I find it difficult to sleep when I visit Miami or Las Vegas. They’re such energizing cities. You feed on this energy and it seems to carry you into the night and the morning and the following day. I tend to prefer Miami. The energy in Vegas is too artificial – it’s like Red Bull when the buzz leaves, you crash. Miami is more like iced tea – caffeinated but relaxing. The balmy air keeps you loose and alive and the beach is never more than a mile away.
As a sports city, Miami has hosted the Super Bowl and the BCS Championship more than any other city. The Dolphins and Heat are always in the top 10 in their respective leagues in attendance. But the Marlins, two-time World Series champions, are always in the cellar. Last year they averaged 16,919 fans the worst in the league. This number appears inflated when you actually watch a Marlins game and see more players on the field than fans in the stands. You can’t blame them, the experience at Dolphin Stadium, a facility designed for football, is probably the worst in the majors. There are superior springs training venues!
On Thursday, the city of Miami acknowledged this fact when they approved a $619-million baseball stadium.
The 37,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium will be built on the Little Havana site of the Orange Bowl – and is slated to be ready for Opening Day 2011.
It has to be: The Marlins will be out of their current lease, at H. Wayne Huizenga's Dolphin Stadium, after the 2010 baseball season. Club executives say the new stadium will ensure crowds even on rainy days and give the club a far greater financial windfall from concessions. The overall price is $619 million, including a parking garage.
Major League Baseball Chief Operating Officer Bob Dupuy, who accompanied the Marlins on their daylong trek through the political tangle of Miami-Dade County, said he knew the decision would not be easy.
''I believe it's worth it,'' Dupuy said. 'On Opening Day, when you see the looks on the kids' faces as they come through the turnstiles to see their very first Miami Marlins game, you'll see it's all worth it.''
“Marlins sweep as Miami, Dade OK stadium” – Miami Herald