The clock is now ticking as it looks like the Marlins have pretty much finalized the location and opening date for the new ballpark.

MLB President Bob DuPuy has confirmed that the new ballpark will be at the Orange Bowl site and will open by 2011… if all the deals get done. Considering the momentum and the expiring stadium lease, it is likely that this is the last and only path for the Marlins.

On the timing:

The clock is ticking, DuPuy said, on the team’s chances of moving into a new stadium by 2011.

“That’s one of the reasons for the urgency,” he said. “We’re very tight. But our goal is to still open in 2011 or things get more expensive and the losses continue to pile up [for Marlins ownership]. The architects and the club have been looking at what can be done to expedite construction so we can still get open in 2011.”

On location:

DuPuy said a previously discussed site in downtown Miami is “off the table,” adding the Orange Bowl site is the only one being considered at this time.

So there you go. MLB is negotiating this deal for us and we know where it has to end.

The Miami Herald puts out a teaser article about the Marlins ballpark situation leading off with the suggestion that D-Day is coming:

The time may be nearing for the Florida Marlins to say whether they will accept the Orange Bowl site as their future home.

After much speculation, it now appears as if key leaders in Miami are willing to allocate some of the former Orange Bowl renovation money to building a ballpark for your Florida Marlins. Of the $85 million, $50 million came from a county bond while $35 million came for tourist bed taxes and therefore belong to the the city of Miami. I don’t know if both the county and the city will allocate the money but you can imagine that just $35 million, which Miami can approve for the ballpark by a simple vote, would help close that pesky funding gap. In fact:

… both Miami-Dade governments said recently they had no problem targeting it to help the financially struggling franchise build a ballpark.

Now, we’ve discussed the team’s interest in downtown (vs. the Orange Bowl) but Miami officials are willing to tell us what the Marlins told them:

Miami City Manager Pete Hernandez said team owner Jeffrey Loria indicated he was ”open-minded” about the Orange Bowl site. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro said Loria had told him the property was “acceptable.”

Acceptable? Doesn’t sound enthusiastic but this is probably the Marlins best and last chance so I assume they will take it and smile (all the way to the bank).

We’ll end with a very optimistic and hopefully real statement from co-chairman of the Miami-Dade Sports Commission Jose ”Pepe” Diaz

“That money was specified for the Orange Bowl. . . . Let’s just say the stars are all aligned.”

Major League Baseball launched a big push to resolve the Florida Marlins ballpark situation by sending Commissioner Bud Selig and President Bob DuPuy to meet with Jeffery Loria and Miami’s political leaders.

“We want to get a stadium deal down here as expeditiously as possible,” Bud Selig said on Tuesday in Miami.

So Bud is on board. Great. But couldn’t he use some of MLB’s money to close the funding gap instead? I’m sure he flew first class but writing a check may have saved him the trip.

First, Bud and co. met with Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and city manager Pete Hernandez. Then, they met with Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, county manager George Burgess and county chairman Bruno Barreiro.

While I’m sure the conversations focused on both the economics and the location of the ballpark, I won’t be surprised if location is the real issue right now.

Any optimistic parting words from the Commish?

“…the Mets are building a new ballpark. Washington is moving into a new ballpark. Philadelphia is in a new ballpark, and Atlanta has a new ballpark. If I didn’t feel that South Florida wasn’t a market you can compete in, with the right stadium, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Update: The Palm Beach Post adds:

Selig, though, said neither side discussed key details about building the Marlins a stadium, including where to put it and how to pay for it.

“It was clear to me that all of us were on the same page,” Selig said. “They want to get a stadium deal done here as expeditiously as possible.”

Today may turn out to be on of the most important days in Florida Marlins history.

Following their president’s recommendation, the University of Miami Board of Trustees is expected to approve moving the football team out of the Orange Bowl and into Dolphin Stadium. This should hopefully set off a series of events culminating with the Florida Marlins announcing a new ballpark.

UM’s decision takes a $205 million package offered by the County off the table. Without that money, the stadium will be torn down. The County can now focus on saving its baseball team and overcoming two big issues: where to build the stadium and how to close a funding gap.

There are ways to close this funding gap either through MLB, the Marlins, or even some of that money the County is no longer sending to UM. As for the site, it appears that several County leaders insist on using the Orange Bowl site, despite the Marlins’ and MLB’s push for a more logical downtown location. The question is how long the Marlins will hold onto that position since a ballpark in the Orange Bowl is better than no ballpark.

Update: It’s official