The CoreStates Center in Philadelphia "could be smokeless"
as early as Friday. The new arena has had designated smoking
areas, but 76ers president Pat Croce has been working to have
smoking eliminated (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 10/28)....In Boston,
Jim Greenidge writes of the Bruins 0-2-1 record at the
FleetCenter as of Thursday, "They just don't seem to have felt
comfortable at the Fleet since the state-of-the-art facility
displaced dingy, dilapidated Boston Garden." Bruins Goalie Bill
Ranford: "I don't know what it is. We haven't played that well
in this building since it opened" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/25)....Early
models of the Mariners new stadium indicate it will be similar to
ones in Baltimore, Cleveland, Colorado and Texas, "even down to
its asymmetry; the deepest point is just off of straightaway
center field." Plazas beyond the outfield seats, such as those
in Cleveland and Baltimore, will allow fans to mingle, sit and
eat away from their seats (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/25)....In Denver,
Bronocs Owner Pat Bowlen told the Metropolitan Football Stadium
District Board, "As long as I'm the owner of this football team,
it'll remain in Denver." However, Bowlen said if a referendum to
build a new stadium fails, he might have to sell the team. The
board is studying whether to put a penny-per-$10 sales tax on the
November '97 ballot in six metro-area counties to fund up to
$180M in bonds to subsidize a new facility (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS,
10/26)....NBC's Cris Collinsworth, on Redskins Owner Jack Kent
Cooke not charging PSLs on the new Redskins stadium: "For once,
somebody has done something for the fans" ("NFL on NBC," NBC,
10/27).
