The Miami Marlins’ 25th Anniversary season arrives shadowed by sorrow and lifted by hope. There is a lot going on here. This season will be unlike any other — that we know even before we find out if the team that takes the field might make it special.
The death of Jose Fernandez will loom over the spring and summer and fall, the encircled-16 uniform patches worn over the heart a constant reminder. There will be the traditional red, white and blue bunting on Opening Day, but in Miami it should be black crepe for a season of underlying mourning.