. Eagles new stadium, as expected will become a gold mine for the franchise
The official name of the Eagles' new $510 million digs will be Lincoln Financial Field. A more appropriate moniker, though, might be Cha-Ching Stadium. That and this report from The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Domowitch
When the Birds waltz across Pattison Avenue to the Linc next year, they won't just get a fancy, new place to play their games. They will get a license to print money.

They will move out of a decrepit, city-owned tenement that enabled them to generate precious little in the way of revenue to a place that the Eagles hope to turn into one of the NFL's top five or six money-makers by this time next year.

"We have reason to believe that we should be able to sell as much marketing dollars [in the stadium] as anybody in the league," club president Joe Banner said.

"The reason we were willing to make the largest contribution [to the construction of a new stadium] that's out there is because we believe both in the market and the team and the brand, and in our abilities to be able to generate as much or more [stadium] revenue than anybody out there."

As a renter at Veterans Stadium, the Eagles are in the bottom third in the league in revenue. They have just 89 luxury suites, which earn them about $9 million per year. There are no club seats at the Vet or a revenue-producing name on the building. They get zip from stadium signage and parking, and just a 25 percent cut of concessions.

Things will be much different in the new joint. Talk about movin' on up. The new building will have 163 luxury suites, ranging in price from $125,000 to $250,000. Despite the downturn in the economy, the Eagles already have sold all but a few of those 163. Those suites figure to produce about $30 million per year in revenue.

The new stadium also will feature 8,000 club seats that will range in price from $1,700 to $3,500. They just started selling them a month ago, but Banner said sales are brisk. Even if they sell just 5,000 of them, they're looking at another $13 million to $15 million in annual revenue.

Then there's the 21-year, $139.6 million naming-rights deal with Lincoln Financial Group. Oh, and the 10-year "founding partners" sponsorship deals they've already done with Pepsi and Sovereign Bank and plan to do with eight more companies. The expected annual take from the LFG deal and the 10 founding partner deals: almost $30 million.

They figure to earn millions more per year from smaller stadium signage deals. They also will get all of the revenue from more than 10,000 stadium parking spots and 100 percent of the concession profits.

Banner said: "There are a couple of teams out there - the Redskins and the Cowboys, who unfortunately are both in our division - who have set an amazingly high bar in terms of revenue they're generating from their stadiums with very little debt. That and this report from The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Domowitch

"We went into this believing we could do this and that the market would support this. We've obviously got a ways to go to cross the finish line, but we're off to a start that supports our belief that the passion for the team, the companies in the city, the fan base, is going to step up and support the team in an aggressive way."

The Cowboys and Redskins are regularly ranked 1-2 in the league in revenue, with earnings in the $200 million neighborhood. Texas Stadium has a league-high 381 luxury suites. The Redskins' home, FedEx Field, has 234 suites and 15,735 club suites.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who bought the team in the late 1980s, was the NFL pioneer when it came to generating stadium revenue.

"Jerry paid what was a record price at the time for the team," said his son, Stephen Jones, who is the Cowboys' executive vice president and runs Texas Stadium for his father. "We had a lot of debt and had to come up with ways, find ways, to make our business investment a good investment.

"We were initially criticized for the revenue we were bringing to the table. Now, you're seeing everybody following our lead. Jeff Lurie paid a lot more for the Eagles than we did for the Cowboys. And other clubs have paid a lot more than Jeff. All of these owners are on the incentive plan because they've got such a large investment in their football teams."

Lurie paid a then-record $185 million for the Eagles 8 years ago. Borrowed almost every penny of it. Add to that the nearly $350 million he is borrowing for his cut of the construction costs of the new stadium, and he has plenty of incentive to squeeze as much revenue out of the new stadium as possible.

"If we are able to do what we set out to do, our ratio of new revenue vs. our new debt service will leave us feeling like [buying the team and building the new stadium] was a good investment," Banner said. "It wasn't a great investment. We're not going to be the most profitable team in the league. But it's a good investment."

Banner was singing a slightly different tune 2 years ago when the city and the state reluctantly agreed to chip in just $175 million of the construction costs for the new stadium and the infrastructure. "From a football perspective, it's really a lousy deal for the team," he said at the time.

From the standpoint of how little money the city and state gave the Eagles, it was. But by footing most of the bill, the club was able to keep the city's hand out of the stadium cookie jar and maximize its revenues. The Eagles will keep almost every penny they earn from the new stadium, with the exception of $1 million per year that is ticketed for the city's children's fund and $375,000 that will go a South Philadelphia community group. That and this report from The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Domowitch

"We went into the negotiations with the city very open-minded about the concept of revenue-sharing," Banner said. "The city said it wanted to minimize their contribution and maximize our upfront contribution. They were adamant about not taking on a lot of debt.

"We said we'll accept that premise. But you've got to know that we're going to keep our own revenues. That way, we'll be able to maximize what we can do and convince the bank to loan us the money.''

The city may regret that decision if the Eagles' new stadium makes as much money as Banner expects. Bad economy or not, companies are standing in line to associate themselves with the Eagles.

The naming rights deal with Lincoln Financial is one of the richest in the league. Banner expects eight more "founding partner" deals like the ones with Pepsi and Sovereign Bank to be completed in the next couple of months. Dozens of slightly smaller advertising deals also are either done or are close to being completed. Cha-ching!

The key to the Eagles' successful marketing of their new stadium is television. They produce their own preseason games. They produce shows for head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb. They produce "Total Access" on Channel 6. They're toying with the idea of an Eagles-related Saturday morning show for kids. All of this television inventory makes them very appealing to potential advertisers such as Lincoln Financial, Pepsi and Sovereign Bank.

"It's the foundation of almost every marketing deal we do," Banner said. "To at least have some representation in television advertising with the team is critical. I don't think we'd be able to drive the kind of interest we have in the marketing end without our significant television inventory. Maybe that's why we're generating larger deals than other teams.

"There are a lot of teams in the league that have zero television advertising. Probably the majority of teams. Some have some. I'm pretty sure we have the most."

Stadium revenue is what separates the haves from the have-nots in the NFL. The league's 32 teams split the money from network TV and ticket sales, but not the money from luxury suites, club seats and stadium signage. That's why many league owners are paying their marketing heads almost as much as they are their general managers and football operations directors these days. That and this report from The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Domowitch

"The goal of guys like Banner and [Eagles senior vice president-business operations] Len Komoroski and [vice president of corporate sales] Dave Rowan is to provide what I call 'investment to win,' " said David Cope, who runs his own sports marketing company and negotiated the stadium naming rights deals for both the Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens.

"Their job is to turn their inventory into revenue, with the idea being that they then pass it through to Andy Reid and the football people. Then they have a better ability to go out and get better players, which hopefully translates to more wins. Which then allows you to continue to increase your prices, whether its tickets or suites or club seats or sponsorships, or whatever. If it works, it's a nice cyclical-type equation."

The question with regard to stadium signage is how much is too much? Redskins owner Dan Snyder has turned FedEx Field into one giant advertisement. Almost every square inch of the stadium has an ad on it. The scoreboard looks like a NASCAR creation. All of those ads are making Snyder tons of money, but shouldn't there be a limit?

"The fans and the corporate sponsors will tell us when we've gone too far," said Cope, whose company's clients include the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears, who are having their stadium, Soldier Field, renovated. "The sponsors themselves are more cognizant and more aware of the number of advertisers/sponsors in the building than the fans are.

"Those two entities are who we answer to as corporate sales people. They will tell us when enough is enough. The fans will either stop acknowledging or recognizing sponsors, and the sponsors will stop paying, and teams will stop selling."

The Eagles insist they are going to show some restraint with regard to stadium signage, or at least a little more restraint than clubs like the Redskins and Cowboys. Don't look for Charmin signs on the restroom stall doors.

"People are selling everything, but we're not doing that," Banner said. "We believe we can have a better building to the eye and still meet the goals we need financially. The [number of] signs in the concourse of our stadium will be about a hundred. Houston just opened with 260. The lowest of any team besides us was 160. There are a bunch of teams around 200.

"We're selling people on the idea that by us having less signage, it's more valuable to you because it will be more noticed. I like to make the analogy of a deli I used to go to when I was a kid. The guy had like 30 specials on the wall. Well, you're not going to read about 30 specials. So I never even looked at them. Maybe if there had been four to six, I would've read them. By having less clutter in the stadium, the signs we do have will get more noticed."

Timing is everything, and the Eagles' has been outstanding. They are opening their new stadium at the height of the club's popularity. Back-to-back 11-win seasons. An NFC Championship Game appearance. A Super Bowl contender. If this were 4 years ago when the club finished 3-13, sponsors probably would be a little harder to find. That and this report from The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Domowitch

"I remember talking to someone from the Patriots last year about this time," Banner said. "They had just started marketing their new stadium and he didn't know what he was going to do. They had won just five games the year before. They were sitting 1-3 and their franchise quarterback was hurt. He was wondering how they would ever sell the new building. Then they end up winning the Super Bowl and having people lined up to buy advertising and suites and club seats."

The Eagles haven't won a Super Bowl yet, but their recent success has created a sense of long-term stability that has companies wanting to associate themselves with the team.

"We're the fourth-largest market in the country," Banner said. "We sell people on the fact that we think we have one of the best coaches in the league, who is just 43 years old, and one of the best quarterbacks in the league, who is just 25.

"In an era of free agency and salary caps in professional sports, it's very hard for a company to affiliate itself with a sports team and not be scared from year to year how they're going to do. For the foreseeable future, between Andy and Donovan, we're at least going to be a very good team. Companies don't have to worry about the popularity of the team or identifying themselves with something that's not successful." That and this report from The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Domowitch

-----------------------------
Halo Playoffs 2002--It's Rally (Monkey) Time"!
Show me a man who has never failed and I will show you a man who has never tried....

Saints try to sell stadium as a 'building tool'
The Saints' top executive Thursday urged a group formed to study the possibility of building a stadium to look at the project as a catalyst for economic growth. That and this report from The New Orleans Times Picayune's Josh Peter
But the 12-member subcommittee, part of Gov. Foster's NFL Stadium Advisory Committee, said before it can even consider the project it needs money. Subcommittee members approved a motion to ask Foster for $400,000, which they said is needed to pay consultants to examine issues such as site selection, design and financing for a new stadium in the New Orleans area.

"Until the governor or someone finds the funds, there's not a lot we can do," said Henry Shane, a Kenner businessman who's chairman of the subcommittee. "I don't have any direction. I know what my job is, but without any funding, I don't know how to get there."

SMG, which manages the Superdome, paid for a $150,000 report that outlined a $300 million plan to renovate the Dome and was presented to the advisory committee last month. But SMG said it will not pay for a similar report on the feasibility of a new stadium, according to Shane.

Where the money will come from to pay for the new stadium report wasn't the only uncertainty Thursday. Members of the subcommittee spent several minutes trying to determine what their official charge was, before Shane assured them it is to research the feasibility of a new stadium as if that were the only option.

Arnold Fielkow, the Saints' director of administration, said the group has plenty of time to get things in order. But he pushed the group to look at a new stadium as part of a broader project that could include hotels, residential development and other commercial property.

"I think it's important we look at this as a much bigger picture," Fielkow said. "The smart cities have used the playing facility to regenerate an area of the city. I think that is the way to go."

State Sen. Chris Ullo, D-Harvey, said he was concerned the Saints have eliminated the possibility of building a new stadium outside of Orleans Parish. But Fielkow said the Saints have ruled out nothing.

Dan Packer, chairman of the stadium advisory committee, said he wants the new stadium report by August. The 52-member committee has until June 2004 to make a recommendation on whether to renovate the Dome, build a new stadium or do nothing.

The state agreed to study the issue when it signed a deal earlier this year giving the Saints $186.5 million over the next 10 years. Money generated from a new or renovated stadium would be used to offset that subsidy.

Saying the Saints want to be a "willing partner," Fielkow said he would provide the group with new stadium research from the team and NFL office within two weeks. He estimated the cost of a new stadium -- including the cost of land acquisition, but not the cost of infrastructure -- would be between $400 million and $550 million. Infrastructure costs for other NFL stadiums have run from $6 million to $60 million.

While members said they were interested in seeing information gathered by the Saints and the NFL, Shane said, "We're not here just to rubber-stamp what has been done." That and this report from The New Orleans Times Picayune's Josh Peter

-----------------------------
Halo Playoffs 2002--It's Rally (Monkey) Time"!
Show me a man who has never failed and I will show you a man who has never tried....

The Boston Red Sox are moving forward with plans to put more than 300 seats on top of Fenway Park's legendary Green Monster, build nearly 250 more seats on the right-field roof, and add restrooms and a picnic area to the cramped concourse near right field. That and this report from The Boston Globe's Scott S. Greenberger
In an application submitted to the Boston Redevelopment Authority late yesterday, the team also asked for permission to make permanent improvements to Yawkey Way, which it began closing during home games at the end of last season to create more space for concession stands. Plans for the street include a video board and a replica of the Green Monster scoreboard.

Though the team has discussed many of the improvements contained in yesterday's filing, it is the first official step toward making them a reality. And they are evidence that the team's owners, who took over at the beginning of this year, are serious about making Fenway more comfortable for fans - and about wringing more revenue out of it.

Red Sox spokesman Kevin Shea said the renovations don't signal a decision to remain permanently at 90-year-old Fenway. Shea characterized the changes as minor, as compared to the major renovation - which might take the form of two new decks and 10,000 more seats - that the Red Sox would undertake if they remain in the ballpark in the long term.

''These are improvements to the ballpark for fans that we started in spring training,'' Shea said. ''This is just a continuation of those projects.''

Adding decks to Fenway might cost as much as $180 million, according to a source familiar with the work of an engineering firm hired to survey the ballpark. Shea could not say how much the renovations proposed yesterday would cost.

Meredith Baumann, a spokeswoman for the BRA, said it was too early to say whether the agency will sign off on the team's plans, which also have to be approved by the city's Inspectional Services Department and the Boston Landmarks Commission.

Former Red Sox chief John Harrington has said the team needed a new ballpark, with more seating and luxury boxes, to remain competitive. But the current owners, led by Florida financier John W. Henry, have said they'd prefer to save Fenway - with 34,000 seats, the smallest park in baseball - by expanding it.

The team has already added about 400 seats on the roof and along the foul lines. And for its September home games, it set up portable turnstiles on Yawkey Way and filled the street with its own concession stands. Some of the private vendors who have sold their wares around the ballpark for decades complained that the Yawkey Way plan was an attempt to put them out of business, but others accepted a deal under which the team allowed them to operate anywhere around Fenway, except inside the turnstiles.

Vendors upset about the Yawkey Way closure, which Red Sox officials last month called an experiment, are sure to oppose making it permanent, as will residents opposed to beer sales on the street. But Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who stepped in to save the vendors several years ago when the former owners tried to banish them altogether, has supported the Yawkey Way plan and it is unlikely that the BRA will stop it.

Fenway residents, who strongly opposed the former owners' plans to build a new ballpark next to the old one, have mostly accepted the addition of seats as a more palatable alternative.

''Traffic is our biggest headache,'' said Lisa Soli, a board member of the Fenway Community Development Corporation. ''We don't object to additional fans, as long as they don't drive, but making sure they won't will require transit improvements.'' That and this report from The Boston Globe's Scott S. Greenberger

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Halo Playoffs 2002--It's Rally (Monkey) Time"!
Show me a man who has never failed and I will show you a man who has never tried....

The soaring steel superstructure visible above Soldier Field's historic colonnades hardly tells the story of how much work is being completed in the $632 million stadium renovation. That and this report from The Chicago Tribune's Liam Ford

Workers are less than half finished with the giant construction project, which will fit a new 61,500-seat arena within the confines of the historic 1924 colonnades, but with the seating bowl inside its rising walls, the new stadium is recognizable as a football field.

Crews are working 20 hours a day, pouring concrete, fitting the glass skin of the east side of the arena to its metal skeleton and getting set to turn on the electricity for the new stadium, which is set to open next Sept. 28.

Two lawsuits challenging the tax-financed project's legality are still on appeal, with one challenging the $406 million in tax-backed bonds for the project pending before the Illinois Supreme Court.

But the private company formed by the Chicago Bears to build the stadium is racing to finish the glass walls on enough of the east part of the new arena's stands to allow crews to work through the winter.

"We're just about done with the restoration of the old building," said Alice Hoffman, the project manager for the two-year demolition and construction, and the parkland around the field is taking shape.

The project has cost about $280 million, including $21 million for renovations at Comiskey Park that were part of the legislative funding package. It costing about $1 million a day, with $25 million spent in September alone, project officials said. So far, the project has required about $13.5 million in change orders for unexpected work, including for restoration of the shell of the old stadium and about $10 million for the removal of asbestos. But that work can be paid for out of a $30 million contingency fund, so "we're still on budget," Hoffman said.

During excavation work for the field, a few artifacts of the old stadium and Chicago's past have been found, including medicine bottles and broken china from Chicago hotels, Hoffman said. Crews digging holes for the supports for a garage south of the field have uncovered part of one of the freight tunnels that ran from the Loop to the area near the field.

Though work is on schedule overall, crews installing the glass walls of the east side of the stadium--which will hold the stadium's skyboxes--are about a month ahead of schedule, Hoffman said.

Crews are working in two 10-hour shifts each day, with only small sections of the steel structure left to be placed, including supports for the two giant video screens at the north and south ends of the field, Hoffman said.

The primary contractors, including Hoffman's management company and the companies that make up the joint venture that's overseeing the project, were chosen before the project got under way. But about $340 million in work has been bid out, with about $120 million worth of contracts going to minority and women-owned businesses, according to the Target Group, a Chicago company that is handling minority contractor outreach on the project.

A Tribune investigation in May found that the Chicago project is one of the most expensive publicly financed football stadiums in the country, but backers point out its financing includes $200 million in private funds. That and this report from The Chicago Tribune's Liam Ford

-----------------------------
Halo Playoffs 2002--It's Rally (Monkey) Time"!
Show me a man who has never failed and I will show you a man who has never tried....

Bowing to the wishes of Ald. Bernard Hansen (44th), the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday withdrew their proposal to put advisory questions about the proposed expansion of Wrigley Field on the November ballot. That and this report from The Chicago Tribune

Hansen, who represents the area around the ballpark, had urged team officials to stop the referendum initiative, said Mark McGuire, Cubs executive vice president of operations.

The team agreed with the alderman that seeking to solve neighborhood problems on game days would be "the best use of our time and resources," McGuire said. The Cubs are seeking city approval to add 2,000 seats to Wrigley's bleachers section.

Meanwhile, representatives of the team were scheduled to meet on Wednesday with city officials in an attempt to reach an eleventh-hour accord on the city's proposal to confer landmark status on Wrigley.

"We are still talking and I think there is a chance that we will agree to something and be able to move on to other issues," McGuire said.

Those issues include the proposed bleachers expansion and a phased increase in the number of permitted night games. The Cubs are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune. That and this report from The Chicago Tribune

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Halo Playoffs 2002--It's Rally (Monkey) Time"!
Show me a man who has never failed and I will show you a man who has never tried....

The proposed $1.6 billion West Side Stadium could become home to not just the New York Jets, but to the Rangers and Knicks as well, it was revealed. That and this report from The New York Post
David Cornstein, chairman of the New York State Olympic Commission, told The Post that Gov. Pataki isn't sold on building a stadium solely for the Jets, and that the proposal is more ambitious.

"I know the governor feels strongly about this. You cannot build a stadium for 10 days a year," he said. He described a world-class "tri-sport arena" where football, basketball, hockey and concerts would reign supreme year round.

The revelation came a day after the city won the bid to be the U.S. candidate for hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.

It had previously been thought that after anchoring the Olympics, a new stadium would serve only as a home for the Jets and an extension of the Javits Convention Center.

"This stadium needs something beyond 10 football games a year. It needs a partner . . . one could be a new Madison Square Garden," Cornstein said.

Among the plans percolating around the stadium idea are: a $1.5 billion transit hub including the extension of the No. 7 train, a $1 billion expansion of Javits and a $229 million Olympic park.

The total tally is estimated at $6.5 billion.

"There's no question in my mind that we'll have the support from the private sector and from others to make sure that if we're chosen as the final designee . . . we'll do it well," Pataki said at a Brooklyn campaign stop.

A bulk of the funding of the project is to come from the sale of bonds, including a $1.5 billion transit bond backed by the promise of increased tax collections on future developments in the area. Cornstein said a goal was for the projects to be done with zero taxpayer dollars.

Still, many are not sold.

"I think the idea of West Side stadium is a bad idea," said Councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan). She said similar projects have turned out to be "municipal flops."

Mayor Bloomberg said the plans - including the stadium - were not subject to change and include improvements the city needs anyway.

"We didn't just have a p.r. thing [for the Olympics]. We actually put together a plan of how we would do it," he said.

James Sanders (D-Queens) chairman of the City Council's Economic Development Committee, said the needs of New Yorkers are important.

"The council will step up to the plate and ensure sustainable development," he said. That and this report from The New York Post

-----------------------------
Anaheim Angels 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS!!
Back in the Saddle again!
That was for the Cowboy!

Here is an interesting idea!


The Cowboys have never entertained the notion of selling the Texas Stadium name for a multimillion dollar naming-rights deal. So, in following a new trend of naming rights, the Cowboys are dividing Texas Stadium into four quadrants and putting each section up for sale. That and this report from The Fort Worth Star Telegram's Jeff Caplan
Called the Five Star Alliance, the new marketing venture is aimed at co-branding some of the country's most recognized companies with the Cowboys and allowing the Cowboys to reap extra revenue while keeping the name of their famous hole-in-the-roof home.

Ford was first on board at the start of the season. Last week, Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless communications provider, became the second company to join the venture.

"What you're seeing is the evolution of corporate sponsorships for sports teams," said Jerry Jones Jr., the Cowboys' chief marketing officer. "What we wanted to do for our corporate sponsorships was to tie in the avid fan loyalty that you have with the Dallas Cowboys . and have a way of transcending the passion for the Cowboys and Texas Stadium into our corporate partners."

The multiyear deals are customized for each sponsor. Each will receive exclusive signage within their own "quadrant" of Texas Stadium. Verizon Wireless will also be featured on select season tickets, parking passes, exterior banners and signs and be part of an extensive print, radio and television package. Marketing opportunities and promotions that will combine Verizon and the Cowboys is a major part of the agreement, and Verizon will also have a strong presence at the Cowboys' training camp in San Antonio.

"Aligning the nation's largest wireless communications company with an organization as well known and loved as the Dallas Cowboys is a natural fit for us," said Gary Riding, president of the Verizon Wireless Central Texas region.

Two quadrants remain available, but likely not for long. Jones said the Cowboys are in negotiations with more than two companies, including serious negotiations with one.

Jones said interest has been high from companies despite tough economic times.

"Actually, from our perspective, our sponsorship partnership revenue is the highest that it's been," Jones said. "I think that's a real strong statement for the marketing strength of the Cowboys." That and this report from The Fort Worth Star Telegram's Jeff Caplan

-----------------------------
Anaheim Angels 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS!!
Back in the Saddle again!
That was for the Cowboy!

New York's Olympic bid group, NYC2012, already had designed an Olympic stadium with three possible sites in mind - in Sunnyside, in Flushing Meadows or on the West Side - when "a very happy coincidence" happened for bid founder Daniel Doctoroff: The Jets, their lease to play at Giants Stadium expiring in 2008, made it known they were interested in moving back to the city. That and this report from New York Newsday's John Jeansonne

"We knew we needed an Olympic stadium," said Doctoroff, now the deputy mayor. "We were conscious of the fact that there was no way we'd build a stadium without after-Olympic use. The discussion of the Yankees coming to the West Side wasn't going anywhere; there would be too much neighborhood opposition to having 81 home games, mostly starting at 7 o'clock on weekday nights. That wasn't going to work. Plus, there was an emotional attachment with the Yankees to the Bronx."

The idea of a Jets stadium, needed mostly for Sunday games, only eight to 10 a year, was seen as feasible on the West Side. Especially when it could be tied into an expansion - badly needed, according to former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, current Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Doctoroff - of the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

NYC2012's team of architects envisioned an 86,000-seat stadium, with a retractable roof, that could be converted into a track and field stadium for the Olympics, then back into a football mode. Artists' renditions of that stadium were part of the original NYC2012 bid book submitted in December 2000.

"The original design was put together by 2012," Jets president Jay Cross said. "But when we got involved, we provided our first design about a year ago." The Jets' architectural vision, more dramatic and unique, was ready for the site visit by a USOC task force in July, "but we kept it under wraps" until Saturday night's presentation to the USOC board of directors, Cross said.

Because the stadium is envisioned as part of a Javits expansion, state and city money are being sought to help pay for it, with a large investment by the Jets. Cross wouldn't give a number, but it is expected to be in the $400-million range. NYC2012's budget provides only for the retrofitting of the stadium into a track venue and back to a football field.

According to Bloomberg, Doctoroff and Cross, Saturday's USOC vote naming New York as the U.S. candidate in the upcoming campaign for the 2012 games is expected to move the entire West Side stadium project to the front burner. "No question," Doctoroff said, "everything we want to do on the West Side is helped."

Objections to a stadium have been raised by some neighborhood groups in the ****'s Kitchen area. But Doctoroff argued that is "an extremely small minority of people who don't want anything to happen on the West Side. From 41st Street and 10th Avenue to 28th Street and 12th, there are 132 legal residents. My reading is: We'll get this done." That and this report from New York Newsday's John Jeansonne

-----------------------------
Anaheim Angels 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS!!
Back in the Saddle again!
That was for the Cowboy!

Man, "stadium extortion" is making me ill.
"Build us a new ballpark or we'll leave."
"We can't compete without more luxury suites - Boo hoo!"
"Our lease is so bad, we don't get any money from parking or concessions, so we need our OWN place!"
I am as tired of hearing about Team X that "MUST have a new stadium for increased revenue so we can compete with everybody else" as I am of lsitening to crybaby athletes who are "unappreciated because Team X only offered me $10 million a year when I can make $12 million on the open market."

B***S**T to all of 'em!!!

Glad to see you back! Missed ya around here...You've been in my prayers.

-----------------------------
Anaheim Angels 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS!!
Back in the Saddle again!
That was for the Cowboy!

BC, hang in there, man.

In the meantime, please understand that if you're looking for more major league sports, these conditions are the lay of the land.

Dreams of low-cost alternatives and changing the revenue system to accomodate Portland are definitely dreams. Portland has to learn to play the big league game to join the bigs.

Could the system use a jolt of reality? Heck, yes. However, as long as the demand is there, the costs aren't going down. Practically have to kill these sports to "save" them otherwise.

-----------------------------------

... is for good men to do nothing."

I think it was Abraham Lincoln that said that, and it is still true. Yeah, Paul, I agree that this the "lay of the land" right now - but if the folks in pro sports don't get a "dose of reality", as you said, they're going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg by driving away a majority of their fans. They've already started down that "slippery slope", and if they don't wake up and cease and desist with their bogus cries of poverty, "stadium extortion", and disdain for the fans, they'll find themselves out of business.

What gets my goat is that it doesn't have to be this way. Sometimes I (and most of you as well) feel like "prophets crying in the wilderness", don't we? "Kill the sport in order to save it?" Yeah, now you're getting into theological principles - "He who would save his life shall lose it, and he who would lose his life (for my sake and the gospel) shall save it." - Jesus, about 30 A.D.

The more money they make in pro sports, the more business-like it becomes, the more they forfeit the heart and soul (and true fans) of the game.
(something I'm also trained inand maybe you're right

Two recent articles suggest that the Cards ownership is leaning towards constructing the new ballpark in the city of St. Louis and not across the river in Illinois, using mostly private financing.

Belleville News-Democrat
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

I wonder how this news is greeted through the rest of the MLB ownership.

I would think it would be very good news to them Transic. St. Louis is steeped in MLB. They have a very loyal fanbase, and if all things are equal it always makes sense to keep them where they are at, no matter which team it is, or how far the move.

A man has to have goals- for a day, for a lifetime- that was mine, to have people say, "There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived." - Ted Williams

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2002/11/11/story8.html


Cardinals, city sign stadium deal one day before election

Heather Cole


With little fanfare, the Cardinals signed a deal Nov. 4 with the city of St. Louis for the construction of a stadium downtown.

The signing of two agreements for the deal took place a day before city voters passed a proposition requiring a vote on all public financing of over $1 million for stadiums. One agreement makes the Cardinals the redeveloper for the $333 million stadium development and a second requires the Cardinals to remain in the city.

The next steps include netting a proposed $45 million contribution from St. Louis County and a commitment for about $40 million in infrastructure from the state of Missouri, said Jeff Rainford, deputy mayor. The Cardinals also must put private financing in place. A preliminary announcement may be made by mid-December on the private financing, said Mark Lamping, Cardinals president. Stamford, Conn.-based Pitney Bowes, which manufactures, sells and rents business equipment, has shown interest in being an investor in the ballpark. Pitney Bowes is working with KPMG, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Property Funding Group to obtain financing.

The finalization of the agreements with the city before the proposition passed means the new law won't apply to the Cardinals deal, since it couldn't be made retroactive, Rainford said. "In essence, the ballpark is grandfathered in," Rainford said.

The law wouldn't apply in any case to the mainly privately financed ballpark, said Mark Lamping, president of the Cardinals. "The timing of this would be just one more reason why it wouldn't apply."

The city's Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) approved the agreements Nov. 1. The signing should be viewed as nothing more than the paperwork catching up with the actions of the Board of Aldermen and the LCRA, Lamping said. The board approved the redevelopment and the elimination of a 5 percent amusement tax in October. Under the agreements, the Cardinals would share with the city and St. Louis County a portion of the sale price of the team if it's sold within 30 years after the stadium is built. The team also would face a penalty if it moved after the stadium was built, with a maximum penalty of $145 million, an amount that would decrease each year.

The Cardinals also agreed to make available at least 486,000 tickets a season that cost no more than $12 a ticket in 2000 dollars; redevelop two blocks near the stadium for a $60 million "Ballpark Village"; donate a minimum of $100,000 for the construction of neighborhood ballparks; and donate 100,000 tickets to youth and charitable organizations in the city and St. Louis County.

The Cardinals own the land on which the stadium would sit. They would rent the facility from the private investors and be responsible for operating and maintaining the stadium.

The Cardinals are developing a construction plan and interviewing interested contractors, Lamping said. He declined to name prospective contractors.

Cardinals Ballpark News


11/15/2002 5:58 pm ET
Cards' stadium plan takes big step
By Jared Hoffman / MLB.com



ST. LOUIS -- Nothing is sure until they start breaking ground. But a new Cardinals stadium in downtown St. Louis looks likelier than ever. The team announced Friday it has assembled the group to acquire necessary funding for a privately financed ballpark that would open for the 2006 season.
"This is the most optimistic I've been through this entire process, without question," said team president Mark Lamping.

The new ballpark would hold approximately 45,000 people, and at times it has seemed that plans have gone through that many different iterations. A plan that relied heavily on public financing died in the state legislature in the spring, and the team even considered offers to move across the Mississippi River to Illinois. But with Friday's announcement, it seems highly unlikely the Cardinals will play anywhere but in the city of St. Louis for at least the next 30 years.

"From the very beginning, our focus was on downtown St. Louis," Lamping said. "Today's announcement brings us even a step closer to realizing our objective of staying in downtown St. Louis."


The announcement was made in a press conference in a parking lot at Busch Stadium, at the approximate location of home plate of the new stadium. Cardinals chairman William O. DeWitt Jr. described the new stadium as "a state-of-the-art, family friendly new ballpark worthy of the best fans in baseball."

The team hopes to have the financing deals completed in three to six months, with a possible groundbreaking in the summer of 2003. Should the stadium open for 2006, as planned, Lamping said the Cardinals are confident that they will host the 2008 All-Star game.

Under the deal, the team will pay $50 million up front toward the $325 million project, as well as contributing the land necessary to build the new facility, which will be located just south of Busch Stadium. A financing group headed up by Property Funding Group of Washington, D.C. will attempt to secure the remaining money from private investors.

Also involved in the financing team, along with Property Funding Group, are Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Securities, KPMG and the St. Louis organization Civic Progress.

DeWitt said the Cardinals will sign a 29-year lease and will pay rent on the stadium estimated at over $14 million a year. The club is required to make arrangements with a concessionaire for the stadium as well as secure at least 30 long-term deals on luxury suites. The team will be required to pay for operating, maintenance and capital improvement expenses on the stadium.

The long-discussed Ballpark Village, which was considered a critical element of any deal financed by local government, will still be built. The team itself will inhabit office space adjacent to that complex.

"These are sizeable commitments and our decision to proceed was not made lightly," DeWitt said. "After a tremendous amount of deliberation, we have concluded that this project is right for the Cardinals and for the community and fans."

Some help from local government is still needed to make sure the project happens, in the form of infrastructure improvements and the like. But Lamping declined to discuss the specifics of what might be needed from local government.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves," Lamping said. "Our focus right now is to try to finalize the private piece of it as it relates to anything that will follow. And what our hope is, as we go down the line, is that this project will be viewed the same way as other projects that have been put in front of public entities where a company wants to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the area.

"There will be absolutely no money under any scenario that will be coming from the state that will go into the construction of the ballpark, the operations of the ballpark, maintenance of the ballpark or capital improvements."

Rick Gross, president of Property Funding Group, emphasized that any public aid would be minimal in the context of the project as a whole.

"This is a substantially privately financed building," Gross said. "The amount of public money is relatively insignificant compared to the overall private funds that are being raised."

In response to another concern, the team emphasized personal seat licenses, or PSLs, will not be used in the way and to the degree that they have been in many other new stadiums, including the Edward Jones DOme, home of the NFL's St. Louis Rams.

"The question of permanent seat licenses has come up," DeWitt said. "And I can say that there will not be a traditional, across-the-board PSL program. We will require, however, a deposit or rights program for luxury and premium seating which will represent a limited number of seats which we will have in the new ballpark."

He characterized the number of such "premium" seats as approximately 10,000.

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2002/11/25/story1.html


Pitching the suite deal

Lamping sets marathon meeting pace as Cards face mid-December deadline

Business Journal Staff

Mark Lamping is making the rounds of corporate board rooms, sometimes squeezing in two meetings a day, selling luxury suites for a planned new ballpark for the St. Louis Cardinals.




Suite sales are a key piece of the financing of the $325 million project, but they potentially could be a hard sell, since the baseball team is asking corporate leaders to come up with at least $50,000 a season more for the suites at the new stadium than they currently pay for suites at Busch Stadium.



David Steward, chief executive of World Wide Technology Inc., however, is hardly batting an eye at the higher price. The company already has an $85,000 suite at Busch Stadium and also is a stadium advertiser.



"We're gathering information about the package," said Steward, who met with Lamping, Cardinals president, Nov. 20. "But when you talk about the number of games the Cardinals have, it's one of the best values in town. I'm excited about the new opportunity, and I'm inclined to fully support it with a commitment to a suite, even at $135,000" a season.



Still, Lamping said he is not taking the suite sales for granted. He has assembled a luxury suite task group that includes four other Cardinals executives: Dan Farrell, senior vice president of sales and marketing; Mark Murray, director of ticket sales; Joe Strome, director of group ticket sales; and Dennis Dolan, manager of deluxe suites.



Between now and mid-December, they have to come up with commitments to 10-year leases on 30 of the 60 suites as part of the financing for the project. For the Cardinals, that works out to obtaining a minimum commitment of more than $4 million a season.



The Cardinals owners are also pitching in, with Bill DeWitt Jr., chairman, and Fred Hanser, vice chairman, working on sales. "We're always on the lookout, and we would make a call anywhere and anytime," Hanser said. "I came up with a sale just the other day, so, yes, the owners are very active in this."



DeWitt said the team has already received commitments on several of the boxes, but the assistance of outside groups such as Civic Progress would be essential for meeting the Cardinals commitment to sell 30 of the boxes as part of the private financing arrangement. After public funding for the stadium failed last May, Civic Progress, the influential group of chief executives from 31 leading companies in St. Louis, hired an outside consultant to look at ways to keep the team downtown and approached the Cardinals with the intent to help the team find alternative funding.



"I've been working with Craig Schnuck (Civic Progress' chairman and chairman and chief executive of Schnuck Markets Inc.) and he's been soliciting the help of Civic Progress," Hanser said. "They've taken our sales brochures and distributed them to all their members."



Civic Progress has distributed information to its members on the Cardinals "Founding Partner Suite Program." That package outlines the pricing for "All-Star Suites," that cost either $135,000 or $140,000 for 16 seats, and "MVP Suites" priced at either $175,000 or $180,000 for 22 seats.



Schnuck also appeared at the Cardinals' Nov. 15 news conference announcing the signing of a deal with Property Funding Group, a Washington, D.C., firm that will find private investors for the ballpark.



"The Cardinals are vital to downtown and keeping the team downtown is a top priority. With this announcement, we're one step closer," Schnuck said at the news conference.


High-tech amenities

To develop a pricing structure for the new suites, the Cardinals considered several factors, including how they compared to suites at the Savvis Center and the Edward Jones Dome, Lamping said.



The Edward Jones Dome, home of the St. Louis Rams, has 114 suites, with annual leases that run from $65,000 to $130,000, according to the St. Louis Rams. Savvis Center, home of the St. Louis Blues, has 91 suites with prices ranging from $75,000 to $155,000 a season. But the Cardinals have more home dates, thus more opportunities to use the suites, than do the Rams or the Blues.



The Cardinals also looked at how the pricing on the suites planned for the new ballpark would compare to other ballparks nationwide. The Cardinals suites would be priced in the middle of other Major League Baseball teams, based on data from the Association of Luxury Seat Directors in Cincinnati.



Lamping said, "It's an apples-to-oranges comparison" between the current suites at Busch Stadium and the proposed new facility.



The current Busch Stadium suites include tickets for 12. The proposed Founding Partner Program gives the companies 16 to 22 seats, with an option to receive four or six extra tickets per game at no additional cost. The new suites also are twice the size of those now at Busch Stadium and will include high-tech amenities such as high-speed Internet connections and closed-circuit TVs.



The new suites would have capacity for at least 250 more people a game at ticket prices ranging from $98 to $108, than the current Busch Stadium's 69 suites, where the price per suite ticket is $87.50, according to Cardinals data.



"Luxury suites are not for every company. That's why we're only putting 60 in the ballpark," Lamping said.


A hit with customers


Maritz Inc. is among the companies that definitely plan to buy a suite, said Scott Bush, chief marketing officer.



"We think a new stadium is critical to our economy," Bush said. "We early on told the Cardinals that client entertainment at the stadium is highly valued at Maritz and is supported by our business model."



Like Maritz, Monsanto Co. already has a suite at Busch, and is likely to continue to do so at a new ballpark, said spokeswoman Lori Fisher.



"We hope to be able to continue that support because that's an important part of the St. Louis community and baseball's also a big hit with our customers," Fisher said.



Edward Jones also will renew suite ownership, as long as the new ballpark is downtown, said spokeswoman Regina Deluca-Imral.



Other companies told the St. Louis Business Journal that while they support the Cardinals, they were reluctant to commit to suite ownership right now. Those firms include A.G. Edwards, Ameren Corp., Emerson, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Laclede Group, Mallinckrodt, Nestlé Purina Pet Care Co., UniGroup Inc. and U.S. Bank.



"We just got the information and it's somewhat sketchy," said Joseph Hasten, vice chairman of U.S. Bank, which currently has a suite at Busch. "As a major employer and business in the city, we care that the Cardinals are staying and are glad they are. We want to be helpful and supportive, but we don't know enough to make a decision yet."



Commerce Bank doesn't have a luxury box at Busch Stadium, but is one of the oldest business customers for season tickets and has a "significant commitment" to Busch in terms of season ticket purchases, said Seth Leadbeater, chairman and chief executive of the bank in St. Louis. "In terms of new venues, we certainly would expect to continue at that level."



Clayco Construction Chairman Bob Clark said he has not been approached by the Cardinals about purchasing a corporate suite.



"I think it's a foregone conclusion that I'm buying one," said Clark, whose company will earn nearly $1 million as project manager for the new ballpark.


Business lobbying


Major business organizations have gone to bat for the Cardinals in other ways, including lobbying.



Barb Geisman, deputy mayor of development for the city, brought letters of support from Civic Progress, the Regional Chamber and Growth Association and the Regional Business Council to the Missouri Development Finance Board meeting Nov. 18. The board has approved up to $29.5 million in tax credits to help the Cardinals build a new stadium downtown.



May Department Stores Co. went a step further. R. Dean Wolfe, executive vice president of acquisitions and real estate, testified on behalf of the new stadium. Without the Cardinals downtown could deteriorate and might make it a less attractive place for a headquarters, Wolfe reportedly said. May has 2,700 employees at its headquarters building at Seventh and Olive streets. Wolfe was out of town and unavailable for comment.

... when I look at those prices ($135,000 for luxury suites? $98-108 for one ticket?) Well, good luck if you can get it - but I wouldn't be buying one of those!

Oh, that's right, they aren't building those suite or charging those prices for REAL fans. Good, that lets me out!

Official Cardinals website


11/27/2002 3:35 pm ET
Cardinals name construction company for new ballpark
Hunt Construction Group, Inc. to head building effort.


St. Louis, November 27, 2002 -- The St. Louis Cardinals announced today the selection of Hunt Construction Group, Inc., of Indianapolis, Ind., as the lead Design/Builder for the Cardinals' new Ballpark project.

With annual construction revenue of $1.8 billion, Hunt is an industry leader in the major league sports field. Eight out of the last 11 major league ballparks have been built or are currently being constructed by the firm, including these open-air ballparks similar to the new Cardinals Ballpark design: Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Comerica Park in Detroit, the Philadelphia Phillies Ballpark, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and Pacific Bell Ballpark in San Francisco.

According to Lynn Wall, Hunt's Executive Vice-President, the company has been working with St. Louis subcontractors for the past two years in planning and budgeting activities, and is committed to utilizing the St. Louis construction community to build this project.

"St. Louis is unique in that the local construction community has the tradesmen needed to complete this challenging project. Hunt looks forward to forging a strong relationship with the local building trades to assure the success of this project," stated Wall. "We have a strong record in making these types of projects inclusive to all members of the construction community, and will work with the MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) and WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) community to ensure their meaningful involvement in the project."

Jerry Feldhaus, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, said: "The St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Unions look forward to working with Hunt Construction to build the finest ballpark in America. We are proud of our record of building projects on time, in budget and to a quality standard that both the owners and fans will appreciate and enjoy. We especially appreciate the fact that Hunt Construction recognizes the skill of our tradesmen - skills that are up to the task of meeting the challenges this project will present. We welcome the challenge and welcome Hunt Construction to St. Louis."

"Hunt was selected from a field of four nationally recognized stadium builders," said John Loyd, Owner's Representative for the Cardinals. "It was a tough choice, but Hunt's depth of experience in ballpark construction, the individuals identified as Hunt's key staff assigned to our project, and their dedication to the challenge of building the best ballpark in America for the Cardinals led to our decision."

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/1205longsuit05.html


Stadium clears last key hurdle


State justices make way for construction


Pat Flannery
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 5, 2002 12:00 AM



The state Tourism and Sports Authority finally has the green light to sell bonds and start building the $355 million Arizona Cardinals football stadium after spending 15 months and $687,000 fighting a lawsuit by developer John F. Long.


The Arizona Supreme Court decided Wednesday not to review a lower court ruling that the stadium's public funding mechanism was constitutional. It ends Long's constitutional challenge, which wound its way through three courts, clouding stadium financing and blocking other preparations since being filed in September 2001.

"That's the news we've been waiting 15 months for," sports authority President Ted Ferris said.

Jim Miller, Long's property manager, said Long was "disappointed that the Supreme Court chose not to deliberate the weighty constitutional issues raised by our appeal." Miller declined to say how much Long spent litigating the case.

A host of pre-construction activities will now gear up, but it is uncertain if the stadium will open in time for the fall 2005 season, as planned. Ferris speculated construction will start early next year, with a 30-month completion schedule. Before it starts:


"¢ The Cardinals must buy the stadium land near the Loop 101 and Maryland Avenue.


"¢ Glendale must create a special district and finalize site plans.


"¢ Design decisions must be made to meld the stadium with the Phoenix Coyotes professional hockey arena under construction directly north of it.

There already are agreements on most of those issues, but Ferris said that "nobody wanted to commit any money" or move ahead until the legal threat disappeared.