In Milwaukee, Tom Silverstein writes that the Packers
are "ready to pull out" the SportGrass playing surface at
Lambeau Field "and replace it with natural grass" if the
"slipping problem that plagued the team during its
intrasquad scrimmage ... persists" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
SENTINEL, 8/11)....Hamilton County (OH) retained
PriceWaterhouseCoopers for $10,000 to help the county
negotiate contracts for the Reds new ballpark with
construction manager HOK+LOBB and architect Huber Hunt &
Nichols (CINCINNATI POST, 8/11)....In Seattle, Blaine
Newnham wrote that Safeco Field's roof has been closed for
five of the facility's 19 games, but "only once ... did it
need to be closed and kept that way." But the Mariners
"don't want movement of the roof to affect" play, so the
team's policy is "to close the roof under threat of rain,
and keep it closed no matter what." Mariners Assistant GM
Lee Pelekoudas: "We want to stay as constant as we can."
But Newnham wrote, "The fans deserve better. If they can't
have winning baseball, they ought to at least have outdoor
baseball" (SEATTLE TIMES, 8/10)....The East TN St. Univ.
(ETSU) athletic department is "offering the naming" rights
to its "mini-dome" for $5M. ETSU AD Frank Pergolizzi: "If
someone donates $5 million for the dome, that would take
care of the endowment level we are trying to reach." Other
ETSU facilities, including locker rooms and offices, are
"available for smaller sums" (Kingsport TIMES-NEWS, 8/10).
