JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria says the time is right for a new ballpark despite the sour economy, and he declined to say what might happen if the latest plan fails.
The city of Miami will vote Thursday on a proposal for a 37,000-seat stadium. A county vote is scheduled for March 23.
“I never think of ‘what if?”’ Loria said before a spring training game Sunday. “I am thinking positively about the stadium. It is good for Florida and it’s good for the community, and there’s just no other way to think.”
He said he will not sell the Marlins, contrary to concerns voted by one city commissioner that Loria might reap a big profit by selling the team after a new stadium opens.
“The team is not for sale,” Loria said. “I have heard this since 2002. I am interested in building something great here for South Florida and for this community and seeing it flourish.”
Loria said the timing for a new ballpark could not be better, despite the sour economy, because the project would create jobs.
seen in any of our lifetimes,” he said. “Florida is falling in sync with what is going on across the country. People need jobs. People need paychecks. The time to get it done is now.”
Loria also acknowledged the team is interested in signing free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, a 14-time All Star who helped the Marlins win the 2003 World Series. Rodriguez is playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and said Friday his agent has been talking with the Marlins.
“It’s something we’re thinking about,” Loria said.
One potential issue is the 37-year-old Rodriguez wants to be an everyday player.
“Pudge is going to the Hall of Fame because he is a great baseball player with great hands,” Loria said. “He may surprise people at the end of his career and play a little bit of third and first as well to prolong his career, but that remains to be seen. That’s a decision the coaches and manager will make if in fact he is playing with us.”
As for the 2009 Marlins, Loria said the team is capable improving on its 84-77 record from last year.
“The team is going to be very competitive,” Loria said.
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