MLB Opening Day 2012: Miami Marlins and New Stadium Set Stage for Playoff Bid

As excited Miami residents and longtime Marlins fans piled into a 37,000 seat stadium in Little Havana—a neighborhood of Miami, Florida—they expected to see a terrific performance by an energetic team.

But as soon as Kyle Lohse got to work, the stadium grew quiet.

A 4-1 loss to the defending champions certainly is not representative of what the Marlins season will look like, but the atmosphere surrounding the game certainly does.

Wealthy people in Miami have contributed to the move.

Fans have purchased season tickets well in advance to pay for the move.

The City of Miami went to the ends of the earth to make sure the $2.5 million flying fish creation in center field and its accompanying stadium were placed a stone's throw away from Dolphin Expressway.

But, my exaggeration about the excitement surrounding the Marlins is not the only overstatement I can make.

The Marlins have invested a significant amount of money into players who could bring a playoff berth to a second franchise in Miami.

Everyone knows about the additions of Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. Those are huge.

But, take a look at the Marlins roster in general. 

People once criticized the Marlins for not spending enough money. Presently, the Marlins have a total payroll larger than 23 major league teams (information via USA Today). The names of those teams with payrolls greater than the Marlins are quite impressive.

Those teams are: The Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

All of these are perennial playoff teams.

The money invested in the Marlins during the past few months is evidence of the support the community of Miami is ready to funnel into the Marlins—should they become successful.

With the simple fact that large payroll numbers equal a playoff berth, one can assume a postseason appearance is destined for the Marlins.

I cannot agree with that; there are too many games left in the season—160 to be exact.

I do believe, if the Marlins' investments pay off, that Miami can be a force in the National League in October.

If the Marlins collapse, at least baseball fans can tune into the Ozzie Guillen show.