All 4 major sports team are represented in South Florida.

Jun 13
08:04

2011

ErvinStansel

ErvinStansel

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In Football they have the Miami Dolphins, hockey has the Florida Panthers, the Miami Heat for basketball, and Major League Baseball has the Florida Marlins.

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South Florida has a sports team in all 4 major programs.Football has the Miami Dolphins,All 4 major sports team are represented in South Florida. Articles basketball has the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers play in the National Hockey League, and in Major League Baseball there is the Florida Marlins.

Since baseball season is upon us, I thought I would take a look at the Florida Marlins.The National League was the topic of debate in 1990, as the owners wanted to have two new expansion teams represent this league.One of these two expansion teams was going to have a home in the Sunshine state.Three cities, Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Miami got into a bidding war to determine where the new team would play their home games.Wayne Huizenga, a local businessman from Miami, won the rights to the team and based that team in Miami.An eye opening $95 million dollars later, and Huizenga has his team - it was June 1991.

Two years later, in 1993 the Florida Marlins were introduced to Major League Baseball.1997 was a banner year for the club as they made history winning their first of two wild card and World Series - in the process breaking a then record of becoming the fastest expansion team at the time to win a championship.Remarkably, the Marlins came from the Wild Card position again in 2003 to capture the championship - setting another record again, by being the only two time champion in any of the 4 major American sports to win a championship coming from the wild card position.

Of course, in order to get the highs you have to suffer some lows - and the Marlins certainly are no strangers to that.The first year the Marlins came into the league, ranks amongst the worst of their existence.Their .395 win percentage ranks among the games worst, although their sophomore season shattered that mark with a .333 winning percentage.To give a sense of where they once were to what they were doing when they won both their championships, the winning percentage was just above .500 - with their 1997 being their best season to date, with a .568 winning percentage.

Fan attendance has always been a problem for the Florida Marlins.Ranking among the lowest in attendance since 1998, the team from South Florida has risen to the top.A second MLB title wasn't enough to put fans in the seats, as in 2003 the Marlins was second worse in getting people in the door.The owners of the team hope to change this up in 2012 when the Marlins begin that season in a new home.

The Marlins are responsible for developing some sought after talent in MLB.Kevin Brown, for one, had a career year back in 1996, coming in second in the CY Young race (an individual award for pitchers).Miguel Cabrera, now with the Detroit Tigers came in through the ranks of the Marlins farm system.He played five seasons with the 'fish' and hit 138 homeruns.

As earlier stated, the Marlins will be moving to a new location in 2012. The Marlins have shared the same playing field as the Miami Dolphins of the NFL since they first came in the league in 1993.Their new home will be at the same site where the legendary Orange Bowl called home for many years.An estimated 37,000 fans will be able to view the Marlins at their new home, which will be the sixth stadium in Major League Baseball to have a retractable roof.Another thing that the Florida Marlins will be leaving behind in 2012 is their name.The new name of the organization will be the Miami Marlins, as part of the relocation agreement.

With a new name and a new stadium, here’s to hoping that the Marlins get back to their winning ways.