CommunityBuzz! - Any other FTers interested in the inaugural Miami Marlins game April 4th?

I booked plane tickets to fly into Miami to go see the opening of the new Marlins Stadium and the first game the team will play as the Miami Marlins. It's going to April 4th against St. Louis. Right now it's just me and I'd love it if some FTers wanted to make an event out of it, I'll even share space in my rental car :cool:

^ We already have seats to this one as part of our ticket plan.

I'm thinking we can set up a late lunch or early dinner on Calle Ocho before the game.

Wish I could but work is a bear during Opening Week. Enjoy South Florida!

^ We already have seats to this one as part of our ticket plan.

I'm thinking we can set up a late lunch or early dinner on Calle Ocho before the game.

I'm definitely interested. I'm arriving into FLL at Noon and was planning on hitting the beach and having a nice lunch/dinner at some point so that would work well.

If you are going into FLL and staying near the airport, you do not even need a car since I can pick you up on our way down. Many of the hotels have shuttles over to the beach and you can spend a short afternoon there as planned.

Remember though, whether you take me up on the ride or rent your own car, you will not a lot of time for beach since we all should be leaving the FLL neighborhood not much later than 4-430 in order to be able to have a relaxed meal and then get to the game for the 730 start. You may figure it is just as well to settle for the hotel's pool and get the beach the next day or another time.

Let's see if there is anyone else for this excursion before making any firm plans.

If you are going into FLL and staying near the airport, you do not even need a car since I can pick you up on our way down. Many of the hotels have shuttles over to the beach and you can spend a short afternoon there as planned.

Remember though, whether you take me up on the ride or rent your own car, you will not a lot of time for beach since we all should be leaving the FLL neighborhood not much later than 4-430 in order to be able to have a relaxed meal and then get to the game for the 730 start. You may figure it is just as well to settle for the hotel's pool and get the beach the next day or another time.

Let's see if there is anyone else for this excursion before making any firm plans.

Here's what I currently have planned:

4/4: Arrive FLL from RDU at 12 Noon. See the game that night. Staying at a MIA area hotel
4/5: Depart MIA at 6:30 AM to head back to RDU.

Perhaps I can grab the Tri-Rail from FLL to somewhere in the Miami area and meet you down there and we can head to dinner and the game together? Let me know how that sounds, I'd love to ditch the car, it's costing me $81! :eek:

After a bit of head scratching, I may have figured out your schedule. I think that you are leaving this area on the morning of 4/6 but I am not certain.

If that is so, there is no problem for us to pick you up at FLL. We will do dinner a bit earlier after you have hung out in the SkyClub or the UC or whatever is most convenient for you for a couple of hours. I would not mind getting to the Stadium a bit early although I think that I have a parking ticket for that game. If not, it would be imperative to arrive early.

Then after the game we can drop you off at a hotel on the beach and you can limo to the airport or we can take you to the Sheraton near the airport and you can walk over in the morning for a rental car.

However, if you are leaving on 4/5, change your return to leave from FLL and you can go right to a hotel from your flight, take a dip in the pool, meet us, and then have them shuttle you over in the morning. That is the best scenario for your pocketbook along with being the best logistically.

After a bit of head scratching, I may have figured out your schedule. I think that you are leaving this area on the morning of 4/6 but I am not certain.

If that is so, there is no problem for us to pick you up at FLL. We will do dinner a bit earlier after you have hung out in the SkyClub or the UC or whatever is most convenient for you for a couple of hours. I would not mind getting to the Stadium a bit early although I think that I have a parking ticket for that game. If not, it would be imperative to arrive early.

Then after the game we can drop you off at a hotel on the beach and you can limo to the airport or we can take you to the Sheraton near the airport and you can walk over in the morning for a rental car.

However, if you are leaving on 4/5, change your return to leave from FLL and you can go right to a hotel from your flight, take a dip in the pool, meet us, and then have them shuttle you over in the morning. That is the best scenario for your pocketbook along with being the best logistically.

As much as I'd like to leave from FLL I already booked my flights out of MIA on the 5th. I wish I could stay longer, I need to get back to work on the 5th so I'm on a 6:30 AM DL flight from MIA to ATL. MIA was cheaper than FLL and I assumed I'd need a car anyway. I will keep the reservation for now and when we get a little closer to the date we can firm everything up. I wouldn't mind hanging around at the airport and catching a ride with you and I'm certainly in agreement on an early dinner then getting to the park early. I could always take a cab from the park back to the hotel that night and it would be way cheaper than a rental car.

If this is still confusing, PM me.

If you booked yesterday when you posted, you are still in the risk-free change period for DL until midnight.

If you booked yesterday when you posted, you are still in the risk-free change period for DL until midnight.

Unfortunately the fare difference just between today and yesterday is nearly the cost of the rental car :(

Unfortunately the fare difference just between today and yesterday is nearly the cost of the rental car :(

Sorry, I won't be in FLL/MIA for a very long time. Right now, it's too extremely expensive. Once the cruise season will slows down. When you hear the price will come down. I will try to booked the ticket online. Try to be more patiently.

Just a bump to see if there is anyone else who would like to join us going down to the game from the area around FLL.

Would like to, as Miami is one of the last few stadiums I have left to visit. Just a little hard from the west coast.

Opening Day at a brand-new stadium is so special!
Let us know what that art-statue-thing in the outfield looks like in person.....and what are the ground rules if a ball hits it??????

Talk about seeing a thread waaaay too late. And man I love me some baseball...Enjoy CMK!

Talk about seeing a thread waaaay too late. And man I love me some baseball...Enjoy CMK!

Sorry you couldn't make it Chiffy, next time for sure. Anyway, I'm on my way back home right now (typing this from ATL) but I took a ton of pictures and will be posting them soon. I'll link everyone to them. It's a helluva park that's for sure.

Opening Day at a brand-new stadium is so special!
Let us know what that art-statue-thing in the outfield looks like in person.....and what are the ground rules if a ball hits it??????It was interesting but the most interesting thing is the size of the playing field and the influence that opening the roof had on play.

With the distance to the fences being 418 ft to center, 395 in the power alleys, and 345 down the lines (give or take a few), the dimensions are very large to start with. Aside from that, it appears that with the roof open, the balls that get up in the air do not carry. More than once on a fly ball, an outfielder took a few steps back at the crack of the bat and then needed to turn around and come back in for a ball that did not go as far as it appeared it would when hit. The likelihood of that "art-statue-thing" being hit by a ball are minuscule and it would make no difference since it is located behind the fence. It is not in the field of play like the monuments at Yankee Stadium were in the old park before the 1970s renovation.
To emphasize the above, when Stanton got all of the ball and it stayed in the park, one immediately realized that ridiculous home run display contraption in left center would not get much of a workout this year, at least with the hat off the building. They did turn that thing on once during the pre-game and, despite all the gushing water, fireworks, mechanical Marlins, and other nonsense, the reaction of the crowd around me and in the rest of the ballpark showed absolutely no interest in that thing. Ho-hum.

However, the crowd seemed to me to be embarrassed when the owner of the team came in from center field accompanied by Muhammed Ali in a golf cart. It seemed apparent that Ali hardly was aware of the goings-on and he exhibited a shaking palsy that made all of us really sorry that the partially paralyzed slumped over figure down there was put on such exhibition for no good reason. This faux pas even exceeded the contraption in its bad taste.

The ballgame showed exactly what this corner thought about the Marlins. They will live and die with their pitching and with Johnson being a bit off, they had no chance. Their supposedly powerful hitting lineup was silenced by the decent cutie-pie that St. Louis threw at them and their defense was miserable. The Marlins' infield made no plays and the outfielders seemed even more uncomfortable with what was happening than did the Cardinals.

And worst of all, the right side of their infield has two of the most egregious counterfeits there are. The way that Reyes and Ramirez so patently do not care what happens on the field as long as they can get their hacks at the plate is shameful. Usually you expect your shortstop and third baseman actually deign to bend over to pick up a ground ball. Not those two.

Talk about seeing a thread waaaay too late. And man I love me some baseball...Enjoy CMK!

Yes, I love baseball. I wish that I could come down there. Right now, it's too expensive. Sorry!

It was interesting but the most interesting thing is the size of the playing field and the influence that opening the roof had on play.

With the distance to the fences being 418 ft to center, 395 in the power alleys, and 345 down the lines (give or take a few), the dimensions are very large to start with. Aside from that, it appears that with the roof open, the balls that get up in the air do not carry. More than once on a fly ball, an outfielder took a few steps back at the crack of the bat and then needed to turn around and come back in for a ball that did not go as far as it appeared it would when hit. The likelihood of that "art-statue-thing" being hit by a ball are minuscule and it would make no difference since it is located behind the fence. It is not in the field of play like the monuments at Yankee Stadium were in the old park before the 1970s renovation.
To emphasize the above, when Stanton got all of the ball and it stayed in the park, one immediately realized that ridiculous home run display contraption in left center would not get much of a workout this year, at least with the hat off the building. They did turn that thing on once during the pre-game and, despite all the gushing water, fireworks, mechanical Marlins, and other nonsense, the reaction of the crowd around me and in the rest of the ballpark showed absolutely no interest in that thing. Ho-hum.

However, the crowd seemed to me to be embarrassed when the owner of the team came in from center field accompanied by Muhammed Ali in a golf cart. It seemed apparent that Ali hardly was aware of the goings-on and he exhibited a shaking palsy that made all of us really sorry that the partially paralyzed slumped over figure down there was put on such exhibition for no good reason. This faux pas even exceeded the contraption in its bad taste.

The ballgame showed exactly what this corner thought about the Marlins. They will live and die with their pitching and with Johnson being a bit off, they had no chance. Their supposedly powerful hitting lineup was silenced by the decent cutie-pie that St. Louis threw at them and their defense was miserable. The Marlins' infield made no plays and the outfielders seemed even more uncomfortable with what was happening than did the Cardinals.

And worst of all, the right side of their infield has two of the most egregious counterfeits there are. The way that Reyes and Ramirez so patently do not care what happens on the field as long as they can get their hacks at the plate is shameful. Usually you expect your shortstop and third baseman actually deign to bend over to pick up a ground ball. Not those two.

I agree with everything you said, sir.

For my perspective on the game and some pictures, click here!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1333428-inaugural-miami-marlins-baseball-game-little-south-beach-too-b6-dl.html