Jeffrey Loria revealed in an interview with ESPN.com posted Thursday that the Marlins are having a statue of deceased former ace Jose Fernandez made that they plan to place outside Marlins Park in the near future.
"We're having a big sculpture of Jose made for the plaza or maybe in front of the stadium," Loria told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. "William Behrends is doing it. He did the Willie McCovey and Willie Mays sculptures out in San Francisco. I went through hundreds and hundreds of photographs with the sculptor and gestures of Jose's face to try and make it perfect."
Loria went on to say that the statue will be cast in bronze and will feature a red-orange painted glove like the one Fernandez used when he pitched for the Marlins.
Loria said he expected to see the statue completed in about six months and wants it to be about 9 to 10 feet high.
When asked why the chosen size of the sculpture, Loria said: "Because Jose was larger than life."
Loria did not discuss any details regarding the potential sale of the Marlins.
Loria was asked, however, about the toxicology reports that showed Fernandez was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine on the night of the accident that claimed his life and the lives of two other passengers.
"I know Jose to be a different kind of person," Loria said. "I know there were reports. I know a different person. I know a kid who was fun-loving. I didn't know a kid who was involved with anything bad. The only thing bad he was involved with was trying to beat your ass right off the plate. That's the only thing I ever saw."
Loria was asked if he was skeptical of the reports.
"No, I'm not skeptical. I accept what I read. But that's not the person I knew," he said.
