This really has nothing to do about whether everything will get finalized, instead it's about the design.
Loria finds himself drawing upon those early lessons more than ever as he increasingly turns his attention to planning every last intricacy of the Marlins' future home. He spends hours each week on the phone to Kansas City, where a team of architects at the legendary HOK firm is working steadily to prepare the first set of renderings.
They aren't expected for perhaps another year, but already certain hints are emerging.
The new park will give pitchers every chance to succeed when it opens in 2011, per the Marlins' philosophy. But considering the day job of the club owner — international art dealer — it has the potential to be so much more than just another brick-lined playpen for millionaires.
Loria doesn't sound interested in building yet another throwback yard.
"We're not looking at retro," he said. "We'd like to see a contemporary building … realizing that we're in Florida."
This scares me to death. While I haven't seen the 2003 World Series ring, in person, which Loria personally designed, I have seen pictures and it is....shall we say....a bit gaudy.
When contemporary art lovers, start designing structures, it could workout just fine or end up being a monstrosity. And I've seen pictures of the ring.