In DC, Dan Steinberg noted the Redskins yesterday "opened their revamped locker room to the media for the first time ... and there were some notable differences: a massive (cordoned-off) team logo on the carpet; ping-pong, shuffleboard and foosball tables; new lockers (with more storage and seating); and a general feeling of shiny modernity." Redskins OT Trent Williams said, "It's definitely an upgrade. ... It ups the morale around here." But other players said that the room "would still not be considered luxurious -- or even notable -- by the standards of big-time college football programs" ( WASHINGTONPOST.com, 8/22 ).
BATTLE ANGEL : In California, Joseph Pimentel notes the Anaheim Planning Commission yesterday approved plans to allow a developer to build a $450M "mixed-use project" across from Angel Stadium, "despite opposition" from team officials. Plans for the project on 15 acres call for "condos, apartments, hotels, retail and office space." An Angels’ attorney on Friday "sent a letter to the city, saying the project is 'ill advised'" ( ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/23 ).
FOR ST. PETE'S SAKE : In Tampa, Janelle Irwin noted HKS, the architectural firm "tasked by the city of St. Petersburg to create a redevelopment master plan for the 86-acre Tropicana Field site," has a "tangible vision of what it could look like." A small-scale model "shows a would-be site" with an open-air ballpark in the northeast corner of the site. The rest of the site "blends retail, office, housing and park space into a concept that shuts down artificial borders now created by a giant stadium and a sea of asphalt" ( BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/22 ).
FIELD OF DREAMS : In Buffalo, Mark Gaughan wrote of the Bills' New Era Field, "I like the fact the new name is 'field' and not 'stadium.'" The venue was "utilitarian when it was built, but it has grown into an incredibly user-friendly park with a history that Western New Yorkers love" ( BUFFALONEWS.com, 8/21 ).
