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| Model of new stadium |
- Orange Bowl had to be demolished: This is a structure that was built in 1937 and a fixture in Miami for decades. The Orange Bowl was the home of the NFL's only perfect season for the Miami Dolphins in 1972 who also went on to win the Super Bowl, where Jim Morrison flashed the world and got arrested, and where UM Football played its games after the Dolphins moved north.
- Concert memories: I attended many concerts at the Orange Bowl and just have fond memories: U2's Joshua Tree tour in the rain, right upfront, David Bowie's Glass Spider tour, Madonna's Who's That Girl tour, Jackson Victory tour (the one he did in the 80s with all of this brothers), and Genesis. I also attended a political rally just after Fidel Castro had two Brothers to the Rescue planes shot down.
- They could have saved it somehow: With it's outdated and dilapidated facilities, the Orange Bowl needed an extreme makeover, but why didn't they just do that, kept it for UM games, and built the new Marlins stadium next to the American Airlines Arena (where the Miami Heat plays) right on the water? We live in a city where the ocean is all around us and we don't take advantage of creating some fond memories for people watching the game from their boats waiting for a home run to be hit in the water? San Francisco has both of their stadiums on the water.
- Location: Located in the revived Miami River district just south of the other revived area of Downtown Miami, this is a short drive for many. With the current stadium being located on the border of Broward country, many die-hard baseball fans (usually the older, Latin crowd) refuse to drive up so far and enjoy watching it on T.V. plus it's so damn hot. Also, weekday games will be easier to attend. This new location opens up their fan base and will fill more seats as it's smaller than the current stadium.
- A/C environment: It's a beautiful, ROOFTOP stadium with state-of-the-art everything including air conditioning! In Miami, one cannot live without A/C and why deny baseball fans. That is the best idea ever and it works out well when it rains.
- New traditions: This is going to be the start of some new traditions that I can pass on to my son as he grows older and has kids of his own. My plan is to attend opening day with him, my father, my father-in-law, brother, and brother-in-law. Not all may attend, but I will work hard to make that happen.
One of the most impressive things is the view from where we were standing, which is up high on first base line. In the picture above, you can see the bright light, which is the sun coming in through glass panels that open and close. The view is a perfect view of Downtown Miami. The stadium doesn't really have a bad seat, but the view from this particular area is special.
I have all intentions of attending some games, but season tickets are not cheap. All of the perks related to meal vouchers and parking sound great, but I do not see myself attending EVERY single game. I can split the cost between two or three friends and this is something that I am considering to allow us to take advantage of some of the perks.
Check out their web site and look at some of the pictures I took from the sneak preview event.
Hope you enjoyed my post,
ALEX
