Marlins Ballpark is now "97 percent complete" and sod will be installed this weekend, according to Joe Capozzi of the PALM BEACH POST. The ballpark has "two aquariums behind home plate," and fish will be "added in about two weeks." As a precaution, the Marlins two weeks ago asked 1B Gaby Sanchez "to test the sturdiness of the glass tanks." Marlins President David Samson said, "He threw a ball as hard as he could against the tank and it didn't even make a mark and nothing moved inside the tank. We have an extra layer of glass in front of the glass that's in front of the fish. No ball will hit the tank as fast as Gaby threw it, that's for sure." Two JumboTrons in left and right field "have been in place and both have been working for a while." The statue in left-center field "will be tested at the end of February and the pitchers' mound will be installed soon." The team "still hopes to land a naming-rights deal this season," but Samson confirmed that the facility "will be called Marlins Park when the season opens." He said, "We're still negotiating with companies but it's such a long-term deal and the numbers are so big that you want to do the right partner at the right time" (PALM BEACH POST, 2/3). Samson said, "We are 62 days away from delivering the first ever ballpark with not a dollar of over-runs. We said it from the beginning, and we have done it." MLB.com's Joe Frisaro noted the team "expects to leave the roof shut for more than 80 percent of its games," but when a game "isn't going on, the roof will remain open." Samson: "The roof will stay open to let the grass grow until Opening Night" (MLB.com, 2/2).
