blaze89
09-23-2005, 12:18 AM
Tagliabue placates Hardberger: S.A. mayor appreciates 'peace offering' by the NFL commissioner
09/23/2005
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue faxed a conciliatory letter to Mayor Phil Hardberger on Thursday, promising to work with "the New Orleans Saints, your administration, and the Alamodome authorities" to make the team's three games in San Antonio a success.
Hardberger termed the letter "a peace offering" after Tagliabue dismissed the city as a "small market" in an interview this week with the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Still, Hardberger made it clear he expects more from Tagliabue, who seemed to indicate in the Times-Picayune interview that San Antonio couldn't provide adequate support for an NFL team.
"A better peace offering," Hardberger said, "would be for him to say how appropriate it would be for us to become an NFL city."
The letter also prompted Hardberger to backtrack on a promise he made last week to reserve for Tagliabue "the highest seat at the Alamodome" for the Saints' game with the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 2.
"We are going to invite him to the game and give him a better seat," Hardberger said. "That's what happens when you write a nice letter."
The Saints' other games in the Alamodome are scheduled for Oct.16 against the Atlanta Falcons and Dec. 24 against the Detroit Lions.
More than 18,000 tickets remain for the game with the Bills, the Saints announced Thursday in a release that included a statement from owner Tom Benson urging fans to buy tickets.
"As the first regular-season NFL game ever in San Antonio, the Oct. 2 Saints-Bills matchup is the most important to sell out — selling out the first game sets the tone for the rest of the schedule," Benson said.
Benson also pointed out that the game must be sold out before Sept. 29 to ensure it would be televised in San Antonio. The NFL traditionally blacks out games in the local viewing area if they fail to sell out 72 hours in advance of kickoff.
Thursday marked the deadline for Saints' season-ticket holders to tell the club their plans for the Oct. 2 game.
With the deadline gone, "all seats are available," Saints marketing director Conrad "Connie" Kowalt said.
The Saints declined to say how many tickets remain for the other games. As of Tuesday, 6,883 were left for Atlanta and 40,439 for Detroit.
Hardberger said he is confident the three games would sell out. He also said he looks forward to talking to Tagliabue at "one or more" of the games about the city's rapidly growing corporate base.
City officials view the three Alamodome games as an opportunity for the city to show it can support an NFL team. But Tagliabue said in the interview with the Times-Picayune the league has no plans to move "any teams into small markets" and is determined to put a team in Los Angeles.
Hardberger responded by saying Tagliabue must be unaware of the city's growth since the league considered it for expansion more than a decade ago.
"I would certainly want to familiarize him with San Antonio," Hardberger said. "I would not really see it as a proselytizing trip but one in which I want him to realize how much potential San Antonio has and how much we have grown and matured as a city over the last 10 years.
"San Antonio is a different town, but he's not going to know that until he sees it. I hope he comes."
Tagliabue's letter also praised Hardberger for organizing efforts in San Antonio to care for Hurricane Katrina evacuees and for giving the Saints a place to practice and play.
"The consequences of Katrina certainly appear to be unprecedented in scope, and I was impressed in early September when I saw you on CNN making it clear that San Antonio was prepared to lead, to provide and to care for the evacuees with tremendous urgency," Tagliabue said in the letter.
Said Hardberger: "It was a nice, gracious letter and I was glad to get it," Hardberger said. "It was a different tone than what I read in the newspaper."
LINK (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/football/nfl/stories/MYSA092305.1E.FBNsaints.hardberger.1cffe505.html)
09/23/2005
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue faxed a conciliatory letter to Mayor Phil Hardberger on Thursday, promising to work with "the New Orleans Saints, your administration, and the Alamodome authorities" to make the team's three games in San Antonio a success.
Hardberger termed the letter "a peace offering" after Tagliabue dismissed the city as a "small market" in an interview this week with the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Still, Hardberger made it clear he expects more from Tagliabue, who seemed to indicate in the Times-Picayune interview that San Antonio couldn't provide adequate support for an NFL team.
"A better peace offering," Hardberger said, "would be for him to say how appropriate it would be for us to become an NFL city."
The letter also prompted Hardberger to backtrack on a promise he made last week to reserve for Tagliabue "the highest seat at the Alamodome" for the Saints' game with the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 2.
"We are going to invite him to the game and give him a better seat," Hardberger said. "That's what happens when you write a nice letter."
The Saints' other games in the Alamodome are scheduled for Oct.16 against the Atlanta Falcons and Dec. 24 against the Detroit Lions.
More than 18,000 tickets remain for the game with the Bills, the Saints announced Thursday in a release that included a statement from owner Tom Benson urging fans to buy tickets.
"As the first regular-season NFL game ever in San Antonio, the Oct. 2 Saints-Bills matchup is the most important to sell out — selling out the first game sets the tone for the rest of the schedule," Benson said.
Benson also pointed out that the game must be sold out before Sept. 29 to ensure it would be televised in San Antonio. The NFL traditionally blacks out games in the local viewing area if they fail to sell out 72 hours in advance of kickoff.
Thursday marked the deadline for Saints' season-ticket holders to tell the club their plans for the Oct. 2 game.
With the deadline gone, "all seats are available," Saints marketing director Conrad "Connie" Kowalt said.
The Saints declined to say how many tickets remain for the other games. As of Tuesday, 6,883 were left for Atlanta and 40,439 for Detroit.
Hardberger said he is confident the three games would sell out. He also said he looks forward to talking to Tagliabue at "one or more" of the games about the city's rapidly growing corporate base.
City officials view the three Alamodome games as an opportunity for the city to show it can support an NFL team. But Tagliabue said in the interview with the Times-Picayune the league has no plans to move "any teams into small markets" and is determined to put a team in Los Angeles.
Hardberger responded by saying Tagliabue must be unaware of the city's growth since the league considered it for expansion more than a decade ago.
"I would certainly want to familiarize him with San Antonio," Hardberger said. "I would not really see it as a proselytizing trip but one in which I want him to realize how much potential San Antonio has and how much we have grown and matured as a city over the last 10 years.
"San Antonio is a different town, but he's not going to know that until he sees it. I hope he comes."
Tagliabue's letter also praised Hardberger for organizing efforts in San Antonio to care for Hurricane Katrina evacuees and for giving the Saints a place to practice and play.
"The consequences of Katrina certainly appear to be unprecedented in scope, and I was impressed in early September when I saw you on CNN making it clear that San Antonio was prepared to lead, to provide and to care for the evacuees with tremendous urgency," Tagliabue said in the letter.
Said Hardberger: "It was a nice, gracious letter and I was glad to get it," Hardberger said. "It was a different tone than what I read in the newspaper."
LINK (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/football/nfl/stories/MYSA092305.1E.FBNsaints.hardberger.1cffe505.html)