Do you really think MLB can succeed in Miami and Tampa?

[dalej42]

I've been reading that the Marlins may actually get a stadium deal. I've been to Dolphins Stadium for baseball and it is a miserable experience. Never been to the Tampa Dome, but that looks like a terrible place for a game.

Still, even with state of the art stadiums, should Major League Baseball be in these cities? The teams only draw when a major East coast opponent comes in. There are more Met, Yankee, Red Sox, and Cubs fans at these games than Marlins/Rays fans. Last year, I watched a game during the pennant race where 99% of the 'home' fans were cheering for the Cubs.

The Marlins had a game last year which drew 375 fans!

I'd love to contract both teams, but that won't happen. Still, I'd relocate them if I were the dictator of baseball.

[Moriarty]

I've been to games at both stadiums, and both stadiums suck. I hate Domes, so Tampa isn't any fun. And Dolphins Stadium is so obviously a football stadium that it's tacky to watch a baseball game there.

Plus, as a native South Floridian, I can attest to the fact that our local fans are fickle. If the team is doing well, they'll show up. Even then, as you said, there are so many transplants that many of the fans will be rooting for the opponent. If the team isn't doing well...there's always boating, or the beach, or shopping, or a ton of other things to do to occupy your time.

From MLB's perspective, though, both cities have the populations and the facilities to support a professional team. That, I suppose, is the biggest reason they are there.

Plus, if the Marlins do get a stadium, my understanding is that it will be in downtown Miami (right now, it's right on the border between Dade and Broward Counties, about halfway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale). Downtown Miami boasts a large Latin population, which is known to like baseball, so I can imagine it would really help with attendance. Provided, of course, that they do a smart job of marketing to the Spanish-speaking natives.