Derek Jeter. ALEX COOPER / OBSERVER-DISPATCH via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Former Marlins owner bashes Derek Jeter, says he 'destroyed' stadium

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 8/14/23

Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria bashed Hall of Famer and ex-Marlins CEO Derek Jeter in a recent interview with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Loria said that Jeter "came in and destroyed" the home stadium of the team (LoanDepot Park) with his decision to remove the extravagant home run sculpture in 2018.

Per Jackson's report, Loria has been "out of the public eye" for six years but is now promoting his new book "From the Front Row: Reflections of a Major League Baseball Owner and Modern Art Dealer."

"Destroying public art was a horrible thing to do," the 82-year-old said.

Loria's run with the Marlins began in 2002 -- when Jeter was in the prime of his playing career -- and ended in 2017. "The Captain" was part of an ownership group that bought the franchise in August 2017, and he stepped down ahead of the 2022 season.

According to Jackson's report, a friend of Loria's designed the sculpture on a $2.5 million contract and it was a "polarizing piece of the ballpark, eliciting praise from some, ridicule from others." The piece would erupt after Miami home runs or victories, "sending mechanical marlins spinning, white seagulls soaring, pelicans dancing and fountains spraying in a 29-second cycle."

Per Jackson, the sculpture is now on an "outside plaza" and "easy to miss" for fans going to games.

"I asked the artist about getting it back, and I told him I would help him find a new home for it," Loria said. "He didn’t want to get involved. Now it will rot outside where it is...condemned to neglect and outdoor decay."

According to a TMZ Sports report, the sculpture was seven stories tall and Loria put it up beyond the centerfield wall in 2012.

The former owner of the Montreal Expos also called out Jeter for other changes around the park, saying he "was fastidious about all the color we put into the building and it was changed."

"To me it reflected the culture of Miami. Now it’s all blue. It’s ridiculous. The amenities like the fish tanks behind home plate -- they were there for the kids -- and they got rid of them. It’s silly" Loria added.

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