Citi Field nearing completion

By Barry M. Bloom

The days are dwindling to a precious few at Shea Stadium, and looming just beyond the center-field fence is the 2009 home of the Mets with its red-brick façade and Ebbets Field-like rotunda, nearing completion.
The Citi Field sign has been hung above the great Jackie Robinson Rotunda, along with other similar signage throughout the new ballpark.

"There's one that crowns the big scoreboard that looms over center field," said Richard Browne, the project manager of the ballpark construction site, during a telephone conversation on Thursday. "And when it's illuminated at night, you can see it for miles all over the place."

The new ballpark is about 85 percent complete with 80 percent of the dark green seats already installed. The rotunda may be an homage to the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the green seats pay tribute to the Polo Grounds, the home of the New York Giants until 1957 and where the Mets played their first two seasons in 1962 and 1963.

Citi Field nearing completion....

Stadium’s Appeal Lay in Futuristic Functionality

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

Shea Stadium was never a beautiful place. It lacked signature features like the Yankee Stadium frieze, the Green Monster of Fenway Park, the overhanging upper deck of Tiger Stadium or the ivy of Wrigley Field.

But it was part of the 1964 World’s Fair and it was home: the circular design; blue and orange exterior panels; movable seats that rotated on an underground track and that could turn it into a home for the Jets; and an outfield without bleachers that let home runs land in bullpens, slam off the scoreboard or surge into the flight pattern beyond its boundaries.

“What struck me as a kid was it was so colorful and so enormous,” the Mets announcer Gary Cohen said. “The height and the size of it; nobody had seen anything like it. When you came up through the tunnels and into your seats, you saw into infinity.”

Stadium’s Appeal Lay in Futuristic Functionality....

RCA Dome deflated to prepare Colts' old home to be demolished

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome is now a bowl.


Sixteen large fans that kept the dome's fabric roof aloft were shut down Wednesday morning, allowing the roof to deflate and fall within about 50 feet of the stadium floor.

The dome near downtown Indianapolis is being demolished, now that the Indianapolis Colts have moved to the nearby Lucas Oil Stadium.

Former mayor Bill Hudnut gave the order to shut off the fans. The 8-acre roof took about 35 minutes to deflate.

The upper level seating area will be imploded in December.

RCA Dome deflated to prepare Colts' old home to be demolished....

Texans considering Rice Stadium for next home game

By KRISTIE RIEKEN

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans owner Bob McNair has discussed the possibility of his team playing at Rice Stadium if repairs to Reliant Stadium from Hurricane Ike can't be made in time for its first home game on Oct. 5.

The stadium's retractable roof lost five pieces in the storm and officials said large pieces of debris had fallen into the stadium.

Though he has discussed playing at Rice, which is four miles from Reliant, McNair is "optimistic" that repairs can be made in time for Houston to play at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 5.

"We would have to talk to them at Rice, but certainly it's a large enough stadium that it is a possibility," McNair said Tuesday.

Rice Stadium holds 47,000 in its current configuration, but the tarps could be moved off the end zone seating to expand the capacity to 70,000. It was opened in 1950 and hosted the Super Bowl in 1974.

Texans considering Rice Stadium for next home game....

Twins name new ballpark Target Field

By Thor Nystrom / MLB.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins' new home has a name: Target Field.
The club announced on Monday morning that they have reached an agreement in principle on a 25-year deal that includes the naming rights for Target Field. The ballpark is scheduled to open in 2010.

Financial terms of the pact were not released.

"We took what we think is a non-traditional approach -- a lot of teams would have had an auction; that was never what it was about for the Twins," Twins president Dave St. Peter said. "When we considered corporate names, it was clear that one, it needed to be a Minnesota-based brand, and two, it had to be involved in the community and consistent with our brand, which is very family focused. There was a small list of companies that we felt fit those criteria. Target was at the top of that list."

The Twins and Target will also collaborate on the design of Target Plaza, a pedestrian bridge and public gathering space connecting Target Field to downtown Minneapolis

Twins name new ballpark Target Field....

Allianz Drops Bid for Naming Rights

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

The Giants and the Jets said Friday that they had ended talks with Allianz, a German-based insurance company with connections to the Third Reich, about selling the naming rights to the $1.6 billion stadium they are building in the Meadowlands.

The decision came after two days of largely negative reaction to the possibility of a deal with Allianz, which insured facilities at Auschwitz and other concentration camps, and which deprived many Jewish customers of the proceeds from their insurance policies.

The New York Times first reported about the talks between Allianz and the teams on Sept. 1 and provided details of the company’s history Wednesday. Mark Lamping, the president of the teams’ joint venture, New Meadowlands Stadium, informed Allianz on Friday morning that the discussions were over.

Allianz Drops Bid for Naming Rights....

Reliant Stadium damaged; won't host Monday game

By JOHN McCLAIN Houston Chronicle

The Houston Texans will not be playing their home opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night at Reliant Stadium.

The game was supposed to have been played at 7:30 p.m., but Hurricane Ike has caused damage to the stadium that has made it unsuitable for hosting the game.

"The facility will not be usable," said Shey Guinn, president of SMG, the company that manages Reliant Park.

"There's some structural damage to the roof. Part of it is off," Guinn said.

"There's also some other damage on the property caused by wind and water. We're in the process of assessing the damage," he said. "As far as the game being postponed again or played, that will be up to the NFL."

The game had originally been set for 3:15 p.m. Sunday, but because of Ike the NFL moved it to Monday night.

The Texans and Ravens will have no comment until they hear from the league. Conference calls among three are scheduled for later today.

Reliant Stadium damaged; won't host Monday game....

Giants and Jets fans join uproar over stadium naming rights bid by firm with Holocaust ties

BY OREN YANIV
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Football fans and Jewish groups are outraged over the prospect of a new Giants and Jets stadium being named for German insurer Allianz because of its Nazi ties in World War II.

The company insured the Auschwitz death camp and had a chief executive serving in Hitler's cabinet. The company is on the short list of those vying to slap their name on the Meadowlands stadium in New Jersey via a lucrative sponsorship deal.

The possibility of what some saw as a former Third Reich enabler getting its name on their ballpark has some Big Blue and Gang Green fans vowing boycott.

"I think it's terrible, but that's the mighty dollar," Giants fan Keith Hayes, 33, said of the name.

"It would be an insult," said Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "It's putting their name in lights for generations to come."

Debate over Allianz is also heating up the Net and is the talk of sports radio.

A season-ticket holder who posted under the name xxvnyg80 in a Giants Internet forum said he wrote team owner John Mara, begging him to sack the idea.

Allianz would reportedly pay $20 million to $30 million per year for the naming rights of the $1.3 billion stadium, which is to open in 2010.

During the Holocaust, the same company refused to pay off life insurance stipends to Jews and sent their policies' proceeds to the Nazis instead, Holocaust historians have written.

Allianz, which employs 11,000 people in the U.S. and sponsors golf and racing events, has acknowledged its shameful past and has shelled out millions in restitution.

Giants and Jets fans join uproar over stadium naming rights bid by firm with Holocaust ties....

UC brings in scaffolding as tree-sitting protest enters last act

Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

BERKELEY -- Tensions were mounting this morning between UC Berkeley and the four remaining tree-sitters outside Memorial Stadium as the university began building scaffolding around the redwood tree where the protesters are perched, apparently in preparation for removing them.

About 200 people, some supporting the protesters and others watching out of curiosity, gathered on Piedmont Avenue to watch as the nearly 2-year-old standoff between the tree-sitters and university appeared to be nearing an end. Campus police arrested at least one supporter of the tree-sitters, as other protesters screamed, banged drums, held signs and burned sage.

UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison and Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya were in a basket suspended from a crane about 80 feet above the ground around 10 a.m., trying one last time to talk the protesters into coming down. The tree-sitters were throwing objects at them.

UC brings in scaffolding as tree-sitting protest enters last act....

Arlington in bind on stadium bonds

By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News

ARLINGTON - The City Council expects to pay even more and give up some flexibility when it refinances a portion of the Dallas Cowboys stadium bonds.

The interest rate on its refinanced bonds could be nearly 6 percent, about 1 percentage point higher than projected six weeks ago.

The city also might not be able to arrange a second refinancing of the $164 million worth of bonds for at least a decade, even if rates go down.

The council decided in July to refinance the bonds to a fixed rate after the securities' interest rate spiked twice this year.

Marlin Mosby, Arlington's financial adviser for the stadium bonds, told the City Council on Tuesday that there are fewer bond buyers, and rates have changed just since the beginning of the summer.

"The dynamics of the market are changing constantly," he said.

Arlington in bind on stadium bonds....

LSU's Tiger Stadium damaged by Hurricane Gustav

By Glenn Guilbeau, Gannett News Service

They say, "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium."

Well, it never rained in Tiger Stadium like it did on Monday.

Hurricane Gustav, packing the biggest punch of wind and rain of any storm to hit the capital city since Hurricane Betsy in 1965, significantly damaged Tiger Stadium and threw the status of Saturday's LSU football game against Troy up in the air.

"No decision has been made on the game yet," LSU associate athletic director Herb Vincent said Tuesday. "The condition of the stadium is one issue. There may be electrical problems that we will not know until power is restored. Another issue is the city of Baton Rouge. It may not be ready for a game. Most of the city is without power. We don't know if many of our fans will be able to make it to the game."

The west side of the stadium was dealt the most serious blow as winds that topped at 80 mph blew seat awnings in the Stadium Club to an fro and broke glass throughout the facility.

"There is a lot of glass and debris on the field and in the stands," Vincent said.

The north scoreboard was also damaged as were fences surrounding the field.

LSU's Tiger Stadium damaged by Hurricane Gustav....

Residents sound off on proposed 49ers stadium

By Denis C. Theriault
Mercury News
Too much noise and traffic. Not enough parking. Worry about terrorist attacks?

Asked for their feedback on how a new 49ers stadium in their midst might affect their lives, dozens of neighbors from Santa Clara and beyond didn't hold back Tuesday, offering city planners a broad list of concerns ranging from the obvious to the unthinkable.

The meetings, coming as the city begins the state-required environmental assessment of the proposed $916 million project, are meant to help guide planners during an evaluation process that could take as long as a year. The report would be completed before a public vote next November on whether Santa Clara should spend as much as $136 million in redevelopment funds on the project.

And while that amount is what most often sparks debate when it comes to the stadium plan in City Hall, for one afternoon it was off-limits, at least publicly. Instead, worries about choked freeways, taxed utilities, booming cheers on otherwise quiet Sundays and air and light pollution took center stage for the 70 or so people, including team and city officials, who attended afternoon and evening sessions.

Residents sound off on proposed 49ers stadium....