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      Check out the Marlins’ new digs

      August 6, 2009 /

      new stadium

      Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved construction of the Marlins’ new ballpark. The ballpark, which officially broke ground in July, will be located in the downtown area of “Little Havana,” on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl.

      It’s about making a statement. So Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria challenged veteran ballpark architecture firm Populous to design a modernist structure: a sleek white stucco, silver metal and glass venue. He wanted a pitcher’s park, but with an intimate 37,000 blue seats, a left-field beach with a swimming pool and a right-field porch where fans can catch home-run balls. And sliding glass panels behind left field to showcase Miami’s skyline.

      The team, after having spent years trying to gain political support and public dollars for the project, showed off new renderings and video of the ballpark, which combines white to mirror cruise ships and blue for the ocean, Biscayne Bay and Miami River. But Loria is keeping some details — such as a signature water feature in center field — under wraps.

      The venue, scheduled to open in 2012 when the team will be renamed Miami Marlins, is designed to be breezy and comfortable, with wide concourses and plenty of concession stands for fans to get food and drinks quickly, Loria said. The concourses will overlook the field, so fans won’t miss the action when they get up for a beer or hot dog.

      Wow. Check out some more artist renderings here.

      The organization has pushed heavily since 2003 for their own stadium. Since the Marlins debuted in 1993, they have played in Joe Robbie Stadium (now LandShark Stadium), which is also the home of the Miami Dolphins. It’s been painfully obvious for some time now that the Marlins draw as much as a high school graduation. However, that may even be generous, depending on the size of your class. Good news is ownership knows what’s going on. It’s hot, hot, hot in Florida and nothing says a ruined evening than a gloomy Marlins or Rays barnburner. As a result, the new ballpark will have a state of the art retractable roof, a nice grass field, and 37,000 seats, including 3,000 club seats and 60 suites.

      Though fans will have to wait till 2012 and have to get used to calling their team the “Miami Marlins,” those are small concessions for what looks to be a beautiful park. In left field, there are glass panels that can open up if the weather permits. How great would that be? I feel like the Marlins haven’t played a day game at home since they had Jeff Conine.

      While some teams shop for sponsors, officials from the Marlins, Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami have agreed to fund the $515 million stadium with tourist tax dollars. Hopefully the Tampa Bay Rays follow suit because Tropicana Field looks like a glorified putt-putt course some struggling architects thought up after using many illegal substances.

      MLB

      Michael Crabtree to re-enter draft?

      August 6, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the cousin and adviser (whatever that entails) of Michael Crabtree states that the rookie wideout is prepared to sit out the entire 2009 season and re-enter the NFL draft in 2010 if he doesn’t get fair market value in terms of his contract.

      “We are prepared to do it,” Wells said. “Michael just wants fair-market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey [the seventh overall pick by the Oakland Raiders] getting $38 million? This week is crucial. Michael was one of the best players in the draft and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players. This week is very crucial.”

      Crabtree’s agent, Eugene Parker, says that no such threat has been made, although he also says that the 49ers’ initial contract offer is not acceptable. Profootballtalk.com suggests that Parker had promised Crabtree that he would be drafted in the top three and now is trying to get the rookie top three money, although that hasn’t been proven.

      I highly doubt that Crabtree will sit the entire 2009 season if he doesn’t receive the contract that he and his agent wants. Besides, it wouldn’t be in his best interest to do that, seeing as how teams picking at the top of the draft next year would likely stay away from him knowing that he was out of football for a year and would be a hassle to sign.

      I’m assuming that San Fran will have to get close to the number that the Raiders gave Heyward-Bey, although I don’t blame the Niners if they feel that they don’t have to match that number considering Heyward-Bey was taken three spots ahead of Crabtree in the draft. Considering the rookie salary structure is already screwed up, teams shouldn’t have to pay players for the draft slot that their agents felt they should have been taken in.

      NFL

      No suspension coming for Fielder

      August 6, 2009 /

      Major League Baseball has decided not to suspend Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder after he attempted to barge into the Dodgers’ clubhouse following a game Tuesday night in L.A. Fielder was upset after being on the receiving end of a retaliation pitch by Dodgers reliever Guillermo Mota and had to be stopped by teammates and security guards outside of L.A.’s clubhouse when he attempted to confront Mota following the game.

      From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

      More surprisingly, MLB isn’t suspending Dodgers reliever Guillermo Mota or manager Joe Torre, either. The penalties are undisclosed fines for Fielder and Mota and no suspensions.

      Mota obviously intentionally hit Fielder with a pitch in the ninth inning of a 17-4 loss in retaliation for Manny Ramirez being hit earlier in the game. And Torre obviously ordered it, which catcher Russell Martin admitted to after the game.

      As several of our readers pointed out yesterday, if Fielder was that angry about Mota’s retaliation pitch, then he should have confronted the reliever on the field during the game. Why he wanted until after the game is beyond me, unless he knew that his teammates would eventually stop him and thus, he wouldn’t have had to throw any punches in front of a stadium full of people. (Hey, maybe he was thinking about the children and their innocent, fragile minds.)

      Either way, it is surprising that neither Mota nor Torre will face any punishment. Usually MLB hands out one or two game suspensions for incidents like this one, although maybe the league thought that if they weren’t going to suspend Fielder, they couldn’t touch Mota or Torre either.

      MLB

      What to do about guaranteed contracts?

      August 6, 2009 /

      I’ve been griping about it for a while, but guaranteed contracts are hurting the NBA. There is no greater anvil over the neck of a franchise than a $10 million-plus contract for a player who is not producing.

      TrueHoop had a nice bit about it in its analysis of the Brandon Roy extension.

      All the dollars and roster spots tied up in injured or ineffective players is shameful. The Euroleague and the D-League are loaded to the gills with players who would kill for those roster spots, and they’d play for a tenth of the money. The teams, of course, would kill for the same thing.

      A fair percentage of NBA trades involve one GM saying “all right, I’ll give you this really really good player, but only if you also agree to pay these other guys who aren’t worth their contracts.” In other words, a decent chunk of NBA employees are burdens to their employers.

      Holy inefficient market, Batman! My inner libertarian yearns for a world in which at least the worst of those cases could be set free (with cushy, insurance-funded retirements, or new smaller market-value contracts with other teams) much like the league’s one-time amnesty clause a few years ago. Wouldn’t the NBA be a better place if Daryl Morey could spend that $23 million on seven additional Luis Scolas, or whatever other players he wanted? Wouldn’t all those hungry players, in place of injured has-beens, increase the value and enjoyment of every ticket to every NBA game?

      The simplest thing to do would be to make all of these contracts 50% guaranteed. If a player gets injured or is vastly underperforming, his team would have the option of cutting him loose and only have half of his remaining contract count against their salary cap. That way, the player gets some security, but the team has financial flexibility if the player doesn’t keep up his end of the deal. The player would have the option of signing with another team (if someone will have him) so he can still earn if he can still play.

      NBA

      Roddy White should show more humility

      August 6, 2009 /

      Roddy White deserves to be paid like a No. 1 receiver – he just doesn’t deserve to be paid like Larry Fitzgerald.

      White, the Falcons best receiver and top playmaker, is currently in holdout mode in hopes of getting a new contract. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal that will pay him $2.28 million this season and if he can’t reach a contract agreement with the Falcons, he’ll be a restricted free agent next year since the owners are opting out of the collective bargaining agreement. (2010 is heading for an uncapped year.)

      Last season, White hauled in 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns while helping to lead Atlanta to a miraculous playoff appearance. But when the Falcons opened their doors for training camp last Friday, White was nowhere to be found and is reportedly working out on his own in Alabama. Making matters worse for the Falcons, they just lost slot receiver Harry Douglas (who has been subbing for White during the holdout) for the season after he tore his ACL on Wednesday.

      According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, contract talks between White and the Falcons have soured, with GM Thomas Dimitroff indicating that the holdout could go deep into camp. With White seeking a deal similar to what Fitz got (four years, $40 million), the Falcons may soon pull their offer off the table and make Roddy play out the final year of his contract.

      This situation could have been avoided had White and his agent showed a little more trust and humility from the start. While White certainly has put up fantastic numbers these past two seasons (171 receptions, 2,584 yards, 13 TDs), he also shorted the Falcons during the first two years of his contract when he only caught 59 passes for a messily 952 yards and three touchdowns.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

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