Re: [nas] Should I curb my enthusiasm?

Should you curb your enthusiasm? IMO Just a little.
See below for comments:

--- Evan Whitney <Evan_Whitney@harvard.edu> wrote:
> Let me see...
> 
> * Kroenke Sports Enterprises has just "purchased"
> the Colorado Rapids, and
> plans to have a purpose-built stadium in place for
> the start of the 2006
> season. Press reports have suggested a possible
> location in proximity to
> the Pepsi Center or elsewhere in downtown, but no
> plans or further details 
> have
> been released to this point.
> 
> * On Friday, September 19th, The N.Y. State
> Legislature approved a
> $15 million dollar grant to build the Rochester
> Rhinos their own, soccer-
> specific stadium at a total estimated cost of $22
> million dollars. The stadium
> will have an initial capacity of 17,500, expandable
> to 20,000 should the
> city be bumped up a division to Major League Soccer.
> There's been talk of
> ground-breaking in the next few weeks. A stadium
> rendering may be seen
> here:
>
http://www.rhinossoccer.com/images/thumbs/PaeTec%20Park1.JPG

Just to nitpick, from what I've been told initial
capacity will "only" be around 12,500-14,000 at
PaeTec.

> 
> * Peter Wilt and the Chicago Fire have received
> financial proposals from the
> communities of Bridgeview, Hanover Park, Hoffman
> Estate and the City of Chicago
> to build a soccer-specific stadium. The Fire will
> reportedly announce the 
> winning proposal
> in the next one to two months. The stadium would
> possibly be built in time 
> for the 2006
> season at a proposed cost of close to $70 million,
> capacity being in the 
> neighborhood
> of 20,000-plus.

The Chicago folks probably know a hell of a lot more
on this than I do but I will say I could swear I've
read in some places comments from Wilt that seem to
point to them really strongly considering the idea of
a much better deal at Soldier Field than putting up a
tremendous amount more of AEG's own money to build in
the 'burbs. Anyone from Chi-town get this feeling?

> 
> * New renderings of the 20,000-seat Frisco Stadium
> have recently been 
> circulated
> by Dallas Burn supporters as they look to make a
> move to their own 
> soccer-specific
> stadium for purposes of the 2005 season. Images can
> be seen through those 
> links below:
> 
>
http://home.earthlink.net/~dchristmann/data/FriscoStadiumSE.jpg
>
http://home.earthlink.net/~dchristmann/data/FriscoStadiumSECloseup.jpg
>
http://home.earthlink.net/~dchristmann/data/FriscoStadiumNW.jpg
>
http://home.earthlink.net/~dchristmann/data/FriscoStadiumNWCloseup.jpg
> 
> It's been suggested that some preliminary work on
> the stadium site may already
> be underway and that an "official ground-breaking
> may occur within the 
> month." Total
> estimated cost of the project is $65 million
> dollars. Nice touch that seems 
> to be part
> of (this particular) design proposal:
> different-colored seats that spell 
> out "DALLAS" and
> "BURN" much like what's common in European stadia.
> 
> * The Seattle Sounders as of August, were looking to
> bring an MLS expansion 
> franchise
> to Kent, WA. A soccer-specific stadium with a
> capacity of 18 - 20,000 would 
> be built
> as part of a complex featuring eight to ten
> additional soccer fields, this 
> at an estimated
> cost of around $35 million according to published
> reports. MLS is also 
> lending assistance
> with proposal planning, this also according to a
> published report. If 
> everything works out,
> Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer would like
> to have things in order 
> for an MLS
> team to being play in 2005 or 2006.

I'd love to see something like this happen and it
still could but it seems a lot further away than
'05-'06. Wonder what the Sounders fans think about
this supposed sequence of events especially since the
Sounders turned down moving to a more
A-League-friendly sized venue at Ft. Dent for the time
being?

> 
> * pinch me *
> 
> -Evan
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 


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