A new playground for multimillionaires shimmers in the SouthFlorida sun, all steel and glass and girders, looking likesomething beamed down from the future into the modest surroundingLittle Havana neighborhood.Such an eye-catching edifice will always draw attention, andwhile the first game remains four months away, the Miami Marlins’new ballpark already is attracting brisk business, All-Star playersand the scrutiny of federal investigators. The ballpark madepossible a spending spree unprecedented in the Marlins’ strangehistory.”We have a glorious new ballpark, and we want to be good,”owner Jeffrey Loria said. ”We want to win.”After years of poor attendance and meager payrolls, the Marlinsanticipate capacity crowds next season, and with revenue on therise, Loria went shopping to upgrade the team.A decade after buying the Marlins, art dealer Loria has masteredthe art of the multiyear deal. The New York native suddenly becameGeorge Steinbrenner.First he hired Ozzie Guillen, a veteran manager as colorful asthe Marlins’ new uniforms. Then Loria turned his attention to freeagents.The Marlins were the talk of baseball’s winter meetings inDallas this week, making deals for NL batting champion Jose Reyes,All-Star left-hander Mark Buehrle and All-Star closer Heath Bellthat totaled $191 million.”I was a little surprised they had that much money to burn,”said Terry Collins, manager… Read full this story
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