The past few days of rainy weather have been a real test for the new Marlins Park, and the $515 million stadium has not passed with flying colors. The team's management is now scrambling to fix leaks in the 8,000-ton retractable roof and, because that roof has been closed longer than expected, to resurrect the quickly dying grass.
The Miami Marlins will spend their next nine games on the road, which should give the management time to fix the flaws.
"Other retractable-roof ballparks had to make adjustments for at least one or two years to get their field right," team president David Samson told the Associated Press. "We had hoped to get it right the first time. So far it's not right. We're going to keep working and experimenting and finding a way to make it better."
Because the roof was closed more often than expected in April, the grass has begun to turn a shade of brown, and we all know Jeffrey Loria's favorite color is "Miró's green." So, sun lamps, like those used at nurseries, will be brought in.
Heavy rains during the Arizona Diamondbacks series also revealed several leaks in the roof.
"[Sunday] there were four of five spots where we had some drips coming down. The roof people were looking at those joints," Samson said, according to the Miami Herald. "Again, it's very normal [to have leaks].
Maintenance crews have been working to plug the leaks.
"I guess they put gum on it," Samson said. "Or something to seal it up."
Samson repeatedly stressed it was normal for a new ballpark to have some kinks that needed to be worked out in its first season.
Of course, the Marlins' biggest flaws right now have nothing to do with the venue. The team is 9-14 and sits in last place in the division. While attendance is up compared to last year, the team's record is not. The 2011 Florida Marlins had a 16-9 record last April.
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