City to eye a way to score soccer for the Alamodome

[Clandestino]

Travis E. Poling
Express-News Business Writer

San Antonio could take another step closer today to Mayor Ed Garza's quest for a Major League Soccer team, but the deal would come with a $6.44 million price tag and the sale of a piece of the city's identity.

The City Council is to consider a memorandum of understanding between the city and Major League Soccer that calls for the city to spend $2.74 million to complete 14 luxury suites in the Alamodome — bringing the total to 52 — put down a new turf cover and refurbish some offices.

An additional $3.7 million would go for a practice facility that would include two high-quality soccer fields, offices, locker rooms and physical training space.

It also would give team owners the ability to sell the naming rights to the Alamodome, a building that has avoided a corporate moniker for more than a decade.

City officials have had talks with three potential owner groups about bringing a relocated or expansion team here and even building a soccer stadium and mixed-use development adjacent to the Alamodome. The potential owners haven't been identified.

The memorandum of understanding was prepared by Alamodome Director Mike Abington. If approved by the council, it will serve as an outline for drawing up a contract to bring a professional soccer team here.

According to the memorandum:

The team would get the Alamodome rent-free for 20 games a year.

The team would keep all revenue from tickets, parking and concessions.

The team would get half of any revenues from events it co-sponsored with the city, such as an exhibition soccer match featuring teams from Mexico.

The city would receive 5 percent of any advertising signage sold by the team in the dome and 30 percent of the naming rights payments if a sponsor is lined up before the end of 2006. The city's cut would drop to 20 percent of the net revenue from naming rights if the sponsor isn't landed until after 2006.

"Alamodome" would be a part of any name.

The initial five-year lease would include four additional five-year extensions. The only penalty for breaking the lease would be for the team to pay a portion of the $426,000 the city spent sprucing up the dome offices.

Driving the effort to land another big league sport is the desire to get more events in the Alamodome and raise the profile of the city, including attracting soccer fans from northern Mexico.

Garza didn't return calls for comment on the memorandum.

District 4 Councilman Richard Perez said the agreement would generate some revenues and close the gap on expenses.

"The dome is there. We can't bulldoze it. We can't raze it," Perez said. "It's an asset that generates revenues, but it doesn't generate revenues every day."

He said the city's $6.44 million investment to upgrade the dome and build new facilities would be worth it in the long run.

Perez said he has high hopes for soccer in San Antonio and believes it could be a good family spectator sport and even lead to a partnership with a Mexican team.

Dan Courtemanche, MLS senior vice president, said the success of several major international soccer matches in the Alamodome over the past year drew the league's attention even though all existing MLS teams play in open-air stadiums specifically built for soccer.

"This would be an innovative agreement," Courtemanche said of playing indoors.

The average ticket price at the low end for Major League Soccer is $14, Courtemanche said.

Other soccer stadiums recently built or in the works are chasing naming rights dollars, including stadiums in Frisco, Texas; Denver and Chicago. What's more, the league would like to expand to 18 teams from 12 in the next 10 years.


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

[MannyIsGod]

I'm all for finding a use for that ugly ass dome. And I LOVE professional soccer. I'm just not convinced this isn't simply flushing more money down the toilet that has become the Alamodome. It's my understanding that MLS does not want to place a team in an indoor facility. If they can get around that, I think the location is definetly ripe for a team.

But, I'm also leary of spending government money on sports teams. As much as I love sports and would love to see an MLS team here, I'm too damn leary to support anything like this unless there is an almost abslute guarntee that the city will recoupe what it spends. I doubt any situation like that is going to come about.

[samikeyp]

I have heard that idea is to eventually build a soccer-only facility but then again, taxpayer money for a staduim...although a lot less costly than the SBC or the Dome.

[MannyIsGod]

I doubt an initiative to build a soccer stadium would ever pass in San Antonio.

[Clandestino]

i don't think so either.. but if we can get someone to take over the dome for a bit it'd be a nice thing.. right now, they should make it a parking garage since it is vacant for like 11 months out of the year... i wonder who would be interested in having the "fill in the blank" Alamodome!

[MannyIsGod]

Rolando's Puffy Tacos maybe

Rolando's Alamodome, home of the MLS Puffy Tacos.

[Clandestino]

Rolando's Puffy Tacos maybe

Rolando's Alamodome, home of the MLS Puffy Tacos.

All-Stars Alamodome! home of the MLS Pink Tacos!

[Useruser666]

Maybe they could build an arena inside the Alamo Dome?

[Clandestino]

Maybe they could build an arena inside the Alamo Dome?

maybe they rip the top off and just call it the alamo! problem solved.. stadium for a soccer team since they don't want a domed place! or we could spend a couple million and add on a retractable dome like at reliant.. that place is awesome!!!

[bigzak25]

The team would get the Alamodome rent-free for 20 games a year.

The team would keep all revenue from tickets, parking and concessions.

The team would get half of any revenues from events it co-sponsored with the city, such as an exhibition soccer match featuring teams from Mexico.

The city would receive 5 percent of any advertising signage sold by the team in the dome and 30 percent of the naming rights payments if a sponsor is lined up before the end of 2006. The city's cut would drop to 20 percent of the net revenue from naming rights if the sponsor isn't landed until after 2006.

so they get free rent, all revenue, half the revenue from co-sponsored events,
while the city gets 5% of any advertising signage, and 30% of the naming rights payments, possibly 20%.

i realize i don't know anything about this, but it sure sounds like the city is getting fucked on this deal, and i don't trust Garza and this council....however i do like the idea of putting some money into the dome and having a tenant....

[timvp]

Soccer? Why not just plant grass and charge people to watch it grow?

:sleep

[samikeyp]

For 2005 there are currently 41 events scheduled in the Dome over 41 days. This doesn't include the Alamo Bowl or any high school football games that will be scheduled. The months of June and July were completely empty. At the end of August will the Texas Football Classic and saturdays throughout Sept-Dec. high school football will be played. Most of these events are tractor pulls, home and garden shows, and HS graduations (which are free to get into). I know the Alamo Bowl brings in money but I can't imagine these other events generating huge revenues. I guess they make it up in consessions and parking. Still, a permanent tenant would be nice to help pay the costs of maintaining the facility.

[Clandestino]

41/365= occupied 11% of the time..

[SequSpur]

Fuck Soccer. We need a mayor that has the balls to pursue an NFL team.

Soccer is for queers.

[jcrod]

They're willing to spend 13 million for a soccer team, but not 40+ to update the dome and get a football team. Stupid!!

Soccer would do ok here, but football would be awesome, I don't think we'll ever get a team here.

[samikeyp]

41/365= occupied 11% of the time..

again, doesn't include the Alamo Bowl or HS football but even with every saturday from Aug. 27 (the Texas Football Classic) until Dec. 17 (assuming they play a state title game there) that is 17 more saturdays which would push the total to 58. You also can't use the full 365 days in a year because there are very few events in major venues scheduled in the middle of the work week (pro sports franchises being the exception and even those are mostly on weekends) So with HS football that would fill most of the weekends. The issue, at least for me, is are all these events enough to generate the revenue needed to maintain the facility? I know that it is paid for but the electricity bill alone for that thing has got to be huge.

[Jimcs50]

SEE my thread in Football Forum.

NFL, baby.

[spurster]

This is a losing proposition, unless the city is going to have to spend the money to update/maintain the Alamodome anyway. Then soccer is a somewhat better excuse than none. However, this proposed contract is way too one-sided. We don't seem to have anybody in city gov't that can negotiate their way out of a paper bag.

[samikeyp]

I saw that. I would be all for it. Only 8 home games (plus maybe 2 preseason) but definetly revenue producing! :)

[jcrod]

SEE my thread in Football Forum.

NFL, baby.


Nope, Red said it wasn't true.

[CosmicCowboy]

We don't seem to have anybody in city gov't that can negotiate their way out of a paper bag.

they nearly negotiated the Spurs out of town in 1998...If it hadn't been for a ballsy county government Spurs would be long gone from San Antonio...

[samikeyp]

^^^very true

[Duff McCartney]

I'll bring the road flares.

[TheWriter]

You people are not looking at the big picture here. All you guys are focusing on is: A. The contract. B. The money the city will make/lose. C. Getting an NFL team. D. How much soccer sucks.

The bigger picture is this.

Bringing in another pro sport to the city is a plus in the long run. This isn't the triple A league of soccer. The MLS gets publicity. And the more publicity the MLS gets, the more San Antonio gets. This gives San Antonio more credibly in the "sports realm" of Are they a sports town?

If the plan calls for a new Soccer only stadium to be built with a mix use development next to it... that's just awesome for downtown. It just makes it stronger.

How can you guys bitch about the contract and whether its one-sided. The city is losing tons of money anyway. So it's, lose money with an empty Dome. Or lose money with a pro-sports team that could help in the long run.

Soccer is the biggest sport in the world. The biggest sport in Mexico. Soccer is going to do very well here.

I think if we can get a owner with good money and who loves the NFL. Then maybe if the city (fans) shows tons of support for the MLS team that could then result in an NFL team finally becoming a tenant at the Alamodome.

I believe if a new soccer stadium is built the plan is to build it next to the Alamodome on one of the three parking lots. I say build on all of the parking lots with a stadium and then a mix-use development and build a 15-20 story parking structure.

[MannyIsGod]

If the plan calls for a new Soccer only stadium to be built with a mix use development next to it... that's just awesome for downtown. It just makes it stronger.

Thanks Henry Cisneros, but you sold that to the city once already. It was called the Alamodome and we're still waiting for the NFL team to come.

Call me a skeptic, or just someone who remembers the past, but there are better things the city can spend money on instead of gambling on what a professional sports leauge may or may not do. I don't want shit done unless it's pretty much guaranteed

[ChumpDumper]

even though all existing MLS teams play in open-air stadiums specifically built for soccer. The designers of RFK Stadium and Soldier Field had a great deal of foresight to plan for a professional soccer league.
Travis E. Poling
Express-News Business WriterIndeed.

[TheWriter]

Thanks Henry Cisneros, but you sold that to the city once already. It was called the Alamodome and we're still waiting for the NFL team to come.

Call me a skeptic, or just someone who remembers the past, but there are better things the city can spend money on instead of gambling on what a professional sports leauge may or may not do. I don't want shit done unless it's pretty much guaranteed

This is completely different from the Alamodome. The Dome was built to lure an NFL team.

The MLS wants to put a team here. And they most likely are.

The Stadium, if built, will be built in a few years with the MLS already having a team here.

You'd think that with all the intelligence you claim to possess you'd be able to make out the noticeable difference between the two situations.

One being a dome to lure a pro team, the other being a stadium to house your pro team.

[TheWriter]

The designers of RFK Stadium and Soldier Field had a great deal of foresight to plan for a professional soccer league.

Didn't both stadiums have major renovations?

[TheWriter]

Horrible idea. I realize the turtle loves soccer, but when was the last time a city recieved any publicity what so ever for a soccer game in the U.S. The thought of 1-0 scores makes me want to watch pee-wee soccer instead. Atleast then I can chuckle at kids falling and parents making asinine remarks. This is a bad deal for the city.

Any sports team for a city is a good deal.

When the ABA came to SA back in the 70's, Red McCombs got so much crap trying to get investors to buy into the ABA working in SA.

He told them matter of fact. He said they would lose money. He told them all the negative things that would occur. He told them the positives. Luckily he was able to get enough investors to bring the Spurs to SA.

Basketball wasn't as big as baseball nor football. The ABA was even less noticed.

But Red McCombs, in his own words, knew the power of sports and its affect on a city.

And he was so right. The Spurs have done so much for this city in terms of its growth.

I think the MLS is a good thing.

[samikeyp]

You people are not looking at the big picture here. All you guys are focusing on is: A. The contract. B. The money the city will make/lose. C. Getting an NFL team. D. How much soccer sucks.

You are lying.

Not once did I mention any of those things. All I posted was the dates that were occupied and wondered if those were enough to cover the cost of the upkeep of the Dome. Please try to post accurately.

[TheWriter]

You are lying.

Not once did I mention any of those things. All I posted was the dates that were occupied and wondered if those were enough to cover the cost of the upkeep of the Dome. Please try to post accurately.

I was being general not specific.

[ChumpDumper]

Didn't both stadiums have major renovations?Yeah, but you can't say they -- or Rice-Eccles or Spartan Stadium or Invesco Field or Gillette Stadium -- are designed specifically for soccer.

By next season, the league will have 4 stadiums designed specifically for soccer, home for 5 out of 12 teams (2 in LA, Columbus, Dallas, Chicago).

[TheWriter]

Yeah, but you can't say they -- or Rice-Eccles or Spartan Stadium or Invesco Field or Gillette Stadium -- are designed specifically for soccer.

By next season, the league will have 4 stadiums designed specifically for soccer, home for 5 out of 12 teams (2 in LA, Columbus, Dallas, Chicago).

True. But look who wrote the article. He probably knows zero about the MLS and read something somewhere and went with it.

Not directed at you Chump:

However, that is not to deny the fact that the Alamodome would only be temporary. And that a soccer stadium will need to be built.

[ChumpDumper]

But look who wrote the article.Note the bold type a couple of posts back.[Ed: Oh, direction noted, nevermind]
However, that is not to deny the fact that the Alamodome would only be temporary. And that a soccer stadium will need to be built.That perhaps would be ideal for the MLS, but they'd probably settle for a half-full Alamodome with a naming sponsor.

[samikeyp]

Writer, You referred to all posters in this thread...I posted in this thread.

[TheWriter]

Note the bold type a couple of posts back.That perhaps would be ideal for the MLS, but they'd probably settle for a half-full Alamodome with a naming sponsor.

It doesn't work like that.

That's why the Spurs left the dome.

You can't have a 20,000 per event sport playing ina 60,000-70,000 seat stadium. You'll get end of losing all your money.

That is why the Spurs moved. Why the Hawks left the Georgiadome.

The Spurs had no problem filling the half of the Dome they had. But they couldn't continue there. Neither can the MLS. Which is why a new stadium needs and most likely will be built.

[samikeyp]

They did fill it on occasion when they opened it up that was usually only for playoff games.

[TheWriter]

Writer, You referred to all posters in this thread...I posted in this thread.



You people are not looking at the big picture here. All you guys are focusing on is

Nowhere did I say: Everyone of you in this thread is not looking...

What I said was more general than specific to one person in this thread or to all of you.

I said it the way I did because it would take to long to name every individual poster who was "not looking at the big picture."

I think people who read this thread would be able to understand who those posters are.

But if your that insecure about it, so be it.

[samikeyp]

All you guys are focusing on is

its not a matter of being insecure, its a matter of pointing out an error you made involving me. You could have said "those of you who are focusing on..." you chose a line of wording that indicated everyone here. You say you didn't mean it like that and that's cool but just because I disagree doesn't make me insecure.

[ChumpDumper]

It doesn't work like that.

That's why the Spurs left the dome.

You can't have a 20,000 per event sport playing ina 60,000-70,000 seat stadium. You'll get end of losing all your money.Depends on the rent and overhead.
That is why the Spurs moved. Why the Hawks left the Georgiadome.Bad examples -- basketball teams suck in domes because of shitty sight lines and truncated luxury suite availability. Fewer such problems with soccer. Why are there no plans for the other teams to build new stadiums?

There's only one team that's making a profit in the MLS anyway, so three teams in soccer-specific stadiums are losing it. Again alot depends on the overhead, and this
The team would get the Alamodome rent-free for 20 games a year.

The team would keep all revenue from tickets, parking and concessions.

The team would get half of any revenues from events it co-sponsored with the city, such as an exhibition soccer match featuring teams from Mexico.looks like pretty low overhead.

[Hook Dem]

Soccer? Why not just plant grass and charge people to watch it grow?

:sleep
I agree with you LJ

[samikeyp]

The domes are also more expensive to maintain....you can get 50,000 to a playoff game but its when you get barely 17,000 for a January game on a tuesday against the Clips that hurt.

[TheWriter]

its not a matter of being insecure, its a matter of pointing out an error you made involving me. You could have said "those of you who are focusing on..." you chose a line of wording that indicated everyone here. If you didn't mean it that way, ok, but no need to get personal.

General.

Just get over it.

Look up the term "general."

Jesus... insecure.

[TheWriter]

I agree with you LJ

Weird... seeing how it's the biggest sport in the world. You know, the places outside the United States.

I don't like soccer but to act like it's that fucking sort where guys throw some ball down a lane and two other dudes sweep the front is just lame.

[samikeyp]

I've been over it. Like I said, just because I disagree, doesn't make me insecure.

[TheWriter]

The domes are also more expensive to maintain....you can get 50,000 to a playoff game but its when you get barely 17,000 for a January game on a tuesday against the Clips that hurt.

Um... no NBA team is getting 50,000 in any dome. Unless it's Jordan's last game against your team,

[samikeyp]

It was an example. The Spurs did get over 60,000 a few times.

[TheWriter]

I've been over it. Like I said, just because I disagree, doesn't make me insecure.

What I said was general. Not specific. Yes I used All but in a general sense.

You're insecure if you can't understand that.

[TheWriter]

It was an example. The Spurs did get over 60,000 a few times.

Huh?

WTF did they get 60,000? They would have had to oepn the whole dome up to sell out the 60,000 seat Alamodome.

Please tell me when they opened up the Dome for the Spurs...

[samikeyp]

The first post said "all you guys" then you explained your position. Just because you assume I am insecure, doesn't make it so.

[samikeyp]

First regular season game the dome opened 1993 against Golden State. They gave away all kinds of tickets in order to set a record.

[TheWriter]

The first post said "all you guys" then you explained your position. Just because you assume I am insecure, doesn't make it so.



I am telling you it is general. And you still can’t stop crying. If it were specif. I would of went about it a whole other way.

I had to make it general because I couldn't/didn't want to write:

To the three or four posters who don';t get the big picture

Cland, Manny, BigZak, you guys don't get the big picture.

I could have done that. Maybe then you wouldn't be so bummed out and insecure.

This is it. End of fucking subject for me.

It was general. If you can't stop crying about it. Pick up the phone and dial someone who cares.

[TheWriter]

First regular season game the dome opened 1993 against Golden State. They gave away all kinds of tickets in order to set a record.

The first game in the Dome.You mean when the big hose went off and delayed the game like an hour?

Dude, the curtain was there. The Dome was not open.

You're a funny guy.

What's even funnier is that you say:


The Spurs did get over 60,000 a few times.

But you provide only one fictional time when the Dome was opened up completely and 60,000 people filled the seats.

[samikeyp]

no actually, the cannon went off in 1994 not 1993. I was at the game in 1993. I may be wrong about a few times, and if so I apologize. But the cannon did not go off the first year of the dome it was actually the second but also against GS.

[samikeyp]

HEB did a bunch of promotions giving away tickets, that is how we won ours. The idea was to beat the record that the Pistons set while in the SilverDome.

[samikeyp]

nope....that is a common thought but it was the second.

[samikeyp]

I checked the box score on that date and I was wrong. It was not over 60, it was 36 and change....I take back the 60,000. My point on the "50,000" earlier was that while you can get big crowds for big games like when MJ was in town or the playoffs, its the middle of the week games against crappy teams that kill you in a dome...along with the shitty sight lines and such. I apologize for the error. I was there though and had really bad seats and watched my sister almost get into a fight with drunk people. Entertaining game. :)

[TheWriter]

The Dome was never opened up fully.

Sorry.

[samikeyp]

here is a link to a story mentioning the water cannon story. It is a collection of NBA odd stories...the numbers before each group of stories is the season it occured.

link (http://www.dfw.net/~patricia/nba-daily-humor)

94-95
7/2 Michael Jordan in response to the current rumors that he will return
to basketball next year: "I just don't like to say never; I don't like to
close doors - but if you want me to say it: OK - never. I will never play
basketball again, except recreationally."

9/31 There was some hangup about the contract - there usually was
when it came to Kevin Willis - and Atlanta president Stan Kasten
figured he had taken care of his end.
"Have you talked to Keith or Robert?" Kasten asked Willis.
Those two men, Kasten believed, represented Willis. They also
were Willis' brothers. He had spoken to them many times, all by
phone.
"You mean Robert Keith?" Willis said.
"Robert. Keith. Either one," Kasten said.
"There's only one," Willis said.
Kasten was stupefied. Only then, some two years into Willis'
contract and after umpteen conversations with what he thought were
two different people, did Kasten finally learn that Robert and
Keith were the same person.
Willis now has a different agent. Although Kasten still has
occasional contractual troubles with Willis, it is nothing compared
with the days of Robert Keith. Or was it Keith Robert. Kasten
still isn't sure.

11/8 Sean Rooks on his trade to Minnesota for a 1st round draft pick:
"Last Year, I was a trade rumor all year. It seemed like they
practically wanted to give me away for doggy biscuits. So this
is kind of nice."

Dick Motta prior to last Saturday's pre-season game where he planned (and
did) to play all 18 players: "It'll be a Chinese fire drill. It'll be
horrible."

"I thought in overtime you got another foul." Coach John Lucas (Phi) on
trying to send Shawn Bradley, who had fouled out in the 4th quarter, into
an overtime game against New York.

Former Clipper coach and current Seattle assistant coach Bob Weiss: "I
never got a California driver's license. If I ever got stopped, I was
going to tell the cop, 'I'm the Clippers coach. I'm not going to be
here that long."

Danny Schayes (Pho) when asked if he was pumped to play the LA Lakers,
one of his four former NBA teams: "If I worried about all the teams I
used to play for, I wouldn't get any sleep." 15 of Phoenix's games
this season involves Schayes' old teams.

Dallas coach Dick Motta on his first year as an NBA coach with the
Chicago Bulls (68-69): "We were for sale. We didn't know if we were
going to be the Toronto Bulls or the LA Bulls. They offered to sell the
ballclub to me and the team. They bought it for $1.2 million. They
offered to sell it to us for $600,000. They would carry the loan, no
interest. But I wouldn't have touched it with a 10-foot pole."
On the announced crowd of 891 at Chicago Stadium on November 7, 1968:
"We padded that. That night, we actually had about 60 people there.
After that, Walter Kennedy's (NBA commissioner) instructions to us were,
'There are always at least 1,000 people at every game.'"

Shaquille O'Neal (Orl) on Dennis Rodman (SA), who said that O'Neal does
not rebounds as well as he should for his size: "Me responding to Rodman
is like talking to a Bugs Bunny doll. I don't like to talk to Looney
Tunes."

Charles Barkley after Phoenix won 108-107 in Philadelphia Friday night
after taking advantage of some lucky breaks: "Okay everybody, we're
going to Atlantic City. I'm giving everybody $10,000."

And a non-NBA funny: The Ottawa Rough Riders drafted a dead defensive
lineman in the Canadian Football League dispersal draft. The headline in
the local paper read: "Rough Riders Draft a Real Stiff".

Scott Williams (then Chi) took the prize with weirdest injuries
last season with a bowling injury, injury due to lifting a TV,
and injury while stretching. Charles Barkley (Pho) is this
year's winner. Barkley burned the first layer of his corneas
when he rubbed his eyes because of the bright stage lights at
an Eric Clapton concert. A chemical reaction occurred due to
the body lotion Barkley had been using. The eyes are just
irritated - no permanent damage. He will miss Phoenix's first
game due to his eyes and his strained stomach muscle. He is
listed as game-to-game.

The rain man came to San Antonio, but not in the form of Shawn
Kemp. An indoor fireworks display during the player introductions
set off the Alamodome sprinkler system, including a large water
cannon. Fans, players, and coaches were drenched by the indoor
shower that lasted for about 4 minutes and distributed 12,000
gallons of water. The game was not a washout, but was delayed for
50 minutes.

A Nike ad showing in Japan has an American going up to some Japanese boys
who were shooting around and teaches them how to trash talk. CNN
correspondent Bill Dorman: "Roughly translated, (it means), "Your mother's
belly button sticks out."

Some of the better 3-point shooters have been complaining about the
shortened 3-point line. I've heard comments from Danny Ainge and
Reggie Miller. Now add Dale Ellis (Den): "Next thing you know,
they'll move the free-throw line in a couple feet and give you four
shots to make two."

Dallas coach Dick Motta has picked up a couple of technicals for his
reactions to the inconsistent foul calling in pre-season. When asked
what he said to get a T in Wednesday night's game, Motta said, "Nothing.
I only say the proper things, and that bothers them (the refs)."
On Thursday night, he picked up another T for encouraging the fans who
were booing all the calls (whether the foul was against Dallas or
Indiana). Motta, who has been out of the league for 3 years: "He
(ref Billy Oakes) came up and said, 'You know, technicals aren't $25
anymore'."

11/20 Dick Motta on 7'6" Shawn Bradley: "He's tall, really tall."
Anything else? "He's tall, really tall. Good athlete. He's tall."

Rolando Blackman on the Greek he needs to learn for his stay with Aek team
of the Greek Basketball League: "The first phrase I want to learn is 'Give
me the ball.' The second is 'Get out of the way.' The rest will take
care of itself."

12/25 Motta: "We were at Golden State in 1980, my first year here. They
had a halftime act with a huge Bengal tiger and a monkey. The monkey
would shoot basketballs and the tiger would go retrieve them. I watched
the act for awhile and then I asked the trainer if she would do me a favor
and let me borrow her tiger. I said, 'Is it a nice tiger?' and she said
it was. I said, 'Will it bite me?' and she said no. I had her knock on
the door when her act was over. We were still in the dressing room at
halftime. She knocked on the door, and I reached out and got that tiger
by its leash and collar and walked it in. The players all scattered. I
said, 'If you guys don't start rebounding, I'm going to let this tiger
eat.' At the time, the players didn't think it was funny. They didn't
laugh. But it _was_ funny. It was great."

1/18 Dick Motta, before the game, on how the Mavs were going to contain
O'Neal: "I don't know." (He then expanded on it a little bit, but the
first part and pause was funny.)

Reebok sent the wrong shoes to Scott Brooks. Brooks: "I tried them on and
said, 'Wait a minute. Either I've grown and I'm 6 foot 3 or these are
women's shoes.' I don't know. Maybe they think I play like a girl."

[TheWriter]

no actually, the cannon went off in 1994 not 1993. I was at the game in 1993. I may be wrong about a few times, and if so I apologize. But the cannon did not go off the first year of the dome it was actually the second but also against GS.

So your apologizing for what?

Talking out your ass?

Making things up?

Lying?

How can you boldly and surely claim that something happened when it never did.

How can you go from saying a "few" times to saying once to saying never.

Weird.

[TheWriter]

It's the only thing you got even remotely correct. Take solace in knowing that.

[samikeyp]

apologizing for saying that the dome was fully opened that night or ever. I thought it had been and I was mistaken. I should have checked my facts before I posted.

[samikeyp]

plenty of things I have posted are right....just not in this thread...I got the attendance thing wrong.

[TheWriter]

apologizing for saying that the dome was fully opened that night or ever. I thought it had been and I was mistaken. I should have checked my facts before I posted.

You shouldn't run your mouth unless your pretty certain of the crap you spew.

To say that they removed the curtain once but being wrong is borderline acceptable.

To say it was opened up a few times and then to say it was opened up during the first game in the Dome and you know because you were there is just plain... sad.

[samikeyp]

You shouldn't run your mouth unless your pretty certain of the crap you spew.

says who? doesn't stop others on this board.

acceptable to whom?

[TheWriter]

plenty of things I have posted are right....just not in this thread...I got the attendance thing wrong.

Wow... you are one very literal man.

You read things and take them as being literal.

Jesus.

You got morethan just the attendance thing wrong.

[samikeyp]

I made a mistake. at least I owned up to it...that is a lot more than a lot do here.

[TheWriter]

says who? doesn't stop others on this board.

acceptable to whom?

Says who?

I guess I do. Or did you not see my handle left of the post.

[TheWriter]

I made a mistake. at least I owned up to it...that is a lot more than a lot do here.

It wasn't a mistake.

It was a bold face lie that you were caught on.

[samikeyp]

and who are you to tell me what to do?

[TheWriter]

and who are you to tell me what to do?

I'm TheWriter. And I can tell you anything I want. :blah

[samikeyp]

just like when you lied about the "all you guys" thing

[samikeyp]

I'm TheWriter. And I can tell you anything I want.

then I suggest you meet me offline and say it to my face

[TheWriter]

just like when you lied about the "all you guys" thing

I lied about that?

Nope. It was general. If you weren't 13 and did not spend 19 hours of your 24 hour day on the internet. You'd know what it is when a person uses a generalization in word form.

Maybe when you're done talking out your ass you can pick up a book.

Man... I swore I was done with this subject. Damn you!

[TheWriter]

then I suggest you meet me offline and say it to my face

How about the playground at recess.

Sounds good!

:lol

[samikeyp]

more lies.

like when you said you were done with this. :)

[TheWriter]

more lies.

like when you said you were done with this. :)

So you have no idea what a "lie" is either. Damnit!

"Being general and lying for dummies."

Go buy a copy.

How old are you really.

You're either under the age of 15 or over the age of 70.

[samikeyp]

so when you say something...then clarify it, its ok....but when I do it...I am lying?

[TheWriter]

so when you say something...then clarify it, its ok....but when I do it...I am lying?

How do you clarify something like making statements that you scream are truth and fact because you have first hand knowledge but then it ends of being completely false even though another party was calling on your BS.

You can't clarify something when your just talking out your ass.

You can correct and clarify a mistake though. That's why man put an eraser on the end of pencils.

[samikeyp]

I never screamed the truth, I just made a mistake.

You are going to say what you want about me and that is fine. We disagree but it doesn't really matter. That is what makes message boards fun.

Have a nice night.

[TheWriter]

You screamed. Like a Korean hooker.

[samikeyp]

no I didn't. Besides...I only buy American! :)

[Drachen]

Rolando's Puffy Tacos maybe

Rolando's Alamodome, home of the MLS Puffy Tacos.

Catch phrase:

"You can try to crunch them, but you cant!"

[Drachen]

It was an example. The Spurs did get over 60,000 a few times.

This is not true. The most they ever got was around 40k this was because of the curtain. The dome only holds 65k and to get 60k they would have had to open up the whole dome during a game, this never happend, not even in the '99 finals.

[ChumpDumper]

One way a soccer stadium could happen here is if a school district got involved and used it for high school football and concerts too, etc. Don't expect the city to be crazy about it.

[TheWriter]

This is not true. The most they ever got was around 40k this was because of the curtain. The dome only holds 65k and to get 60k they would have had to open up the whole dome during a game, this never happend, not even in the '99 finals.

He admitted he was talking out his ass. He said something and decided to run with it.

[TheWriter]

One way a soccer stadium could happen here is if a school district got involved and used it for high school football and concerts too, etc. Don't expect the city to be crazy about it.

The city doesn't have to be crazy about it for it to be built.

[AFE7FATMAN]

While you people continue to try to one-up each other and quibble over what may very well be honest mistakes Please, my understanding is this is a done deal. Shity Council only has to approve the memo of understanding for it to happen and contracts will be signed. The public will not vote on it.

If some prople have so much time on their hands why can't you fnd out where the 2 pratice fields will be built and who owns/just bought the land.
Isn't soccer big in Japan? Just a rehtorical question.


Does APPLEWHITE mean anything to anyone

[TheWriter]

The City Council (clever pun btw) unanimously approved the "memo" last night (Thursday) and the two practice fields will be built at Brooks City Base.

Applewhite. You mean the reservoir on the southside?

[AFE7FATMAN]

Brooks?

Where at Brooks. The area they have been remodeling for a few months? I thought that was for Wal Mart.

Since you did mentioned Brooks - When are they going to open a decent Gate and
Clean up the area around the one now in use.

On AppleWhite I was trying to be sarcastic. How many times did SA Vote it down and they still continued to go forth

[AlamoSpursFan]

Richard Oliver: Dome over stadium? City making wrong call
Web Posted: 04/15/2005 12:00 AM CDT


San Antonio Express-News


Perhaps it is because I am getting up there in years, ingest enough sugar substitutes each day to coat city hall and have sat through more episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" than C-Span.

Sometimes, I'm too shallow for deep thought.

As dense as a fence post.

Perhaps that is why I remain bewildered today as I ponder a city government that is considering an investment of nearly $6.5 million to secure a Major League Soccer franchise but can't scrounge up $200,000 to fix substandard lighting at Wolff Stadium.

That wants to build a $3.7 million practice complex, including two fields and peripheral offices and training areas, to woo a struggling soccer circuit but can't find enough change in the City Hall couches to afford more than what amounts to chewing gum and masking tape to patch the concrete fissures and water leaks at the ballpark.

That wants to use almost $3 million to finish 14 luxury suites for futbol at the Alamodome but can't locate a few thousand bucks to complete much-needed carpet, painting, air conditioning and landscape work at the baseball field.

That wants to give away the Alamodome through a mind-boggling array of perks for the MLS but refuses to hand over operation of the financially strapped baseball stadium to a Missions ballclub eager to invest in it.

That wants to embrace a league that may not see the next decade, while effectively ignoring a franchise that has planted healthy roots in San Antonio soil for a century and counting.

That wants to budget millions in upgrades for soccer but hasn't invested more than $100,000 for improvements to the baseball park since it opened in 1994.

That wants to pay dearly for Mayor Ed Garza's legacy — and that's effectively what this is all about — even as it pours red ink all over the work done for baseball by County Judge Nelson Wolff, who as mayor was the driving force in the construction of the Missions' current home.

That wants us to believe that spending well into seven figures of our money for soccer, a sport that can't buy a second glance in this country, and barely in this county, makes more sense than locating some funds for America's pastime.

Much less our ailing municipal golf courses.

Or a sensational city manager candidate.

Part of the debate over landing Sheryl Sculley, the heavyweight contender for the vital position, came down to the roughly $60,000 more she would make annually than the previous city manager. As part of its proposal to court the MLS, the city would pay more than twice that for new drapery in the dome.

When it comes to investing in the future around here, it's curtains for all of us.

"The Missions and Double-A baseball are probably the equivalent of Major League Soccer," Wolff said Thursday morning, struggling to remain politic. "Both will draw 3,000 or 4,000 out there. You know a lot of people don't relate minor-league baseball to an important franchise, but of course I think it is.

"Pay $4 or $5 to go to see a professional sport, that's part of what's so attractive about minor-league baseball. You go to a basketball game, you have to hawk your jewelry."

The right to pay at least $14 to see an MLS game won't require such a sacrifice. Instead, the city is asking us to give up so much more.

Such as common sense.

In truth, courting soccer for the community and the Alamodome is worthwhile, on some levels. Demographically and economically, it is a sport that tweaks just enough interest in South Texas — especially when Mexican fans are engaged — to pursue opportunities for its advancement.

But at what cost?

Certainly not millions. Certainly not at the expense of Wolff Stadium and other needy city facilities.

"We're just trying to get them to fix the lights up to Double-A standards, and we can't even get them to do that," Missions president Burl Yarbrough said Thursday. "They have plenty of money for a new franchise as opposed to one that's played 100 years here. And here they are willing to give away the Alamodome.

"This is very disturbing."

After some deep thought, it seems more than that.

Dense.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]

[ChumpDumper]

Both will draw 3,000 or 4,000 out there.Nah, even the worst performing MLS franchises get over twice that. I do agree that Wolff Stadium could use some help.

[samikeyp]

The Wolff needs an upgrade. If they got one, they might be able to attract a Triple A team.

[MannyIsGod]

This is completely different from the Alamodome. The Dome was built to lure an NFL team.

The MLS wants to put a team here. And they most likely are.

The Stadium, if built, will be built in a few years with the MLS already having a team here.

You'd think that with all the intelligence you claim to possess you'd be able to make out the noticeable difference between the two situations.

One being a dome to lure a pro team, the other being a stadium to house your pro team. Well of course there are differences. Nothing in this world is identical, but what you fail to grasp the main parallel that this is once again the spending of government money on something that is not nessecarily in our best interest.

I'm sick of this city council ignoring the problems that it should fix because it's always focused on it's grand endeavours. They are so anxious to jump on the road to greatness they forget to take care of the everday needs of the city.

People want their roads fixed. People want corruption eliminated. People want the fundemantal tenets of city government to function as they should. They don't want the city council to be a big business recruitment organization who only passes laws that stop the big bad demons that are strip clubs.

No, YOU fail to grasp the big picture because your dick gets hard anytime San Antonio gets an extra 2 people moving here or they get rady to pour some concrete for some new construction, regardless of how ill advised it may be.

I love soccer, including the MLS. I would love to see it here, but I'm pissed off that the city council doesn't let representative democracy work. Oh wait, never mind, Castro does let it work when he has something to gain. He had no problem showing the letters and faxes he got over Sculley, but he was right there ignoring the overwhelming response when he voted for the PGA.

I grasp that the people in city council care about 2 things. Their agendas and legacys, and the people are always placed behind that.

[MannyIsGod]

The city doesn't have to be crazy about it for it to be built.
Well don't you just go along well with the current crop of council members who ignore what their constituatns say unless they can benefit from it?

It does matter. Thats what representative democracy is about.

[CommanderMcBragg]

Wolff stadium is worth spending the money on. If you haven't been to a Missions game you should go out and check them out.
Best deal for the money.