadelphia
Fri Aug-8 7:00PM @ NY Mets
Sat Aug-9 7:00PM @ NY Mets (Sun Sports)
Sun Aug-10 1:00PM @ NY Mets
Mon Aug-11 7:00PM ST. LOUIS
Thu Aug-14 7:00PM ST. LOUIS (Sun Sports)
Sat Aug-16 7:00PM CHICAGO CUBS (Sun Sports)
Sun Aug-17 1:00PM CHICAGO CUBS
Thu Aug-21 3:30PM @ San Francisco
Sun Aug-24 4:00PM @ Arizona
Tue Aug-26 7:00PM @ Atlanta
Wed Aug-27 7:00PM @ Atlanta
Sat Aug-30 7:00PM NY METS
Sun Aug-31 1:00PM NY METS
Mon Sep-1 1:00PM ATLANTA
Sun Sep-7 2:00PM @ St. Louis (Sun Sports)
Mon Sep-8 7:00PM @ Philadelphia
Wed Sep-10 4:00PM @ Philadelphia
Fri Sep-12 7:00PM WASHINGTON (Sun Sports)
Sun Sep-14 1:00PM WASHINGTON
Thu Sep-18 7:00PM HOUSTON
Sun Sep-21 4:00PM PHILADELPHIA (Sun Sports)
Wed Sep-24 7:00PM @ Washington
Thu Sep-25 7:00PM @ Washington
Fri Sep-26 7:00PM @ NY Mets
Sat Sep-27 1:00PM @ NY Mets

Schedule Subject to Change. All Times Eastern.

FSN Florida HD and Sun Sports HD will be the outlets for the telecasts on the following providers:

Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs/Weston (Ch. 656)
Atlantic Broadband - Miami - select games (Ch. 926)
Comcast South Florida in Dade, Broward, Keys, Redlands/South Dade, West Palm Beach (Ch. 401)
Comcast Southwest Florida, Naples (Ch. 212)
Comcast Cape Coral (Ch. 277)
Comcast Treasure Coast, Vero Beach/Ft. Pierce (Ch. 199)
Comcast Jacksonville (Ch. 443 or 442)
Comcast Lake City/Live Oak (Ch. 443)
Comcast Sarasota (Ch. 401)
Comcast Tallahassee (Ch. 401)
Comcast Orange/Osceola counties - select games (Ch. 406)
Cox Communications Gulf Coast - Pensacola/Ft. Walton - select games (Ch. 719)
Home Town Cable, Port St. Lucie (Ch. 315)
Knology, Pinellas County (Ch. 909)
Verizon FiOS TV, Florida Gulf Coast region (Ch. 830)
DISH Network, Florida (Ch. 373 or 372)
DIRECTV - Miami, Tampa, Orlando - HD customers tuned to HD feed automatically

For more information visit FSN Florida or FloridaMarlins.com.

Time for CapeFish to get his Dish Network HD service warmed up for baseball again!

Ins and outs of Marlins stadium

2008-02-24T22:44:00.000-05:00

From the Miami Herald:

By BARRY JACKSON
bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

Some things to expect when the new Marlins ballpark opens (projected in 2011):

• Payroll: President David Samson said Friday the team ''would like to have an average payroll'' once it moves in.

Although he doesn't have enough financial projections to offer a number, the middle-of-the-pack '07 payrolls included Houston ($88 million), Atlanta ($87 million), Toronto ($82 million) and Oakland ($79 million).

The Marlins -- who had a $30 million payroll last year and a $23 million projected one for '08 -- will consider raising it slightly in 2009 or 2010, depending on several factors, including: 1) Whether the stadium project goes over budget (the Marlins pay for all over-runs, and if they are substantial, it potentially could affect the future of Hanley Ramirez and others); 2) Attendance in the final years at Dolphin Stadium; and 3) New revenue the team receives before 2011. For example, if the Marlins get some up-front payment for naming rights to the stadium well before the move, they would be receptive to using it immediately on payroll.

The good news is that Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham, Mike Jacobs and Jeremy Hermida won't be eligible for free agency until after 2011. The bad news, for the Marlins, is that they are arbitration-eligible after each of the next three seasons. Ramirez could get as much as $10 million next winter, and substantially more beyond.

Samson wouldn't rule out offering Ramirez a contract that would run a year or two into his free agency years, but it hasn't been discussed. His agent will raise the issue.

• Dimensions: Similar to Dolphin Stadium. ''We like pitching and defense,'' Samson said. ``We want to make it as deep as possible in the alleys.''

• Tickets/parking: About 1,000 tickets per game will be priced at $15 or less. Capacity will be 37,000. . . . Although there will be 6,000 parking spaces on site, Miami city commissioner Joe Sanchez said, by design, some will need to park on private lawns because ''residents don't want to give up that income'' collected at UM football games. . . . Shuttles will be available from downtown locations.

• The retractable roof: Besides being closed on rainy days, Samson envisions it being shut on summer afternoons, when air conditioning is preferable.

• Future events: MLB president Bob Dupuy mentioned a future All-Star Game and World Baseball Classic games.

Rays unveil 2008 TV schedule

2008-02-23T16:18:00.002-05:00

I post this to keep an eye on the American League entrant from Florida:

57 games available in HD; coverage expands in Jacksonville

ST. PETERSBURG, FL-A total of 144 regular season Tampa Bay Rays games will be televised regionally in 2008. The Rays TV Network and ION Television will televise 67 games, including 20 home games in 720p High Definition (HD), while FSN Florida will broadcast 75 games, 37 of which are available in HD. Two additional games between the Rays and Florida Marlins will be seen in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area on Sun Sports as part of the Marlins' regional TV schedule.

This season Jacksonville WPXC-TV 21 joins Tampa WXPX-TV 66 and Orlando WOPX-TV 56 in carrying all 67 games televised by the Rays TV Network. The coverage in Jacksonville represents an increase of 42 games from 2007. The Rays TV Network also consists of affiliates in Gainesville-Ocala, Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City, each carrying a portion of the 67-game slate.

The 57 games produced in HD is a club all-time high. Twenty HD games on the Rays TV Network represent an increase from six last season. The 142 regular season games televised on the Rays TV Network and FSN Florida equals the club all-time high. FSN Florida will also televise two spring training games: March 16 vs. Detroit, and March 28 vs. Cincinnati, the final game ever held at Progress Energy Park, home of Al Lang Field.

The Rays TV Network will broadcast the season opener March 31 at Baltimore and the April 8 home opener vs. Seattle. The home opener will also be the first of 20 games on the Rays TV Network telecast in 720p High Definition.

All 36 games against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will be televised. The entire three-game series vs. the Toronto Blue Jays, held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will air April 22-24.

Calling the action for Rays games for the 11th consecutive season is the broadcasting tandem of Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane. Working together since the Rays inaugural 1998 season, Staats and Magrane have been the club's only television announcers. Staats, a 32-year veteran of television and radio, will again handle the play-by-play duties. Magrane, who played in the major leagues for 10 years, returns as color analyst.

FSN Florida's television series "Inside the Rays," hosted by Todd Kalas, returns this year with nine all-new episodes. Kalas, entering his 11th season with the Rays and 15th in the major leagues, will serve as the pregame host and in-game reporter for all telecasts. The "Tampa Bay Rays Preseason Special" premieres March 17, and special features are included in the "Rays on Deck" pregame shows prior to each telecast.

ION Media Networks owns and operates the nation's largest television group, and ION Television, reaching over 90,000,000 homes. ION Television, which currently features popular series and movies, has a strong presence throughout Florida, including stations in Orlando (WOPX-TV 56), Jacksonville (WPXC-TV 21) and Tampa (WXPX-TV 66).

It seems like they continue to try and push their coverage with the announcement of complete Jacksonville carriage. The Marlins have at least 95 games airing on Comcast Cable in Jacksonville, Tallahassee, & Panama City along with Cox Cable in Pensacola & Gainesville-Ocala. Dish Network and DirecTV carry all 150 Marlins games statewide and neither team is on Bright House Cable in Central Florida because of the war between BHN and FSN.

A thing to note is the Rays have failed to secure an affiliate in Fort Myers/Naples.

Update: According to my contact with the Rays, the Fort Myers/Naples market is held by the Marlins and the Rays cannot broadcast there other than for the Marlins-sanctioned FSN telecasts of Rays baseball. This is news to me, but maybe the Marlins have decided to enforce this.

CapeFish's 2008 Florida Baseball on TV Verdict: Marlins > Rays, again

Officials approve plan for Marlins' retractable-roof stadium

2008-02-21T21:04:00.001-05:00

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins finally have an agreement for the baseball-only ballpark they have coveted for nearly a decade.

Still, their long fight for a new home is far from over.

After lengthy and often-contentious debate, Miami-Dade County commissioners - some doing so grudgingly - voted 9-3 Thursday night to approve a basic plan for a $515 million, retractable-roof stadium that would open in time for the 2011 season.

City commissioners approved the Baseball Stadium Agreement by a 4-1 vote several hours earlier.

The 37,000-seat facility would be at the site of the Orange Bowl, which is to be demolished in the coming months, and this is the closest the Marlins have been to fulfilling their stadium quest.

But several issues, including the particularly thorny matter of deciding if city or county police and fire departments will be patrolling the new facility, remain unresolved. An agreement on the police-fire staffing front must be struck within 30 days, or the plan - and maybe the Marlins franchise - would likely be doomed.

"This has to be resolved within 30 days ... so therefore, the inability to resolve this political issue kills baseball in South Florida," Major League Baseball president Bob DuPuy said. "That's the consequence."

Miami mayor Manny Diaz, though, sounded certain that all further roadblocks can be cleared.

"This is a binding agreement," Diaz said. "This is it. We have a deal. There will be baseball in Miami."

There's several other issues, most notably a a legal challenge filed by South Florida car dealer Norman Braman, who is trying to derail the plan and sent attorneys to Thursday's hearings urging commissioners to put the matter before voters.

Still, Thursday's passage was a significant step forward for the two-time World Series champions.

"There's a lot of work to do," Miami-Dade county manager George Burgess said.

The county would pay $347 million in stadium construction costs, mostly from tourism taxes. The Marlins would pay $155 million, some through a $2.3 million annual rent bill, plus agree to buy 5,750 parking spots from the city for 35 seasons - essentially paying off the garage-building cost.

All stadium revenues would go to the Marlins, who claim they lose millions annually, and the team would be renamed the Miami Marlins before the facility - which includes the roof the team insisted upon, since threat of rain is a summertime constant in South Florida - opens its gates.

It has been an epic process, filled with team-mandated deadlines that weren't met, five failed bids to obtain state funding for previous plans - some were budgeted as low as $325 million - and talks of moving the Marlins elsewhere, including Las Vegas and San Antonio.

One state lawmaker once likened talks with the Marlins as negotiating with "terrorists," a statement that was quickly recanted.

But even after Thursday's developments, a resolution has never been closer.

The perceived rush to a vote - commissioners have had the complicated 94-page agreement document for less than a week - did not appease many opponents of the stadium plan, who urged officials to let residents decide the issue.

"Sometimes you have to trust the administration," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said as he urged county commissioners to approve the plan, and while the debate crept toward a sixth hour.

Others, including two attorneys representing Braman, questioned if some of the county's planned contribution represents a misuse of funds that were earmarked to remove blight around the county.

"Before you spend public money ... allow the people who put you in those chairs to vote on it," said attorney Harley Tropin.

Since the team's inaugural season in 1993, it has played at Dolphin Stadium, which is owned by Marlins founding owner H. Wayne Huizenga. The team's lease there expires after the 2010 season.

But the Marlins' current lease doesn't allow them to get much revenue out of that facility, so the team has purged higher-salary players in recent years. The Marlins haven't made the playoffs since winning the 2003 World Series, and have had baseball's lowest average attendance in each of the past two seasons.

"It's been quite a road to this day," Marlins president David Samson said

Marlins stadium proposal awaits vote

2008-02-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

City officials approve deal, county commissioners next
by Joe Frisaro, MLB.com

The Marlins now need only the approval of county officials for their new stadium plan to become reality.

City of Miami and Dade County commissioners were scheduled for separate meetings Thursday to discuss the recently agreed upon proposal to build the team a new 37,000 seat-retractable-roof stadium at the Orange Bowl site that would open for the 2011 season.

Miami city officials approved the measure by a vote of 4-1 in a morning meeting. County commissioners will meet at 1 p.m. ET.

Financial details of the proposal were put in place last week.

"We have reached agreement among all the parties and have a baseball stadium agreement we're all comfortable with that we're distributing and briefing commissioners on over the weekend and early next week in advance of a special meeting," county manager George Burgess told The Associated Press last week.

According to a 94-page memorandum that was sent to county commissioners, the project will cost $515 million, with $347 million in funding coming from the county and $155 million from the Marlins. The city of Miami would pay $13 million.

"After a vote, we will comment," Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello told AP.

The Marlins are under lease to remain at Dolphin Stadium, their home since 1993, through 2010.

Marlins iron out new stadium details

2008-02-17T19:14:00.000-05:00

Miami-Dade County would contribute $347 million in funding
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

JUPITER, Fla. -- Financial details are in place, and now the Marlins are a couple of final votes of approval away from securing a new stadium.

In recent days, the Marlins, the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County officials put the finishing touches on a deal to build a 37,000-seat retractable-roof stadium at the Orange Bowl site.

"We have reached agreement among all the parties and have a baseball stadium agreement we're all comfortable with that we're distributing and briefing commissioners on over the weekend and early next week in advance of a special meeting," county manager George Burgess told The Associated Press.

According to a 94-page memorandum that was sent to county commissioners, the project will cost $515 million, with $347 million in funding coming from the county and $155 million from the Marlins. The city of Miami would pay $13 million.

To be finalized, the plan needs the approval of the city of Miami commissioners and Miami-Dade County commissioners.

A special city of Miami commission meeting has been set for 9 a.m. ET on Thursday. Miami-Dade County commissioners will discuss the stadium at a 1 p.m. ET meeting the same day.

"After a vote, we will comment," Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello told AP.

If approved, the new park would be slated to open for the 2011 season. The Marlins are under lease to remain at Dolphin Stadium, their home since 1993, through 2010.

Marlins ballpark agreement reached

2008-02-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

By Sarah Talalay | Sun-Sentinel.com

The Marlins, Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami and Major League Baseball reached agreement late Friday to finance a $515 million ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl, according to a source.

The agreement was not released, but was expected to be distributed to county and city commissioners, who will need to approve it. The city has scheduled a special commission meeting to consider the deal at 9 a.m. Thursday; the county commission is to meet at 1 p.m. that day.

The deal calls for the county and city to contribute $360 million mainly in tourist taxes and a $50 million general obligation bond Miami-Dade voters approved in 2004 to renovate the Orange Bowl, but which will instead be moved to the ballpark project.The Marlins are to contribute $155 million.

The Marlins have been trying for years to finance a new ballpark, but numerous deals were derailed when the state Legislature failed to help pay for the project. The new agreement does not count on state dollars and officials have said they have never been closer to building a 37,000-seat retractable roof ballpark.

The team says it needs its own home because it pays rent at Dolphin Stadium, where its lease expires after the 2010 season, and receives only percentages of revenue from parking, concessions and advertising signage.

The Marlins hope to break ground by year's end with the stadium opening by April 2011, when the team would be renamed the Miami Marlins.

Florida Marlins announce 2008 telecast schedule

2008-02-12T21:37:00.001-05:00

FSN Florida and Sun Sports to produce and distribute regionally 150 telecasts; 75 in high definition

MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins in conjunction with FSN Florida, the exclusive regional television home of team, today announced the team's telecast schedule for the 2008 MLB season, which includes 150 regular season match-ups. All games will be produced by FSN Florida, with 100 regular season games scheduled to air statewide on FSN Florida and another 50 games available as special FSN Florida presentations distributed on sister network Sun Sports (offered by participating cable and satellite systems in Florida).

Going beyond just coverage of games, FSN Florida's partnership with the Marlins provides fans with more opportunities to get to know the team and its players. Nine half-hour episodes of FSN's popular INSIDE THE MARLINS are planned this year and will include player profiles, with rare behind-the-scenes stories and interviews, plus episodes offering inside access to other aspects of the team and its operations - all designed to bring the fans closer to their favorite team.

Providing extensive HD offerings at the regional level, FSN Florida will once again produce regional high-definition (HD) Florida Marlins game telecasts in 2008. Seventy five of the games will be made available in high definition to HD subscribers of participating cable/satellite affiliates including Comcast, Advanced Cable, Knology, Verizon FiOS, Home Town Cable, DIRECTV and DISH Network. (HD schedule TBA).

To help fans get ready for the upcoming season, FSN Florida will produce its annual FLORIDA MARLINS SEASON PREVIEW, hosted by Craig Minervini, premiering Monday, March 17, at 2 p.m.

Tommy Hutton, who spent 12 years in the Major Leagues as a first baseman, returns to the broadcast booth with expert commentary, marking his 12th season as FSN Florida's Marlins' television analyst. Rich Waltz returns for his fourth year as play-by-play announcer and Craig Minervini is back for his seventh season as pregame host and in-game reporter in addition to hosting INSIDE THE MARLINS. FSN Florida's Frank Forte also returns as part of the telecast team, hosting a number of pregame shows this season. Raúl Striker Jr. and Cookie Rojas return for their sixth season, providing Spanish-language commentary for all home game telecasts via secondary audio program (SAP).

FSN Florida's regular season coverage begins on Opening Day with MARLINS ON DECK, a live pre-game show on Monday, March 31 at 3:30 p.m., followed by live game coverage when the Marlins host the New York Mets at 4 p.m.

Highlights on the 2008 regional telecast schedule include 18 games against the Mets and 15 games with the Atlanta Braves. Interleague match-ups include home games against Kansas City with road games against Tampa, Seattle and Oakland.

MARLINS ON DECK, the network's entertaining and informative half-hour pre-game show airs live from site prior to each game telecast. FSN Florida also offers a program designed for kids and their families and its back for an eighth season with a new title, BILLY'S BUNCH, and a new look. Emmy Award-winning host Stephie Vainder (a.k.a "Stephie") hosts the monthly show. A unique baseball experience for the kid in all of us, BILLY'S BUNCH takes viewers beyond the playing field and shares players' interests both on and off the field.

FSN Florida's Marlins Director Jim Holly returns for his 11th season with the team and his 20th directing live professional sports events. FSN Florida has two new additions for its television crew this season - John Sulser moves from pre-game producer to game producer and Tim Fanguy joins as pregame producer. For the past five years Fanguy worked as producer and director of in-game entertainment for the NBA New Orleans Hornets.

Printable Schedule