Saturday, July 10, 2010
There's Never Been a Better Time To Be a Miami Fan
6:30 PM | Posted by
Phins 2 Phins
Being a Miami fan in general is a tough thing, there are a lot of up and downs and generally a lot of heartbreak involved, but over the last couple of months being a Miami fan has been good, great actually.
Three days ago I woke up to some great news, not only would Dwayne Wade be returning to play in his house, but he was also bringing Chris Bosh with him. All day I kept telling people in Orlando that LeBron James would be next, yet 36 hours later, as I was driving through Fort Lauderdale on my way to Miami listening to ‘The Decision” special I can honestly say I was genuinely surprised to hear him say he “would be bringing his talent to South Beach to join the Miami Heat.”
Wade, LeBron and Bosh are already considered a dream team despite the fact that basketball is a game played with five players and the Heat roster currently consists of only four players (Mario Chalmers is the fourth guy in the roster). There is no denying that a trio of players of that caliber all playing in the same team will make an immediate impact in the NBA. It is something that has never been done before, and it is something that Pat Riley found a way to do because he had one specific goal in mind, and that goal is to win championships; not one but many. Pat Riley wanted to give Miami a team that would be not only a championship caliber team, but a dynasty and that is what I am the most excited about.
Making the same kind of immediate impact in a football team is a lot harder, yet I believe Bill Parcels approached this offseason with the same winning mentality that Pat Riley dd. For the first time in a long time the Miami Dolphins went out there and put down the money they needed to get the big name key players needed to build a winning team. Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby are the Dolphins equivalent of the Heat’s LeBron and Bosh and although you could argue that it is a lot more difficult for two players to make an impact in a football team than it is in a basketball team, you also have to remember that the Dolphins were not a four man roster, they actually have more than one “Wade.” The Dolphins also have a great group of young players that will only continue to get better by virtue of playing with the best and knowing who they are playing against in the division. But more importantly, both, the Dolphins and the Heat’s front offices have send their players and their fans one clear message during their offseasons and that message is that they are looking forward to not only competing but to winning, and that is the one thing we have all been anxious to see.
Miami is not the first city that comes to mind when talking about sports, and that’s because Miami has never been close hosting teams of the caliber of the teams in cities like Boston or New York in any sport other than football. Out of our three main local teams, the Dolphins are the only team to ever have reached a dynasty status. They had their first great run from 1971 through 1974. Not only did they win the division four consecutive times, but they also became AFC Champions three consecutive years and one back to back Super Bowls; the first of which came as the perfect conclusion to an undefeated season, a feat which was never been achieved before then and has never been achieved since.
The second great run for the Dolphins came in the 80s during the Marino years. Although not as successful as the first run since it didn’t produce any Super Bowls, the team still nominated the league for most of the decade, winning the division five times, playing in the AFC Championship game three times and enjoying back to back Super Bowl appearances. There’s no denying the Dolphins are Miami’s greatest franchise, however, the last time the Dolphins made it to the Championship game I was 10 years old, and the last time they made it to the Super Bowl I was 2 so needless to say, their success seems like a distant memory at times.
On the other side, we have two teams who have enjoyed success more recently, but whose success has been followed by unprecedented failure. The Miami Heat are Miami’s most recent champions, bringing home the title in 2006 (first and only in franchise history) and although the title was preceded by a Conference Championship appearance in 2005, it was followed by disaster. In 2007, the Heat struggled to make the playoffs; once there the suffered the franchise’s first and only sweep in a playoff series when they faced the Bulls in the first round. Things didn’t get any better the following season; the Heat ended their 2008 season with a 15-67 record, the worst record in the history of the NBA.
The Florida Marlins, Miami’s youngest team, has also enjoyed success, twice they have won the World Series and both times the wins have been followed by disappointment. The Marlins were established in 1993 and won their first World Series in 1997, establishing a record for the fastest franchise to win a World Series (this record would later be beat by the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the World Series in 2001 after only four seasons). During the offseason following that win the team got dismantled and in 1998 the Marlins became the only team ever to lose 100 games after the World Series.
History would repeat itself after their second World Series win in 2003, although not in such dramatic fashion. After the win, the fans biggest worry was that they would see their team dismantled again, and this time, although it didn’t all happen during that first offseason, it did happen again eventually. Since winning their last World Series, the Marlins have only made it to the playoffs twice.
This disappointment is something that all Miami fans have come to know and accept. Yet, now, for the first time ever, Miami fans are watching two of their teams make a legitimate push to win. The Dolphins and the Heat have both bet it all with big time moves this offseason in an attempt to bring home the ultimate prize, a Championship win and a Super Bowl, and I can’t help but think that the Marlins will probably make a similar push in the next two offseasons as well, they do, after all, have to be looking forward to building a stronger team to kick off their 2012 season in their brand new stadium.
So move over Boston and New York, Miami is now looking to make their impression in the sports world and I love the attitude change. Let’s build teams that are strong enough not only to win one title but multiple titles. Miami fans are among the most loyal fans out there and now the time has finally come when being a Miami fan is better than ever.
Three days ago I woke up to some great news, not only would Dwayne Wade be returning to play in his house, but he was also bringing Chris Bosh with him. All day I kept telling people in Orlando that LeBron James would be next, yet 36 hours later, as I was driving through Fort Lauderdale on my way to Miami listening to ‘The Decision” special I can honestly say I was genuinely surprised to hear him say he “would be bringing his talent to South Beach to join the Miami Heat.”
Wade, LeBron and Bosh are already considered a dream team despite the fact that basketball is a game played with five players and the Heat roster currently consists of only four players (Mario Chalmers is the fourth guy in the roster). There is no denying that a trio of players of that caliber all playing in the same team will make an immediate impact in the NBA. It is something that has never been done before, and it is something that Pat Riley found a way to do because he had one specific goal in mind, and that goal is to win championships; not one but many. Pat Riley wanted to give Miami a team that would be not only a championship caliber team, but a dynasty and that is what I am the most excited about.
Making the same kind of immediate impact in a football team is a lot harder, yet I believe Bill Parcels approached this offseason with the same winning mentality that Pat Riley dd. For the first time in a long time the Miami Dolphins went out there and put down the money they needed to get the big name key players needed to build a winning team. Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby are the Dolphins equivalent of the Heat’s LeBron and Bosh and although you could argue that it is a lot more difficult for two players to make an impact in a football team than it is in a basketball team, you also have to remember that the Dolphins were not a four man roster, they actually have more than one “Wade.” The Dolphins also have a great group of young players that will only continue to get better by virtue of playing with the best and knowing who they are playing against in the division. But more importantly, both, the Dolphins and the Heat’s front offices have send their players and their fans one clear message during their offseasons and that message is that they are looking forward to not only competing but to winning, and that is the one thing we have all been anxious to see.
Miami is not the first city that comes to mind when talking about sports, and that’s because Miami has never been close hosting teams of the caliber of the teams in cities like Boston or New York in any sport other than football. Out of our three main local teams, the Dolphins are the only team to ever have reached a dynasty status. They had their first great run from 1971 through 1974. Not only did they win the division four consecutive times, but they also became AFC Champions three consecutive years and one back to back Super Bowls; the first of which came as the perfect conclusion to an undefeated season, a feat which was never been achieved before then and has never been achieved since.
The second great run for the Dolphins came in the 80s during the Marino years. Although not as successful as the first run since it didn’t produce any Super Bowls, the team still nominated the league for most of the decade, winning the division five times, playing in the AFC Championship game three times and enjoying back to back Super Bowl appearances. There’s no denying the Dolphins are Miami’s greatest franchise, however, the last time the Dolphins made it to the Championship game I was 10 years old, and the last time they made it to the Super Bowl I was 2 so needless to say, their success seems like a distant memory at times.
On the other side, we have two teams who have enjoyed success more recently, but whose success has been followed by unprecedented failure. The Miami Heat are Miami’s most recent champions, bringing home the title in 2006 (first and only in franchise history) and although the title was preceded by a Conference Championship appearance in 2005, it was followed by disaster. In 2007, the Heat struggled to make the playoffs; once there the suffered the franchise’s first and only sweep in a playoff series when they faced the Bulls in the first round. Things didn’t get any better the following season; the Heat ended their 2008 season with a 15-67 record, the worst record in the history of the NBA.
The Florida Marlins, Miami’s youngest team, has also enjoyed success, twice they have won the World Series and both times the wins have been followed by disappointment. The Marlins were established in 1993 and won their first World Series in 1997, establishing a record for the fastest franchise to win a World Series (this record would later be beat by the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the World Series in 2001 after only four seasons). During the offseason following that win the team got dismantled and in 1998 the Marlins became the only team ever to lose 100 games after the World Series.
History would repeat itself after their second World Series win in 2003, although not in such dramatic fashion. After the win, the fans biggest worry was that they would see their team dismantled again, and this time, although it didn’t all happen during that first offseason, it did happen again eventually. Since winning their last World Series, the Marlins have only made it to the playoffs twice.
This disappointment is something that all Miami fans have come to know and accept. Yet, now, for the first time ever, Miami fans are watching two of their teams make a legitimate push to win. The Dolphins and the Heat have both bet it all with big time moves this offseason in an attempt to bring home the ultimate prize, a Championship win and a Super Bowl, and I can’t help but think that the Marlins will probably make a similar push in the next two offseasons as well, they do, after all, have to be looking forward to building a stronger team to kick off their 2012 season in their brand new stadium.
So move over Boston and New York, Miami is now looking to make their impression in the sports world and I love the attitude change. Let’s build teams that are strong enough not only to win one title but multiple titles. Miami fans are among the most loyal fans out there and now the time has finally come when being a Miami fan is better than ever.
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