Marlins meet with Las Vegas officials about a possible move

Destroying baseball in one city isn't enough for Loria apparently!

Marlins meet with Las Vegas officials about a possible move






By TERRY SPENCER, Associated Press Writer
December 9, 2004

MIAMI (AP) -- The Florida Marlins have met with Las Vegas officials
about a possible move, saying negotiations for a new ballpark in Miami have
lasted longer than the team anticipated.

Bruce Rubin, a spokesman for Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, said
Thursday that Marlins officials met with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and
others for about 90 minutes Wednesday.

``These were social discussions, a get-to-know-each-other meeting,''
Rubin said. ``Simply, Vegas wants a baseball team and the Marlins are a
baseball team. It was decided that the two sides should get together.''

He said the Marlins are negotiating with Miami city and Miami-Dade
County officials over a proposal to build a 38,000-seat, retractable-roof
ballpark next to the Orange Bowl. The Marlins currently play in Pro Player
Stadium, which was built for the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

The Marlins say South Florida's wet and hot summers hurt attendance
and that they need a covered stadium to be financially viable. The Marlins
have offered to pay $192 million of the projected $420 million cost, with
the government paying up the rest. One of the holdups is over who would be
responsible for overruns.

The Marlins started play in 1993 -- drawing more than 3 million fans
their inaugural season -- and won the World Series in 1997 and 2003.
Attendance plummeted after the 1994 players' strike and the post-1997
payroll purge ordered by founding owner H. Wayne Huizenga. Attendance has
rebounded somewhat in recent seasons, but is still among the lowest in the
major leagues.

``The Marlins are committed to South Florida. Nobody wants to win
another World Series more than Jeffrey Loria,'' Rubin said. ``At the same
time, Mr. Loria needs to examine all of his options.''

He would not say whether the Marlins have met with additional cities.

Officials from Miami and Miami-Dade County did not immediately return
calls for comment.

Gov. Jeb Bush said he wasn't going to comment on the various ideas for
financing a new stadium, but said: ``I hope they stay in Miami, or South
Florida.'' He opposed a previous plan that would have taxed cruise ship
passengers to finance a ballpark but has supported a plan that would let the
Marlins keep about $60 million in sales tax revenue the new stadium would
generate.

Updated on Thursday, Dec 9, 2004 3:01 pm EST