Philly Front Office

After around 20 years of playing in Dolphins Stadium,¹ the Marlins finally moved into a home they could call their own, Marlins Park (now Loan Depot Park). Very few people were happy about this. The original Orange Bowl was destroyed to make room for the new digs and the Marlins privately bamboozled the city of Miami concerning their finances (or just bribed the shit out of everybody). In the end though, the Marlins promised a new Marlins with their grand opening. They spent money on the team, the new Miami branding, and an absurd moving art installation that was to be the stadium signature for every home run. Let’s just say none of these ideas stood the test of time.

Monday, June 15 at 6:40p – Zack Wheeler v Ryan Gusto (R)
Tuesday, June 16 at 6:40p – Jesus Luzardo v Evan Phillips (R)
Wednesday, June 17 at 1:05p – Andrew Painter v Sandy Alcantara (R)

Citizen’s Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA

In December of 2011, the Marlins went on a free agent buying binge, signing starter Mark Buerhle, shortstop Jose Reyes, and closer Heath Bell to join incumbents Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson and Giancarlo Stanton. Come Opening Day, the team had a formidable lineup, a new color scheme (orange, yellow, blue, and black), and a new stadium, but what people were talking about was the flamingo encrusted monstrosity that was stationed out in centerfield. Sure, art tastes aren’t universal, but that wasn’t really the problem. The issue was that this eyesore cost 2.5 million dollars.

PSP: The Best Hitter in Marlins History

The Red Grooms created statue is 70 feet high and 4 levels in design with moving dolphins, flamingos, and seagulls plus a water cannon. When the Marlins hit a home run, everything went nuts with lights and sounds and of course water shooting everywhere. While art itself has a foothold in the Miami hipster scene, this one seemed to be made for children and those who have a special place in their heart for objectively dumb things (me included). The problem with that was that so few homeruns were hit in the cavernous new stadium that the children barely got a chance to see it. The majority of people just saw it as an embarrassment.

Wait, why would it be an embarrassment if these were the new Marlins? Well, despite over 2m in attendance that season and great numbers with season ticket holders, the Marlins were still the same cheap Marlins. By the All-Star break with the team under .500 and most of the players on the DL, they decided to sell. Hanley Ramirez was traded at the deadline while Bell, Reyes, Johnson, and Buehrle were sent out that Fall. They still had Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez would debut the following year, but the new Marlins were back to the old Marlins like they never left, just in terrible black jerseys with a lifeless colossus in centerfield.

While few people actually liked the statue, Derek Jeter and the new mayor of Miami, Carlos Gimenez, absolutely hated it. When the Marlins were finally sold in 2017, one of the new owner’s first acts of business was a Reagan-ian mandate to tear down that wall art. There was a problem though, he bought the team and the Marlins have a cushy non-lease with the city of Miami for the stadium, but the city not only owned the sculpture, but it was apparently permanent and part of a legal requirement for public buildings to have art installations. It wasn’t going anywhere.

This is Miami though and people with money get what they want. The mayor and the team came with a solution to their aesthetics problem, throw the thing out back. Somehow, the immovable behemoth was movable after all and they parked it literally behind the stadium to be forgotten. That’s where it stands today, 14 years after it was created and 9 years have the Jeter group came in.

Phillies Series Preview: Where Have All the Marlins Gone?

I don’t know how many of you have been to Marlins Park, but 95% of the ticket holders (so like a couple hundred people) get funneled to the front of the stadium to enter. There’s a team store, sometimes there is live music, other times there are promotional booths and batting cages, but this is where they want the people to be. It’s a grand concourse with plenty of space for a 70-foot, tacky, ode to Miami. It’s no where to be found. Instead, it is lurking on the other side. This area is accessible, but no one is invited back there. There are no bright signs and no flashy colors. I found myself there for a charity thing a few years ago and looked up to see the flamingos. The colors had faded and it was seemingly forgotten. The team claims they set it off every day at 3:05pm (305, take it to the house), but no one would notice if they didn’t. It’s a shame. That stupid thing was fantastically Miami.

Photo: The New Tropic

Details: An Ode To The Marlin’s Bizarre Home Run Sculpture, 10 Years Later

1. I mean Joe Robbie Stadium, I mean Pro Player Park, I mean Pro Player Stadium, I mean Dolphin (no S) Stadium, I mean Land Shark Stadium, I mean Sun Life Stadium ↩︎