The Swamp

brian wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 5:08 pm Would be all private money so at that point I definitely don’t care.

Yeah, that's definitely better than Buffalo/Erie County taxpayers being on the hook for almost a billion dollars.

brian wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 5:08 pm

bapo! wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:34 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:20 pm Las Vegas is the only city in the world with five arenas of 8,500 capacity or more within two miles of each other

This sounds utterly ridiculous, but if they're all functioning and making money, good for them. I don't think that model would work in Pittsburgh, but it's a slightly different cultural landscape here. At least, that's what I've read.

The thought of building another full-size NBA/NHL arena is still maddening, tho.

Would be all private money so at that point I definitely don’t care. Build an arena on every block. Las Vegas is a definitely a different beast. I know the NCAA is discussing playing the entire women’s hoops Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds in Las Vegas which is probably the only city that could pull it off.

I can understand why the big hotel/casino/resort places would each want their own arena space...but it just boggles my mind to have 2 big event spaces like that in the same town. New York has MSG and the Barclays, but I can't think of another city that has that.

But...private money...so good for them.

brian wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:20 pm ...but the NCAA is discussing playing the entire women’s hoops Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds in Las Vegas which is probably the only city that could pull it off.

I could believe it for a lot of sports, but I doubt women's basketball could inspire such fan travel as to really draw well enough, given that they still play the first two rounds at home teams' gyms (and, even give some sweet 16 round teams home court advantage) so they can get decent attendance.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:17 pm

brian wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:20 pm ...but the NCAA is discussing playing the entire women’s hoops Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds in Las Vegas which is probably the only city that could pull it off.

I could believe it for a lot of sports, but I doubt women's basketball could inspire such fan travel as to really draw well enough, given that they still play the first two rounds at home teams' gyms (and, even give some sweet 16 round teams home court advantage) so they can get decent attendance.

It would be an interesting experiment though because some of the best college postseason traditions are knowing where something is going to be and people can pre-book travel around it even if they're not sure their team will make it like the College World Series in Omaha or the women's softball in Oklahoma City to a lesser extent. I think if they decided to go that Vegas route they should commit to it for like three straight years to give fans time to plan around it. There's probably a lot more women's college basketball fans out there than you think. You basically make it like a convention for a weekend and it's not crazy to think you might be talking a couple hundred thousand easy which is way more than you'd need to make a return on investment (remember the NCAA is trying to make money off of this shit).

When I gave blood a couple weeks ago they presented me with a voucher for two Giants tickets. Not great seats, but free. So we are going to spend this afternoon sitting in the bleachers drinking a beer. Not a bad way to spend the day.

When is going to PAC Bell/SBC/AT&T/Oracle Park ever a bad idea?

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 12:11 pm When I gave blood a couple weeks ago they presented me with a voucher for two Giants tickets. Not great seats, but free. So we are going to spend this afternoon sitting in the bleachers drinking a beer. Not a bad way to spend the day.

I assume you saw Crawford get tossed from the field?

Yeah, I saw him leave the game. But, I didn’t understand that he was ejected until I read about it later. The public address announcer never explained what happened. At the time, I thought he had tweaked a muscle or something.

This afternoon was the first time I sat in the bleachers in a long time. Half the crowd around me was people just socializing or chasing their kids, and barely focusing on the game. Kind of weird, but maybe that’s what you get when your team is out of contention and mired in a losing streak on a glorious sunshiney day.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:39 pm Yeah, I saw him leave the game. But, I didn’t understand that he was ejected until I read about it later. The public address announcer never explained what happened. At the time, I thought he had tweaked a muscle or something.

This afternoon was the first time I sat in the bleachers in a long time. Half the crowd around me was people just socializing or chasing their kids, and barely focusing on the game. Kind of weird, but maybe that’s what you get when your team is out of contention and mired in a losing streak on a glorious sunshiney day.

That's every baseball game I've ever been to I think.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:39 pm Yeah, I saw him leave the game. But, I didn’t understand that he was ejected until I read about it later. The public address announcer never explained what happened. At the time, I thought he had tweaked a muscle or something.

This afternoon was the first time I sat in the bleachers in a long time. Half the crowd around me was people just socializing or chasing their kids, and barely focusing on the game. Kind of weird, but maybe that’s what you get when your team is out of contention and mired in a losing streak on a glorious sunshiney day.

Strange. I saw your post about getting free tix and Oiler's brother posted a photo on social media of him at the game (left field bleachers). Small world. Don't remember him ever posting from a baseball game before.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Thu Sep 01, 2022 8:45 am

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:39 pm Yeah, I saw him leave the game. But, I didn’t understand that he was ejected until I read about it later. The public address announcer never explained what happened. At the time, I thought he had tweaked a muscle or something.

This afternoon was the first time I sat in the bleachers in a long time. Half the crowd around me was people just socializing or chasing their kids, and barely focusing on the game. Kind of weird, but maybe that’s what you get when your team is out of contention and mired in a losing streak on a glorious sunshiney day.

Strange. I saw your post about getting free tix and Oiler's brother posted a photo on social media of him at the game (left field bleachers). Small world. Don't remember him ever posting from a baseball game before.

Funny , probably saw him there. I was in left field, too.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Sep 01, 2022 1:17 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Thu Sep 01, 2022 8:45 am

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:39 pm Yeah, I saw him leave the game. But, I didn’t understand that he was ejected until I read about it later. The public address announcer never explained what happened. At the time, I thought he had tweaked a muscle or something.

This afternoon was the first time I sat in the bleachers in a long time. Half the crowd around me was people just socializing or chasing their kids, and barely focusing on the game. Kind of weird, but maybe that’s what you get when your team is out of contention and mired in a losing streak on a glorious sunshiney day.

Strange. I saw your post about getting free tix and Oiler's brother posted a photo on social media of him at the game (left field bleachers). Small world. Don't remember him ever posting from a baseball game before.

Funny , probably saw him there. I was in left field, too.

He was the guy eating ice cream.

Hope the Bills get a discount on the design fee, Ctrl C & Ctrl V

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/a ... enham.html

Did they, like... Think no one would notice??

Weird.

DC selling RFK stadium seats. Not sure I need an old plastic seat for $300 (pair for $500). But the wood ones from the upper deck...Okay not as cool as seats from Joe Lewis Arena or Cole Field House.
https://www.stadiumseatdepot.com/RFK_St ... _Sale.aspx

A great gift idea, but a bit pricey.

One year as a thank you for renewing his seasons tickets, my father got a square inch or so of the recently replaced astro turf from Rich stadium encased in a lucite puck. It sat on his desk for decades.

A couple of you have seen it in person, but I have a big chunk of the 96 final four floor in my bar. Plus 2 bench seats from the 96 and 98 final four as well as two old Rupp Arena seats. It's neat and a great conversation piece.

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:59 am A couple of you have seen it in person, but I have a big chunk of the 96 final four floor in my bar. Plus 2 bench seats from the 96 and 98 final four as well as two old Rupp Arena seats. It's neat and a great conversation piece.

Oh that is phenomenal!

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:59 am A couple of you have seen it in person, but I have a big chunk of the 96 final four floor in my bar. Plus 2 bench seats from the 96 and 98 final four as well as two old Rupp Arena seats. It's neat and a great conversation piece.

Grrrr

Pruitt3 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 8:01 am

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:59 am A couple of you have seen it in person, but I have a big chunk of the 96 final four floor in my bar. Plus 2 bench seats from the 96 and 98 final four as well as two old Rupp Arena seats. It's neat and a great conversation piece.

Oh that is phenomenal!

I can attest. As is the food the bar serves!

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:59 am A couple of you have seen it in person, but I have a big chunk of the 96 final four floor in my bar. Plus 2 bench seats from the 96 and 98 final four as well as two old Rupp Arena seats. It's neat and a great conversation piece.

Dead to me....

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:59 am A couple of you have seen it in person, but I have a big chunk of the 96 final four floor in my bar. Plus 2 bench seats from the 96 and 98 final four as well as two old Rupp Arena seats. It's neat and a great conversation piece.

I think I stubbed my toe on that floor during one visit, and it was before we had anything to drink!

New KC stadium?

So Tampa gets a new stadium deal.
Today Angelos said he is committed to Camden Yards and Baltimore for 30 years (Which probably means they will move to Nashville in 2 years).

I use Camden Yards as a marker of stadium age and believe no stadium should be built if the stadium is younger than Camden Yards (Truist). I guess Tampa is 2 years older than Camden Yards..but MLS stadiums fall into this too (Chicago, Columbus)

Mo' money!

Don't know how long it would take to recoup that money, but the alternative is a multi-billion dollar tear down. Have to move in some kind of direction on that thing. It's a monstrosity as is.

Is that stadium even used for anything anymore? I feel like that's just throwing good money after bad.

Multi billions to tear it down?

I mean, per the article it says $2B. There are lot of complications, not the least of which is the metro system runs underneath it, so I assume the demo would be extremely disruptive/complicated.

(And, of course, as you are implying with the question... the numbers are probably pretty dodgy.)

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:36 am Is that stadium even used for anything anymore? I feel like that's just throwing good money after bad.

The full pathetic story

I went to the Olympics and remember that the tower itself was barely started. The roof itself wasn't finished until 1987! A few years later, the roof tore during a snowstorm. Then after the roof was fixed, it wouldn't open. Ever.

the roof was a problem, it would continue to be cut up and torn multiple times a year until it was deemed too unsafe to use in times of heavy snowfall, effectively making it unusable for the CFL Playoffs and no longer considered a home for the Montreal Alouettes...

In 2016, $498,000 was needed to maintain the roof and over a decade spell, the roof suffered 7,453 tears and is effectively useless in the winter months because of its unstable and unsafe nature, completely making the dome aspect of the stadium irrelevant.

That stadium's history is absolutely incredible. The Olympics bankrupted Montreal - I was at university there in the 80s, and the city was so broke that they couldn't afford to pay the plows to come out on the weekend, meaning that for several days after every storm, the city was at a standstill. Other services were drastically effected as well.

Also, it was a terrible venue for baseball.

Montreal’s initial cost estimations for the stadium was $134 million, but the final bill would be shockingly much, much higher. The stadium by August 1976 had already run up costs of $795.4 million, equating to $3.59 billion in 2021. This was before the stadium was fully even complete as the tower and roof were still under construction.

By the time the stadium and the rest of the Olympics were fully paid off in 2006, the Stadium costs had skyrocketed to $1.61 billion, making it the second most expensive stadium ever built at the time.

And now another $870 million? Imagine a $4.4 billion stadium that doesn't have a single tenant and costs an extra $40 million a year to keep open. Glad I'm not a taxpayer in Montreal or Quebec.

And that horrifically bad surface shortened several careers. Think how long Andre Dawson had to play on that.

Eventually there will be federally money involved.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 12:30 pm Eventually there will be federally money involved.

(Sigh) you are right.

Fuck the Big Owe.