New ballpark, new logo, new jerseys and new name—say hello to the Miami Marlins.
Not quite the pomp and circumstance delivered for the “Big 3,” of the Miami Heat last year, but the Marlins celebrated a new era for the franchise on Friday night, 11/11/11—the day many believed good luck would hover over them. And the Marlins hope that luck stays with them all the way into the season.
Inside their new ballpark—which is not yet complete—players modeled the new jerseys while Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria stood proudly and looked on at his franchise that was reborn.
“This is an exciting moment in the history of the Marlins,” Loria said, according to the Miami Herald. “The dream of our fans has finally come true.”
The fresh new colors—black, yellow, blue and orange—outline the Marlins new logo—a giant “M” with a small Marlin sitting on top.
Hanley Ramirez was the first to model the new jersey for those in attendance. He reportedly walked out smiling, lifted his arms in the air, giving spectators a clear look at the Marlins’ new uniforms. The Marlins introduced a number of new jerseys, all with “Miami” written across the jersey. Their new red jersey reads “Marlins” instead. The colors are supposed to represent the ocean and the sunset, Loria told reporters.
“If our ballpark could speak, its first words would be, ‘Hola, Miami,'” he said, according to the Associated Press.
A large video scoreboard displayed the new logo and showed highlights of the franchise that was born in 1993.
Wasting no time, the team already started selling shirts, jerseys and caps during the event Friday night.
The Marlins are trying to make a big splash going in to the 2012 season. They are estimated to have at least 30,000 people in attendance for each home game, reports say. The Marlins have reportedly been talking with several free agents, including shortstop Jose Reyes.
