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Did Marlins Park Configuration Lead To Postgame Brawl At Inaugural Bowl Game?

While there was only a "modest crowd" of 20,761 on Monday afternoon for the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park, the game "deserves to be remembered for all of its entertainment value and drama from start to finish," according to Kurt Kragthorpe of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. With "any other ending," the event "might have gone down as one of college football’s best games of December or January." A player brawl that ensued after Memphis’ clinching interception in double OT "clearly was a by-product of the Marlins Park configuration, with most fans seated behind the BYU bench." So when a "bunch of the Tigers ran toward the stands to celebrate, they went right through many of BYU’s players." Kragthorpe: "Label this the unintended consequence of playing football in a baseball stadium" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 12/23). MLB.com's Chad Thornburg wrote fans at Marlins Park were "treated to a sports thriller of a different kind." The Memphis-BYU contest was the "first football game hosted at Marlins Park," which opened in '12 and was "designed to accommodate football and soccer in addition to baseball games." The venue was "outfitted with goalposts, line markers, tarps and benches last July." Sod was "installed earlier this month, and the field was painted with team logos, yardage lines and numbers last week." Marlins Park is one of three MLB ballparks to "host college bowl games this year," joining Tropicana Field and Yankee Stadium. Marlins Park Exec VP/Operations & Events Claude Delorme said, "It's a six-year deal (with the Miami Beach Bowl), so this is perfect, because they're great to work with, their offices are in the operations office, so I see them every day" (MLB.com, 12/22).

ULTERIOR MOTIVES? In Cincinnati, Tom Groeschen notes amid speculation that the Univ. of Cincinnati "could be a candidate to join an expanded Big 12 Conference, a potentially large Military Bowl fan presence would not hurt the cause." UC AD Mike Bohn said of Saturday's game against Virginia Tech, "We are looking at having somewhere north of 10,000 fans." The school "shared the American Athletic Conference championship this year, but UC hopes to move upward into the Big 12 or another Power Five conference." Bohn "will not comment publicly, but UC behind the scenes is exploring such options." UC has had "good turnouts at recent bowl games, including an estimated 15,000 at each of its Belk Bowl games" in Charlotte the last two years (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 12/23). 

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW: In Honolulu, Ferd Lewis notes Wednesday's Hawaii Bowl pits Rice against Fresno State, but ESPN "would like that to be" the Univ. of Hawaii whenever possible, which on average is "worth an extra 10,000 fans per game." However, ESPN Events Senior VP & GM Pete Derzis maintained that the net "remains committed" to the game. Lewis notes part of the "beauty of this game for ESPN" is that with the 8:00pm ET time slot, and "little to rival it on Christmas Eve, any competitive matchup should do well." Derzis said, "The game is a wonderful placeholder on Christmas Eve and we expect that to continue" (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 12/23).

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