duncan228
08-23-2009, 12:00 AM
This is from a Guide To San Antonio. There's a sidebar with some nice resources for anyone that's new to, or visiting, the area. I put the list at the end of the article, hit the link for those links.
Spurs rule sports scene (http://www.mysanantonio.com/guide_to_sa/54152677.html)
By Gaylon Krizak - Express-News
San Antonio's professional sports landscape is pretty easily described: There are the Spurs, and then there's everyone else.
Football: Scattered minor-league teams throughout the years; nothing considered even remotely major since the Canadian Football League's Texans paid the city a one-year visit in 1995.
Baseball: An admirable minor-league tradition, but S.A. remains the largest American city (and fourth-largest metropolitan area) without a Major League Baseball franchise.
Hockey: Strictly minor league, with a team owned and operated by the Spurs.
The closest the city comes to a second major-league team is the WNBA's Silver Stars, the league's runners-up in 2008 — and also a franchise owned and operated by the Spurs.
But the landscape, while understandably dominated by the four-time NBA champions, is starting to change ever so slightly.
Golf is leading the way. The Valero Texas Open — the third-oldest PGA Tour event, dating to 1922 — finally was able to move from a fall date to a more desirable spring spot in 2009. Zach Johnson, who won the event in September 2008, repeated as champ in May at the Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club.
Next year, the tournament is scheduled to relocate to the new AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, a 36-hole facility being built adjacent to the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa near the intersection of U.S. 281 and Loop 1604.
The 2010 Texas Open is scheduled for May 13-16, with preliminary events starting May 11.
On Oct. 23-25, the AT&T Championship — a 54-hole Champions Tour event — makes its annual stop at Oak Hills Country Club on Fredericksburg Road near Interstate 10 and Loop 410.
In the world of pro rodeo, the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo — an 18-day event that each February evicts the Spurs and Rampage (the city's American Hockey League franchise) from the AT&T Center — is among the biggies. For an unprecedented four consecutive years, it has been honored as the Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
The 2010 rodeo is set for Feb. 4-21.
The Alamodome, built downtown off Interstate 37 in 1993, was designed with pro football in mind but never landed an NFL tenant. This summer, however, the Dallas Cowboys are calling the facility their training-camp home. Marking the Cowboys' fourth summer visit, training camp wound up last week. Baseball in S.A. means the Texas League: San Antonio boasts the Double-A circuit's final charter franchise. Its 104 years have been played under many team names and affiliations at various parks; the current incarnation, the Missions, play April-September as a San Diego Padres affiliate at Wolff Stadium, located at U.S. 90 and Callaghan Road.
Also out there are pari-mutuel races at Retama Park at the intersection of I-35 and Loop 1604 (quarter horses in the spring, thoroughbreds in the fall), and drag racing at San Antonio Speedway near Marion east of San Antonio on Interstate 10.
And then there are the Spurs Sports & Entertainment franchises, all of which play at the AT&T Center just northeast of downtown between I-35 and I-10.
The Rampage play October-April in the NHL's top minor league as a farm club of the Phoenix Coyotes. The team never has advanced past the first round of the AHL playoffs in seven S.A. seasons.
The Silver Stars moved to S.A. from Utah in 2003 and have made consecutive deep runs in the WNBA playoffs after struggling their first four seasons in Texas. They play a June-September schedule.
The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off their shortest playoff run since 2000, exiting after a first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks. But their impact on the city remains indisputable, especially with NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 still relatively fresh.
The Spurs haven't missed the playoffs since 1997, and each spring sees the city decorated in silver and black, with "Go Spurs Go" paraphernalia everywhere to be seen. And while the team, led by an aging, increasingly fragile core, could face a transition phase soon, one thing remains clear:
In San Antonio, there are the Spurs, and then there's everyone else.
*********************
Guide to S.A. (http://www.mysanantonio.com/guide_to_sa/54152677.html)
* The Museum Reach adds 1.3 scenic miles to River Walk
* S.A. known for bouts of wet, dry weather
* Local media keep the city informed
* Where to turn for broadcast, print media
* VIA Metropolitan Transit bus service
* Just moved here?
* Voting in Texas
* Recycling services in San Antonio area and suburbs
* Database: Recycling locations
* San Antonio map
* Downtown parking
Real Estate
* Area's housing market holding its own
* Alamo City's real estate market has weathered the recession relatively well
* Retail, office space in ample supply
Economy
* Economists: Alamo City poised for steady rebound
* Fort Sam transformation under way
* Prognosis for city's hospitals robust
* Thorough exam of human health
* Retirees are drawn to climate, culture in Alamo City
* Mass transit holds key to city
* Airport breaks ridership record for fourth straight year
* Here's where to buy a little slice of S.A.
Government
* City, county are tasked with job creation, spending cuts
* Public officials (city, county and state)
* Area suburbs offer their own celebrations
Education
* Campuses work to adjust to area students' needs
* School districts
* Charter schools
* Magnet schools
* Universities given the chance to soar
Arts & Entertainment
* Arts for arts' sake: Performances aplenty
* Arts organizations
* Museums offer variety of exhibits
* Museums
* Galleries & current exhibits
* The kids are tops at some special spots
* A city for book readers, sellers, writers
* Alamo City music tastes are eclectic
* Yearly calendar
* Sites & attractions
* Around town, new places to eat defy recession
* Critics' Choice — Restaurant listings
Sports
* Spurs rule sports scene
* Plenty of options for all sports enthusiasts
* Recreation options to suit most anyone
* Strong showing for golf
* Area golf courses
* UTSA given OK to play football starting in 2011
* College sports in San Antonio
* Hunting, fishing, hiking and more within easy reach
* Outdoor activities in the area
Getting away
* Hill Country abounds with attractions
* Set sail for the coast
* Select attractions on the Texas coast
* Nuevo Progreso offers food, shopping that so far are free of narco-violence
Religion
* Religion flourishes in Alamo City
Spurs rule sports scene (http://www.mysanantonio.com/guide_to_sa/54152677.html)
By Gaylon Krizak - Express-News
San Antonio's professional sports landscape is pretty easily described: There are the Spurs, and then there's everyone else.
Football: Scattered minor-league teams throughout the years; nothing considered even remotely major since the Canadian Football League's Texans paid the city a one-year visit in 1995.
Baseball: An admirable minor-league tradition, but S.A. remains the largest American city (and fourth-largest metropolitan area) without a Major League Baseball franchise.
Hockey: Strictly minor league, with a team owned and operated by the Spurs.
The closest the city comes to a second major-league team is the WNBA's Silver Stars, the league's runners-up in 2008 — and also a franchise owned and operated by the Spurs.
But the landscape, while understandably dominated by the four-time NBA champions, is starting to change ever so slightly.
Golf is leading the way. The Valero Texas Open — the third-oldest PGA Tour event, dating to 1922 — finally was able to move from a fall date to a more desirable spring spot in 2009. Zach Johnson, who won the event in September 2008, repeated as champ in May at the Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club.
Next year, the tournament is scheduled to relocate to the new AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, a 36-hole facility being built adjacent to the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa near the intersection of U.S. 281 and Loop 1604.
The 2010 Texas Open is scheduled for May 13-16, with preliminary events starting May 11.
On Oct. 23-25, the AT&T Championship — a 54-hole Champions Tour event — makes its annual stop at Oak Hills Country Club on Fredericksburg Road near Interstate 10 and Loop 410.
In the world of pro rodeo, the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo — an 18-day event that each February evicts the Spurs and Rampage (the city's American Hockey League franchise) from the AT&T Center — is among the biggies. For an unprecedented four consecutive years, it has been honored as the Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
The 2010 rodeo is set for Feb. 4-21.
The Alamodome, built downtown off Interstate 37 in 1993, was designed with pro football in mind but never landed an NFL tenant. This summer, however, the Dallas Cowboys are calling the facility their training-camp home. Marking the Cowboys' fourth summer visit, training camp wound up last week. Baseball in S.A. means the Texas League: San Antonio boasts the Double-A circuit's final charter franchise. Its 104 years have been played under many team names and affiliations at various parks; the current incarnation, the Missions, play April-September as a San Diego Padres affiliate at Wolff Stadium, located at U.S. 90 and Callaghan Road.
Also out there are pari-mutuel races at Retama Park at the intersection of I-35 and Loop 1604 (quarter horses in the spring, thoroughbreds in the fall), and drag racing at San Antonio Speedway near Marion east of San Antonio on Interstate 10.
And then there are the Spurs Sports & Entertainment franchises, all of which play at the AT&T Center just northeast of downtown between I-35 and I-10.
The Rampage play October-April in the NHL's top minor league as a farm club of the Phoenix Coyotes. The team never has advanced past the first round of the AHL playoffs in seven S.A. seasons.
The Silver Stars moved to S.A. from Utah in 2003 and have made consecutive deep runs in the WNBA playoffs after struggling their first four seasons in Texas. They play a June-September schedule.
The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off their shortest playoff run since 2000, exiting after a first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks. But their impact on the city remains indisputable, especially with NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 still relatively fresh.
The Spurs haven't missed the playoffs since 1997, and each spring sees the city decorated in silver and black, with "Go Spurs Go" paraphernalia everywhere to be seen. And while the team, led by an aging, increasingly fragile core, could face a transition phase soon, one thing remains clear:
In San Antonio, there are the Spurs, and then there's everyone else.
*********************
Guide to S.A. (http://www.mysanantonio.com/guide_to_sa/54152677.html)
* The Museum Reach adds 1.3 scenic miles to River Walk
* S.A. known for bouts of wet, dry weather
* Local media keep the city informed
* Where to turn for broadcast, print media
* VIA Metropolitan Transit bus service
* Just moved here?
* Voting in Texas
* Recycling services in San Antonio area and suburbs
* Database: Recycling locations
* San Antonio map
* Downtown parking
Real Estate
* Area's housing market holding its own
* Alamo City's real estate market has weathered the recession relatively well
* Retail, office space in ample supply
Economy
* Economists: Alamo City poised for steady rebound
* Fort Sam transformation under way
* Prognosis for city's hospitals robust
* Thorough exam of human health
* Retirees are drawn to climate, culture in Alamo City
* Mass transit holds key to city
* Airport breaks ridership record for fourth straight year
* Here's where to buy a little slice of S.A.
Government
* City, county are tasked with job creation, spending cuts
* Public officials (city, county and state)
* Area suburbs offer their own celebrations
Education
* Campuses work to adjust to area students' needs
* School districts
* Charter schools
* Magnet schools
* Universities given the chance to soar
Arts & Entertainment
* Arts for arts' sake: Performances aplenty
* Arts organizations
* Museums offer variety of exhibits
* Museums
* Galleries & current exhibits
* The kids are tops at some special spots
* A city for book readers, sellers, writers
* Alamo City music tastes are eclectic
* Yearly calendar
* Sites & attractions
* Around town, new places to eat defy recession
* Critics' Choice — Restaurant listings
Sports
* Spurs rule sports scene
* Plenty of options for all sports enthusiasts
* Recreation options to suit most anyone
* Strong showing for golf
* Area golf courses
* UTSA given OK to play football starting in 2011
* College sports in San Antonio
* Hunting, fishing, hiking and more within easy reach
* Outdoor activities in the area
Getting away
* Hill Country abounds with attractions
* Set sail for the coast
* Select attractions on the Texas coast
* Nuevo Progreso offers food, shopping that so far are free of narco-violence
Religion
* Religion flourishes in Alamo City