Ballpark Groundbreaking Reactions

Two interesting columns following the groundbreaking ceremony for the Marlins' new ballpark:

The Miami Herald's Dan LeBatard touches on the emotional side of the event:

It is a beautiful thing, really, that all those kids holding hands with their parents Saturday morning were making their way toward a lifetime of new memories. And that all those sons, all grown up now, were pushing fathers in wheelchairs over the dirt where progress will be built and tomorrows will be remembered.

That is priceless . . . even as it will cost our city either hundreds of millions or billions, depending on whom you believe. So I kept making U-turns in Abuelita's old neighborhood Saturday until I could finally follow the crowds and the noise toward the big party on the burial ground meant to celebrate tomorrow.

It is hard to make a sound argument for our broke city spending these kinds of dollars to build a new palace for a bunch of rich guys to play games, but that argument is emotional, not logical, and it certainly felt good on this morning.

The Sun-Sentinel's Ethan Skolnick has a spot-on request for David Samson and the Marlins:

Let's hope (the Marlins) understand the stadium deal is a beginning, not an end, and that the burden is on them, not the public, since the latter entity has already contributed more than enough. Let's hope team President David Samson reconsiders his recently-stated position that they'll show players the money only after fans show their support at the gate. Let's hope that, at the very least, he keeps similarly buzz-killing declarations to himself from here forward.

Finally!?

Well, looks like only a last-second snag can prevent the Marlins from their coveted new stadium in Little Havana. July 1 is the drop-dead date; after that it's a done deal.

I've written before on my feelings about the new ballpark, in particular the pieces put in place to make this happen. I'll let Miami-Dade Commissioner Pepe Diaz put my general feelings in simple terms:

“It is not a perfect deal,” Diaz said. “I see more positives than I see negatives with this deal. I will tell you straight out that it will create jobs.”

Whether the jobs that will be created are long-lasting is doubtful. This is something the Just Say No crowd likes to harp on, among other things. Some are valid. Some are not. In the end, for me this is all about creating opportunity and having a vision, no matter how broad or poorly defined the vision may be right now. Professional sports teams do add value to communities, and serve the public good as Judge Cohen ruled last summer. Done right, there's no reason why the area around the stadium can't end up being something like Baltimore, Denver or even Washington D.C., instead of the constant "Just Say No" harping about new stadiums not serving as economic catalysts. They don't have to be the driving force, but a focal point around which planning and development can take place. It does takes vision, something our area lacks all too often. I'm an optimist by nature...so I'll all in.

Marlins Stadium Saga (UPDATED)

As the Marlins' stadium deal continues to flounder and the back-and-forth between Carlos Alvarez and Miami city commissioners heated up last week, let me attempt to approach the whole stadium issue from a ever-so-slightly different tack.

Before I explain, let me set a little background music. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Jorge the other day, and the topic of the stadium came up as both of us are supporters of the stadium efforts. Jorge is by far the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to Marlins and stadium finances. Also not to be ignored is the ever-versatile Henry Gomez, who in his Fish or Cut Bait blog came up with one of the best explanations in favor of a stadium that I've seen:

Now I'm not a big fan of subsidies, especially at the federal level because a lot of has to do with social engineering (like subsidizing corn ethanol which is a money loser and is driving up the price of food). I have no problem with tax breaks for corporations but honestly I'd like to see lower across the board tax rates for corporations if not the complete repeal of corporate taxes. But that's a discussion for another day. My point is that in the real world we help out individual businesses when we feel the benefit outweighs the cost.

That's why we build county facilities like the airport to serve private businesses like the airlines. That's why we build a performing arts center (ed. Arsht Center) that can be used by private organizations that produce such entertainment.

Obviously, Henry draws a line in the sand. If you think a successful baseball franchise is something worth having, hop on board. If not, then there's not much else I can tell you. I am willing to agree that the current stadium deal is far from perfect. In fact, in some cases it stinks on ice. Those who are against the current deal, but in favor of the Marlins being a successful and viable entity in South Florida, I don't have a big problem with. I DO have a problem with the prevailing attitude that the Marlins should pretty much take a hike if they can't foot the entire cost of a new stadium.

To me, this stadium issue is in many ways reflective of where we are and where we want to go as a community. A key component of any community is how it takes care of its arts and entertainment institutions. Think about all the progress we've made in the arts in recent years: the Arsht Center and the proposed Museum Park, for example. Also, think about the many failures: Florida Philharmonic, Concert Association of Florida, Miami Fusion, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Orange Bowl Parade, the Orange Bowl Stadium...I'm sure I missed a few, but you get the idea.

When it comes to stewarding our institutions, we're just not very good as a whole. In fact, we're often downright hostile. Not exactly a nice way to portray ourselves as a community. "We have bad and corrupt politicians", you may argue. Yes we do. So do a lot of other places, but they manage to execute complex deals involving public AND private interests. Why? I'd like to think that people in other places spend more time and energy trying to come up with solutions rather than identifying the problem over and over again. "Just Say NO" should be South Florida motto. It fits us like a glove, I'm sad to report.

When Miami commissioners Sarnoff and Spence-Jones sprang up at the last second and threw obstacles in the way of the stadium deal, that's hostile. Not in the act of opposing the deal, but the manner in which it was done. When people complain about stadium funds that should instead go to schools and transportation, when in fact it CAN'T be done, that's a sign of an ignorant populace that our politicians prey upon.

County mayor Carlos Alvarez is a decent and honorable man, in my opinion. His vocal support of the stadium may or may not be on solid footing, but I think I know where he's coming from:

'Sincere and earnest work and meticulous and deliberate negotiations have been hijacked,'' Alvarez said Tuesday. ``The best intentions have been morphed into unreasonable demands that have nothing to do with baseball.''

...

''Quite frankly, I'm appalled as a citizen of Miami-Dade County,'' Alvarez said. He said if his fellow elected officials keep demanding concessions in exchange for their votes, ``we will never get any major project done in this community.''

Civic pride shouldn't make us blind, but it encourages good faith efforts to get things done. If the current deal is bad, let's iron it out without the grandstanding and without non-sensical comments from residents who think the stadium will take food away from people's mouths. If New York, Washington D.C., and many other cities can agree on complex stadium deals for their teams, why can't we? Wanting the best for a community doesn't mean throwing people under the bus simply because they want their baseball team to have a modern facility in which to play in. It means working in good faith and honestly ironing out differences. That's how things get done in life, when you care.

I encourage everyone who stuck with this to the end to visit Jorge's site and read his many posts on the subject, especially those comparing the Marlins stadium with other new projects around the country.

UPDATED (11 AM): Jackie Bueno Sousa fairly looks at both sides of the issue and brings up some interesting statistics in today's Herald.

Ballpark Decision Today (UPDATE)

After what seems to be eons (wait a second, it HAS been eons now), the big decision should come down today on whether the Florida Marlins will get their new ballpark. Plenty of pros and cons regarding the ballpark have been thrown around and bantered in the local media in the past few days, with pro-ballpark advocates pointing at a civic resource as the key reason, and anti-ballpark folks looking at things from a "it isn't worth it" point of view.

I've made it no secret in this blog that I support the ballpark. I do understand some of the cons, however. For example, it would be nice if the Marlins had a little more invested money-wise in this deal (they ARE covering cost-overruns, give them that). The Marlins' failure or unwillingness to make public their financial statements understandably makes people nervous. The initial plans and renderings should have been more specific regarding commercial and retail around the site.

Other cons, however, I don't get.

"The money should be used for schools, libraries, etc." No, it can't.

"The Miami Beach Convention Center deserves the funding more than the Marlins". Actually, Miami-Dade voters approved a $55 million loan for a banquet hall addition to the MBCC in 2004, and $250 million total has been approved for the Convention Center, according to this Herald report. Why the money hasn't arrived isn't the Marlins' fault.

"Relying on tourist taxes will ensure failure because the current economic climate won't generate enough money to pay the ballpark debt". South Florida has seen several ups and downs in tourism during the past 25-30 years. Hurricanes, skyrocketing crime, terrorist attacks, you name it. There have been mostly ups however, and there's no reason to believe the ups won't come back, and soon. County estimates of future tourist tax generation have been very conservative compared to historical trends.

"Studies show that ballparks do not lead to an increase in business and economic growth". Of course not. Ballparks by themselves don't. It's ballparks AND planning that do. As mentioned above, both the city and the county could do a much better job of ensuring us that they will concentrate on making the area around the ballpark a lively destination, but I believe it will happen anyway. I just do.

Frank Nero of the Beacon Council explained many of the pros well enough so I don't have to rehash them here.

As Henry Gomez has stated more than once, if we aspire to be a world-class community and have these kind of projects and buildings in our city, we need to act like one and get the deals done. It's not like other cities haven't been through this. Somehow, other cities find ways to support their sports teams. The ills our community face have nothing to do with the Florida Marlins and their quest for a ballpark. They have to do in large part with community apathy (just say NO all the time and see what happens) and bad choices at the polls which have led to some awful elected officials. For once, we can step up as a community and stand behind a facility and a ballpark that will serve as a place of entertainment and community pride for years to come.

UPDATE 440 PM: Quick update as I run out the door - Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff has voted against the deal unless the Marlins makes certain concessions. This makes the vote 2-2 in the city, so no deal for now. The Sun-Sentinel has a live blog of the proceedings at City Hall.

One comment: if the deal is the same in principle now as it was when it last went through the city commission months ago, why all of a sudden the change in heart from Sarnoff? He's perfectly reasonable in wanting to look at this deal closely before casting a final decision, but he most certainly had plenty of time to do so. To all of a sudden stall this thing at the last second because he wants to take a closer look at the deal smells like bad and grossly dishonest politics to me.

Marlins A Step Closer To Ballpark (Again)

For the 4,038,653rd time, the Florida Marlins are a step closer to getting their new ballpark. Larry Lebowitz of the Herald reports that Judge Jeri Beth Cohen put the final nail in Norman Braman's lawsuit's coffin today.

The "next" final step: final approval by both city of Miami and Miami-Dade County commissioners. It will get through the city, but the county isn't a slam dunk.

Braman plans to appeal the ruling.

Play Ball!

Well, it finally looks like the Marlins have their new stadium. This is great news for us baseball fans, and it should be equally great news for those who want Miami to continue its slow but steady rise into the ranks of American cities that have something to offer for everybody.

But what about all the problems we have? Shouldn't those be solved before we invest in a new ballpark? I'll let Henry explain this one to us:

I've heard a lot of arguments for not building a ballpark based on the idea that we could find better uses for the money. Does anyone honestly believe that NOT building the ballpark will solve any of the major problems we face in the area? Really? Is our broken school system going to be fixed if we don't build a ballpark? Are our streetlights going to be synchronized for more efficient flow of traffic if we don't build a ballpark?

The city, the county and the state have all had revenue booms in the last 10-15 years and all of these problems have gotten worse not better. So let's fix what needs to be fixed but lets not blame a ballpark for it. Let's also add to the quality of life in the area.

We have a performing arts center that that costs the county millions and for which the county is on the hook and provides entertainment to far fewer people. I'm happy we have a PAC. Private entities profit from the PAC. But let's not be snobs. Sports is part of American culture. And like it or not most cities in America did pony up public funds for their sports teams' facilities. We can't complain about payroll and the owner being cheap if we don't give him the same tools other cities have given their owners. If we're always complaining about how Miami is inferior to other places maybe we should start acting like other places.

The other big argument anti-ballpark folks use is that, after the novelty of the stadium has worn off, people will stop showing up for games. Not necessarily.

I'm firmly convinced that South Florida is a hotbed of baseball. By hotbed, I mean an area where baseball is played year-round by people of all ages. Go to your nearest park on any weekend, even in December and January, and observe the number of people playing baseball versus other sports. I've seen kids here playing baseball on Christmas Day and Super Bowl Sunday! It's in part because of this that South Florida has produced incredible talent throughout the years. Marlins TV viewership, while not spectacular, is competitive with similar markets around the country.

Major League Baseball realizes all this. That's why they are willing to invest in the South Florida market. Otherwise, the Marlins would have had their bags packed for Las Vegas, San Antonio, Portland...fill in the blank, a few years back.

The Marlins' attendance problems have been a confluence of questionable moves/decisions by ownership which have inspired a lack of trust, current stadium issues, weather and the usual lack of civic loyalty among a fair number of our residents. Notice I didn't mention the location of Dolphins Stadium. Why? I don't think it's in that bad of a location. Could it be better? Yes. Is it better than the Orange Bowl site? It depends on where you live, but I think the answer is no. Still, if you put a dome on a modern ballpark at the current site, and have complementary entertainment options nearby, it would be a different story.

The OB site, while not ideal, offers the prospect of becoming a place where it's more than just showing up for the game and going home afterwards. Sure, it will likely be that way at the OB site at the beginning. But baseball belongs in an urban setting, which the OB site delivers in spades. It sits in an area where there are LOTS of baseball fans. That's how a ballpark atmosphere, both inside and out, develops. Given a chance, I think the area surrounding the OB can develop a rich baseball atmosphere. Also, you have proximity to downtown (only 1 mile away), Coconut Grove and SoBe. Right now, Dolphins Stadium is close to....Pembroke Pines? Nothing against the Pines, but it's strictly a residential, bedroom community. Nothing to make it stand out.

Once again, I'm excited that we'll have major league baseball as an family-centered entertainment option for us and our future generations.

Big News for Miami and South Florida

The blockbuster deal approved by Miami city commissioners and Mayor Manny Diaz has me excited. A Marlins stadium, Museum Park, Port Tunnel (construction company notwithstanding), streetcars, hell...even a soccer stadium (don't laugh, I like soccer)!

OK...laugh.

I know this has a long way to go to ever become reality, and the whole thing is very ambitious for a city government that has had trouble with much less complicated issues. Still, I have to give kudos to Manny Diaz for at least having the vision necessary to move Miami and South Florida forward. After all, big things don't happen for those who don't take chances.

The Marlins stadium at the Orange Bowl can, and will work. I would have preferred a downtown site, but the OB site will be OK once people get over the "it's in Little Havana" and that there's no Metrorail station within reasonable walking distance. The county has provided shuttles from the nearest station to the OB for Hurricanes games, so there IS a preexisting method of public transportation for the OB. Also, it's not as far from downtown as some would lead you to believe (no more than 1.5 miles as the crow flies).

There are those who are concerned about the big player in this, the redrawing (gerrymandering) of the Community Development Agency boundaries to include Museum Park. The CDA is designed to help down and out neighborhoods, not serve as the catalyst for big community projects, they say.

Those concerns aren't totally without merit, but the folks who espouse those concerns are missing the bigger picture. Imagine a downtown where you have a thriving Performing Arts Center and Museum complex within walking distance. Imagine a sports complex where baseball and soccer, two popular sports in South Florida, will co-exist. Imagine what these entities would do for a city wanting to step up in the world stage. Imagine the impact on our community, on our children who will get to enjoy these amenities that are integral components of any world-class city. Most importantly, how can something like this NOT create jobs and opportunities?

If we sit back and complain about the same-old, same-old, without taking bold action, we'll always have the same-old, same-old. I'm sure this plan has faults that will have to be addressed at some point. But finally, for once, someone in Miami has the vision to put out a plan that, if completed even close to the original, will set the beginning of a new era in South Florida.

For that, I congratulate Manny Diaz.