Two Marlins season-ticket holders yesterday "filed
lawsuits seeking reimbursements," and one of the club's
original sponsors said it was "canceling advertisements for
the rest of the season," according to Barry Jackson of the
MIAMI HERALD. The separate class-action lawsuits were filed
by Miami chiropractor Octavio Fernandez and Palm Beach
attorney Henry Handler in reaction to Friday's payroll-
cutting trade with the Dodgers. Each suit seeks in excess
of $15,000 in damages. Meanwhile, Emilio Cruz, President of
two Miami stores, Miami Shoes and Wilderness Country, said
that he would "immediately pull his stores' advertising"
that appears on JumboTron at Pro Player Stadium, as well as
during Marlins broadcasts on SportsChannel FL and WQBA
radio. Cruz: "Our customers have been complaining. They
ask, 'What kind of organization is this that you're
supporting?' It hurts us in terms of image to continue
advertising with the Marlins. Why would we support
something that's not supporting the community?" Cruz's two
stores are in the final year of a three-year deal. The
company pays $150,000 for two JumboTron ads per game,
$100,000 this season for ads on SportsChannel FL's Marlins
and NHL Panthers telecasts, and $70,000 for ads on WQBA
(MIAMI HERALD, 5/19). Huizenga Holdings spokesperson Stan
Smith shrugged off the suits: "What will they think of
next?" (Alan Snel, Fort Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 5/19). In
Miami, columnist Greg Cote also dismisses the suit as
frivolous: "Your ticket, and by extension your season
ticket, assures you nothing, just as the previous season's
result assures nothing" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/19).
PR ADVICE: In Fort Lauderdale, Alan Snel examines the
Marlins' PR problems and notes that "spin doctors" say the
team "faces a stiff test" in trying to explain its moves.
Marlins VP/Sales & Marketing Jim Ross: "The biggest
challenge is to educate people on what's going on. We can't
rely on anyone doing that for us." FL-based Communications
Group President Ray Biagiotti: "They need to be very clear
and honest with the media. The public is forgiving as long
as you provide accurate information" (SUN-SENTINEL, 5/19).
I.L. ON THE D.L.: As part of their organization-wide
cost-cutting measures, the Marlins will not field an
Instructional League team this fall (SUN-SENTINEL, 5/19).
