Facility Notes

In Seattle, Danny Westneat reported Bob Santos, who helped plot Seattle’s Int’l District, has pitched an idea to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to build an arena for the Sonics on the tribe’s land around Emerald Downs horse track. Last week, the tribal council “asked its staff to pursue the idea, including putting together a financing plan that would likely propose a sharing of costs among the Sonics, the tribe and the state.” Muckleshoot Chair Charlotte Williams “confirmed the tribe is interested,” but said, “The matter has not progressed to the point where any serious discussions have taken place” (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/3).

Citibank Paying $400M For Naming Rights To New Mets Ballpark

NAME GAME: The L.A. TIMES’ Bill Shaikin wrote the Mets sold naming rights to their new ballpark to Citibank for an MLB record $400M and the Yankees “could have sold their naming rights for twice that much.” Yankees COO Lonn Trost said, “I would say you’re kind of low.” But he added, “Our advertisers, our sponsors, our partners want to be associated with the Yankees and Yankee Stadium, not with Somebody’s Field” (L.A. TIMES, 6/3).

FIELD OF DREAMS: Actors Russell Crowe and Anthony LaPaglia are “in talks” about building a stadium in Sydney that would house Crowe’s South Sydney rugby team and LaPaglia’s A-League Sydney FC (AAP, 6/2).