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WORLD SERIES: 1997, 2003 SUPER BOWLS: 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010
Joe Robbie Stadium (as this venue was originally called) was designed exclusively for football, as its oblong octagonal shape attests. For that reason, it seemed like a dubious home for a baseball team when MLB awarded Miami one of the expansion franchises for the 1993 season. Actually, however, the Orioles and Dodgers had already played a preseason exhibition game here on March 11, 1988. Joe Robbie, who earned his law degree from the University of South Dakota, was the original owner of the Miami Dolphins when the franchise was created in 1966. After two decades in the Orange Bowl, he built the stadium that bore his name, or used to, without the use of any public money.
In 1990 Wayne Huizenga bought half of Joe Robbie Stadium to pave the way for his acquisition of a new major league baseball franchise; in 1994 he bought the remaining 50 percent share. In preparation for arrival of the Marlins, most of the lower deck on the north side was torn out and replaced with a new retractable seating section. The results of the permanent reconfiguration for baseball weren't as bad as one might think, especially with that distant nook just left of center field. (It's interesting to note that both expansion teams in 1993 made their home in oversized football stadiums, the other being Mile High Stadium.) To jazz up the otherwise plain venue, the Marlins added a terraced picnic pavilion area in the right center field, and later moved it to the right field corner. The seating areas in the left field, center field, and right field portions of the upper deck, and in the center field portion of the lower deck are normally used only for football games. In the 1997 World Series, however, the Marlins did use these sections, and over 67,000 fans attended. With no roof, it is usually much too hot to enjoy an afternoon game in the Miami summer. Nevertheless, it became obvious that this would never become a real baseball stadium. After winning the 1997 World Series, Huizenga tried to get public funding for a new baseball-only stadium, but failed to persuade legislators. In frustration, he decided to cash in his chips and liquidate his highly-paid talent after, and finally sold the franchise to John Henry. The Marlins went down hill fast, and the crowds grew thinner and thinner. It gets pretty lonely staring at 50,000+ empty seats game after game.
CINEMA: Dolphin Stadium was featured in the motion picture Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starring Jim Carey.
There is no marked distance to straightaway center field, perhaps because it is so short: only about 394 feet. I estimate the distance to the deepest corner as about 420 feet; unfortunately, the mistaken "434" marker in that spot is still in place. Prior to the 2004 season the distance marker in left center field was changed from "361" to "360," and the marker in right center field was changed from "385" to "363" and moved about 30 feet toward the right. For some reason, the latter marker was changed back to "385" in 2006, but was left it in the same place, which is clearly mistaken. (The distances to the foul poles may be off by a couple feet as well, according to Professor Brian Raue at Florida International University.)
Just before the 2002 season began, former Montreal Expos owner Jeffrey Loria bought the Marlins in a complicated three-way deal under which John Henry bought the Boston Red Sox. Loria's former team, the Expos, was purchased by MLB and slated for "contraction," along with one other team -- the Twins, most likely. Because of the lack of a decent stadium, the Marlins themselves were mentioned as a possible candidate for elimination. One year later, however, the Marlins won the wild card race and then managed to defeat the Giants, the Cubs, and then the Yankees to become World Series champions for a second time. After this remarkable triumph, there was rising optimism about reaching a stadium financing agreement so that the Marlins could finally have a home of their own. In January 2005 the Miami Dolphins abruptly announced a second stadium name change, as part of a massive long-term, privately funded renovation program. Among the planned future changes are a roof, either fixed or removable. (The previous name had become effectively obsolete in 1999 when Fruit of the Loom, the parent company of the Pro Player brand of sporting apparel, went bankrupt.) For a while they called their home "Dolphins Stadium," and later took the final s off, making it "Dolphin Stadium." In the mean time, the Marlins have made minor upgrades, including more elite seats behind home plate and a party pavilion area in the right field corner. To complete the farcical chain of events, in May 2009 the Dolphins temporarily renamed Dolphin Stadium "Landshark Stadium," as part of a promotional deal with singer Jimmy Buffett. In January 2010, just before Super Bowl XLIV, it was renamed "Sun Life Stadium," as part of a five-year contract with a Canadian financial services company.
The Dolphins informed the Marlins that they would not offer a lease renewal after the 2010 season, which could leave them "homeless." State and local governments were reluctant to contribute enough money for a new ballpark, however. From late 2005 through early 2007 representatives of the Marlins visited Portland and other cities in search of a new home, without success. During 2008, hopes rose that a new retractable roof stadium would be built near downtown Miami, next to the Orange Bowl, which was demolished during the summer. (The annual Orange Bowl game has been played in Dolphin Stadium ever since 1996.) Finally, in March 2009, funding for a new Marlins baseball stadium was approved by the Miami-Dade County commissioners. Chances are, however, this saga isn't completely over yet.
SOURCES: Lowry (2006); Pastier (2007); Gershman (1993); USA Today / Fodor's (1996); Rosen (2001); Brian Raue (2001)
FAN TIP: Mike Feldbush, Mike Hofer
