September 17, 2008 [LINK / comment]
Thanks as always to Mike Zurawski for helping us keep up to date with all the developments in the ballpark world.
Good news for the Marlins: a judge in Miami-Dade Circuit Court ruled that new baseball stadium would indeed serve a public purpose, thereby nullifying six of the seven lawsuits filed by auto dealer Norman Braman, who is trying to stop the project. The judge acknowledged that public opinion may be against the stadium project, but said her job is simply to apply the facts to the law. The pro-stadium coalition hopes to finalize paperwork so that the issue can be voted on by city and county commissioners by November. Because of the legal delays, finishing construction by 2011, by which time the Marlins are supposed to be out of Dolphin Stadium, is highly questionable. See miamiherald.com and MLB.com.
In Minnesota, the Twins reached a tentative 25-year marketing agreement with Target Corporation to name their new stadium "Target Field," scheduled to open in 2010. The specific terms of the naming rights deal may be kept confidential, however, as the team said it is a "private business transaction." See startribune.com. That page has a cool time lapse image of the stadium construction work from the very beginning.
Finally, the Arizona Diamondbacks are following up on their recent "image makeover" (new uniform design) with a series of improvements to Chase Field. See azcentral.com.
And just for the record, Mike objects once again to the idea that there is any historical or aesthetic value to saving the renovated (desecrated?) post-1976 Yankee Stadium. Point well taken, if not agreed to 100%.