R.I.P. Teal Tower, 1993-2009

[emkayseven]

At today's home opener, a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, fans who are used to being kept up-to-date about MLB scores were instead treated to giant advertisements for the MLB Network.

The Teal Tower, as it was affectionately known, has been removed in favor of large advertising panels. At first glance, it may have seemed to many that the Marlins were just exploiting as much real estate as possible in order to procure more advertising money, similar to when they covered the outfield wall with Miccosukee Indian Gaming ads several years ago. However, it seems that the move is just another indication of just how badly the Marlins really need to move into their new ballpark. Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post reports:

The Marlins are tenants in a stadium owned by Dolphins? owner Stephen Ross, who wasn?t about to sink money into the venue to enhance the baseball experience. And Marlins senior vice president for communications P.J. Loyello said it was ?cost prohibitive? for the Marlins to replace the burned out light bulbs and to keep the scoreboard from malfunctioning.

We've long known that the under the terms of their rent, the Marlins receive little-to-no money from the sale of parking spots and concessions during Marlins games. But to think that they would be forced to replace the light bulbs in the scoreboard really sheds light on just how awful the terms of their current deal are. It's going to be a real weird season without the Teal Tower in left field. Here's to hoping that come late September, the Marlins are watching the scoreboard more than they're watching MLB Tonight.

[Madman81]

That really sucks. Are there any pictures of the new look?

[Namaste]

I sat in Infield Box tonight (1st base side).

The word pathetic does not adequately describe what the wall in LF looks like.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

That really sucks. Are there any pictures of the new look?

[Party]

The Marlins should ask for a box of lightbulbs in every trade until 2012.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Marlins spokesperson P.J. Loyello told me tonight that the reason the scoreboard was replaced with advertising was because they no longer manufactured the parts needed to repair the board to keep it operating properly. There have been quite a few problems with it the past couple of years.

"We are looking at other possible ways to get the out of town scores together and displayed in a way that's better than we have," said team president David Samson when I asked him if the team was looking into alternative plans. "To do a whole new board, it's millions (of dollars)."

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