Marlins select Hunt Construction to build new ballpark

According to a report in SportsBusiness Daily, the Marlins have completed the second round of bids for the project and have selected Hunt Construction. Hunt Construction has plenty of experience in building retractable roof stadiums including projects in Phoenix, Seattle, Milwaukee, Glendale, and Indianapolis. Hunt is also the company selected to build the new Orlando Magic facility up in Central Florida. Miami-Dade County must approve this decision by the Marlins and join the contract.

The architect for the project continues to be HOK Sport based out of Kansas City. HOK has been involved with most of the newer ballparks built in the league.

Stadium issues gain clearer picture

Two rulings by judge has both parties claiming victory
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Legal hurdles remain in the Marlins' new retractable-roof stadium deal, but what is being contested is a little clearer.
On Thursday, a Miami-Dade judge handed down two rulings that had both parties claiming victories.

Circuit Judge Pedro Echarte allowed Norman Braman's challenge to some parts of the funding to move forward to a trial on July 1. But the judge also dismissed the argument by Braman that Miami-Dade county manager George Burgess was in violation of Florida's public records law by negotiating the stadium deal in private.

Braman, a South Florida auto dealer and former owner of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, has repeatedly argued against public monies going toward the $515 million stadium on the Orange Bowl grounds that is scheduled to open in 2011.

At issue in the trial now set for July 1 is $50 million that voters approved in the past that was designated for renovations to the Orange Bowl. With the University of Miami football team scheduled to begin playing at Dolphin Stadium this year, the old stadium became vacated.

County commissioners shifted that $50 million to the Marlins' stadium. Braman is challenging the designation of that money.

The Marlins on Friday had no comment on the upcoming trial.

As the legal angles move forward, so does preparation to wrap up a number of loose ends, in hopes of breaking ground in November.

This month, representatives from the team, the city of Miami and the county are meeting with the architect, HOK Sports, the Kansas City-based company that is designing the ballpark.

HOK is going over how the park will look on the outside and inside.

Sun Sports quality compared to FSN Florida

Tonight, Sun Sports had the Marlins game and usually I notice no difference. However, tonight the scorestrip was different. It appeared to be too far left which cut it off on most of the TVs in my view.



Compare for yourself: Fish on SUN above, Rays on FSN below



Either way, I hope Sun Sports fixes the issues. A nice thing would be if Sun Sports used its nice baseball graphics (like they use for FSU and UF baseball) for Marlins games instead of just mooching off the FSN look.



Normally, Marlins telecasts on Sun Sports look like the third picture.

Update: The fourth screenshot is the one from the FSU baseball game on Sun Sports.

Braman lawsuit moves on to trial on July 1st

From Local10.com:

Judge OKs Braman Lawsuit To Stop Stadium
Auto Magnate Says Spending Taxpayer Money On Stadium Illegal

MIAMI -- A Miami judge Thursday gave the go-ahead on a lawsuit filed by automobile magnate Norman Braman to stop a $3 billion redevelopment plan that includes the construction of a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins.

Judge Pedro Echarte dismissed one count of Braman's lawsuit against Miami-Dade County but said the remaining issues would be decided at a trial in July. Attorneys for the county wanted all of Braman's complaints thrown out.

At issue is the $3 billion plan that calls for a tunnel into the Port of Miami, a new stadium for the Marlins at the site of the Orange Bowl (which is nearly demolished) and a major infusion of money for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

Braman's attorney, Robert Martinez, claims the plan is in violation of Florida's constitution and the money invested is not being used as it was intended.

"What we have alleged here and what the facts show, as far as we know them, is that the Marlins are getting a business operation delivered to them on a silver platter for business purposes," said Martinez.

County attorneys said spending taxpayer money on a new stadium is perfectly legal.

Braman, the owner of Braman Motors, has said he would dismiss the lawsuit if the public got a chance to vote on it.

From CBS4.com:

Braman Lawsuit Against Stadium Moves Forward
Trial Date Is Scheduled For July 1st

Video Report

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Auto magnate Norman Braman recently sued Miami-Dade to kill a $3- billion public works megaplan, which includes building a Marlin baseball stadium where once stood the Orange Bowl.

At a hearing on Thursday, a Miami-Dade judge ruled in favor of the lawsuit moving forward.

Plantiff's attorney Bob Martinez told CBS4 Liv Davalos that the judge sided with the complaint, "that public money, public credit to aid a private party" is being questioned.

It was only last month when Miami-Dade commissioners approved what amounts to a fifty-fifty split of the coveted off-duty security work for Marlins games if a new stadium opens in 2011. Miami-Dade County police would handle work inside while the City of Miami police would handle the work outside.

But there are still deeper cracks in the proposed $525-million stadium deal. Some commissioners still argue it's a waste and misuse of taxpayer money.

In short, there are still plenty of bases to cross and agreements to be sealed. If the votes aren't there, or the courts say foul, there's big trouble.

One count got thrown out, but the rest go on to trial. The county is pretty good legally, so this should be an interesting trial to say the least. Think Braman Motorcars could feel some backlash from this if people get annoyed by the constant headlines with his name? Or is any news a good thing for him?

Turner bows out of ballpark bid

South Florida Business Journal
by Don Muret, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal

The Florida Marlins' second proposal for a construction manager to build the team's new ballpark in Miami is on the street, but one of sports' three biggest contractors won't be rebidding for the job.

Turner Construction, a firm whose eight new or renovated MLB stadiums on its résumé include the new Yankee Stadium, has made a decision not to pursue the project, budgeted at $515 million.

Dale Koger, VP and GM of Turner's sports group, would not specify why his company declined to submit another bid.

"We've been there once," he said. "That's enough."

The Marlins are aware of Turner's decision as they move ahead with the project, team President David Samson said. Bids are due May 2.

The Marlins reissued the request for qualifications for a construction manager on April 2, almost three years to the day after the team selected Mortenson to build a $360 million facility next to the Orange Bowl. Turner and Hunt Construction were the other finalists.

The lack of state politicians' support to provide public money for the ballpark in 2005 doomed that deal, but the city and state have since agreed to help the Marlins pay for constructing a 37,000-seat ballpark set to open in 2011 on the site of the Orange Bowl.

Under the new agreement between the club and the public bodies, the Marlins had to restart the process for selecting a construction manager, Samson said.

Hunt and Mortenson officials did not return phone calls to confirm they would resubmit for the Marlins job.

Agreement ready for action on police, fire protection for Marlins stadium

By Lou Ortiz

The City of Miami and Miami-Dade County have agreed on how their police and fire departments would share off-duty work at a new Florida Marlins stadium, though the leader of the city's police union has not signed on.
"This is something we've all agreed to," County Manager George Burgess told commissioners Tuesday about sharing duties and overtime at the proposed $525 million stadium and surrounding area.
Members of the county's police and fire-rescue union told commissioners the agreement was equitable, but not Armando Aguilar, president of Miami's Fraternal Order of Police.
"We have not agreed to this," he told the commission.
The city and county hammered out the agreement because "union leadership has not been able to reach a middle ground on this matter," Mr. Burgess said in a report to the commission.
The pact between the city and the county is to be etched into a stadium management agreement with the Marlins.
The commission, which reacted favorably to the terms, voted to accept the report from Mr. Burgess that contained details of the city-county pact.
Under the agreement, which the city commission is expected to consider this week:
•County police are to provide off-duty staffing within the stadium and within about 100 feet of the park for baseball events, and the city is to staff other areas, including the garage, retail and commercial development and a planned soccer stadium.
•City police are to staff the surrounding neighborhood and streets during ballgames.
•The city and county are each to provide one fire-rescue unit for ballgames.
The city and county are each allowed eight community events at the stadium under the pact. "For our eight days, we do it all," Mr. Burgess told commissioners. "For their eight days, they do it all."
In his report, Mr. Burgess said: "We are open to adjusting these terms if the respective unions are able to mutually agree to another approach, using the [the city and county] terms...as a starting point."

Stadium Gets Tentative Approval On Police Issue

Dispute Between Two Police Agencies Stalls Construction

CBS4 Video Report

MIAMI (WPLG) -- The Miami-Dade Commission Tuesday approved an agreement that would have off-duty county police officers patrol the inside of a new baseball stadium at the site of the Orange Bowl site and city of Miami officers patrolling the outside.

A dispute between the two police agencies had stalled action toward construction of a $525 million stadium, approved in principle by Miami and Miami-Dade officials in February.

"The county manager has presented this as a done deal, but it's not," said Armando Aguilar, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police.

He said the Miami FOP is willing to split the off-duty work at the stadium, but the city should have the last say when it comes to command and control, Local 10's Michael Putney reported.

The agreement, approved Tuesday, said the ranking officers at the stadium on any given day would work cooperatively, but doesn't say which department would have the final say.

The debate over the policing agreement led to a larger debate over approval for the larger stadium agreement. "You don't have nine votes to move ahead with it and you need nine votes," said Commissioner Joe Martinez.

Commissioner Carlos Gimenez agreed with Martinez, arguing that county administrators and the mayor, who supports the stadium deal, do not have the votes needed to approve construction and management agreements that will come before the commission on July 1.

Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz, the most enthusiastic stadium supporter on the commission, said that his constituents tell him they want a stadium, and that it would be "a shame" for Miami to lose the Marlins.

The team had talks with Las Vegas officials about two years ago, but has consistently said it wants to stay in Miami as long as a new stadium can be built. The team's current lease at Dolphin Stadium expires in 2010

MLB takes action to reduce TV blackouts

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports

Major League Baseball is finally trying to white out its blackout problem – and the restrictions that prevent so many from watching games on television and over the Internet may be lifted as early as the 2009 season.

At the owners’ meetings in May, all 30 teams are expected to deliver reports outlining the territories in which they currently broadcast games or have concrete plans to in the future, according to an MLB source. Based on the information, MLB will redraw its territorial-rights map – the outdated gerrymandering that causes areas such as Las Vegas and Iowa to be blacked out from 40 percent of games on a full schedule – to better reflect the present broadcast landscape.

The catalyst behind MLB’s sudden action is president Bob DuPuy, who at last year’s meetings took a hard-line stance on the blackouts. Aware of the outrage among baseball fans and torrent of letters pouring into MLB offices over an issue with a fairly painless remedy, DuPuy told the owners they had to stake legitimate claims to their territories or risk losing them.

Some owners, another source said, were concerned about existing TV contracts and potential discord among advertisers who were promised certain territories covered. DuPuy understood the conflict and allowed them one year to work out any issues.

The year is nigh, and though the MLB source said it’s too late to implement the changes this season, MLB will try to do so before 2009, when it launches the Baseball Channel, potentially its biggest money-making venture since MLB.com grew into a $2 billion business. The Baseball Channel will be a free cable offering much like the NFL Network.


MLB.com’s success helped fuel the hullabaloo over the blackouts. MLB.tv advertises that it broadcasts “every game” over the Internet, conveniently forgetting to publicize the caveat that sometimes leaves more black screens than RGB. The majority of the public is unfamiliar with blackout rules until confronted with them from MLB.tv or the televised Extra Innings package, then outraged at a policy that originated around the Summer of Love and hasn’t changed.

Back then, MLB had 20 teams and little television coverage beyond the postseason. Territorial rights were analog endowments carried into the digital age, and while in some cases they still apply – the Red Sox own a legitimate claim to the entirety of New England with regional-sports network NESN’s ubiquity there, and the Yankees and Mets are big enough draws for the YES Network and SportsNet New York to stretch across their territories, and perhaps beyond – most should be up for grabs.

Is Des Moines a Twins territory? Do the White Sox have a genuine claim? Why not the Royals? They’re closest. The Cubs are the most popular, the Cardinals traditionally the most successful, the Brewers currently the best. If nothing else, the re-written territorial-rights map could give teams incentive to actively pursue areas such as Iowa and Las Vegas and draw new fans instead of relying on what they inherited. The forgotten would turn into the recruited.

Obstacles do remain, which is why 2009 is an optimistic date and the blackouts could stretch into the next decade. DuPuy may not be satisfied with teams’ findings, and teams may fight for their territories out of fear that the have-have not divide would only deepen with a re-drawn map.

Take, for example, El Paso, Texas. It is about six hours from the nearest team – which happens to be in Arizona. The two teams in Texas, the Rangers and Astros, are about 10 hours away. So who gets El Paso? Surely it’s not an orphan.

Cities with multiple cable companies offer problems too, if teams work out TV distribution deals with one outlet but not the other. Technically, the game would be available in that area, no matter how limited. Would it be blacked out?

Baseball is well-versed enough in compromise to figure out ways to satiate both the owners and public. Fans already give up most Saturday afternoon games to the blackout Fox bought so it could have exclusivity. It isn’t fair. It is business, and the financial prosperity derived from TV contracts and other media rights has helped baseball avoid work stoppages for consecutive collective-bargaining agreements. The trade is worth it.

Most promising is baseball listening to its public. During the MLB Extra Innings debacle last year, in which baseball held cable companies hostage by threatening not to offer them the package unless they put the Baseball Channel on basic digital cable, MLB ignored the outcries of its fans and instead chased a buck. Cable companies didn’t and bowed to MLB’s request, thus ensuring the Baseball Channel the largest launch in cable history.

This time, it was different. You wrote the letters. You lodged the complaints. You hammered home the inanity of it all.

And when the black cloud is lifted, you’ll have reason to celebrate, right there on your screens in beautiful color.

Some Clippings: "Loria wants special design for ballpark"

From The Miami Herald:

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said the team's new Miami ballpark, which is scheduled to open in 2011, will have a contemporary design, a departure from the recent trend of retro-looking stadiums.

''The architects and I have had some discussions about doing something special, realizing that we are in Florida,'' Loria said.

Loria's guest for Monday's opener was Vincent Scully, his art and architecture professor at Yale.

Very interesting indeed. Nationals Park more than Oriole Park at Camden Yards was what we expected, but this a shove in that direction.

Miami hopes to host '09 Classic games

Dolphin Stadium among prospective sites for second round
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

MIAMI -- As Opening Day approaches, there is a natural baseball buildup.

In the case of South Florida baseball, the market is hopeful to add some international flavor to an area that embraces the game.

Miami is in the running to host the second round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. If awarded, the games would be played at Dolphin Stadium.

"We've applied and are in the running to be a host in the second round, and we hope to hear as soon as possible," Marlins president David Samson said.

Recently, the World Baseball Classic announced four sites for the preliminary rounds: Mexico, Tokyo, Toronto and Puerto Rico.

Sometime in April, it is expected that the Classic will decide on a site for the second round, as well as the championship.

To secure the Classic in 2009 would be yet another boost to South Florida baseball.

Recently, a binding stadium agreement was reached that secures the Florida Marlins a retractable-roof 37,000-seat stadium on the Orange Bowl grounds in Miami.

The new Marlins park is slated to open in 2011.

Major League Baseball was very active in the Marlins' efforts to secure funding for their own park. And the league has already pledged to open an urban youth baseball academy in Hialeah, also located in Miami-Dade County.

Along with applying for the Classic in 2009, South Florida also projects to bid for the 2013 Classic. That year, the new Marlins ballpark would be opening for the third season.