A Night 15 Years in the Making: Marlins VS. Cardinals, It's Finally Here

[Party]

Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals


Josh Johnson vs. Kyle Lohse

7:10 PM
Marlins Park, Little Havana, Miami, FL





100 years after Miami's first professional baseball team took the field for the first time and 96 years after the first major league teams inaugurated a small wooden ballpark located on the southwest corner of this property, the Miami Marlins will take the field on the hallowed grounds of the Orange Bowl. For over 80 years, that iconic facility was host to some of the greatest moments in the history of sports. Tonight your Miami Marlins will begin a new chapter for the franchise and the City of Miami.

[jOOj]

I will be there, I'll be the white one with the orange hat.

[Mainge]

ehe Kyle Lohse amirite?

[tr305]

Bet the farm on Miami.

[jOOj]

Yeah, try a little harder to jinx it.

[Fritz]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSExILkaF6U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSExILkaF6U[/ame]

[Swifty]

That's the damnedest looking overpass.

[jOOj]

That's what she said.

[flamarlins3]

Just got to Miami. Ill be there! Woo!

[Blackout Pact]

I will be up at 2 AM with a liter of beer in hand watching it from my shitty little hotel room. I'm excited.

[Bobbob1313]

I will be watching from work, and we're going to be busy. Poop.

[Chewford]

It's 7 PM on April 4th and yet I still have 13 hours to watch this shit!

I will be watching.

[Party]

Posted on Wed, Apr. 04, 2012
Marlins Park’s retractable roof a welcome cover-up

By Manny Navarro
mnavarro@MiamiHerald.com


CARL JUSTE / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
The retractable roof of the Miami Marlins Stadium is in the open position during St. Louis Cardinals batting practice prior to Opening Night on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 in Miami, Florida.
One week 9 hours 22 minutes.
That’s the amount of collective time stormy weather delayed Marlins games at Sun Life Stadium for more than 19 years.

The new era of rain-free, retractable-roof baseball, though, begins Wednesday at Marlins Park.

With only a 20 percent chance of rain and temperatures expected to be in the low 70s, the plan for opening night is to have ace Josh Johnson deliver the first pitch against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals at 7:10p.m. under the open sky.

But should South Florida’s unpredictable weather change at a moment’s notice — whether it’s heat, humidity or rain — the 8,000-ton, high-strength steel canopy will slide into place with one touch of an ignition switch, keeping everyone inside cool and dry. And that’s something players are looking forward to just as much as fans.

“It’s nice knowing we’re going to be playing when we’re supposed to be playing,” said Hanley Ramirez, who still managed to capture the National League batting title in 2009 despite playing through a team-record 22 rain delays.

“I think all the way around it’s going to be different [with that roof].”

Said catcher John Buck: “I can’t tell you how much it’s going to take the stress of our bodies.”

Marlins Park is the sixth stadium in Major League Baseball with a retractable roof. The others are Rogers Centre in Toronto, Chase Field in Arizona, Safeco Field in Seattle, Miller Park in Milwaukee and Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Marlins Park, which followed the model set in Houston, is the only retractable-roof sports venue in the state and one of fewer than 50 in the world. The roof has three panels — the two lower panels span 530 feet and the upper panel spans 566 feet — that role along rails similar to a train.

To close, the roof slides east. When it’s open, it rests above the West Plaza, which is the size of 3 1/2 football fields and serves as an entertainment area with music and other activities before and after games.

High efficiency

Driven by 76 high-efficiency electric motors, the roof is considered one of the fastest, sliding along at 39 feet per minute, thanks to 44 transporters with 96 total wheels. It uses less than $10 worth of electricity to open and close and takes roughly 13 minutes to open and close.

The roof mechanization system is designed to travel about 2,000 miles throughout its life — a flight from Miami to Denver or a little more than four round trips to Havana.

A click of a button on a computer screen in a control room above center field gets the three panels rolling, according to Claude Delorme, the Marlins executive Vice President for Operations and Events.

“You press you finger on the ignition, and that activates the roof,” Delorme said.

“There is a series of measures we go through to make sure everything has been cleared. It does involve some labor. We have folks that go up there and remove the bracing system, make sure everything is all clear.”

Pregame decision

The Marlins plan to meet 3 1/2 hours before first pitch every home game to decide if they will close the roof to help cool the stadium down before possibly reopening shortly before first pitch. Such was the case Monday against the Yankees. But the Marlins expect to close the roof for about 70 of 81 games a season, even when rain is not an imminent threat.

“But we could close it in the middle of an inning if we needed to,” team president David Samson said.

On Saturday, stadium personnel experienced their first hiccup with the roof when a sensor went off and delayed its closing for 10 minutes during a heavy rain storm, leaving the field wet and soggy before Sunday’s exhibition game with the Yankees.

Delorme said it was “purely a precautionary measure,” and the roof didn’t get stuck.

Delorme said stadium personnel will be monitoring radar every 30 minutes throughout the season so they can close the roof if the weather changes.

Extreme weather

As for when the weather gets really bad — like Hurricane-force bad — Delorme said the stadium will be able to withstand that, too.

“We’re capable of handling a Category 4 storm,” Delorme said. “The roof is designed so water and winds come in, but you don’t have too much pressure on the roof. It was designed so there are gaps that would allow the air to come inside. Would it result in damage? Probably, but it would be mitigated to our tie-down procedure.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/0...#storylink=cpy
--------------------
Marlins.com:

04/03/2012 6:13 PM EST
Miami Marlins ready to play inaugural season at Marlins Park
The Marlins will kick off the 2012 baseball season against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 4
MIAMI –The Miami Marlins are set to kick off their historic 2012 baseball season against the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, April 4 at Marlins Park. The inaugural Miami Marlins Opening Night at the state-of-the-art Marlins Park will feature three fan giveaways: a Commemorative Lanyard presented by Miccosukee Resort & Gaming and Pepsi, a Tic Tac Pack (to be utilized in fan participation with a special pregame ceremony) and a commemorative Opening Night Marlins Playbill. A special edition of the Marlins Magazine will also be available throughout the ballpark.

The first pitch for Opening Night is set for 7:05 P.M. and ESPN will carry the nationally-televised game. Ballpark gates at Marlins Park will open at 4:00 P.M. and on-site parking garages will open at 3:00 P.M. For parking and transportation information, fans can visit www.marlins.com/parking.

Fans are encouraged to be in their seats no later than 6:15 P.M. for the inaugural Opening Night pregame ceremonies, with never-before-seen special events presented by nineteen time Grammy award winning producer and Miami's very own Emilio Estefan. Pregame ceremonies will include a video and on-field tribute to Miami, full team lineups for the Marlins and Cardinals, the debut of the new Marlins theme song, Marlins Tonight, legendary musician Jose Feliciano performing the National Anthem, a Fireworks Spectacular, a flyover with four F-16’s from Homestead Air Reserve Base and much more.

As part of the historic celebration, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Marlins Owner Jeffrey H. Loria, together with Miami-Dade County and City of Miami Commissioners and representatives will be part of a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00 A.M., on the West Plaza. Opening Night at Marlins Park will also include a pregame party on the West Plaza from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M., featuring live music on the Main Stage with renowned artists. Fans are encouraged to stay for the post-game party on the West Plaza with live music and entertainment, immediately following the game. The game will be broadcasted on WAXY 790 AM and WAQI 710AM (Spanish).

[Chewford]

[MiamiHomer]

This will be my first live attendance of an MLB opening day game. I can't wait.