Jeffrey Loria is entering his 10th season as Marlins Owner, and "love him or hate him, Loria already has created an indelible legacy" in the region, according to Juan Rodriguez of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. The team is scheduled to move into its new ballpark for the '12 season, and Loria said, "We worked very hard for all these years to put ourselves in this position and the city in this position to be expecting something spectacular. It's been a long time coming, but the results are nothing short of magnificent." The following are excerpts from Loria's Q&A.
Q: The new brand is set to be revealed on Nov. 11. Any hints that you can provide about color schemes?
Loria: The only thing I can tell you is everybody is going to be excited with it. We're a new team. We're the Miami Marlins. We're going to recognize ourselves as such and we're going to be part of a new contemporary stadium that's going to be the jewel of baseball stadiums. The spectacular way it's been conceived and built will be reflective of the way the colors and the new uniforms work together.
Q: Why were you successful cementing the long-term future of baseball in South Florida when your predecessors weren't?
Loria: We have a very good team of people who worked on this. This was not a successful venture done by one or two people. … We wanted to see it done and we felt we wanted to leave a legacy. In spite of the occasional opposition that came in front of us, we were not deterred.
Q: Was there ever a point when you thought this just isn't going to work here?
Loria: I had my moments when I was wondering, but I always kept the faith frankly.
Q: There's a perception the city and the county made a bad deal.
Loria: Perception by whom? People who were opposed to the stadium. That was their way of trying to make it difficult. It's nothing I really want to comment on.
Q: You guys have taken your share of black eyes on financial stuff.
Loria: If you're going to be in an ownership position, you have to be willing to take pot shots at you. We've taken our pot shots and we've prevailed, period. And it's because we took our potshots and prevailed that the city has this magnificent baseball park, adding to the skyline of Miami along with its performing arts center and new museums. That's part of building a major city. It's not just one piece. Like a baseball team, it's a puzzle. It's nice to see all of it is being done (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 3/28).
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: In Miami, Adam Beasley in a front-page piece reports the Marlins are "marketing with one eye on next year," when the team will open its new downtown ballpark. The team's slogan for '11 is "Catch Our Moves," a "nod to the team's talented but young roster -- and, of course, to its pending relocation" from Sun Life Stadium. With the new "climate-controlled, retractable-roof, baseball-only facility," team execs "believe Miami's literally fair-weather fans will come out in 2012." The team does not release season-ticket figures, but Marlins President David Samson said that sales for '12 "have already outpaced those of 2011." Samson: "Our season ticket numbers are not good at Sun Life." Beasley notes the Marlins over the past 10 years have "finished no higher than 26th in average attendance" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/31). In West Palm Beach, Hal Habib noted for many within the organization, there “definitely is no question -- they can't wait to pack” and move from Sun Life Stadium. Samson does not have any “melancholy feelings.” He said, "They're not tearing this down. If they were tearing this down, I'd feel a sense of melancholy. I'll feel a sense of closure. I'll know that the Marlins have completed their run and now we're the Miami Marlins" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/29).
