Miami

Welcome to Miami. Bienvenidos a Miami.

I heard those words on my first trip to Florida. I was in high school, on a recruiting trip to the University of Miami. I was only 17 and Miami was the farthest I’d ever been from home.

It wasn’t just that hearing Spanish was new to me. Everything about Miami was different and exciting. I don’t really recall exactly what I did or where I went that weekend. It was a blur. But to this day I still remember how it felt. The music, the weather, the diversity — I remember how alive Miami was.

One thing really jumped out at me. It was the way people talked about Miami — with such a sense of pride. Everyone I met seemed to go out of their way to tell me why their city was so special.

But enough looking back. Right now I want to talk about the future.

Today is the first day of a new era for Marlins baseball. On behalf of the new ownership group, I want to tell you about our vision for the future.

I’ve never been big on making predictions. I’ve always had a “no excuses” mentality in everything I do, and I believe hard work and discipline are rewarded over time. So I won’t make any predictions, but I will make a few promises.

We’re going to develop a winning culture.

The way I see it, doing things the right way, over and over, leads to sustained success. I’m not just talking about wins and losses — winning games is very important to everyone — but also about developing a winning culture throughout the organization. That’s what is most important, and that journey starts today. It will not happen overnight. But our ownership group is focused on building a team that this community can be proud of.

We’re going to celebrate the culture and diversity of this community.

This is Miami’s team. We’re committed to celebrating what makes this community great. Over time, we want you to get to know us as an organization. More importantly, we want to get to know you.

We believe in the Marlins’ organization.

The truth is, the purchase of the team has been a long process. It’s been draining at times. But we stuck with it because we believe in Miami, we believe in this organization and, with your help, we believe we will turn it around.

This community has always made me feel welcome.

It’s time to return the favor.

The next era of Marlins baseball begins now. Let’s have some fun — it’s the Miami way.