Dodgers Give Name To New Spring Site; White Sox Will Share Facility

The Dodgers and White Sox announced Thursday that their new joint venture Spring Training facility in Glendale, Ariz., will be called "Camelback Ranch."

The 141-acre site is located on Camelback Road just west of the Loop 101. The $80 million baseball facility includes more than 118,000 square feet of Major and Minor League clubhouse space, 13 full baseball fields and three half-fields. The site will feature walking trails, landscaped grounds and an orange grove. There will also be two ponds and a fully stocked lake between the Dodgers and White Sox facilities.

The shared stadium, which will be the focal point of the complex, is the largest in the Cactus League with a capacity of 13,000, which includes 3,000 lawn seats, 12 luxury suites, a party deck and a center-field rotunda entrance.

The Dodgers and White Sox announced plans to move to the Glendale site two years ago, but the White Sox received final clearance only earlier this week when they bought out the remaining three seasons of a contract to train in Tucson, Ariz., for $5 million. The White Sox had been sharing a complex with the Arizona Diamondbacks since 1998 after relocating from Sarasota, Fla.

In addition to serving as the Spring Training home of the White Sox and Dodgers, the campus will become the home for all Dodger Minor League operations throughout the year, including the team's Arizona League entry and Fall Instructional League team. The White Sox also will use Camelback Ranch in Glendale as the home for their Fall Instructional League.

The teams are currently looking for naming rights in the region of $1 million per season for the facility.

Source: MLB

Wizards Get Tax Break To Start New Stadium

The Wizards’ new soccer-specific stadium took one major step toward reality Thursday.

The Missouri Development Finance Board approved $30 million in tax credits toward The Trails development in southeast Kansas City. That clears the way for the LANE4 Property Group and the Wizards’ ownership group, OnGoal LLC, to begin demolition of the old Bannister Mall site and start construction of a $1 billion mixed-use project.

The centerpiece of the project will be the $100 million soccer stadium, seating 18,500, scheduled to open late in the 2010 Major League Soccer season or for the start of the 2011 season.

“It’s a really big day for us,” said Robb Heineman, chief executive officer of OnGoal and president of the Wizards. “It’s huge for us to have this out of the way to make sure the project comes together.

OnGoal is investing about 71 percent of the capital required for the project, which will include the stadium, 12 tournament-quality soccer fields, 590 hotel rooms, 1.13 million square feet of mixed-use retail, 1.7 million square feet of office space and 18,249 parking spaces. Public taxing districts will provide the additional 29 percent, mostly through TIFs.

There are still some details remaining before the wrecking ball hits Bannister Mall, including the purchase of the Sears building, Heineman said.

He also conceded the current economic climate “may impact us a little bit … if you look at the broad credit markets right now, they’re not great.

The Wizards, founded in 1996 by the late Lamar Hunt, played their first 12 seasons at Arrowhead Stadium before taking up temporary residence at CommunityAmerica Ballpark this season for all but one home game that was played at Arrowhead.

Last year, the club moved into a privately financed, $3 million state-of-the-art training center in Swope Park, just minutes from the site of the new stadium project.

Of the 13 other MLS franchises, eight play in soccer-specific stadiums, and the New York Red Bulls have broken ground on a new facility in Harrison, N.J. The Wizards will remain at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, which seats 10,385 for soccer, until the new stadium is completed in 2010.

Source: Kansas City Star

REPORT: Pinkel Close To Long-Term Contract Extension

Missouri officials have told The Kansas City Star they’ll have no comment today but anticipate being able to announce early next week a contract extension for Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel.

For some time now, the extension of Pinkel’s contract has been a foregone conclusion, despite speculation that Pinkel was high on Washington’s list to replace Ty Willingham.

MU athletic director Mike Alden had an athletic department staffer call The Star on Friday that he would be making no immediate comment.

“We could have something early next week,” athletic department spokesperson Chad Moller said.

MU’s acknowledgement of the situation dovetailed with sources telling The Star, ESPN’s Pat Forde and others that a new agreement was imminent.

Reportedly, the agreement -- which would boost Pinkel’s compensation to $2.5 million a year -- is in the hands of attorneys.

Pinkel currently is under contract through 2012 at $1.85 million a year. That currently is fourth in the Big 12 Conference behind Mack Brown of Texas ($2.8 million), Bob Stoops of Oklahoma ($2.65 million) and Mark Mangino of Kansas ($2.3 million).

Pinkel’s new contract would move him back ahead of Mangino in compensation into third in the Big 12.

While Pinkel will be back at Missouri, his offensive and defensive coordinators may not. Multiple sources list offensive coordinator Dave Christensen as the leading candidate as head coach at Wyoming. Toledo officials have spoken with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus about the Toledo head job.

Source: Kansas City Star

SOLD OUT! No Room At The Q For Arkansas-MSU

The first ever basketball game at the new JQH Arena in Springfield on the campus of Missouri State University is officially sold out according to my sources.

MSU will face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night, Nov. 22 in a 7:15 pm tipoff with 11,000-plus in attendance at the $67 million facility.

Standing room only tickets go on sale at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. The game will be broadcast locally on KTXR-FM 101.3 and Mediacom cable.

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Chiefs Playing In Front Of Empty Seats?

The Chiefs have lost 19 of their last 20 games, dating to last season, and that has tested the faith of many fans, and they are showing it by not attending games.

The team announced last Sunday that more than 74,000 tickets had been sold for the 30-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints. But thousands of seats were empty on that sunny afternoon. Similar scenes at other home games have caused worry at Arrowhead Stadium that fans are losing interest in paying to watch a team that, as recently as five years ago, needed a waiting list to accommodate ticket demands.

Things are different this season. The team has sent out notices that tickets — even premium lower-level seats — were available days before five of the six home games so far, including Sunday against Buffalo. The team has booked famous musicians to sing the national anthem and offered ticket discounts. Still, most of this season’s home games have threatened to fall short of sellouts, a rarity among NFL teams.

“We need to continue to give them a show,” said Bill Newman, the team’s senior vice president for administration. “We knew that, during a rebuilding period, we needed to do all we could to be competitive. What we didn’t see coming was this economic downturn. It’s taking its toll, as well as the team’s performance.”

The online ticket brokerage StubHub.com offered dozens of tickets for the Buffalo game at $12 each and less. The team’s lowest price for an individual seat was $35, already a discount.

On Tuesday, the Kansas City shopping region on Craigslist.org was swarmed with 55 posts offering tickets to Sunday’s game as low as $15 per seat. Some sellers threw in parking passes, and one was so desperate that he offered to trade his tickets for goods.

Source: Kansas City Star

Pujols Part Of MLS Ownership Bid

St. Louis Soccer United, a group committed to bringing a Major League Soccer expansion franchise to the St. Louis metropolitan area in 2011, today announced that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has joined the proposed St. Louis ownership group.

Pujols, one of the most popular athletes in the history of St. Louis sports, was named on Monday as the Most Valuable Player in the National League, marking the second time in four years that he has earned the league’s highest honor. Earlier this year, Pujols was named the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which honors the Major League Baseball player who combines outstanding play on the field with devoted work in the community.

“I am very proud and excited to join the effort to bring Major League Soccer to the St. Louis area,” Pujols said. “This means a lot to me and my family, as we all love soccer and we believe in MLS.

“Plus, this is something that will be great for our community, especially our youth. I strongly encourage St. Louis business leaders and sports fans to join me in this effort. St. Louis is an unbelievable sports town and we’ll be a great city for Major League Soccer.”

St. Louis Soccer United submitted a formal bid for an MLS expansion team to the league on Oct. 15. SLSU chairman Jeff Cooper, who will be at MLS Cup this weekend in Carson, Calif., said other investors with Pujols in the still-growing ownership group will be announced in the weeks ahead.

An MLS team in St. Louis would play in a new soccer-specific stadium in suburban Collinsville, Ill., located just 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis.

Source: St Louis Soccer United

New Cowboys Stadium Gets Final Four In 2014

The NCAA says the men's basketball Final Four will be played at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington in 2014.

It's also awarded the 2016 men's Final Four to Houston. Those games will be played at Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans.

The 2012 Final Four will be played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, with finals awarded to Atlanta's Georgia Dome in 2013 and the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2015.

They were chosen from 10 bids submitted in June. Also competing to host the tournaments were Detroit, Minneapolis, Phoenix and St. Louis.

Source: NCAA

DHL Pulling Out Of US & MLB?

DHL may end its sponsorship of the Atlanta Braves following the Deutsche Post AG unit’s withdrawal from the U.S. express-delivery market.

“They have indicated a desire to terminate,” Derek Schiller, executive vice president for sales and marketing for the Braves, said in an e-mail. “We are currently evaluating their sponsorship.”

Major League Baseball will hold talks with DHL about the future of its partnership, and Cincinnati Reds executives are scheduled to meet with the company tomorrow.

“As we do with all of our partners, we stay abreast of their business situations and how it relates to our partnerships,” MLB spokesman Matt Bourne said. “We’re discussing DHL’s situation with them.”

Company and baseball officials declined to disclose terms of the agreements.

DHL has said it will continue its MLB partnerships even after it fired 14,900 workers and closed three-quarters of its outlets because it failed to compete with United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. in the U.S. It will only focus on international deliveries in the U.S.

“We have made no changes with regard to our baseball sponsorships,” company spokesman Jonathan Baker said in an e- mail yesterday. “Given the change in strategic direction to focus on our international services in the U.S. market, we will be examining these in conversations with our partners.”

DHL in 2005 signed a three-year agreement with Major League Baseball to sponsor the sport’s monthly and annual “DHL Delivery Man” awards for relief pitchers. The company extended its partnership in March 2007 through the 2010 season and sponsors at least six clubs (Reds, Giants, Red Sox, Dodgers, Indians, Braves). DHL also sponsors the All-Star Fan Fest that includes exhibits and player autograph sessions.

Source: Bloomberg

BCS Moves To ESPN In 2011

The Bowl Championship Series is moving to ESPN from FOX starting in January 2011 (following the 2010 regular season).

ESPN and the BCS announced the deal on Tuesday. It includes exclusive television, radio, digital, international and marketing rights for the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls from 2011-2014 and the BCS title game from 2011 to 2013.

The Rose Bowl will continue to be televised on ABC through 2014 under a separate, previous contract. The Rose Bowl is also slated to host the 2014 title game.

ESPN is currently available in 98 million American homes. The current BCS deal with Fox Sports expires after the 2010 games.

The games will also be carried on ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio. Digital Media rights include operation of the official BCS Web site and the opportunity to simulcast the games online at ESPN360.com and on ESPN Mobile TV for mobile devices.

ESPN International will distribute and televise the BCS matchups around the world through networks and syndication, including on the re-branded ESPN America in Europe (known as NASN until Feb. 2009). In addition, ESPN has the right to televise BCS games on ESPN Deportes, the U.S. Spanish-language sports network.

"The BCS will thrive on ESPN," ESPN president George Bodenheimer said. "Our slogan is 'College Football Lives Here' and the BCS will now top college football's best regular-season and studio coverage, the sport's top awards shows, Bowl Week and other national championships all carried on our family of networks. This is a proud day for ESPN and an exceptional day for this great sport and its passionate fans."

"We are tremendously pleased to reach an agreement with ESPN and feel that the BCS games from 2011 to '14 will be in good hands," said BCS commissioner John Swofford, who is also the commissioner of the ACC. "With the continued growth of technology and the depth of coverage that ESPN gives to the college football fan on all its platforms during the regular season, this postseason partnership is a natural fit."

ESPN is available in just over 98 million U.S. homes, which is 86 percent of all households with televisions, according to Nielsen. Swofford expects that number to grow by 2011. Of the people who watched the BCS title game on Fox last season, 95 percent had cable or satellite, ESPN said.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report

Source: ESPN

Fresh Off World Series Appearance, Rays Raise Prices

The Tampa Bay Rays, coming off their first-ever playoff appearance (and World Series berth), have slightly raised individual ticket prices for the 2009 season.

Rays president Matt Silverman said Monday that about 70-percent of the single-game tickets will increase by $1 (for example, upper deck goes from $9 to $10 for regular game, from $14-16 for prime pricing). But in an effort to bolster their season-ticket base - the "lifeblood" of any baseball team - Silverman said the club is also increasing the discount for season ticket holders (up to 35 percent).

Silverman said the club is cognizant of the struggling national economy, but felt - especially with the continued free parking for cars with four or more, and the ability to bring in food and drink - it still makes the Rays tickets one of the most affordable in major league baseball.

"In order to continue fielding a team that makes the entire Tampa Bay region proud, our family of season ticket holders has to grow," Silverman said. "The pitch to a season ticket holder is an easy one; sit in the best seats, support your home team, and enjoy considerable savings off individual ticket prices."

Most everything else at Tropicana Field will remain the same; vehicles with four or more passengers can park for free, you can still bring in your food and drink, the upper-deck tarp will remain.

Source: St Petersburg Times

Johnson Wins Third Straight; "Pink Slip Monday" arrives

The ’08 NASCAR season closed Sunday with Jimmie Johnson cementing his legacy with a record-tying third straight Cup title as ABC earns a 3.6 overnight rating for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami, down slightly from '07.

But most of the talk in the garage over the weekend revolves around off-the-track issues, as hundreds of job cuts are expected as part of "Pink Slip Monday." The magnitude of the layoffs, which will hit even the most successful teams, remains to be seen, but some believe the number of jobs lost could exceed 1,000.

There seems to be an acknowledgment among drivers and owners that teams have operated beyond their means for the past decade, and everyone is scrambling to adjust to the harsh economic realities.

In addition to the imminent layoffs, NASCAR's testing ban is sure to save millions of dollars for teams, and in the wake of Johnson's continued dominance, may help level the playing field.

Whoops, Mark Cuban Accused by SEC of Insider Trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Dallas Mavericks owner and dot-com billionaire Mark Cuban with insider trading for selling 600,000 shares of an Internet search engine company prior to an impending stock offering.

The Commission's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that in June 2004, Mamma.com invited Cuban to participate in a stock offering after he agreed to keep the information confidential.

Cuban knew that the offering would be conducted at a discount to the prevailing market price and that it would be dilutive to existing shareholders, the SEC said in a statement.

Cuban then told his broker to sell Cuban's entire position in the company, the SEC alleged. Mamma.com's stock price opened at $11.89 after the offering was announced, a decline of more than 9 percent.

According to the complaint, Cuban avoided losses in excess of $750,000 by selling his stock prior to the public announcement of the offering.

Cuban is expected to fight the charges.

Mark Cuban is a billionaire entrepreneur and is also the chairman of HDNet, an HDTV cable network.

In 2005, Mamma.com acquired desktop search company Copernic Technologies. In 2007, the combined company changed its name to Copernic [CNIC], which trades publicly on the Nasdaq.

Source: Associated Press

Steelers Chairman To Buy Out Family For Control

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney and his son will likely buy a controlling interest in the team from Rooney's four brothers.

"It's not really (that) a deal has been reached, but we're coming along very well," Art Rooney Jr., one of the brothers, said Saturday.

"You're dealing with five people who are very private. There are a lot of ideas and nuances. We're moving in the right direction after all," he said. "There's still things that have to be worked out, but it's headed that way."

Dan Rooney was the only person interested in buying the team, which the brothers want to see remain in the family, according to Art Rooney Jr.

"That was a pretty big factor in this whole thing," he said.

Art Rooney Jr. was reluctant to name a price, saying it could change. The team has been estimated to be worth as much as $1.2 billion.

Each brother owns 16 percent of the team, adding up to 80 percent, with another Pittsburgh family, the McGinleys, owning 20 percent. Those shares are not being sold. The Rooneys' father, Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr., bought the franchise in 1933 for $2,500.

Source: Fox Sports

Tour de Georgia Cancels 2009 Race

The Tour de Georgia will not hold its annual race through the state in 2009 but plans to return in 2010.

The Tour de Georgia, the seven-day race billed as North America's premier professional cycling event, has struggled financially as it could not find a title sponsor the last two years.

Support in the Tour de Georgia declined following Lance Armstrong's retirement. The announcement to cancel the race came despite Armstrong's recent comeback, including plans to return to the Georgia event.

The decision to cancel the 2009 race was announced by board member Tom Saddlemire on the race's Web site.

Saddlemire said 2009 will be used "to plan ahead and properly position" the Tour de Georgia.