This was the 9th ballpark with a retractable roof that I’d been to.
If you’re a bobblehead fan this is the place to go. They’re all constantly bobbling (must be a fan inside the display case).
Grandstand legroom is decent.
The Miccosukee sign in the foul pole is for the federally recognized Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. They were originally part of the Seminoles, most of whom were relocated west of the Mississippi in Andrew Jackson’s Indian Relocation Act – known as the Trail of Tears.
The center field camera operator only has a slot to look through…but the camera sees everything.
Game: June 11, 2012. I took a road trip with both my daughters to the brand new Marlins Park in Miami. It’s on the site of the old Orange Bowl.
This was the inaugural year for the Miami Marlins, who had been the Florida Marlins playing at the football stadium in Miami Gardens since 1993. That stadium has changed names a ridiculous number of times. It opened in 1987 as Joe Robbie Stadium (he was the owner of the Miami Dolphins), then it was Pro Player Stadium, then Dolphin Stadium, then Land Shark Stadium, then Sun Life Financial Stadium then Hard Rock Stadium. Kara and I had been to a game there the year before and the place was practically empty.
The name change from Florida…(wait…I just accidentally put a space between the o and the r in Florida – since fixed – and realized that’s where Flo Rida got his stage name. His real name is Lamar Dillard, and he’s from Miami-Dade County. If I ever get on Jeopardy and that comes up in Final I’ll put everything on it and win). Anyway, why the change from Florida Marlins to Miami Marlins? In 1993 the Marlins were the only MLB team in the state, but in 1997 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the American League, plus the new ballpark is within the city limits, not in Miami Gardens, which about 15 miles north.
Marlins Park is brand spanking new, with a retractable roof and glass left-field wall (an idea stolen from Minute Maid Park in Houston) and a swimming pool in center field (an idea stolen from Chase Field in Phoenix). It’s a colorful experience – the new Miami Marlins logo has 5 colors and you see all 5 everywhere. As Fats Waller would say, the joint was was absolutely jumping. Salsa music coming from a live band in the bleachers, very vocal fans. Compared to the experience at a Marlins game the year before it was the most amazing year-to-year turnaround I’ve ever seen.
The Marlins lineup featured Giancarlo Stanton in right field and former and future Red Sox Hanley Ramirez at 3rd. The starter for the Sox was Josh Beckett, whom they got from the Marlins along with Mike Lowell in return for Hanley back in 2005.
This was 2012, the Bobby Valentine year, and big changes were waiting in the wings. Adrian Gonzalez played right field (not 1st base) that night and Nick Punto pinch hit. Beckett, Gonzalez, Punto and Carl Crawford were part of the big salary dump to the Dodgers about a month after this game.
Beckett got off to a bad start, giving up 4 runs in the first 2 innings. That was all Miami would need. Boston answered with one in the 6th when Dustin Pedroia scored on a sac fly. 32,500 fans were on hand. Getting out of the big new garage attached to the ballpark was a really slow process.
Both the Red Sox and Marlins finished in their respective cellars that year with identical records of 69 and 93. To no one’s surprise, manager Valentine was fired at the end of the season.
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