Craig Minervini
I’ve seen a lot of ballparks, and I’ve asked a lot of dumb questions—like whether a fish tank belongs behind home plate or if music from a pool bar can drown out a bullpen call (turns out, yes). But what sticks with me isn’t the quirks—it’s the feeling. The way a park can become a stage for grief, joy, and memory. In this conversation with Craig Minervini, we talk about Miami’s loanDepot Park—the energy, the weirdness, the sacred. From José Fernández to heritage nights to the loudest drums you’ve ever heard, this one reminded me why these places matter.
Here’s a distilled version of the interview between Craig Minervini and Robby Incmikoski, focusing on the emotionally rich and ballpark-specific moments that highlight what makes a Major League stadium—especially Miami’s loanDepot Park—feel sacred, strange, and unforgettable. This version keeps Robby’s questions and Craig’s responses while staying under 1000 words:
Robby Incmikoski: What’s the vibe like for baseball in Miami?
Craig Minervini: You have to win to draw here. The Marlins haven’t had a home playoff game in the new park yet. The location’s tricky—it’s on the old Orange Bowl site. But it’s beautiful now. The roof and A/C made a huge difference. Before that, we’d spend every night tracking storms, figuring out when we could start. It’s a comfortable place to watch a game now. Loud, too—20,000 people sound like 40,000.
Robby Incmikoski: Ballparks reflect their cities—Wrigley has ivy, Fenway the Green Monster. loanDepot Park had that wild home-run sculpture. Then Derek Jeter moved it outside. What was the reaction?
Craig Minervini: Polarizing. People either loved it or hated it. I liked it—it was fun when Stanton homered and the fish went wild. It was a Red Grooms piece—two million bucks. Jeter didn’t like it and moved it outside. Loria, who commissioned it, wasn’t happy. It was goofy, sure, but it had personality. It made the ballpark feel like Miami.
Robby Incmikoski: What about that fish tank behind home plate?
Craig Minervini: Gone now, but it was awesome. Very Miami. They tested the glass like crazy—nobody wanted a foul ball to send exotic fish flying everywhere. But the upkeep was insane. Saltwater tanks are hard to maintain at home—imagine doing it at a stadium.
Robby Incmikoski: When the park changed—gone were the neon colors, the Clevelander pool, the sculpture—how did fans react?
Craig Minervini: People mostly liked the changes. The old lime green was wild, and they eventually covered a lot of it. They moved the fences in. Took out the pool, too—it wasn’t really for swimming anyway. It looked less like a nightclub and more like a regular park. Fans seem to prefer it now. Still loud, still lively, but more baseball-forward.
Robby Incmikoski: That stadium used to be a party—a fish tank, dancers, music pumping. Did fans embrace that?
Craig Minervini: Oh yeah. It was wild. The music was so loud in the Clevelander, the bullpen couldn’t hear the phone. Like a nightclub in South Beach—home runs flying into the bar, dancers by the bullpen. I used to do reports out there. It was absolutely a scene.
Robby Incmikoski: Were you working the game after José Fernández died, when Dee Gordon hit that home run?
Craig Minervini: Yeah. That’s the kind of game you never want to work, but you have to. Everyone wore “Fernández 16” jerseys. Dee batted righty to honor José, then went back to the left side and hit the longest homer of his life—his only one all season. He was crying rounding the bases. It wasn’t just a run. It was José. And then they all gathered around the mound with his number on it. Nobody there will ever forget that.
Robby Incmikoski: What did José mean to baseball in South Florida?
Craig Minervini: He was everything. People called it “José Day” when he pitched. He brought energy, fans, joy. He’d wave to fans before they even saw him. He watched fireworks in full uniform, like a little kid. Just pure love of the game—and of America. When he got his residency, we had cameras rolling. He was beaming. I’ve never met anyone else like him in sports.
Robby Incmikoski: So if someone wants to see a game in Miami, what should they expect?
Craig Minervini: It’s different from any other MLB park. Loud music, drums, heritage nights, fans from all over the world—it’s alive. There’s traffic and no great mass transit, but the experience is worth it. If you love baseball, this is a stadium you’ve got to see. There’s nothing else like it.
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NOTE: The above was edited for clarity and length.
You can read the full transcript here.