I Hate Baseball: The Marlins Made Me Do It

This is not a rare sight at a Florida Marlins game. A lone fan finding an entire section all to himself. Why does no one care? And, more importantly, why do I hate baseball?

It's supposed to be America's past time, and plenty of people seem to enjoy the game, so how in the world did I come to dislike it so strongly? Here's my theory . . .

First, the Marlins inaugural season came in 1993, when I was 8 years old. I was playing little league, and was having some fun with it. All of the ingredients were there to welcome me into baseball fandom. There was excitement surrounding the team (sure they sucked, but no one cared), enthusiasm in the stands, and an overall positive feeling at the ballpark.

Then, in 1994 came the strike. Florida was getting better, on pace to finish 72-90 (an 8 game improvement over their 1993 campaign), and the fans allegiance to their team was growing. All of a sudden, the season is over, there's no MLB post season, and things would never be the same again.

The Fish drew an average of 37,330 fans in their first two years, a number that would never be duplicated. In their two World Series winning seasons, the Marlins averaged only 22,600 per game. Baseball was new to the South Florida fans in 1993, and we all jumped on the bandwagon. The strike put a stop to the wagon, and we all jumped off, leaving our passion for baseball behind.

Through 15 years of existence, the Marlins have won 2 World Series Championships and followed each with a major sell off of all the team's talent. Florida's had the lowest payroll for the past two years, trying to scrape by on a minimalist's budget while waiting on a new stadium (that may never come). Losing is one thing, but not even trying to win is another. Fans have been left out to dry by the franchise for the past 2 years, and have lost nearly all emotional attachment they once held for their hometown team.

Will a new stadium save the Marlins, bring South Floridians back to the ballpark, and more importantly make me love this game one more time? There will be excitement in the air again, mixed with the smell of stadium hot dogs and green grass, the stadium will be full, and management will be motivated to put a competitive product on the field. Plus, it won't hurt that a retractable roof will protect those in attendance from the 95 degree heat and future chemotherapy appointments.

Can the Marlins bring my heart back to baseball? . . . Only time will tell, but I have my doubts.