TSU-Dynamo update

The TSU-Dynamo Stadium marriage is inching closer to reality.

Two weeks after he first expressed interest in the project and a couple of meetings and phone conversations later, newly appointed TSU athletic director Charles McClelland said the school is willing to invest in the construction of the 22,000-capacity stadium in exchange for the rights to use it.

"My understanding of the proposal is that the Houston Dynamo and Texas Southern University would share the use of the stadium, including some signage, so it would be the home of Texas Southern University athletics and football program," McClelland said Wednesday, two days after meeting with a city official involved in the stadium negotiations. "We're interested and understand that there has to be a financial commitment from the university, but we are very pleased with the direction of the talks and hope to be able to come to a resolution in the near future."

While McClelland declined to disclose the size or range of the financial commitment because of the ongoing nature of the talks, he is confident the range that has been discussed is "within the capability of the university."

Andy Icken, the city's deputy director of public works, who is heading negotiations on a stadium deal, said he discussed TSU's interest in entering the soccer stadium deal at a meeting Monday.

TSU's proposal makes sense because the Tigers could use the stadium for their football games and the city could rely on TSU's financial participation as a way to keep additional tax dollars from being spent on the facility, Icken said.

"If we can make it happen, we will," Icken said. "We have nothing other than discussions going on at this point."

As I said before, I think this makes a lot of sense, and would be a win for everyone involved. I hope they can make it happen.

Patriots' Spygate moves closer to resolution

I don't actually care that much about the former Patriots coach reaching a deal with the NFL to talk about whether or not he spied on other teams, though if it turns out that they're a bunch of cheating cheaters, I'll enjoy a little schadenfreude at the expense of their fans. What I do care about is that the NYT quoted my friend Stephanie Stradley, also known as the Texans Chick:

Stephanie Stradley, a legal expert who has written and lectured on contractual indemnification law and writes a sports blog for AOL, reviewed the agreement Wednesday.

"It does a nice job of protecting each party from the worries each has," she wrote via e-mail. "It's very reasonable."

Stradley said that Walsh still had legal risks, but that they were greatly reduced by the agreement. She said part of the agreement protected the N.F.L.

By having Walsh turn over all his evidence and allowing his lawyer, Levy, to keep a copy, the league protects itself from any of the tapes leaking to the news media; otherwise the agreement is void. The agreement also says that any money Walsh makes from telling his story first goes to cover legal expenses included under indemnification.

Stradley added that companies with deep pockets who indemnify those with fewer assets, as in this case, run the risk of plaintiff lawyers' searching for an inviting target.

"The N.F.L. will defend Walsh, but they reserve the right to claim that Walsh wasn't working with the course and scope of his employment as it relates to losses, and the burden is on Walsh to prove it," Stradley said.

Someone once said that real fame is being the answer to five-across or seventeen-down in the New York Times crossword puzzle. I think as a blogger, being sought by the Times as an expert for a story like this comes pretty close to that. Nicely done, Steph!

TSU talks to Dynamo about sharing the stadium

This makes a lot of sense.

Texas Southern would like its football team to play in the downtown stadium being proposed by the Dynamo, but the extent of the university's interest has been limited to talks with the team.

Incoming TSU athletic director Charles McClelland confirmed the school's interest in the project Friday night but denied knowledge of negotiations that would involve the contribution of funds toward the construction of the building, whose estimated cost is between $105 million and $110 million.

"I can pretty much confirm that TSU hasn't offered any money," McClelland said. "There have been talks but not a negotiation; I don't think we have entered into the negotiation stages, at least to my knowledge."

Dynamo president Oliver Luck said last week that TSU had expressed interest in playing its football games at the proposed stadium, for which team ownership is seeking partial funding from the city of Houston, something McClelland confirmed this week.

[...]

"It's something we desperately need for our student-athletes, a brand-new stadium, and we think it would help the overall direction of the program," [McClelland said.]

TSU plays most of its football games on campus.

More uses for a stadium is always better than fewer. The new facility is sure to be better than what TSU is currently using, and having them as a tenant will make the financial picture better for the Dynamo. I hope they can work this out.

More on the MLS-Mayor kerfuffle

Thanks to today's Chron story on the little spat between MLS and Mayor White, we now know where that higher-than-previously-cited price tag of $105 million for Dynamo Stadium came from:

During a subsequent news conference to publicly assuage the mayor's concerns, team officials said the price tag on a new stadium had climbed to $105 million, up from the $80 million to $90 million previously estimated.

Boy, things are tough all over, aren't they? Guess we better get used to this sort of thing happening. So how much does this affect the negotiations?

Team officials later held a news conference to explain that they never intended to pressure the mayor.

But Oliver Luck, president and general manager, also reiterated the team's contention that a significant city investment in the new stadium is necessary to make the franchise successful.

"We have made our position very clear to the mayor that we are looking for some public support for that building, and we will do the right thing, which is to continue to negotiate with the city to try to identify any potential revenue streams that may eventually bridge the gap we're now facing," Luck said.

[...]

[MLS Commissioner Don] Garber's April 4 letter was addressed to the team's chief investors: Anschutz Entertainment Group owner Philip Anschutz, Brener International Group head Gabriel Brener and Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya. It was handed to White by Brener during an April 7 meeting.

Dynamo officials said they were only trying to illustrate the pressure they felt from the league.

"The point was not to put any pressure on the mayor or threaten the mayor by any means," Luck said, "but to really show the mayor the ownership of the league is very concerned about the progress or lack there of that we're making here in Houston in terms of a long-term home."

Garber cited the "lack of progress" in his letter:

"Even in the fourth-largest market in the country with a young and dynamic demographic that embraces soccer, the Houston team will continue to lose money without a public-private partnership on a new soccer stadium -- a fact that presents significant issues for the league."

[...]

White said he thought the letter was part of the team's negotiations, and should not be viewed as a signal that talks were breaking down.

He also said that the city's offer has been "reasonable," but, apparently, not rich enough.

"I want them to stay. I think they'll make money if they stay," White said.

"But we're not going to take money out of the police budget or the fire budget or have some big new tax that is going to be imposed on everybody in the community, in order to build a stadium."

I suppose this letter didn't change things, and it didn't necessarily indicate that negotiations are at a standstill, but I don't think it helped. Not that they have meant anything so far in this process, but I wonder if there is some kind of deadline for these talks, after which the Dynamo really will seek other options, including perhaps another look at places like Sugar Land. Given that construction is more expensive now, and that the economy overall isn't doing so well, I don't know that they have the leverage to make that kind of contingency all that viable. If so, then maybe we finally will see a resolution soon.

UPDATE: Bernardo Fallas chastises Commissioner Garber for writing the letter, then makes a curious statement:

Because as much as the letter calls on AEG and Co. to strike a deal or else, it also serves to pressure White, which in turn serves AEG and Co. Which is exactly why White ended up with a copy and why he made it public, a weird move considering he has been stealthy about negotiations.

It's not a weird move at all. Mayor White recognized the purpose of the letter, which was to put pressure on the city to make a deal with the Dynamo, and he knew that releasing it would cause a backlash that would put pressure on the Dynamo to back off. Which it has done. Pretty simple, really.

MLS versus the Mayor

Are you wondering what the status is of the Dynamo Stadium deal, which at last report saw City Council approving the land purchase in early March? Apparently, so is MLS, and they're getting a mite antsy about it.

On Friday, the Dynamo handed the mayor a letter, from the commissioner of Major League Soccer.

"I am concerned about the lack of progress in your discussions with the City of Houston," writes MLS commissioner Donald Garber.

He said he'd consider moving the Dynamo out of Houston unless the city agreed to help pay for a new stadium. Otherwise, "the Houston team will continue to lose money."

The mayor didn't take to the letter.

"I don't respond well to threats, it was, I don't know," said White.

The mayor thinks the letter is a bluff.

"I think we've made an offer that's a reasonable offer that they can make money," he said.

The letter is here (PDF). Much as I like the idea of a downtown Dynamo Stadium, I see no reason to give in here. I think the city has been perfectly reasonable and accommodating, and they have no need to fear being extorted over the level of funding they're willing to commit to. If after all this the Dynamo want to walk, I say have a nice trip.

In a hastily called press conference Wednesday afternoon, Dynamo president Oliver Luck said despite the tone of the letter, the team has not set any deadline for a deal to be struck. But, he said private financing of the stadium would not be the goal.

"It's extraordinarily difficult to commit to that kind of private funds to that kind of stadium without any economic help from a city," Luck said.

Luck estimated a new stadium would cost about $105 million. He said in many cases MLS teams have partnered with cities in a 90/10 split on financing, with the municipality picking up 90-percent of the funding.

The Dynamo are not looking for that sort of split in Houston, but Luck said the city would have to put up some sort of money to make a new stadium a reality. He stressed though, no deadline has been set and the team has not been talking with any other cities about a possible move.

I've not seen any discussion of what ratio the franchise would pay for a stadium versus the city. I have seen $70 to 80 million suggested as a price; perhaps that reflects the Dynamo's share of that $105 million cost, perhaps it's a reflection of the rising costs of construction, or perhaps it was just a poor guess. In any event, this is clearly the sticking point, so it's just a matter of who blinks first. Miya has more at KTRK.

Hakeem in the Hall

Hot dog!

What was improbable on the day he stepped off the plane from Nigeria and inevitable by the time his glorious 18-year NBA career ended, became official when Hakeem Olajuwon was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.
"For many years, you've been a future Hall of Famer," said the former Rockets and University of Houston star. "You hear that. It's an honorable title. But now, for the Hall of the Fame to call you, it's like, 'Wow! Is that really true?'

"All of these legends, great players who have played in the past and you have been selected to be among them. I think that is the highest honor that any player can receive."

Olajuwon is joined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame's class of 2008 by former players Adrian Dantley and Patrick Ewing, coaches Pat Riley and Cathy Rush and contributors Dick Vitale and Bill Davidson. The enshrinement ceremony will take place Sept. 5 in Springfield, Mass.

This is an honor that is richly deserved for The Dream. Congratulations!

Rice to hire Cal's Braun as basketball coach

Meet the new coach.

Three weeks after dismissing the winningest men's basketball coach in program history, Rice stands poised to hire former Cal coach Ben Braun as successor to Willis Wilson.

According to an NCAA official, Braun will be introduced at 2 p.m. Monday.

Braun compiled a 219-154 record over 12 seasons in Berkley, leading the Golden Bears to five NCAA Tournament berths and three NIT appearances, including the 1999 NIT title.

Cal advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1997, its first season with Braun at the helm, and reached the second round of the Tournament in 2002 and '03.

But after making six postseason appearances in his first seven seasons, Braun managed to lead Cal to only a pair of postseason appearances over his last five seasons. The Bears finished either eighth or ninth in the Pac-10 three of the last four seasons.

Braun was fired on March 26 two days after the Bears fell to eventual champ Ohio State in the second round of the NIT.

Second only to Nibs Price in victories at Cal, Braun went 185-132 in 11 seasons at Eastern Michigan (1986-96) and 148-103 at Siena Heights College (1978-85). With 552 victories, Braun closed the season ranked 11th among active NCAA Division I coaches.

A full bio is here. Reaction on the Rice Fan Forum is pretty positive so far, and I have to concur with that. Braun sounds like a good coach who's run a clean program and who'll be a good fit with Rice academically. And as a poster noted in that thread, he's the highest-profile coaching hire Rice has made since Ken Hatfield. While that relationship eventually went sour, it did pay some fast dividends - I'd call Hatfield's first five seasons (1994-1998) among the best periods for the program in recent years. I'm excited to hear what Coach Braun has to say about his new gig tomorrow.

UPDATE: More from MK Bower and former Cal player Rod Benson.

Reliant regional finals get kudos

They may not have gotten any sellouts, but the folks at Reliant Stadium got some kind words from the NCAA about the games that were played there over the weekend.

When it was all said and done, the first NCAA regional in Houston since 1986 received rave reviews.

"Actually, we were really pleased," said David Worlock, the NCAA associate director of the Division I men's basketball championship. "The feedback is still coming in from the participating institutions, our committee members and staff on site, but so far it's all been really positive."

That's the same feedback Reliant Park president Shea Guinn received on his end as Reliant prepares to host another NCAA regional in 2010 before staging the Final Four in 2011.
"I thought it went exceptionally well," Guinn said. "The feedback from the NCAA ... and fans was nothing but positive.

"As a dress rehearsal, it was a huge success. We have good ground to build on for 2010 and 2011."

Though the Texas Longhorns were the No. 2 seed in the regional, Reliant Stadium (43,000 capacity) didn't sell out. But more than 65,000 fans attended the Friday and Sunday sessions combined. It finished among the top-five all-time regionals.

"Over the weekend, we sold the equivalent of over two arenas," said Guinn.

Well, that's one way of looking at it. But it still makes me wonder about the wisdom of opening the whole stadium for the 2010 regional final, which may or may not include such a local draw as the Horns.

Worlock said the NCAA looks forward to bigger crowds and perhaps a more festive atmosphere surrounding the stadium than during this past weekend in Houston.

"The folks at Reliant Stadium are top-notch, they're very easy to work with, and it's such a beautiful facility," he said. "As far as the seating configuration, it's going to be even bigger in 2010 and 2011.

"We would like to think it will be improved because we've learned from the regional this past weekend."

Snark aside, the experience matters more than the headcount, and it appears the folks at Reliant did a good job with that. So, my kudos to them for a job well done, and my best wishes for coming up with a viable strategy for selling all those extra seats next time.

The sellout that wasn't

This may be the last time I beat this particular horse, though I can't promise that.

Texas coach Rick Barnes never has been one to tell 299-pound sophomore center Dexter Pittman to take advantage of his weight.

But the UT coach changed his thinking during Friday night's NCAA South Regional semifinal against Stanford's two 7-foot giants. It paid huge returns, as Pittman leaned, pushed and shoved the Cardinal's Lopez twins during a critical second-half stretch that paved the way to the Longhorns' 82-62 Sweet 16 victory in front of a pro-Texas crowd of 32,931 at Reliant Stadium.

In other words, there were ten thousand unsold seats, and all of about 2000 tickets sold since Monday when it was known that the Longhorns would be in town for this. Someone at Reliant Stadium better start rethinking their marketing strategy for 2010 and 2011. I still can't believe they didn't do better than this.

Is that all there is?

As we know, as of Monday, some 31,000 tickets had been sold for the NCAA Regional Finals at Reliant Stadium, which includes at least one game featuring the UT Longhorns. The presence of the Horns makes this a very desirable matchup for Reliant and ticket brokers. So how are we doing with those ticket sales now, on game day?

The majority of tonight's expected crowd of 32,000-plus likely will be backing [the Horns].

So since Monday, when it was known that UT was coming to play, about 1000 more tickets have been sold. Boy howdy, that's some kind of draw. Imagine how brisk things will be in 2010 when there'll be 72,000 tickets available and maybe not such a strong local attraction. Are we a great sports town or what?

NCAA regionals: Did we mention there are still tickets available?

The first-ever NCAA Regional Finals in Houston continues to provide me with easy entertainment.

From the moment tickets went on sale March 19, 2007, through the run-up to the 2008 Tournament, upward of 31,000 tickets were sold for this weekend's South Regional at Reliant Stadium.

With an estimated capacity of 43,880, that means roughly 13,000 tickets are left for the three games on tap, and since the remaining seats likely are in less-than-desirable areas of the stadium, fans might want to consider their options.

"Less than desirable"? But I thought every seat was a good one!

"Having a facility the size of Reliant, we needed a Texas- or Memphis-type team in there with a large interest or large draw," said Jim Barr of Ticket Attractions. "I don't think this regional could have had any better matchup than it did or got. We were very fortunate."

[...]

Reliant Stadium, Ticketmaster and brokers are all still offering tickets. It might take some maneuvering, not to mention patience, to sit where you want for a price you desire, but at least Joe Fan can buy his way into the festivities, which wasn't the case when Reliant hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII four years ago.

"There aren't a lot of opportunities for people in the community to buy tickets to the Super Bowl," said Reliant Park president Shea Guinn said. "And that's how this is different. Anybody can go out there and get a ticket if they want to come."

Like the ticket brokers, Reliant Park officials could not have asked for a more ideal scenario than Texas making its way to Reliant Stadium. A team with strong regional ties virtually guarantees a sellout.

Okay then. Let's get those less-than-desirable seats sold so nobody looks like a fool for predicting a sellout that wasn't.

The Sweet Sixteen comes to town

This article about the NCAA South Regional finals coming to Reliant Stadium this week is mostly about the work involved in changing the venue from rodeo to basketball. It's interesting enough, but what caught my eye was this:

At Reliant, giant curtains will block off the end zones, leaving about 43,000 seats. About 31,000 tickets have already been sold.

Twelve thousand unsold tickets? Really? You UT fans, you do know that the Longhorns will be playing in this event, right? How do you expect the scalpers ticket brokers to make any money if this isn't a sellout?

I figure the place will be full before the opening tip, but seriously, I can't believe it isn't so already. And therefore I found this amusing as well:

Reliant is scheduled to play host to the NCAA South Regional again in 2010 and the Final Four championship in 2011, [Shea Guinn, president of SMG-Reliant, the company that operates the stadium,] said.

For those events, the curtains won't be used and between 72,000 and 74,000 seats will be available.

"Every seat will be a good one," Guinn said.

Actually, I'm pretty sure some of those seats won't be all that good. At least, not if proximity to the action is part of your criteria for determining what a good seat is. If all you care about is the atmosphere, then as long as they manage to sell the place out, I'd agree. Otherwise, I'd probably advise saving the money and watching on TV, where at least you'll know who has the ball at all times. And why they think they can sell 72,000 seats for another Sweet Sixteen when they haven't sold 43,000 yet for this one is a question I can't answer. I admire the can-do spirit, but if there are empty seats this weekend, I think they might want to give the arrangement for 2010 another thought.

Jonestown and the NCAA tournament

What a great story.

In the boisterous aftermath of helping his San Diego Toreros clinch an NCAA tournament berth, Rob Jones slapped one of his prominent tattoos, the one with the cross and the name Jones, and pointed to his proud father, Jim Jones Jr., in the stands.

The Toreros had just upset Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference tournament and reach the NCAAs for the fourth time in school history.

Between the freshman forward and his father, though, there was something much deeper going on. Three decades after the mass suicide-murder at Jonestown, it was good to be a Jones.

"The win was great, but when he did that, well, I'm a grumpy 47-year-old man and it brought a tear to my eye," Jim Jones Jr. said. "Rob has just given me the opportunity to enjoy it again."

Rob Jones feels no stigma about being the grandson of cult leader Jim Jones, who 30 years ago this November led more than 900 of his followers in a mass suicide in a South American jungle. When road crowds taunt him about drinking Kool-Aid, he turns it into motivation. He speaks openly about his family's history.

"The reason I do is just to change the Jones name, you know, to keep a good association with the name now," said Jones.

Simply put, Jim Jones Jr. wouldn't be alive, and Rob never would have been born, if it weren't for basketball.

After Jim Jones moved his Peoples Temple from San Francisco to Guyana in the late 1970s, his adopted son and others started a team.

The Jonestown basketball team was playing in a tournament in Georgetown, Guyana, when the cult came to a violent end on Nov. 18, 1978.

[...]

"My father wanted us to return when the congressman came back down there," Jones Jr. said this week from his home in Pacifica, near San Francisco. "In defiance, We said, 'No.' We wanted to play basketball. You can see why there was guilt around basketball."

Jones lost several family members, including his first wife and their unborn child.

"I wouldn't be alive if I wasn't playing basketball," he said. "With Robert playing basketball, it really kind of gave me the ability to enjoy the game again."

I had no idea that Jim Jones had surviving offspring. It's uplifting to see something good come out of that horrible tragedy. I'll be rooting for Robert Jones and his San Diego teammates this year.

Get better, OJ!

No, not that OJ. This is about former Rice linebacker OJ Brigance, who had an outstanding career in the Canadian Football League before coming to the NFL and winning a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, and who was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

The body that allowed Brigance to compete at football's highest level is betraying him.

Brigance needs to be driven to work because he can't lift his arms. He needs to sit on the bed to put on his pants because he loses his balance. And he needs his wife to button his shirt because he doesn't have the same dexterity with his hands.

"I can see where you can fold up the tent," said Brigance, the Ravens' director of player development. "To be totally honest, I'm not always upbeat. It's tough. But I've always believed that we're able to overcome more than what we think."

Brigance will be honored tomorrow at the Ed Block Courage Awards, receiving the Johnny Unitas Tops in Courage Award for battling the disease with the same willpower he used to fight his way into the NFL. In 1996, he was rejected by 28 of 30 NFL teams when he called for a tryout, but ultimately had a seven-year career.

About 5,600 people in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year, a disease that generally paralyzes muscles and the lungs, often causing suffocation, but doesn't impair the brain or any of the senses. There is no known cure, and most die within five years of being diagnosed.

Brigance could have chosen to walk away from his job and handle his ordeal privately. A former special teams standout who prided himself on outworking current Ravens in the weight room, Brigance knows he is a shadow of the overachieving player who played on winning teams in the 2001 Super Bowl and the Canadian Football League's 1995 Grey Cup in Baltimore.

His rippled muscles have disintegrated and his arms sag to the side of his body. His fingers can no longer wrap around a football, much less give a firm handshake.

But Brigance has dedicated himself to be a guiding hand to the Ravens' players, preaching to them that adversity makes you stronger.

"No one has beaten this thing, but I am going to be the one who does," Brigance told the players before the season began. "They're going to find a cure."

If anyone can do this, he can. My very best wishes to OJ Brigance and his family as they face this great challenge. More information, and a way you can help, is on the Rice Owls fan forum.

A long way up, a short way down

You know what I think is the most amazing thing about the Rockets' just-stopped 22-game winning streak? After all that, and after they moved up to the number one seed in the West, they're still only six games ahead of the Denver Nuggets, who are in ninth place in the West and thus on the outside of the playoff picture. The Western Conference is pretty damn deep. And with their killer schedule remaining, now is not the time to slack off. How about starting another winning streak tonight, fellas? Go Rockets!

Rice fires Willis Wilson

I admit this is a surprise. Like many people, I assumed Coach Wilson would get at least one season in the new arena. But that was not to be.

MK Bower rips the Owls for the move, and I certainly understand where he's coming from. This move was years in coming, and probably should have happened years ago. The fans have been unhappy with Wilson for a long time. His teams have had a very hard time winning big games - I don't think they ever won more than one game in a conference tournament - were terrible on the road, and often looked unprepared on the floor. Attendance has been way down, even in the good years. Had Chris Del Conte been the Athletic Director longer, Wilson likely would have been shown the door earlier.

Like a lot of posters on the Rice fan forum, I have genuinely mixed feelings about this. By all accounts, Coach Wilson was and is a fine person, a loyal Rice alumnus, and a squeaky-clean coach who graduated his players. I'm very sad to see him get fired, and I wish him, his family, and his assistant coaches nothing but the best in the future. But it's been time for a change for awhile. Del Conte had a difficult choice to make, and I respect him for making it. I look forward to seeing who he hires to lead the team in the Tudor era.

Do you deserve this stadium?

Can we please not lose sight of what the issues are when discussing Dynamo Stadium?

Two MLS championships by the Dynamo, and the professional game is thriving. The Dynamo brand has been ingrained locally in just two short years.

"Look at the popularity of this team now," said Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, which co-owns the Dynamo with boxer/promoter Oscar De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener. "Look at the people that turn out for rallies. Look at the people that turn out for games. If they get their own stadium, I think you are going to see a dynasty built with this franchise and this sport."

[...]

"It's time to call the question," Lieweke said. " If you look at all the teams in town they all have new facilities. The Dynamo fans have proved they should not be looked past. They deserve a new facility. They've supported us.

"We're prepared to put a lot of private money into this. In fact we'll have a higher share of private money in this facility than any of the other facilities with any of the other owners in this town.

"Oscar [de la Hoya] is going to put a lot more money into the stadium with us. We're intent on trying to get this deal done because I think by 2010 it is important for this team to be in their own facility."

Over the years Houston has been deservedly proud of stadiums built for the Astros, Texans, Rockets and the rodeo. The public sector issued over $1 billion of bonds to build those stadiums.

A new stadium for the Dynamo would give the team an opportunity to become profitable by controlling more revenue streams. The stadium would draw other high-profile soccer events that would bring revenue and people to our city.

The stadium also would be available for other events and sports as stadiums these days are built with more than one sport or attraction in mind.

Hasn't soccer and the Dynamo done enough to deserve a stadium?

That's not the relevant question. I think it's pretty clear there's sufficient support to make Dynamo Stadium happen. It's just a matter of time and details. But it's those details that are the real debate. While I agree that downtown is the right place for Dynamo Stadium, are we sure we've picked the best location downtown? While I agree that a certain amount of public funding may be used as part of this deal, have we agreed on how much that certain amount can be, and what the funding source is? Do we know for sure what the city is getting itself into? These are the questions we need to answer.

And maybe now we'll start to get some of them.

The City Council voted Wednesday to spend $15.5 million to purchase five downtown blocks being eyed for a Houston Dynamo soccer stadium. The council also approved a land swap to obtain an additional block.

As he has since the land deal first was announced, Mayor Bill White would not confirm that the six-block rectangle definitely would be used for a professional soccer stadium. If a deal with the team owners fails to materialize, the city could seek other private development for the site, White said.

Anschutz Entertainment Group operates the team but shares ownership with boxing star Oscar De La Hoya and Brener International Group. AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke said last week that he would like to conclude a deal with the city by April 1, or the team will reconsider sites in the suburbs.

Leiweke was out of the country Wednesday, but AEG spokesman Michael Roth said the company was "very pleased" with the council's decision. He offered no other details on the progress of negotiations.

Well, we're going to need details, and soon. I'm still concerned about the location and the effect on the grid, and the financial aspect remains a mystery. If we're going to do this, and it looks like we are, let's get that out in the open so we can address what can be improved.

So long, Sheryl

This is a sad day.

Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes will sign with the Seattle Storm tonight, according to a spokesperson from the Comets.

The team will release this statement tonight:

"Sheryl Swoopes will not return to play with the Houston Comets for the 2008 season. She is a trailblazer and an incomparable contributor to the legacies of the Houston Comets, the WNBA and the game of women's basketball. There is no question that her absence will be felt by the Comets franchise and all the Houston fans who continue to support her career. We're excited for her and wish her well as she embarks on this new opportunity."

I've been a Comets fan for years now, and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Sheryl Swoopes play ball. She's a great athlete, a tremendous competitor, and a class act. As sorry as I am to see her depart, I join the Comets organization in wishing her continued success. Thanks for everything, Sheryl!

Parker on the soccer stadium

City Controller Annise Parker has the following to say about the proposed deal for Dynamo Stadium:

City Controller Annise Parker wants clarity in discussing public funding of the proposed Dynamo soccer stadium.

The city is attempting to acquire a six-block tract east of downtown through a combined purchase and land swap. That tract may be offered to the Houston Dynamo as a site for their proposed stadium. The city has previously participated in the downtown baseball and basketball venues so this is not unprecedented. If the city does not complete a Dynamo deal, the tract would be held until a use is determined.

"My first concern is for the land acquisition. While there has been public speculation about the use of the land, the request for council action identifies no specific public purpose. That is backward public policy," the controller stated. "The city is not in the land speculation business. Council should know for what purpose the land will be used."

Mayor Bill White favors using money from the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) located just east of downtown to cover the purchase of five of the six blocks. When a TIRZ is created the city agrees to return to the zone any growth in property taxes resulting from increased development. In turn, the TIRZ can borrow against those dollars for infrastructure improvements or use those dollars for enhanced street lights, sidewalks, landscaping and other public improvements.

"TIRZ dollars are property taxes. This is a legitimate use of TIRZ monies, but to say there will be no public dollars, or tax dollars, used for this purchase is simply inaccurate," she said.

The sixth block will be acquired through a land swap using water and sewer ratepayer dollars. "I am concerned about the use of public utility revenues to help make this deal possible. Our water and sewer customers should not be helping to subsidize a professional sports facility, no matter how much we want it," the controller said.

The deal was delayed again by Council till next week. We'll see what happens next.

CTC to city: Move that stadium

The CTC has sent the following letter to Mayor White and all of City Council regarding the proposed location for Dynamo Stadium:

Honorable Mayor White and Members of City Council:

We understand that the City of Houston is considering purchasing six blocks for a proposed soccer stadium. We urge City Council to consider alternate sites or design requirements that will preserve street grid access on Capitol and Rusk. Please see the attached 3-page document (969 kb PDF) for maps and analysis.

The current proposed site is bounded by Texas Ave on the north and Walker St. on the south. If a soccer stadium occupies the entire proposed six blocks, closing Capitol and Rusk where they run through that area, that would take out 2 of the 4 remaining streets that connect Downtown to the East End between Bell and Congress, reducing traffic capacity by 50%.

Closing streets may have been acceptable when the area just east of Downtown was largely warehouses. But now it's sprouting new townhouses, condos, and apartments. Planners expect population density to increase dramatically. New residents will surely generate more traffic. And so will soccer games.

There are alternate parcels of undeveloped land nearby where the City could site the proposed soccer stadium without cannibalizing the remaining street grid. For example, there are six contiguous blocks of parking lots located between Texas and Preston that have the same footprint as the currently proposed stadium site.

A complete street grid is not only the most effective way to carry vehicle traffic, but also the easiest way for pedestrians and bicyclists to get around. As population and employment density increase in East Downtown, the street grid will matter more and more.

In places where we don't have a good grid, like Uptown and the Medical Center, we are regretting it. Why should we break the grid where it's still intact?

We cannot undo the damage the convention center did, or the damage the ballpark did, or the damage the basketball arena did. But we can avoid doing even more damage. Now is not the time to further cut off the East End from Downtown or to add a traffic bottleneck that doesn't need to exist.

Thanks and best regards,

Robin Holzer, Chair
Citizens' Transportation Coalition (CTC)

Christof has more on this, and there's some good discussion in the CTC forum. While I do believe that this stadium belongs downtown, near existing or soon-to-be-existing rail transit, that doesn't mean it has to be at the location that's currently proposed. The CTC suggested alternative would also be bounded by Texas Avenue, this time to the south, so it would be equally accessible to the Southeast and Harrisburg lines. As noted before, a hearing for this at 9 AM is on the City Council agenda for tomorrow. If you have an opinion on this, that would be your best chance to weigh in on it.

On a side note, would someone please gently explain to Loren Steffy why the Astrodome is an unacceptable option for the team. Thanks.

Yow!

Dammit!

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming will be out the rest of the season and post-season with a stress fracture in his sore left foot.

Yao was examined after Monday's practice at Memorial Hermann Hospital and met Rockets team physician Dr. Tom Clanton to go over the test results.

The Rockets confirmed the news this afternoon.

"It is not an injury we feel he can play with,'' Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton said.

"I've made the recommendation that it be treated surgically and we are working with him to get other opinions just to be certain that that is indeed what should be done.''

The Rockets (36-20) have won 12 consecutive games since losing the one game Yao has missed this season. Yao averaged 22 points and 10.8 rebounds this season.

It's like they're cursed. Just when I was feeling that they've really got it all together, and when they've put themselves in a position to win the Midwest Division, this happens. Arrrrgh!

Dynamo Stadium land deal vote tagged

We'll have to wait for City Council to take action on the Dynamo Stadium land deal until next week, as it was tagged on the Council agenda yesterday.

The vote was delayed for a week because legal documents were not ready for examination, officials said.

Mayor Bill White said he could not rule out the possibility of some public funds being used for the stadium's construction. But he will negotiate for the Dynamo's owners to absorb the entire cost, he said.

The Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Dynamo, has said in the past it would bear most of the costs, but would like city assistance.

"I'm not saying we won't provide any public funds," White said. "What I am saying is we won't use funds that could be used for providing for essential city services, such as solid waste and parks and libraries and things like that, public safety."

Last spring, a mayoral spokesman said White had ruled out using property tax revenues to help finance the stadium, but sales and hotel occupancy taxes could be an option.

White said if public funds were used, they will not come out of the city's general fund or involve new taxes.

The mayor discussed a scenario that would involve property taxes collected by a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, a special district in which rising property tax revenues are funneled back into the zone for infrastructure improvements to attract further development.

Nothing much new here. I'm interested to hear more about what the TIRZ may do, but that's part and parcel of wanting to see all the details. Hopefully, we'll get that next week. Stay tuned.

City moves to buy land for Dynamo Stadium

We are getting closer to a Dynamo Stadium deal.

The city of Houston has offered more than $15.5 million to buy five downtown blocks that could be the future site of a soccer stadium for the Houston Dynamo.

The City Council will consider the deal Wednesday, but is expected to delay approval for at least a week.

The purchase price assumes the land is worth $49 per square foot, almost four times the assessed value of $12.50 per square foot set by the Harris County Appraisal District.

I'll simply note here my previous gripes about the disparity between assessed value and actual value, and move on.

The five blocks are owned by various corporate entities controlled by former Councilman Louis Macey. To acquire a sixth block, owned by a different company, the city has offered to swap a nearby block it already owns.

The six-block tract is between Texas and Walker streets on the north and south, and Hutchins and Dowling streets, just east of U.S. 59 in the "warehouse district." The area recently has undergone some loft-style residential development.

The land will be used for a Dynamo stadium only if the city can reach an agreement with the soccer team owners, said Andy Icken, deputy director for Public Works and Engineering.

"They identified this tract of land as one in which they would be interested," Icken said Monday. Negotiations with the team are continuing. Mayor Bill White has said he does not want public funds used for the actual stadium construction.

City officials are not saying what the land's ultimate use will be. They have conceded that a soccer stadium is one possibility, but also have mentioned a new police headquarters, affordable housing or mixed-use development. The city also could sell the land if nothing works out.

Here's a Google map of the area, if that helps. There are issues and questions here, some of which Cory goes into. I'm neither surprised nor particularly upset that some city money is being spent here. Mayor White has been consistent in specifying that public money would not be spent on stadium construction, so as with talk about infrastructure improvements, that leaves a lot of room for other things. I'm not sure why the city wants to be in the landlord business here, given last year's Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation saga, which involved the city wanting to get out of that business, though admittedly here the financial potential is much greater. Given that, I'm not sure why the Dynamo wants to have the city as its landlord, but that's their problem. I also note that it's still the case that this location might cause issues for the Southeast and Harrisburg light rail lines, as Christof pointed out last month.

That uncertainty troubles District C Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck.

"Anytime we are spending taxpayer dollars ... I think we need to have some more clarity as to what it's for," she said. "I'm a firm believer that we shouldn't use property tax dollars to fund stadiums."

I respect CM Clutterbuck's position, and I certainly agree we need more clarity. However, I think this deal differs from the previous ones, and not just in magnitude. Here the potential for the city to get a real, tangible return on its expenditure, and not just some hand-wavey mumbo-jumbo about "economic revitalization", is pretty clear. Of course, that has to be part of the deal to address those concerns.

"My preference is to get a stadium," said Councilman James Rodriguez, whose District I contains the tract. If a soccer stadium does not materialize, Rodriguez said the purchase still is a good deal.

"We're in the driver's seat," he said, "We're extending the boundaries of downtown."

That's a valid point. Take 288 North to 59 some day, then take the Pierce/Gray exit and stay on Chartres till you get to I-10. It's very different east of 59 than west of it, and it makes sense to try and integrate the two. If nothing else, those two rail lines will link the two sides of the freeway, and the more attractions there are on the other side, the better.

"I think it's a good price," said Dan Nip, chairman of the East Downtown Redevelopment Authority, which operates Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 15.

That TIRZ eventually may pay the city back for the purchase of the land, said Robert Fiederlein, the mayor's TIRZ adviser.

And if the TIRZ does pay the city back, then again that changes the nature of this. And again, if that's the idea, it should be made part of the deal.

I think there's a lot of potential for good in this deal. This is a great location for a soccer stadium. I love that it's transit-friendly (maybe a bit too friendly). It may make great financial sense for the city. But all of this depends on the details, and we don't have those yet. I look forward to seeing the final plan, and I hope it lives up to all this potential.

Post-Super Bowl blogging

GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May I never hear another word about how freaking great the Patriots, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick are.

UPDATE: Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Bidding for another Super Bowl

We've missed out the last two times we've tried, but Houston is once again bidding to host a Super Bowl.

The Texans hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII in February 2004. In the next three years, the Super Bowl will be held in Tampa (2009), Miami (2010) and Dallas (2011).

"When I received the bid specifications from the NFL, I circulated them to leaders in the community to get their response," Texans owner Robert C. McNair said. "Their response was an overwhelming and totally-committed, 'Yes, we want to bring the 2012 Super Bowl to Houston.' With that, I said I would totally support our community's efforts."

Houston may have trouble winning the bid since Dallas will host the game at its new stadium in 2011. But Houston officials are hopeful they can lure the game to Texas two years in a row.

Houston also bid on the 2009 and 2010 Super Bowls. Tampa won the 2009 bid in May 2005. In October 2005, Miami won after Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga offered up yachts to each NFL owner at the last minute.

"I was feeling pretty good until Wayne Huizenga said everybody was going to get a yacht for a week," McNair said after the voting in 2005. "And he guaranteed they'd all be over 100 feet long.

"I offered quail hunting, but that didn't quite compete."

Good to know the process is so objective, isn't it? We'll see what happens. I personally will be rooting for the delegation to succeed, but it's not that big a deal one way or the other. What do you think?

More Final Fours!

I wish these guys good luck in their quest.

A delegation from Houston left Tuesday night for Indianapolis with hopes of securing future NCAA men's and women's Final Four basketball championships.

Delegations from both Reliant Stadium and Toyota Center will meet with NCAA officials this morning to begin discussions for dates 2012 to 2016.

Reliant Stadium is attempting to lure another men's Final Four date, while the Toyota Center is hoping to lock down a women's Final Four during that four-year period.

Reliant Stadium already is set to host the men's Final Four in 2011 and has a NCAA regional final coming in March.

[...]

Houston joins San Antonio and Dallas and seven other cities in bidding to host both men's and women's Final Fours.

Each city must submit a formal bid by the middle of June, and the host cities will be announced in August.

What, no mention of the economic impact of hosting these events? Where's Jordy Tollett when you really need him?

Seriously, I hope the delegation is successful. If we manage to land a women's Final Four, I want to take Olivia to it. She'd be at an age to really appreciate it by then. Audrey too, if it's closer to 2016.

On a side note, does anyone have any clue how far along Metro rail construction will likely be by March of 2011? Obviously, the Main Street line is in place, but given how the 2004 Super Bowl was essentially its shakedown cruise (and how shaky it was), I'm hoping that the coming extensions are either fully finished and operational by then, or not close enough to done to try to squeeze their completion in before then. As long as we can avoid the first week, we-have-no-idea-what-we're-doing impression that we gave back then, it's fine by me.

WNBA reaches labor deal with the players

While I'm always glad to hear about a sports league reaching a collective bargaining agreement with its players, I'm scratching my head a bit at this:

The WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association announced Monday that they have entered into a collective bargaining agreement covering six seasons, starting in 2008 and going through the 2013 season.

The 2007 season was the league's most successful. The WNBA set attendance records for the playoffs (216,863 fans at 21 games) and the finals (74,178 at five games). Regular-season attendance grew by 2 percent in 2007. The 2007 campaign also was highlighted by a new eight-year television agreement with ESPN, which extends the league's relationship with the network to 20 seasons.

I'm glad to hear that the WNBA is doing well, and is looking that far ahead. I enjoy going to Comets games, and I can't wait till Olivia and Audrey are old enough to really get into the action. Olivia already seems to be a bit more interested in sports if girls are playing; she actually sat and watched a little of the NCAA softball tournament with me this past spring.

My concern is that from where I sit, the Comets don't seem to be doing as well. Their fan base is dedicated, it's just not very big, and their move to Reliant Arena just reinforces that perception to me. I feel reasonably confident that new owner Hilton Koch will take steps to broaden the fan base, but until I see more fannies in the seats, I will remain concerned. I want my daughters to enjoy the women's basketball experience. I hope they will be able to do so.

The land for Dynamo Stadium

This story about the city's letter of intent to buy land east of downtown on which a future Dynamo Stadium will be built raises a lot of questions.

The city could spend up to $20 million to buy six downtown blocks for a Dynamo soccer stadium, and it remains unclear if the team would reimburse the costs.

The blocks that officials are eyeing -- just east of U.S. 59 in the warehouse district -- have a total appraised value of about $5.1 million, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, or HCAD.

But local property owners who want to sell have been asking for triple or even quadruple the appraised values, as the area is seen as "hot" for development.

"I do not believe the appraisal value reflects even half of the market value," said Dan Nip, chairman of the East Downtown Redevelopment Authority. HCAD has appraised properties in the six-block area at $12.50 per square foot.

But asking prices by nearby owners have been $30 or more per square foot, Nip said. "If you have the whole square block, you can get as high as $40-$50."

City officials have not said how they would pay for the property. Mayor Bill White said he doesn't want public funds used for the actual stadium construction.

I'm going to start by going off on a familiar tangent, namely why exactly it is that land with a market value of $20 million is taxed as if it were worth $5 million. Wouldn't it be nice if your $200,000 house were taxed as though it were only worth $50,000? Well, nice up to the point where the city, county, school district, hospital district, community college district, and state all declare bankruptcy. All I'm saying is that I just don't understand the disparity here.

All right, Mayor White has said all along no public funds for building the stadium. That's fine, and I agree with that, but as we see it does allow for quite a few other possibilities. Infrastructure improvements - street repaving, storm drainage repairs, that sort of thing - I'm down with. Buying the land, I'm not so sure. Is this a loan? A gift? A deal where the city becomes the Dynamo's landlord? Are public funds in play for this, or is there some trickery up the Mayor's sleeve? Tell me more, please.

I realize some of these things may be under negotiation right now. And given the Dynamo ownership issue, things could take awhile to shake out and be presented to the public. But at this point, I have no idea what to think. I'm just hoping we don't get bait-and-switched.

Since 2003, five MLS teams have built soccer-specific stadiums, and all have used partnerships of some sort involving either city, county, state or another public entity.

Five of those teams -- the Los Angeles Galaxy, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Chicago Fire and Toronto FC -- manage the stadiums, although only two, the Galaxy and the Crew, actually own the stadiums.

Two more teams, Real Salt Lake and the New York Red Bulls, have begun construction.

Deals vary. The Galaxy's $150 million Home Depot Center and sports complex in Carson, Calif., was developed in its entirety by team operator AEG on land owned by Cal State-Dominguez Hills.

Dallas got its 20,000-seat Pizza Hut Park and soccer complex thanks to multi-million dollar investments by the city of Frisco, Frisco ISD, Collin County and team owner Hunt Sports Group.

The majority of MLS teams still lose money. But the league argues the loss gap is narrowing with recently signed TV deals, new stadiums and increased exposure, which brings in advertising dollars.

Nip said he would like the Dynamo stadium to be privately owned, rather than the city owning the stadium and leasing it back to the team.

Private ownership would generate property tax revenue for the city, or for the East Downtown Redevelopment Authority, which is a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. TIRZs capture and reinvest tax revenues from recent land improvements.

So in the context of what we know now, would the city buying the land and leasing it to the Dynamo, where they play in a stadium they built, count as private ownership? Or do the Dynamo have to own the land as well? I'm ready for some answers here.

More on Dynamo Stadium

Chron soccer writer Bernardo Fallas looks at the state of the stadium negotiations, and sees the reason why it's taken this long.

Just six weeks ago both sides seemed poised to shake hands and come out of City Hall victorious. Those were the good ol' days, when the gap that separated them was narrow and closing.

The city wanted to facilitate the land and have the Dynamo's parent company, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, pay for a 22,000-seat, open-air stadium. AEG wanted some help to offset the estimated $70 million to $80 million cost but was willing to endure the brunt of it. Nothing a little negotiating couldn't resolve, it seemed.

Things have grown comp-licated since, and AEG -- and by association the Dynamo -- has no one to blame but itself.

That's because, parallel to its negotiations with the city about a stadium, AEG felt the need to put the Dynamo on the selling block to concentrate on its MLS gold mine that is the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Has it caused the city to take a step back and wait until the dust settles? You bet. You would, too, if you were about to invest a small fortune and your soon-to-be partner suddenly wanted out. Does he want out because a better opportunity has come along, or because he has little or no confidence on the investment?

Reality is in the eye of the beholder. Of course, there are plenty of ways for the city to guard its investment, and that might very well not be a concern these days.

Interference from the potential buyer might be, though. A group of investors that includes boxer Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions business partner Gabriel Brener has shown strong interest in acquiring the Dynamo. De La Hoya and Co. have studied the deal being worked on by AEG and the city and they are bound to have opinions, suggestions and even demands.

What if, for example, De La Hoya wants White to pony up more dough for the stadium? After all, plenty of public money (read: hundreds of millions of dollars) was used to build such sports palaces as Reliant Stadium, Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park.

You almost have to feel for Dynamo president Oliver Luck, who has worked his tail off trying to get a deal done only to have his bosses throw him a curveball.

Note his minor correction here. Meanwhile, Christof observes that that stadium will require more than one city block, and that may put it in the path of the Harrisburg and Southeast rail lines. Oops. Check out Christof's map and see for yourself.

Dynamo Stadium appears imminent

The last pieces of the puzzle for Dynamo Stadium (which I foolishly predicted would fall into place shortly after the Dynamo's second MLS championship in November) appear to be ready to go.

Earlier this week, city officials signed letters of intent to buy parcels of land just east of U.S. 59 and the downtown business district, a move Mayor Bill White described Wednesday as a major step toward acquiring property for a possible home for the back-to-back Major League Soccer champions.

City officials declined to identify the location, but a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed reports that the parcels are in a six-block area between Texas and Walker avenues and Hutchins and Dowling streets, just southeast of Minute Maid Park near the northbound side of U.S. 59.

The Dynamo and parent company Anschutz Entertainment Group have been in negotiations with the city over the building of a 22,000-seat, open-air stadium since May.

Both parties said Wednesday that discussions are proceeding, with the city intending to have the team finance construction of the stadium, expected to cost $70 million to $80 million.

"It's not going to be done the way it was done with other stadiums, where the taxpayers picked up the tab," White said. "We're not going to do some special deal of giving a lot of money that could go to police or fire to a sports owner."

[...]

Reaching a deal for a stadium might not come as quickly.

Complicating negotiations is the possible sale of the Dynamo. A group that includes boxer Oscar De La Hoya is interested in buying the team from AEG, which wants to concentrate on its more profitable MLS outfit, the Los Angeles Galaxy.

While AEG's initial proposal called for the team to bear the brunt of the stadium's cost, De La Hoya's group might be pushing to have more public money go toward the project, something White has rejected.

"We will not do what Frisco and other communities have done, which is use large amounts of taxpayers funds to fund the construction of a stadium," White said.

White said that if the stadium deal falls through, the city could use the land, find a commercial developer or sell it.

"It's a good piece of property," he said.

If a stadium is built, tax receipts from concession sales and appreciation in adjacent real estate would benefit city coffers, White said. Though the city would pay to acquire parcels of land for the stadium, it also could sell or lease that land back to the Dynamo owners.

Echoing prior statements by MLS and AEG on the issue, Luck said a stadium is critical to the long-term economic success and viability of the Dynamo.

I'd have to check, but I think this is the first time I've heard the bit about the city buying the land and then maybe leasing it to the Dynamo. It doesn't change my position that I need to know the details before I make up my mind about how I feel. How much are we talking about spending, for the land and for the associated "infrastructure improvements"? Is the city then going to lease the land to the Dynamo, and if so for how much? I haven't yet seen anything that leads me to think this is a bad deal, but there are still questions to answer. We'll see what we get. Miya has more.

What if the BCS ran the NFL?

As the NFL begins its playoffs today, now might be a good time to reflect on what their postseason might resemble if they crowned their champion the same way that the BCS does. Scary, no?

Halftime blogging

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!

UPDATE: Dammit.

All I want out of this NFL season is for there not to be a Pats-Cowboys Super Bowl. Is that so much to ask?

The streak

I can't exactly say that I hope the New England Patriots will run the table and go on to win the Super Bowl. I mean, I'll root for them against the greater evil of the Cowboys in the unfortunate event the two teams meet up in Arizona next February, and I admire their accomplishments so far, as how can one not? But even putting the Boston factor aside, I can't claim to be anywhere near their bandwagon. If by some happenstance they lose focus in one of their remaining games, or somehow get upset by Jacksonville or someone in the playoffs, I'll shed no tears for them.

Having said that, I do endorse what Jim Henley says.

Idiot sports radio personalities - and I apologize for the redundancy - constantly ring variations on The Patriots realize that the real prize isn't going undefeated, it's winning the Super Bowl. Nonsense. Somebody wins the Super Bowl every year. The NFL has had 41 of the things and they don't look like they're going to stop staging them any time soon. There are plenty of Super Bowl champions. There's only one post-merger, undefeated champion. Why pass up a chance to make history?

What I suspect and hope is that the Patriot organization thinks the same way. The core members - Kraft; Belichick; Brady; Vrabel et al - have already won a bunch of Super Bowls. They haven't matched the most annoying achievement in modern NFL history. (In fact, by going 19-0 they'd exceed it.) Don Shula ran his mouth worse than Steeler safety Anthony Smith - you have to figure a vindictive bastard like Belichick will want to rub his nose in it.

Someone pointed out to me the huge risk: If the Patriots go 16-0 and don't win the championship, people will consider it a great flop. Pundits will second-guess the decision to go for the streak instead of "doing the sensible thing" (like kicking on fourth down?) and resting key players for the playoffs.

I think they'll like that part best. Get the adrenaline flowing. Introduce some risk into the equation. If the Pats go 14-2 or 15-1 and lose to a 13-3 or 14-2 Colts team in the playoffs, or get beaten in the Super Bowl by Dallas or Green Bay, well, they had a good year but lost. If they go 16-0 and one of those same things happen, observers will paint it as one of the monumental collapses in sports. Tell me these guys aren't up for that. Tell me these guys don't need that.

So I have faith that New England won't pull weenie moves down the stretch like the Colts did a couple times. Unlike the Colts before last year, the Pats don't have anything else to prove anyway. And if they do bag the last game or two, I hope they get run out in their first playoff game. Spanked like babies. Who dares wins, dudes.

Yep. About the only counterargument I can come up with is that the Pats need another Super Bowl to ensure that they're included in the Greatest Teams Of All Time debate - you know, the 60s Packers, the 70s Steelers, the 80s Niners, all those teams that won multiple times, and so forth. Of course, by going 19-0 they'd not only be sure of their inclusion in that discussion, they'd be sure of winning it, too. How can you argue against them if they pull it off?

The other thing to mention is the vapidity of the "monumental collapse" meme in the event a 16-0 Patriots team fails to win the Super Bowl. Sportswriters love "character", and rightly or wrongly, the Patriots' "character" is open to question by the nattering classes due to the signal-stealing kerfuffle and the team's penchant for running up the score and generally not doing the things teams are "supposed" to do. They'll have a field day with a Pats' loss - it'll make the gossip rags' coverage of Britney Spears look like a church bulletin. The simple but uncomfortable (for them) fact is that playoffs and tournaments are always little more than a crapshoot. Being the best team is never a guarantee. Falling short may be a huge disappointment, and may make an otherwise magical season feel like a failure, but it's not indicative of anything other than one day's result. Which isn't to say I won't enjoy some of the hyenafest that will surely follow a Patriot flameout - I think Bill Belichick is a jerk, too - but I will feel vaguely dirty about it. Such is life.

Comets to move to Reliant Arena

I don't quite understand this.

The Comets will leave Toyota Center and play their 2008 home games at the smaller but cozy Reliant Arena.

Comets owner Hilton Koch signed a contract with Reliant earlier this week.

"We are very excited that Reliant Arena will be the new home for the (Comets)," Koch said. "As an organization, our goal is to provide Comets fans with a phenomenal in-arena experience while at the same time maximizing the team's long-term growth potential.

"Reliant Arena's smaller venue (capacity 5,800) will be a great setting for our boisterous fans and will help create a powerful home-court advantage."

I should first note that the Toyota Center is more convenient for me. Not that big a deal, but still. If they'd asked me, I'd have told them to stay put.

What puzzles me about this is the rather small capacity of Reliant Arena. Googling around a bit, I found these average attendance figures (PDF) for WNBA teams. It listed the Comets as drawing 8166 per game in 2007, and 7682 per game in 2006. It's a bit hard for me to imagine why they'd want to move to a 5800-seat venue given those figures.

On the other hand, as the Houston Roundball Review wrote back in 2006, when it pegged the Comets' attendance at 6,743 per game midway through that season, those numbers probably aren't that accurate:

It's widely believed a WNBA team needs to average at least 7,500 fans in order to "break even". If that belief is correct, nine (not counting the 7495 of the LA Sparks) WNBA teams will lose money this season. That means more than half the league's teams could be in financial trouble. If more than half the teams are having financial difficulties, then the WNBA may be experiencing similar money troubles...

I'm not going to discuss the actual "butts in the seats numbers" because I believe those attendance numbers would make the situation more dire. However, I will state this:

I don't believe nearly 7,000 people per home game have seen the Comets play this season.

I have a hard time believing any of these cited numbers, too. There were oceans of empty seats at Toyota in the past few years, for nearly every game. So if this is true, then I can understand the move, in that it's got to be cheaper to play in the smaller site. But it feels like a retreat, and doesn't look like an especially positive thing for the franchise to do, since they won't even be able to pretend they drew the kind of crowds they had done before. If I were Hilton Koch, I'd be a little worried about my investment.

When billionaires fight

You know, the current unpleasantness between the NFL and cable providers Comcast and Time Warner (which King Kaufman has aptly described as a protracted whizzing match), which has now found its way to the Texas state legislature, basically reminds me of the 2005 legislative fight between Time Warner and AT&T/Comcast over telecom deregulation, in that I can't quite decide which loathsome group of overprivileged fat cats I despise and want to see lose the least.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Monday urged the House Committee on Regulated Industries to force binding arbitration on Time Warner and Comcast if the two major cable companies won't negotiate to keep certain games on expanded basic cable.

Comcast, which serves the Houston market, has placed the NFL network on a sports and entertainment tier that costs $7.95 a month. The two companies want to put the NFL on a premier sports tier in other markets as well and charge customers more each month for the package.

Because the NFL attracts more viewers than any other TV programming, Goodell told lawmakers that cable companies would be better off if they put the NFL network on expanded basic cable. The NFL wants cable companies to pay about 70 cents per viewer per month and have it on basic cable, which has a larger audience.

But the big cable companies want to charge up to $8 a month for a premium package, he said.

"We think that's obscene. We don't think that's right," Goodell told the committee, emphasizing that NFL officials prefer a negotiated outcome instead of a legislative solution.

[...]

The free market should dictate the outcome, argued Todd Baxter, vice president of the Texas Cable Association and a former GOP state representative from Austin.

"Government intervention would be inappropriate," Baxter told lawmakers. "We can tell you that what the NFL wants is government intervention."

But Goodell complained that the league isn't dealing in a free market system. "We are dealing in a system where cable operators are thinking not in the best interest of the consumer, so it's difficult to be able to do that," the NFL commissioner said.

And Jones complained that "America's Team," as the Cowboys are known, has "millions of fans outside of the home market who are being kept in the dark by Big Cable."

Yes, that's Jerry Jones, inveighing against those evil monopolists on behalf of the common man. I'll pause for a moment while you regain your composure.

Like I said, the whole spectacle gives me a rash. All I can say is that I'm glad to see I'm not alone in feeling this way:

Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, seemed to summarize the mood among his colleagues: "I really don't care about the billionaires on both sides."

Amen, brother. Let 'em fight it out mixed martial arts style. Just let me know when it's all over.

How to do a college football playoff

I've got to agree with King Kaufman here. This is such a sensible plan for a college football playoff that I can't quite envision an argument against it. Oh, all right, I suppose it means that as many as four teams might wind up playing 16 or 17 games in a season, which might be a bit much for college players. Simple answer: Shorten the season back to 11 games, and ban conference championship games. Or, quit worrying about it since it doesn't much matter anyway. All I can say is I hope I live long enough to see something like this implemented.

Briles goes to Baylor

I'm not quite sure I understand this.

Art Briles on Wednesday accepted the position as head coach at Baylor, accepting a seven-year deal worth approximately $1.8 million per year.

"It looks like my tenure here at the University of Houston has come to an end," Briles said. "I'm thankful for the great players, coaches and fans that I've been associated with these past five years."

University of Houston athletics director Dave Maggard said Wednesday that Briles will not coach the Cougars in the Texas Bowl, saying he would name an interim coach by 5 p.m. Maggard also said that a "national" search will begin immediately for a new head coach, but would not specifically identify any candidates.

"I think Art has done an outstanding job here," Maggard said. "We appreciate everything he has done for us."

Briles has four years remaining on a contract extension he signed last year. The reworked contract paid $900,000 per year and could have exceeded $1 million with incentives. That contract has a $300,000 buyout clause that allowed Briles, 51, to accept the Baylor job.

The Bears have scheduled a 5:30 p.m. press conference to introduce Briles as their new head coach.

Okay, the money part I understand. At least, I understand it from Briles' perspective. Why Baylor would want to shell out nearly $10.6 million over seven years on a coach is a bit of a mystery. Can they really afford that? If there's one thing that the Lords of Baseball have learned lately, it's not the annual salaries that kill you, it's the length of the contracts. You can really get stuck down the line with a commodity that's no longer worth anywhere near what you originally paid for it. It doesn't have to work out that way, of course, but it is a risk.

The other thing I don't quite understand is why Briles thinks Baylor is going to be a good opportunity for him.

Briles is replacing Guy Morriss, who was fired Nov. 18, one day after the Bears completed a 3-9 season, their 12th straight losing season, and went 0-8 in the Big 12. Bears went 18-40 overall under Morriss, 7-33 in Big 12 games.

"I think the challenge is always (a lure)," said Briles of moving on. "That's why you coach. We crossed a few bridges here that haven't been crossed before. I can find comfort in the fact that this program (Houston) is on solid ground. There are some good players in the house here that are coming back and ready to go. We've built a winning tradition here, one that people will be proud of."

The Bears last above-.500 finish came in 1995, when they went 7-4 under coach Chuck Reedy, and they have not been ranked since the second week of the 1992 season when they were No. 24 in the AP poll before a 45-21 loss to No. 10 Colorado. Since joining the Big 12 in 1996, the Bears have gone 11-85 in conference play, winning no more than three games (3-5 in 2006) and getting outscored by an average of 39.2-16.9 in 96 Big 12 games.

How do you compete in the Big XII as Baylor? Briles did a fine job at UH, which as Richard Justice notes is a challenging environment. He may well have what it takes to succeed in a much tougher conference, I don't know. Whatever confidence he's got in his abilties, he's gonna need, that's all I'm saying.

The Dynamo will not play at the Dome

Tory reminds me that there were a couple of letters to the editor on Sunday that called for the stadium-seeking Houston Dynamo to be united with the purpose-needing Astrodome. We've been over this before, but let me reiterate the key reason why this ain't gonna happen: The Dynamo have no interest in using the Dome. The franchise relocated here from San Jose because they wanted their own stadium and couldn't make it happen there. They're putting up their own money to cover somewhere between 75 and 90% of the cost of that stadium. There's no way on earth that they will suddenly decide they're better off as tenants in a cavernous, out of date venue, no matter how much nostalgia there is for it. It makes no sense.

Now, if the Dynamo were seeking a publicly-financed stadium as our other franchises had done a few years ago, then I could see this. But given how much public opinion has turned against such largesse, don't you think Mayor White and Judge Emmett would prefer the Dynamo's mostly privately financed venture to a taxpayer-funded refurb/retrofit of the Dome for them? Maybe I'm misreading the save-the-Dome sentiment out there, but I don't think people have factored a multimillion-dollar expenditure into their thinking.

Finally, regarding the issue of air conditioning versus the Houston summer, I say the Dome's utility bills would be another negative from the Dynamo's perspective. Why pay to cool off 60,000 people when your high-end attendance estimates are in the 25,000-30,000 range? And as for the summer weather, I have two words: night games. They do open the roof at Minute Maid when the sun goes down, you know.

Seriously. Dome/Dynamo - not gonna happen. If the hotel idea won't fly for the Dome, they're going to have to think of something else.

Tulsa files complaint against the MOB

Since I'm sure someone is going to send me this link, I figure I'd better blog it now and get ahead of the curve.

Tulsa has filed a formal complaint with Conference USA over the Rice marching band's performance of "Todd Graham's Inferno" during halftime of Saturday's football game in Houston.

Graham left Rice for Tulsa after just one season. His Golden Hurricane defeated Rice 48-43 to win the C-USA West Division title. Tulsa plays Central Florida for the conference championship Saturday.

The band's show depicted a search for the former Owls coach through different circles of Hell -- based on Dante's "Divine Comedy."

The Tulsa World reported Tuesday that the show ended by calling Graham an offensive name over the public address system.

That would be "douchebag". Here's the script. The bit in question is at the very end, our walkoff line:

Announcer:
You know, that reminds me of a joke: A priest, a nun, and a rabbi walk into a bar. Now, I forgot how the rest of it went, but I think in the end Todd Graham is a douchebag.

Ladies and gentlemen, the two-thousand seven Marching Owl Band. Please send all complaints to: your mom at mob dot rice dot E-D-U.

I should note that the "your mom at rice dot edu" address did once belong to an actual MOB member, and that we've used it in a script before. I don't know if it still works, but that's not really important right now.

Back to the story:

"We filed a formal complaint with the conference and that's where it stands now," Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. "I talked to their AD (Chris Del Conte) this morning. Our conversation was very cordial and he said to do what we thought was appropriate."

Cunningham said sportsmanship has been a point of emphasis in C-USA.

"When we don't meet those standards, we need to look at ourselves as a league and find how we can make that experience better," he said.

I'll leave that one open to your suggestions. Beyond that, I'll just say that this one will go down as one of my favorite shows ever. It was totally worth freezing my butt off for.

More cheering for Dynamo Stadium

Yesterday's celebration of the Dynamo's second consecutive MLS championship turned into an impromptu rally in favor of Dynamo Stadium.

Also present were several Houston City Council members and Mayor Bill White, who congratulated the team but not before enduring chants of "Where's our stadium? Where's our stadium?" from many of the more than 2,500 in attendance.

"If you don't like Dynamo soccer, you don't like sports," White said.

Minutes earlier, Councilman Adrian Garcia had gotten the crowd going.

"Let's make it (a stadium) happen," Garcia said.

As I said before, if it doesn't happen now, I don't know when it ever would. I predict it'll happen by Tuesday next week. Could be sooner, but I figure they won't want to make such an announcement over a holiday weekend. We'll see.

In that previous post, a commenter asked the quite reasonable question "Why can't they play at the Astrodome?" I can't think of any reason why they "can't", in the sense that there's no legal issue that would bar them from doing so, but I can think of at least four reasons why they wouldn't and won't:

1. The fan experience at the Dome would be lousy. Going by the capacity of the stadium they want to build, the team expects its average crowd to be in the 10,000 to 20,000 range. At that size, the Dome would be like a cavern, and its seats would be too far from the action.

2. Given that expected crowd size and what I figure the operating costs of the Dome (think air conditioning), I'd have my doubts that the Dynamo could cover their operating expenses. It would certainly not be optimal, and likely not desirable for them to be in that position.

3. Even if the Dome were a good fit for them, it would still require some upgrades and maintenance to be suitable for regular dates. I attended a couple of concerts at the Dome during its last Rodeo, and it struck me then as being in sad shape. The county isn't going to want to pay for this, and it makes no sense for the Dynamo to do so either, especially when they can pursue a new venue for what's likely to be about the same cost.

4. The Dynamo don't want to be tenants. The reason the franchise moved here from San Jose was because they wanted their own stadium, which they couldn't get out there. Why would they abandon that goal now?

So there you have it.

UPDATE: Miya has pictures.

Sorry, not funny

Trash talking in sports, especially between fans of rival teams, is a time-honored tradition. But as in all things, there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. Via Racy Mind and the Library Chronicles, I'd have to say that making Katrina evacuation jokes, especially in Houston when the New Orleans Saints are in town, counts as one of those lines. Call me a stick in the mud if you must, but I just don't find that at all funny. Please don't do that again. Thanks very much.

Dynamo Stadium: If not now, then when?

My congratulations to the Houston Dynamo for their second consecutive MLS championship. Now how about that stadium that's been in the works for however long?

The Houston Dynamo, fresh off the team's second straight championship, could have a private-public deal to build a stadium in place within weeks, city and team officials said Monday.

"I'm hopeful we can put a good deal together," said Andy Icken, the city's deputy director of public works, who is heading negotiations for the city. "If we're going to be successful, we'll be successful in the next two weeks."

When last we discussed this, we were looking at a late-September-ish deadline. Guess that kinda slipped. Ah, well, the timing worked out pretty well for the team.

Some members of the team, which won its second straight Major League Soccer championship Sunday by defeating the New England Revolution, said they are wondering why it is taking so long to secure a stadium deal.

"Mayor White, listen up: This team deserves it (a stadium)," Dynamo defender Craig Waibel said.

All due respect, but I don't think an attitude of entitlement is going to help your cause. Just FYI.

County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia said the Dynamo's second championship should energize officials and fans to get a stadium built.

"But nobody wants to see taxpayer dollars go toward this," she said.

The county is not expected to play a role in a stadium project.

Nearly two years ago, AEG moved its franchise to Houston after failing to put together a stadium deal to its liking in San Jose, Calif. The mammoth entertainment company renamed the team the Dynamo, and executives promised to get a stadium built in its new home.

Oliver Luck, Dynamo president and general manager, said the team has presented a good proposal to the city and is waiting for a response. "We're close to a deal. It's really up to the mayor," Luck said.

White is seeking a deal that would not require the city to contribute public money. While AEG's proposal calls for the company to bear most of the construction costs, it still would require the city to provide millions of dollars in needed infrastructure improvements, city and team officials said.

"The mayor has said he would not like to use any money that could be used for firefighters or policemen," Icken said.

[...]

"We're prepared to put in the preponderance of the money for the stadium," Luck said. "I'm reluctant to say whether it would be $60 million, $62 million or $72 million," he said. "But we are asking the city for some financial help, no two ways about it."

Infrastructure improvements could include building streets to a stadium site and paying for expanded water lines and other utilities, Icken said.

I've said before that I needed to know the details before I could judge this. From what I'm seeing here, I'm leaning towards being okay with it. The team is putting up most of the money, the location of the stadium (east of Minute Maid) is sensible, and the city appears to be asked to do things that would be broadly beneficial. I'm not sold yet, but I'm not feeling like we're about to get hosed, either. That's good enough for now, but we'll see where we end up.

I'd call it a game-changer, wouldn't you?

If you enjoyed that amazing video of Trinity's improbable last-play touchdown to beat Millsaps this past Saturday, you can express your appreciation of it in a tangible fashion, according to this email I got from the ol' bountiful mother:

In a play that brought back memories of the 1982 California-Stanford game, the Division III Trinity Tigers delivered one of the most unbelievable plays of the 2007 NCAA college football season. With two seconds remaining in the game and the ball on their own 39-yard line, Trinity needed an incredible 15 laterals before Riley Curry scored the winning touchdown over the Majors of Millsaps for an improbable 28-24 win and a Pontiac Game Changing Performance nomination.

Now it is up to Trinity fans to determine if the Tigers earned the "Pontiac Game Changing Performance" for the ninth week of the 2007 NCAA Football Season. TU fans can go to pontiac.com/ncaa, where they can view video clips of the four finalists and vote for their favorite play. Voting begins on Sunday morning and ends at midnight on Wednesday. ESPN will announce this week's "Pontiac Game Changing Performance" winner, on Thursday night, during the Pontiac Performance Halftime Report.

The winning university earns a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac to their general scholarship fund. Additionally, the winning play will be nominated for the "Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year" and the chance to win a $100,000 General Scholarship from Pontiac.

"Awarding more than $1 million since its inception, the Pontiac Game Changing Performance program continues to be a great example of how passionate fans can have a positive impact academically and athletically by generating scholarship dollars for university-wide programs," said Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN GameDay Analyst.

In addition, each week one lucky individual who visits pontiac.com/ncaa will also win a $5,000 scholarship for them self or their family. In total, Pontiac will provide $300,000 worth of scholarships to universities and individuals throughout the season.

For full program details, visit www.pontiac.com/ncaa.

Click away as you see fit.

Turns out, by the way, that the kid who scored the winning touchdown for the Tigers is a local boy.

Exhausted, Riley Curry found an opening, and with it, instant celebrity status en route to one of the most jaw-dropping plays in college football history.

The former Fort Bend Clements wide receiver took part in Trinity University's miraculous 28-24 win over Millsaps College last Saturday afternoon, scoring the game-winning touchdown after a 61-yard, 15-lateral Hail Mary that has become the talk of the nation.

"All I remember is that I was exhausted, but when I saw the opening (at around the 15-yard line), I was in disbelief," said Curry, who touched the ball four times during the 60 seconds it took to complete the play. "As I got into the end zone, I remember looking up and seeing the official raise his hands up," Curry added.

"I looked up and the first thing I looked for was a flag. By then, I had about 15 teammates on top of me celebrating."

With the touchdown, Curry has been on a whirlwind of interviews and phone calls from media, fans and old classmates. One of the biggest surprises for him came Monday morning, when he turned on ESPN's First Take to see Skip Bayless and Patrick McEnroe debate whether his play was better than the California-Stanford play of 1982.

Riley is no stranger to last-second miracles, having scored a game-winning touchdown on a Hail Mary to help Clements defeat Fort Bend Austin on his final high school play in 2004.

"He made everything work every time he touched the ball," said Tigers head coach Steve Mohr. "He found the opening and had the presence to take off and find the end zone."

The Unofficial Scorer tots up the numbers from the play. The most amazing one to me is that it took one full minute of real time. The average NFL play lasts something like eight or ten seconds - see for yourself next time you watch. Keeping the ball alive for a minute is mindboggling.

Lateral!

This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen on a football field, and I'm not just saying it because it involved my alma mater.

The story behind the play.

The Trinity Tigers executed a 15-lateral, "Mississippi Miracle" on the last play Saturday afternoon to score the winning touchdown, stunning the Millsaps Majors 28-24 on the road to stay alive in the chase for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

The play that covered 60 yards was recorded in official statistics as a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Blake Barmore to wide receiver Riley Curry.

But the Tigers, battling the defending conference champions in Jackson, Miss., will always remember it as more than that.

"It was the most remarkable play I've ever seen in college football," Trinity coach Steve Mohr said in a telephone interview.

[...]

Junior receiver Shawn Thompson caught a pass over the middle from Barmore at the Millsaps 44 and started a series of laterals.

It ended with Curry picking up the final lateral off the turf and running for the score, denying what would have been a conference-title clinching victory for the Majors.

"As soon as I saw (Curry) in the end zone, I fell down and started crying," Barmore said. "I'm kind of a big baby."

[...]

What made the victory so sweet for Trinity players was that it unfolded at Harper Davis Field, where they lost 34-12 last year and were forced to watch the Majors celebrate an SCAC title.

This time, Trinity (7-1, 4-1) did the celebrating, with players piling on Curry in the end zone. The victory gave the Tigers an opportunity to control their own destiny for the SCAC championship. Millsaps (6-2, 5-1) can only hope that Trinity loses one of its final two games.

If both win out, the Tigers would hold the tiebreaker for the SCAC's automatic bid to the Division III playoffs.

Woo hoo! Go Tigers! Thanks to Chad Orzel for the heads up.

For whom you gonna root?

Chad Orzel asks:

If you're a fan of a team in a sport with a championship playoff, who do you root for when your team is out?

I've been mocking Rudy Giuliani over at Kuff's World for his patently phony embrace of the Red Sox, so this has some salience for me. I left a comment on Chad's post, which I'll flesh out a bit more here. It's complicated, and if you're not a sports fan, you'll almost assuredly roll your eyes at the convoluted nature of this. All I can say is we all have our eccentricities.

In baseball, it's essentially a tribal thing for me. I'm a lifelong Yankees fan, ergo I hate the Mets and Red Sox. Thus, when the Yankees are not involved, I root for whoever is playing those teams. If none of them are involved, I root for my backup team the Astros. If they're not involved, I have a slight American League preference, but about the only time it comes up is the All Star Game, which I haven't watched in years anyway.

You may ask: What did I do during the 1986 World Series? Answer: Prayed for the world to end before the first pitch. I eventually decided to root for the visiting team in each game, on the theory that at least then the home fans would get no satisfaction. I know, I know, it's pathetic. But it's how it is.

All this is to say that for someone who claims to be a diehard Yankees fan - and whatever else I may think of Rudy Giuliani, I recognized him as a true fan up till now - it should be genetically impossible to root for the Red Sox. I think First Read nailed it when they said "Seriously, this is why some are so cynical about politicians." I admit, there are things about the Rockies that make me less than full-throated in their support. But still: we're talking the Red Sox here. There is no choice. And frankly, were the roles reversed, I'd expect nothing less from Red Sox fans. This is just How Things Were Meant To Be.

For other sports, I'm less didactic. If the Giants aren't involved, I'll root against the Cowboys, root for the Jets (as if that would help) or just be neutral. I'm finally starting to warm a bit to the Texans, but I figure it'll still be awhile before this question has any relevance. If the Houston Rockets aren't involved, I'll root against the Lakers, or just be neutral. In college sports, for those rare occasions when Rice is not playing in the postseason (hah!), I'll root for a team from my conference (which this week is C-USA) or against a team from the Big 12; if all else fails, I root for the underdog and/or non-BCS conference school.

All right then. What's your algorithm for this situation?

Franchione the capitalist

Well, you have to admire the creativity, if nothing else.

Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione delivered insider information to a small and select group of supporters in exchange for $1,200 a year to help underwrite his Web site coachfran.com, a person within the athletic department confirmed Friday morning.

The San Antonio-Express News published a story in Friday editions detailing an arrangement made between Franchione and 12 boosters. According to the report, Franchione routinely sent the boosters insider information on injuries and analysis of his players in the form of an e-mail called "VIP Connection."

Franchione normally declines to discuss injuries unless they are season-ending and is never negative toward individual players in the media or in public. His discolsure of injuries in the newsletter, even without consent from a player, does not break any federal privacy laws, according to a spokesman for the Office of Civil Rights, which handles the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Neither Franchione, A&M athletic director Bill Byrne nor associate athletic director Mike McKenzie, who wrote the newsletter with Franchione's permission, returned phone calls or was made available for comment. Byrne and Franchione, however, both released statements Friday afternoon explaining their sides.

It was said that Byrne was not pleased with the idea of the newsletter when he first learned of it and his words certainly support that assertion.

"I was first made aware of this VIP email list by a reporter two weeks ago," Byrne said in the statement. "When I saw a copy of an email, I called coach Fran and recommended this program be discontinued. I understand he stopped at that time.

"Since then, I have learned the funding for the emails went to a company that hosts his website."

Franchione, while acknowledging the newsletter and its intent, defended his position. He said his only reason for the newsletter was to pay for coachfran.com, a site he has maintained since his TCU days.

[...]

Upon learning of the existence of the newsletter, according to the Express-News, Byrne warned Franchione that it didn't look good for the coach to be involved with such a newsletter. But according to a person inside the athletic department, Franchione, who makes more than $2 million in salary as the head coach, did not benefit financially from the newsletter. The department insider said the $1,200 checks went directly to the company that hosts coachfran.com.

Is there any way that this doesn't end badly for Franchione? I mean, it might be different if he were this beloved icon with a long track record of success. That ain't the case, so how does he survive this? I say start the countdown clock.

Are you ready for some football in San Antonio?

The students at UT-San Antonio has approved a fee increase that would enable them to add a football program at the school.

The results of this week's vote, announced Thursday, mean student athletic fees may incrementally increase from a maximum of $120 per semester to a maximum of $240 a semester. While the money will generally go to improvements for the school's athletics programs, the vote also is a first step toward eventually creating a football team.

Almost 66 percent of the 4,600 votes cast were in favor of the increase.

The NCAA Division I school, with an enrollment of nearly 29,000 students, already sponsors 16 sports.

Marianne McBride Lewis, a university spokeswoman, said the earliest the school could have a team is 2010, but that's "really optimistic."

She said to create a team the school will need additional financial support from outside donors, since tuition money and state funding can't be used for athletics.

The school's administration and the University of Texas System Board of Regents still each has to approve the increase. The first incremental increase could go into effect next fall, Lewis said.

I have to say, I'm surprised it took UTSA this long to do this. While there already is a fine collegiate football program in San Antonio, it's not exactly a big one. There's a void in San Antonio for something like Division IA football - there's literally no other competition for it. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Roadrunners draw 40,000+ fans per game from the get go. This has the potential to be huge for UTSA, if for no other reason than the boost in prestige and visibility, as this Express News editorial observes.

Academics represent the foundation of a university, but athletic programs add prestige, and prestige, in turn, enhances academics, creating a positive, vibrant cycle.

Football programs also help attract students from beyond the area, a phenomenon that could help UTSA grow from a commuter school to a higher tier university.

University officials -- and students -- should view the prospects with guarded optimism, but there is no denying it: The outlook is bright.

Now just because the students approved this doesn't mean it's a done deal. Besides the board of regents, there will be pragmatic issues like where the team will play, since an appropriate stadium doesn't currently exist on campus. That could lead to a political fight.

[UTSA Athletic Director Lynn] Hickey confirmed UTSA would ask for $50 million from the county to help fund an on-campus athletics complex.

UTSA is expected to deliver the message at her presentation to a county athletics facilities committee hearing Sept. 25.

The UTSA athletics complex is planned as a facility to be shared by the university and the community.

It will include a core building for athletics offices, plus stadiums for baseball, softball, track, soccer and tennis. It also would serve as a training site for football.

While [Bexar County Judge Nelson] Wolff said the county likely would include UTSA's complex on its funding list of amateur sports complexes in next year's election, he said a $50 million slice of the package probably isn't in the cards.

"It's probably going to be difficult to get that much," Wolff said. "We'll have to leave that up to the task force. But I think they will step up and do something significant."

The team would start out at the Alamodome, which is grossly underutilized now, but it wouldn't shock me if there's a push to build a stadium on campus some day, especially if the team is successful on the field early on. From a student's perspective, that's always going to be better, and from the university's viewpoint, it's better to be an owner than a tenant. We'll see how that eventually plays out. Stace and Dig Deeper Texas have more.

Talk about your bad polls...

Oregon 39, Michigan 7.

A week after being upset by Appalachian State, the Michigan Wolverines were handed their most lopsided loss in 39 years as Dennis Dixon and the Ducks cruised 39-7 on Saturday.

Dixon accounted for 368 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.

Michigan (0-2) has opened a season with two straight losses at home for the first time since 1959 and has dropped four straight, dating to last season.

Unlike in the stunning loss to the second-tier Mountaineers, the Wolverines didn't even keep it close against Oregon. The 32-point setback was Michigan's worst since it lost 50-14 at Ohio State in 1968.

Has there ever been a team as grossly overrated by the preseason polls as onetime #5 Michigan? You have to wonder what it was that the voters saw in this team.

I think this is one more reason why there shouldn't be a preseason poll for football, which is a hobbyhorse of Salon's King Kaufman. Kaufman's point is that some teams that might eventually have a legitimate claim for a chance to play for the BCS championship are effectively eliminated from same by starting the season being ranked too low - they're unable to leapfrog all the teams ahead of them, even as those teams lose and they remain unbeaten. It seems to me that if the pollsters can be so wrong about the quality of a team like Michigan in 2007, they can also be wrong about (say) a Boise State from 2006. Why guess when you can see a game or two first? Get rid of the preseason poll, and this problem goes away.

Is that your uniform number or your age?

Great