All 4 major sports team are represented in South Florida.
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Football has the Miami Dolphins, basketball has the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers play in the National Hockey League, and in Major League Baseball there is the Florida Marlins.
Football has the Miami Dolphins, basketball has the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers play in the National Hockey League, and in Major League Baseball there is the Florida Marlins.
Since baseball season is upon us, I thought I would take a look at the Florida Marlins. Three cities, Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Miami got into a bidding war to determine where the new team would play their home games.
Two years later, in 1993 the Florida Marlins were introduced to Major League Baseball. In 1997, the Florida Marlins broke a then record becoming the fastest expansion team to win a championship - they won the wild card spot to accomplish this feat. History repeated itself a few years later in 2003 - the Marlins, who once again captured the Wild Card spot, went on to win their second World Series and the in the process setting another record as being a two time champion in any of the four major sports who won their championship coming from a wild card spot.
Of course, in order to get the highs you have to suffer some lows - and the Marlins certainly are no strangers to that. The Marlins inaugural season ranks amongst their worst on record. One of the league's worst winning percentages was .395 - which the Marlins accomplished in their inaugural season, but that was better than their second year winning percentage as the Marlins managed a measly .333. To make a comparison, when they won both their championships the Marlins had just above a .500 winning percentage, with their run in the '97 season being their best on record, a .568 winning percentage shows that this team knows how to win.
Even after winning those two championships, the Marlins have always had a problem attracting fans. Ranking among the lowest in attendance since 1998, the team from South Florida has risen to the top.
Some well-known players have emerged from the Marlins system. Kevin Brown, for one, had a career year back in 1996, coming in second in the CY Young race (an individual award for pitchers). One of the game's best hitters, Miguel Cabrera started also started his career with the Marlins, going through the farm system. Like I stated earlier, a new home is awaiting the Marlins in 2012. The Marlins have shared the same playing field as the Miami Dolphins of the NFL since they first came in the league in 1993. In their 19th year in the league, the Marlins will be moving to a spot where the legendary Orange Bowl used to stand. To make a clean start, the Marlins will not only have a new address, but they will have a new name.
Hopefully, with their new home and a new name, the team will look more like they did back in the 1997, 2003 seasons.
RESOURCE: A past writer for different travel websites, Ervin Stansel now lives in Ft. Lauderdale and enjoys sharing his experiences throughout the south Florida area. Lauderdale community.
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