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Report: Jeter talked to Miami mayor about removing Marlins sculpture

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty

At the fire sale in Miami, everything and everyone must go - apparently including the distinct sculpture at Marlins Park.

Team owner Derek Jeter detests "Homer," according to reports in August, and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez openly declares that he's never liked it. When Gimenez met with Jeter and other Marlins executives at the ballpark Tuesday, getting rid of the $2.5-million art installation in center field was among the topics of discussion, according to Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald.

"I just don't think they’re all that crazy about it," Gimenez said after the meeting. "I'm not a fan. We're looking at it. … We'll see if anything can be done."

The sculpture was designed by American pop artist Red Grooms. When a Marlins player hits a home run, the flamingos on the sculpture dance and the fish move.

Gimenez was elected in 2011 before the stadium opened. He's long opposed the public funding package the Marlins received in 2009 and has openly criticized "Homer."

"Mayor Gimenez appreciates art in public places," spokesman Michael Hernandez said in August. "That particular structure, not so much."

The Marlins paid for "Homer," but it's actually property of Miami-Dade County as part of a public art program, meaning the team needs approval in order to get rid of it.

"It was designed specifically for this project and location and is permanently installed," Michael Spring, head of the county's cultural affairs arm, said in August. "It is not moveable."

Spring accompanied the mayor to Marlins Park on Tuesday, and said that while the sculpture is complicated, "Anything is possible. We built it. We can move it."

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