In San Antonio, Tom Orsborn reports the Cowboys "have no plans" yet to move their training camp location away from the Alamodome. San Antonio city officials as of Thursday afternoon "were still planning on the club coming to the Alamodome as scheduled in late July." San Antonio Dir of Convention, Sports & Entertainment Facilities Mike Sawaya said that the Cowboys have "asked the dome to hold for them a three-week block of dates beginning July 25." Orsborn notes this is the last year of the Cowboys' five-year, "rent-free lease agreement with the Alamodome" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 6/24).
STARTING A TURF WAR: Bears LB Brian Urlacher on ESPN Radio 1000 Chicago's "The Waddle & Silvy Show" Thursday said Soldier Field's turf is a "disaster." Urlacher: "I don't know what else to say. We complain about it all the time." He added, "Green Bay has awesome turf. The weather we play in, they have the same. ... We played in the last game of the regular season there, and it was great. Look at ours, and it's beat up and looks horrible." Both Solider Field and Lambeau Field have grass surfaces (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 6/23).
SPECIAL DELIVERY: In DC, Mike Jones noted the Redskins are "offering roughly 800 seats that have been removed" from FedExField as part of the upper deck renovation. The team announced that the seats will be "sold in pairs at a cost of $250 for a set of two." The seats go on sale July 22 at 9:00am ET, and all proceeds will go to the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/22).
SET BACK ON THE PITCH: In London, Matt Denver reports a High Court judge "has refused a request" from EPL club Tottenham Hotspur and English soccer club Leyton Orient to "open a judicial review into West Ham United's proposed move to the Olympic Stadium." Although it is "not an end to the process," the ruling is a "blow to the clubs' prospects of overturning an original decision by the Olympic Park Legacy Company to selected West Ham as their preferred bidder" (LONDON TIMES, 6/24).
STUDY HALL: Univ. of Connecticut President Susan Herbst said that she is "committed to financing a new practice facility for men's basketball." She said that "one of her most important initiatives is to increase UConn's endowment." In Connecticut, Neill Ostrout noted on the athletics side, "that means a new practice facility for the basketball programs." A new practice venue, which would include "study rooms and other academic resources, is one of the tools Herbst says will help the men's basketball team's poor Academic Progress Rate score" (STAMFORD ADVOCATE, 6/22).
