Miami Marlins Fish Tank: Aquarium Gives Miami Unique Home-Field Advantage

The Miami Marlins will officially open their new ballpark on Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals in the official Opening Night Game for Major League Baseball. There will be plenty of features on display, but the most noteworthy one, by far, will be the fish tank behind home plate. 

If you haven't seen this yet, it is a simple way for the Marlins to try and bring some of the Miami-area beaches into the stadium. 

While almost every ballpark in the country tries to do something to highlight the city's rich history and/or traditions that the fans can engage in while sitting at a baseball game, this fish tank is a concept that will provide immediate dividends for the Miami Marlins. 

There are already plenty of distractions for players on the field. Between fans always yelling at them about an error they made, or the strikeout that happened with the bases loaded, and trying to read the ball off the bat, it is hard enough to keep your attention on what's happening. 

Now, with the Marlins trying to bring some pizzazz to their new stadium, they have found the one background decoration to distract fans since those fake umpires started sitting behind the plate in Toronto a few years ago. 

This fish tank is a disaster waiting to happen. It might be nice for the children who can't seem to stay in their seats to play with, but for everyone else it will be an unnecessary distraction.

Pitchers are going to have a difficult time paying attention because they are going to see some big fish swimming one way before making a sharp turn. We are going to see some errant pitches go flying into the stands as a result. 

The hitters are going to have an advantage because they don't have to look at that monstrosity. 

There will be an adjustment period for the Marlins' pitchers, but they play there 81 times. For everyone else, it will be a pain for them to work around. 

Of course, it's entirely possible that the fish mean nothing. In fact, it probably will mean nothing. But there is going to come a time when those little fish help the Marlins win an important game. When that happens, everyone will be praising this ridiculous fish tank. 

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