The 2023 World Baseball Classic was fantastic. I was watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament at a bar in Los Angeles, when I noticed that most people there had gathered to watch Mexico take on Puerto Rico. The energy in the room was captivating, much of it because Loan Depot Park in Miami was abuzz. I had not seen that type of excitement around a baseball game since the Chicago Cubs’ World Series win in 2016.
Prior to that day, the only music I was familiar with at baseball games were organs, and walk-up songs, and Charlie Sheen making his way out of the bullpen to “Wild Thing” in Major League. But at the Classic, people were in the crowd having an actual party while playing instruments during the game. It was great, and sports fans noticed. Five million people watched the championship game between USA and Japan.
With the best scenes from the tournament being at the Miami Marlins’ home stadium, it would be logical to think they would try to capitalize on the good vibes. The team announced Thursday that they will allow fans to bring flags and instruments to the ballpark. That is one year to the day after the start of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Per usual, the Marlins always find a way to allow momentum to peter out as opposed to making an effort to keep it going. I had fun that day at the bar, but I haven’t thought about the World Baseball Classic since I saw @jasminelwatkins post about Shohei Ohtani securing the win for Japan by striking out Mike Trout, with a picture of Wesley Snipes killing G-Money in New Jack City.
The Marlins continuously strike out when it comes to being South Florida baseball’s brother’s keeper. They had a good team last year that made the playoffs for the first time — sans that 60-game season when 16 teams qualified — since their World Series Championship in 2003.
However, this is a franchise that was established in 1993 and somehow won two World Series but still has a thimble of fan support. Success landed at the Marlins’ doorstep that eluded stalwart franchises for as much as 108 years. On top of the winning, their brightly colored uniforms have never even been gaudy. The Marlins should be one of the more popular teams in the league, or at least be beloved by their home market.
Alas, the franchise blew it again. There should have been social media posts and billboards all over South Florida after the WBC that encouraged people to bring their drums, horns, vuvuzelas, anything to the ballpark in 2023 — except for pots and pans because human beings can’t be trusted with those types of blunt objects in 2024.
Once again the Marlins do Marlins things. At least this time they’re trying to fix a mistake instead of selling what recently worked for parts.
