Sign P Liván Hernández 1 year 750,000

August 27, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Livan Hernandez (61) celebrates a victory with catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Brewers beat the Cubs 15-4. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

It has been stated that Liván wants to continue pitching, so why not bring him back to the team that made him famous? The Marlins don’t have many players they can call their own, but Liván is one of them. This is what the Marlins need to do; they need to call up Liván and come to an understanding with him that after this season he will retire and the Marlins will have a big Retirement tour similar to what the Braves did with Chipper Jones (now I’m not comparing Liván to Chipper just saying what the Marlins could do). Can you imagine Liván Hernández World Series MVP Night, Liván Hernández 15 S/O night, I Love You Miami night, and ending it all with Good Bye Liván Hernández night? This feel good return would drum up some business for the Marlins at a low cost.

Sign P Carl Pavano 1 year 3,000,000

As stated in my “Free Stuff” article, this will be the 10 year anniversary for the 2003 world series team. With Juan and Mike on the team, why not bring back a pitcher who was vital to that team? Carl went undefeated in the ‘03 post seasons, had a 2.35 ERA in the NLCS, and a 1.00 ERA in the World Series. If the Marlins do due something to remember the 2003 World Series, Carl, Mike, Jeff, and Juan would be great in house people to have to remind the fans of our history and to show the club that things will get better.

Sign 1B Jim Thome 2 Years 1,500,000

If you want history, go no further than Jim Thome. Jim is currently at 612 HR for his career. Wouldn’t you like to see a Marlin go for 700, putting him in history with only with 3 other players? Do I think he will get it? Only if he becomes a DH; but think of the spin that the Marlins can pull with this one. Imagine a “Jim Count Down” board in Marlins Park.  It might take a little longer than 2 years (I personally believe it would take at least 4), but when that day comes the Marlins’ name will be in the history books once again. But only if they sign Jim.

Sign OF Johnny Damon 2 Year 3,000,000

July 27, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Cleveland Indians left fielder Johnny Damon (33) warms up during batting practice before a game between the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s stay with history. Johnny is at 2769 hits right now. Can you imagine if he hits 3000 in Marlins Orange? With the exemption of last season and 1995, Johnny has played in over 140 games and has over 130 hits each season. No Marlin has ever reached 3000 hits while wearing a fish uniform. The build up to him doing this would be extraordinary. If they also sign Jim, there could be two countdown signs in Marlins Park. The fans will go nuts with excitement because they are going to be part of history. What if HR 700 and Hit 3000 happen the same day? We would be the talk of sports forever.

Alright, time to come back down to Earth. Is any of that a good idea? Besides the “Liván Hernández Farewell,” no. Look, the Marlins are going into a new direction and in the long run, they have to win to get the fans back. Would I like to see all that happen that I just wrote? Of course! The Marlins have a young team and with time will be a power house in MLB. If the Marlins just want to make money, by all means sign those players, milk those accomplishment for all they’re worth, and promote the heck out of them. But if you want a team that will win, you need to come out to the park and support the young talent we have now. Who knows, we could have another 2006 mixed in with a little 2003 on our hands this season.

This will series will mark the first time that the Phillies will have a chance to play in the Marlins new state of the art ballpark. The series will be a battle to see which teams wants last place more in the National League. This series will also feature Chase Utley returning for his just his third game of the season in 2012.

The Marlins are 2-4 on their current home-stand, only a sweep can give them a winning record for home-stand, but I am pretty sure the team will be very happy with a series win.

Chase Utley homered in his first at-bat back from the Disabled List against the Pirates Wednesday, (Image: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Stadium: Marlins Park

Five-year Run PF*: N/A
Five-year HR PF*: N/A
Stadium Dimensions:
Left field line—340 ft.
Left-center field—384 ft.
Center field—416 ft.
Right-center field—392 ft.
Right field line—335 ft.

*Five-year regressed park factors provided by Patriot here

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• Starting Pitching
• Bullpen
• Who should lead off?
• Meet Giancarlo Stanton
• Catcher
• First Base
• Second Base
• Third Base
• Shortstop
• Left Field
• Center Field

Source: http://fishfry55.mlblogs.com/tag/marlins-park/ Photo Credit: Steve Miller

A prime example of a team opening a new ballpark that used this model is the Cleveland Indians. Upon the opening of Jacobs Field, the Indians young core of Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez , Charles Nagy and Albert Belle would lead the team to multiple division titles and an appearance in the 1997 World Series. Cleveland, opened Jacobs Field in 1994 and from then to 2001 the Indians were consistently  in playoff contention. The team timed the development of its young stars with the opening of its new park  as the Marlins have done with Giancarlo Stanton, Logan Morrison, Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. Like the Marlins have done, Cleveland used additional revenue from its new ballpark to sign star veterans such as Orel Hershiser and Dennis Martinez to supplement a young roster with unlimited potential. Without doubt, we hope that the Marlins will continue follow the model of the Indians as they enter their new park.

source: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/ohio/jacobs-field Photo Credit: Graham Knight

The Philadelphia Phillies have also followed a similar model when the team opened Citizens Bank Park in 2004. The fan base was thrilled by its new park after experiencing games in Veterans Stadium, a traditional cookie-cutter stadium and multisport facility. Behind a reenergized fan base, the Phillies were in contention and barely missed the playoffs from 2004 to 2006. Since then the team has won five straight division titles culminating with a World Series Championship in 2008 in what may be considered the Golden Age of baseball in Philadelphia. Prior to the opening of Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies were relatively inconsistent. The opening of their new stadium in 2004 prompted the Phillies to sign Jim Thome to a massive deal only one year prior. Ultimately, the stadium has allowed Philadelphia to  continue to acquire premium talent such as Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee while allowing them to resign their own home grown stars such as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Citizens Bank Park, like the new Marlins Park has energized fans and has brought both franchises new hope.

Source: http://espn.go.com/travel/stadium/_/s/mlb/id/22/citizens-bank-park

Like in Philadelphia and Cleveland, this reality is now present for the Miami Marlins. These two franchises promote the ultimate success stories with regards to the opening of new ballparks. Their paths are ones that Miami hopes to emulate as the Marlins attempt to become a long standing power within the National League. While these examples provide the ultimate success story, the more common result from the transition into a new ballpark is a mixed or variable degree of success. These cases will be examined next week. As we draw closer to the inaugural season at Marlins Park, fans hope that Miami follows the path of Cleveland and division rival Philadelphia.

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