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Tim in Omaha
Posts:682
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| 03/31/2008 3:38 PM |
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I cant take it any more you cluless bunch of stupid fu*cks
Next year, the New York Yankees will move across the street into a slightly smaller, $1.3 billion ballpark that includes nearly 50 luxury boxes and a martini bar. The new Yankee Stadium is built for the future _ there's even locker room space for female umpires, in case any ever get hired.
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees will play with specially marked baseballs this year and to the pinstripers, the only fitting farewell would come in October. The park with the famous white facade _ initial construction plans called it the "frieze" _ has hosted exactly 100 World Series games.
Don Zimmer sat in the dugout for his share. Always next to Joe Torre, ol' Popeye was a fixture until leaving because of a feud with bombastic owner George Steinbrenner.
"How big a thrill is it to walk in a stadium and never see an empty seat? That's thrilling," Zimmer said.
"I'd say a lot of things made Yankee Stadium, and Steinbrenner would be one of the big reasons," he added. "There were so many memories. One after another. One after another."
Be it Don Larsen pitching a perfect game, Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs or Mariano Rivera closing out one of the Yankees' 26 World Series championships, the stadium at 161st Street and River Avenue was often the site where sports and legend intersected.
Lou Gehrig calling himself the "luckiest man on the face of the earth." Johnny Unitas winning "the greatest game ever played." Knute Rockne urging Notre Dame to "win one for the Gipper." Joe Louis knocking out Max Schmeling in the most politically charged fight of their era.
Muhammad Ali and Jack Dempsey boxed there, Pele got his kicks, the 1972 Miami Dolphins won on their way to a perfect season. Nebraska took the first and only Gotham Bowl.
Off the field, equally important events. Two popes celebrated Mass, the Rev. Billy Graham greeted worshippers and Nelson Mandela spoke to thousands.
The Yankees will mark the long goodbye with commemorative baseballs for every home game. They feature a logo of the stadium's original entrance, and the Yankees will wear a patch with the same emblem on their left sleeves.
Over in Queens, the New York Mets will do a similar thing at Shea Stadium, which opened in 1964 and will close after this season.
Yeah tell me that Rosenblat stadium has a history that needs saved! All I have to say to that pisssit WTFE.
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those who can, do; those who can’t crit
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Crit40
Posts:2600
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| 03/31/2008 4:16 PM |
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Let's go ahead and beat Barbaro while we're at it.
BTW, where the f#ck do you get off calling people who want to have an informed opinion on what's getting forced down their throats, stupid f#cks?
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Counting the Herd one hoof at a time. |
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Omahan
Posts:4049
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| 03/31/2008 7:28 PM |
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Most of that was copy/paste so I wouldn't go forward assuming anyone bought that you sat down and scrapped together a masterpiece.
I can appreciate the greatness and nostalgia of a legendary palace like Yankee Stadium. Allow me to lend you another perspective. A wiseman once told me "What may be monumental in my world may be next to nothing in yours."
IMO, it's apples & oranges. Omaha people have not had the luxury of taking part in a Yankee Stadium type experience year after year. (Nor have they endured the masses of people and the rampant crime) Thus all they have ever come to know is Rosenblatt and the College World Series.
Omahan's never experienced the Knickerbockers with Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Bill Bradley neither, only Tim Legler, Rod Mason and Bart Kofoed and the CBA Champion Omaha Racers.
But in the eyes of a midwesterner that is not only good enough, it is all they know. So having not experienced the Huge entertainment events you mentioned, they have grown accustomed to what Omaha has to offer. And don't take anything away from the College World Series. I for one appreciate and enjoy the college sport more than I do pro sport. Mainly because of the young spirit and the electric environment that games generate.
There is one area that the mighty New Yorkers have never ruled Nebraska in. College Football!
Not even now while Nebraska is down do they rule. Syracuse was worse than Nebraska last season and Buffalo had to summon a former Husker to rescue there program.
Now that is a Leg to Stand On! |
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SeahawksSB42champs
Posts:1209
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| 03/31/2008 8:12 PM |
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There are two things the anti-downtown stadium crowd needs to understand:
1. Contrary to what anybody (NCAA, stadium committee, Fahey) will admit to publicly, the NCAA has told the city of Omaha that if they want to keep the College World Series in Omaha, they will build a new stadium.
2. The College World Series WILL be played in a new stadium in 2011.
Now I understand the concerns and questions about financing, parking at Qwest, etc., etc., etc. Those are all relevant questions that should be asked.
The only question that MUST be answered by the anti-downtown stadium, though, is: do you feel lucky enough to call the NCAA's bluff? And are you prepared to have an empty stadium come June of 2011?
If you don't believe it, ask the folks in Kansas City who called the NCAA's bluff on helping out with building a new corporate headquarters many moons ago. Guess where the NCAA's home office is now? Here's a clue...it AIN'T Kansas City.
And finally, the NCAA has told the Omaha folk that, unlike previous expansion efforts where Omaha taxpayers banged on the NCAA for forcing the city to add on/renovate Rosenblatt, it will be the Omaha movers and shakers that will be taking the bullet of criticism. If Fahey, Duensing, and anybody else on that committee says otherwise, they are full of sh*t.
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Omahan
Posts:4049
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| 03/31/2008 9:00 PM |
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Seahawk I honestly think your NCAA is the Nazi's Theory is part cynicism, part paranoia. The College World Series didn't stay in Omaha this long because the NCAA was an untrustworthy, uprooting type of organization that would run in the drop of a dime. By the same token, I'm not discarding the fact that your theory of unethical, nontrust worthy heathens might have cred.
What I'm saying is that your post smelled of negative sentiment directed squarely at the powers that be. While possibly true, you could be running down an avenue alone because no one "in the real" relates with those whom claim to know the results before the game is over. |
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Crit40
Posts:2600
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| 04/01/2008 8:22 AM |
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What I don't get is if the NCAA has told the committee this, then why would Fayhe take all the hits on this thing. Wouldn't he be politically better off if he had just told the public...."Look, it is build a new stadium or we lose the college World Series. It's as simple as that." .......If what you say is indeed the truth.
What I personally think is that someone finally stepped up and offered that it is a losing proposition to continue to drop millions of dollars into Rosenbladt, if the NCAA is never going to be appeased, so maybe its time to look into a new stadium.
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Counting the Herd one hoof at a time. |
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SeahawksSB42champs
Posts:1209
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| 04/01/2008 9:23 AM |
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Omahan,
Having had to deal with the NCAA during my days in the media, and being close friends with some who work in college sports information and have told horror stories about the Nazis at the NCAA, I have a pretty good idea how this organization works behind the scenes. The NCAA has the money and all the power it needs to get exactly what it wants, and any city that has any business with the NCAA goes into the relationship understanding that they have little, if any, say in how things will be done.
If you look at recent history, the NCAA has made demands of Omaha in the past that have resulted in multimillion-dollar expansion projects at Rosenblatt Stadium that the city is STILL paying for, and did so under the threat -- real or implied -- of moving the CWS to another city. This is another demand that the NCAA is making, and they know that they will make more money in a new stadium than they will in a renovated Rosenblatt, and that's really all they are interested in. If they have to choose between tradition and the almighty dollar, they have absolutely no problem with taking the latter -- which means the 2011 CWS will be played somewhere OTHER than Omaha.
Fahey is taking the hits on this, not only because the NCAA has demanded he be the fall guy, but because he's taking a calculated risk that, if the stadium does get the go-ahead, he will be looked upon, correctly or not, as the savior of the CWS in Omaha (although he may be recalled before it happens). He has come out and said the CWS will be played in a new stadium, either here or elsewhere, so he has at least implied (in my opinion) that the NCAA has put Omaha on notice.
I will give Fahey and the movers and shakers in the Omaha group credit that they have come up with a good plan, although I have some concerns about how much contingency is built into the proposal that would offset possible losses in keno revenue. The recent proposal for MECA to serve as the supervisor of the building, saving the city $3 million, is also a step in the right direction.
In the end, I hope my theory stated here is wrong, and I'd be only happy to say so. Let's just say that my built-in skepticism with the human race, coupled with personal and professional experiences in dealing with the NCAA, make me pretty confident that I'm not wrong about this situation.
We'll probably never really know, though, because it's highly unlikely you'll get Fahey, the NCAA or anybody else associated with the issue to publicly admit to it. That's the nature of politics -- take all the credit and none of the blame. They'll be too busy breaking their arms trying to pat themselves on the back to come clean with what went on behind the scenes.
And like I said earlier, if you don't think the NCAA will throw 60 years of memories down the toilet for more money in a new stadium in another city, ask the folks in Kansas City what happened when they took a similar approach to the NCAA's demands. They told the NCAA no, and now the NCAA's headquarters are located in Indianapolis. |
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Omahan
Posts:4049
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| 04/01/2008 9:51 AM |
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Posted By SeahawksSB42champs on 04/01/2008 9:23 AM
Omahan,
The NCAA has the money and all the power it needs to get exactly what it wants, and any city that has any business with the NCAA goes into the relationship understanding that they have little, if any, say in how things will be done.
And like I said earlier, if you don't think the NCAA will throw 60 years of memories down the toilet for more money in a new stadium in another city, ask the folks in Kansas City what happened when they took a similar approach to the NCAA's demands. They told the NCAA no, and now the NCAA's headquarters are located in Indianapolis.
On the first paragraph I say, what is wrong with that? If I am in charge of an organization the best interests of my organization would be priority one. Example: If I am a company attempting to decide if I want to do business in another city, it would be my call and my call only to decide exactly where, when, how and what I will set up in that city. That city would not effect my decision because I would be looking out for the good of my company. It makes sense for the NCAA to control where they place events and to decide the particulars.
To the 2nd paragraph I say it could happen. But I would be absolutely astonished if Omaha built this stadium and CWS pulled out.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
Neither you nor I know the particulars of what went down in Kansas City and why the NCAA decided not to reside there. For all we know maybe the community didn't live up to their end?
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SeahawksSB42champs
Posts:1209
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| 04/01/2008 10:17 AM |
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| Regarding the 2nd PP -- the CWS staying in Omaha is a done deal if the stadium gets built. They won't break ground until they have a long-term deal in hand with the NCAA. That agreement will happen ONLY if a commitment to a new stadium being built is nailed down. Omaha might (and it's a BIG might) get another 5-year extension, but I'm not sure that's going to happen now. |
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SeahawksSB42champs
Posts:1209
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| 04/01/2008 10:51 AM |
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Sounds like the city and MECA have a deal...news conference at 11 a.m.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10298622 |
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Omahan
Posts:4049
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| 04/01/2008 10:52 AM |
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| Let me know what happens? |
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SeahawksSB42champs
Posts:1209
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| 04/01/2008 11:30 AM |
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| No specific details on the agreement, other than to say that the city and MECA have reached an agreement that should be good for all parties involved. Details of the agreement won't be made public, though, until MECA meets on the 14th to vote on the issue. Assuming that's approved, the city will then go to the NCAA to work out a long-term deal for the CWS, then it will be on the shoulders of the City Council to have the final say. |
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egami
Posts:5564
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| 04/01/2008 11:39 AM |
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Posted By SeahawksSB42champs on 04/01/2008 11:30 AM
No specific details on the agreement, other than to say that the city and MECA have reached an agreement that should be good for all parties involved.
Translation: All parties in favor of the new stadium.
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Posted By Omahan on 11/04/2008 2:24 PM
I've worked very hard to become your friend egami. |
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SeahawksSB42champs
Posts:1209
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| 04/01/2008 12:14 PM |
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| Or...Everybody's ego has been stroked. Can we move on now? |
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egami
Posts:5564
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| 04/01/2008 12:18 PM |
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| Hehe. |
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Posted By Omahan on 11/04/2008 2:24 PM
I've worked very hard to become your friend egami. |
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Crit40
Posts:2600
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| 04/01/2008 1:01 PM |
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This is a rather interesting article that came out March 12, 2008. Maybe this is why the citizens of Omaha are so upset with what's going on, and not due to the "historic landmark" issue.
OMAHA, Neb. -- An NCAA official said Omaha doesn't have to build a new stadium in order to keep the College World Series, despite what city leaders have said repeatedly in pushing for a downtown ballpark.
"We haven't dictated any specific plan to the city," NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said Wednesday.
Mayor Mike Fahey continues to push his downtown proposal and plans to meet this week with members of the divided city council, which must approve various aspects of the plan for the project to move forward.
Councilman Garry Gernandt, whose district includes Rosenblatt Stadium, said the vote would be 4-3 against Fahey's plan if a vote were held today.
Jack Diesing, who heads the CWS' local organizing group, said he senses public support building for a downtown stadium, and he's not concerned about where the council stands now.
"We're a long way from any votes being taken," he said.
The Division I baseball championship has been held in Omaha every year since 1950 at Rosenblatt, which sits on a south Omaha hilltop a few blocks from the Missouri River. Fahey began serious talks last fall about a new stadium to replace 60-year-old Rosenblatt.
The issue has divided the city. Some residents see a new 24,000-seat stadium as the impetus for economic development in the north downtown area. Some argue against the $140 million project because of doubts about Fahey's financing plan at a time the city must deal with underfunded police and fire pensions and a looming $1.5 billion sewer project.
Backers of a downtown ballpark warn the CWS will leave Omaha if a new stadium isn't built, though no other city is known to have shown serious interest in hosting the event.
Gernandt, who backs a less-expensive Rosenblatt renovation, said a Feb. 12 letter from the NCAA's Dennis Poppe to the president of the CWS' local organizing group shows the NCAA is neutral on the stadium issue.
Poppe, the managing director of football and baseball, wrote to Jack Diesing Jr. that the NCAA does not have a preference for a specific proposal, "whether it involves construction of a new venue or an extensive renovation of Rosenblatt Stadium."
Diesing dismissed the significance of the letter, saying it was sent two weeks before city leaders made their downtown stadium pitch to the NCAA.
Fahey spokesman Joe Gudenrath said the NCAA is on board with the stadium plan.
"The NCAA encouraged us to move forward," he said.
Said Williams: "The NCAA never pointed the city toward anything."
Williams said the NCAA wanted Omaha to present one plan, whether it be for a new stadium or a Rosenblatt renovation.
If it turns out a downtown stadium can't garner enough community support, Williams said, the NCAA would still be willing to listen to a proposal that would include a Rosenblatt renovation.
Fahey and his stadium oversight committee are hopeful they can reach an agreement-in-principle with the NCAA for a 20- to 25-year contract by April 30. Williams said a long-term contract would be in order if the city built a stadium.
If a new stadium were not built, Poppe wrote Feb. 12, "the NCAA would consider a traditional hosting term of five or fewer years following the current agreement's conclusion in 2010."
Gudenrath said the mayor's office will continue briefing the council in hopes of securing the required four votes to keep the project moving ahead.
"Voting down some aspects would be a blow to the proposal," Gudenrath said, "and would jeopardize our ability to host the College World Series."
Gernandt said if the downtown stadium proposal fails, it will not be because of the city council.
"It will be because the mayor's plan was flawed," he said.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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Counting the Herd one hoof at a time. |
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egami
Posts:5564
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| 04/01/2008 1:04 PM |
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| I think the NCAA is just trying to stay out of the blame game. I don't believe for one minute that there weren't under the table promises made to Omaha if they constructed a new stadium. Also, I've noticed the NCAA won't elaborate on what it would take for Omaha, or any city for that matter, to get another long term deal when asked. |
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Posted By Omahan on 11/04/2008 2:24 PM
I've worked very hard to become your friend egami. |
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Crit40
Posts:2600
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| 04/01/2008 1:19 PM |
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What is it about a long term deal? They have had 5 year deals since 1980. Now the City needs a long-term deal? The only reason they need a long-term deal now is to build the stadium?
Somebody is lying in this whole thing, and the NCAA is suggesting it's the mayor. That's a pretty bold public statement if they ACTUALLY gave the City of Omaha an ultimatum, don't you think?
And is the NCAA really going to take the chance that 25,000 people will show up for every single game over the 10 day event in another City, putting their $4MM take in jeopardy? Roll the dice. |
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Counting the Herd one hoof at a time. |
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egami
Posts:5564
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| 04/01/2008 1:26 PM |
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Posted By Crit40 on 04/01/2008 1:19 PM
What is it about a long term deal? They have had 5 year deals since 1980. Now the City needs a long-term deal? The only reason they need a long-term deal now is to build the stadium?
My guess is the long term deal came out of the discussion of a new build. I don't claim to know if the NCAA is pressuring the city or if the city is reverse pressuring the NCAA.
Somebody is lying in this whole thing, and the NCAA is suggesting it's the mayor. That's a pretty bold public statement if they ACTUALLY gave the City of Omaha an ultimatum, don't you think?
I didn't say "ultimatum". I said, "under the table promise".
My guess is that the truth is that both the NCAA and the city want the new stadium and neither want to get trapped in the blame game for the idea.
And is the NCAA really going to take the chance that 25,000 people will show up for every single game over the 10 day event in another City, putting their $4MM take in jeopardy? Roll the dice.
Why not? Just playing Devil's Advocate on this aspect, but if I were the NCAA I'd be pretty confident in finding another venue that generates similar revenue.
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Posted By Omahan on 11/04/2008 2:24 PM
I've worked very hard to become your friend egami. |
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Crit40
Posts:2600
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| 04/01/2008 1:32 PM |
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I guess my point on the attendance is that it has taken Omaha years to build up to the current attendance.....and the majority of those spectators probably come from within a 100 to 150 mile radius of Omaha.
I'm not suggesting a different venue in a different city could not generate the same results, but I certainly think that it doesn't occur overnite. Like in Omaha, it will take some time.
I guess I'm just asking from a business standpoint, do you roll the dice and take your chances that another community is going to embrace and support this event like Omaha has over the last 60 years? |
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Counting the Herd one hoof at a time. |
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