Vikings GM Tim Connolly met Friday morning with
Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton to present an
artist's rendering for a new football stadium completed by
the local architectural firm Ellerbe Beckett, according to
Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Connolly said
that the stadium would seat 68,500 and would have 154
executive boxes. Connolly: "It would be a stadium that
would help us move up in local revenue from 30th among 31
teams to some place in the middle" (STAR TRIBUNE, 8/21). In
St. Paul, Charley Walters wrote: "Don't be surprised if
billionaire Vikings owner Red McCombs, should he not be able
to acquire public assistance for a new stadium for his team
in downtown Minneapolis, seriously contemplates building his
own stadium and a giant entertainment complex on a yet-to-
be-determined Indian reservation site near the Twin Cities."
McCombs: "We're looking at that possibility ... You would
need something grand enough to compete with the Mall of
America" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/22). MN Gov. Jesse
Ventura announced on Friday that he will donate $1,000
toward a new pro sports facility "despite his continued
opposition to using state funds" (STAR TRIBUNE, 8/21).
