Marlins Stadium Update No. 24,000
The Marlins announced Wednesday they'd crossed another hurdle in the ongoing construction of their new ballpark on the former site of the Orange Bowl in Little Havana: the first piece of structural steel to support the roof has been put in place. Weighing 24,000 pounds, the beam is the first of 13 that will make up the fixed steel roof structure on the ballpark's west side. It is scheduled to be completed in July.
Claude Delorme, the team's executive vice president of ballpark development, said in a statement the venue is more than 34 percent complete and that much of the next 13 months will be focused on the roof.
The full fixed canopy for the roof -- including the east, south and north sides - is scheduled to be completed in January.
Meanwhile, still missing the out-of-town scoreboard at Sun Life Stadium? The new ballpark will offer out-of-town scores and much more under a contract announced this week with scoreboard giant, Daktronics Inc.
The contract also includes video display board, digital ribbon boards, pitchers stats and ticket window displays. Installation is scheduled to begin in fall 2011.
“With their broad product line, control system with superior data integration capabilities, and their experience working new construction projects, Daktronics was clearly the best choice," Delorme said in a statement. "I know Marlins fans will absolutely love the new ballpark. The digital display technology will be a huge part of the game day presentation.”
The displays include a custom-shaped display board that's 101 feet wide at the top and 51 feet tall. There will be six ribbon boards in the seating bowl and at the ballpark's gates.
CRAIG DAVIS In more than 33 years at the Sun Sentinel, Craig Davis has written about a wide variety of sports topics from baseball to yachting, fishing to triathlons, and also worked as a copy editor and page designer. Recently he reported on local sports, including running, swimming, cycling, equestrian and beach volleyball. He enjoys sports as a participant as well as a spectator, is active in the South Florida running scene plays in the curling club at Saveology Iceplex. This blog offers a glimpse at the business side of sports in the interest of enhancing enjoyment of the games and sporting options as a spectator as well as a participant.
