8 Reasons to Be Excited about Going to Marlins Park

The new Marlins Park is drawing attention from all over the baseball world for its extravagant colors and features. Although the parking situation has been long debated as troublesome, and the roof will have to remain closed most games, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about heading out to the ballpark to catch a game. 

Spoiler Alert: The insanely large, psychedelic home run feature is not on this list. 

The Clevelander

The Clevelander, famous on South Beach for many years, has taken its bar to the new Marlins Park. An expensive attraction for fans, the bar is located on the field level behind the left field wall. Fans can sit at ground level to watch the action, or even take a dip in the pool. All the traditional Clevelander food and drinks will be served, and the bar holds up to 240 guests per game.

The Food

The food is one of the best new features of the park. With its "Taste of Miami" section, the stadium will offer typical foods found throughout the city, so fans can experience all of Latin America in one stop. 

The park will also feature a concession stand devoted to the visiting team's cuisine. For example, when the Dodgers come to Miami, Dodger Dogs will be featured. When the Phillies come to town, Philly Cheesesteaks will be on the menu. It's a cool way to not only please the visiting team's fans, but also give Marlins fans a chance to experience other cities' traditional meals. 

The Sightlines

This is not a football stadium. Fans sitting down either base line will not have to turn their heads or bodies at uncomfortable angles to be able to see the action. Built for baseball, Marlins Park offers a good view of the field from literally any seat in the house. Having sat in the upper level, and even in the outfield seats, I can attest to the true asset that it is to have 37,000 seats with a good view. 

Ozzie Guillen

The fact that every fan is close to the field could mean one thing: cover the kids' ears because the new Marlins manager is not going to hold his tongue. Ozzie Guillen will add plenty of emotion and energy, not to mention an unmistakable voice, to Marlins Park. On many nights he could be worth the price of admission alone. Marlins fans have embraced him, and the Latin community certainly loves a manager they can relate to. 

The Bobblehead Museum

I know that's not a Marlin bobblehead, but the new park will feature nearly 600 of these little guys, and at least one representing each team. They're set in a trophy style display case, and fans can actually enter a name on a touchscreen to look up the doll. It's not the most important addition to the stadium, but clearly adds to the uniqueness of this park. 

The Atmosphere

The days of this picture are long gone. The Marlins will be playing in front of a packed house most nights, and with the roof closed, it will be loud. Even on nights when the park isn't at full capacity, with room for only 37,000 fans, it will never truly feel vacant like it did at Dolphins Stadium every night. If the Marlins plan on making a playoff push, establishing a home-field advantage could be key. 

The Roof

There will never be another rain delay at home in Marlins history. There will never be another afternoon game played in nearly 100-degree heat. Those are the two biggest factors fans point to when embracing this new park. For 18 seasons, fan turnout was hurt by the daily threat of rain, or the blistering heat on day games. With a roof that closes in 13 minutes and a climate controlled atmosphere, fans will always be comfortable while watching a game. 

The Product on the Field

In case everyone forgot, there are still games to be won in this new spectacular ballpark. If the team is winning, fans will flock to watch the games. And let's not get into what will happen if the season is a total loss. The additions of Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle, bolstered by a healthy, motivated Hanley Ramirez bode well for the Marlins' chances at making the playoffs. Having a good team on the field is reason enough to come out and support them.