 
|
11/22/2005 3:35 PM ET
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria's statement
|
|
Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. I apologize for not being able to be with you in person.
A little while ago, we called Mayor Carlos Alvarez, County Commission Chair Joe Martinez and
County Manager George Burgess to thank them for their efforts in trying to get a baseball stadium in
Miami.
Unfortunately, we were not successful. And no longer can baseball in South Florida be assured.
It is now clear to us that there will be no baseball stadium in the city of Miami. So, we must begin to
explore other options.
Therefore, we will expand our search beyond the city of Miami, and we will examine other options in
the South Florida area, as well.
Further, the Florida Marlins yesterday asked for and received permission from Major League Baseball to
explore relocation.
What does this mean? It does not mean that the Marlins are necessarily leaving South Florida.
It does mean, however, that we need to seriously explore all of our options, including those in other
markets. As part of this process, I anticipate we will be engaging in discussions with other cities.
For the record, we were prepared to contribute the fourth largest financial commitment by a baseball
team for a new baseball-only facility. This contribution would have been through up-front payments
and annual rent.
Unfortunately, here we are, four years after purchasing the Marlins, with no new stadium and no sure
prospects on the horizon for such a facility.
We must now acknowledge that Miami-the gateway to the Americas-could well be the first
American city in 35 years to see its baseball franchise leave. And people in Washington, D.C. know
very well how long it took to get a team back.
Before I close, I want to speak for a moment to our fans. I want you to know that we tried very hard to
make a new stadium a reality. As so many of you have told me over the past few years, baseball is the
best family game there is. I see this every time I look around and see all of you there. It's really a sport
for all ages, that all of us get to enjoy-no matter how old we are.
The many fans I've spoken with know how much I love to win. We all worked very hard to bring not
only a World Series championship here just two years ago, but also a team that had a real chance of
winning every year. If we had had fewer injuries and a bit more luck this past season, I believe we
would have been playing in October again.
I want to personally thank all our fans, especially our season ticket holders and those other loyal fans
who expressed their support by personally coming out to see our games.
Thank you again for your support and your many kind words of encouragement.
| 
Official Info
print this page