In Baltimore, Dan Connolly notes the Orioles as part of their 20th anniversary at Camden Yards next season “will unveil six statues of the modern franchise's Hall of Famers in a revamped area beyond the bullpens in left-center field.” Each of the six men "who have gone into the Baseball HOF as an Oriole -- Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. -- will be honored with his own free-standing bronze statue.” It has not been revealed whether the six “will be unveiled simultaneously or at separate ceremonies throughout next season” (Baltimore SUN, 11/17).
APPLE TURNOVER: WFAN-AM’s Mike Francesa discussed the renovations being made at MSG and said, “I like the way they have set up the boxes. ... What they did was took the big luxury boxes, the top ones … (and) they created a system that made sense for the people who used to have them upstairs. ... They gave them seats and then you go behind the seats and there's your luxury box. So you can actually see the court from the luxury box but you go behind it and have TVs, food and everything there and you are right courtside” (“Mike Francesa,” WFAN-AM, 11/16).
BIG EASY STYLE: Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Exec Dir Jay Cicero said that there “already have been talks about bringing” the SEC men’s basketball tournament back to the city “on a more frequent basis.” Cicero: "I don't know if there is an official rotation that they are interested in, but we certainly are interested in having an event like the SEC men's basketball tournament.” In New Orleans, Nakia Hogan notes the SEC Tournament will take place in the city in March '12, but it is “regularly held in Atlanta and Nashville.” SEC Exec Associate Commissioner Mark Womack said, "We'll look and see how things go in New Orleans. We've played there before in the Dome. This will be the first time we would have played" at New Orleans Arena (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 11/17).
ECONOMIC IMPACT: In Milwaukee, Don Walker reported MLB has commissioned a study “that will look at the direct and indirect economic impact of Miller Park.” The study, already under way, is led by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee economics professor Swarnjit S. Arora, with the Marquette Univ. Law School's Sports Law Institute “also lending some expertise.” Arora will “handle the analysis of the direct and indirect economic benefits of the stadium,” while Marquette law professor Marty Greenberg said that his group “would look at what he called the non-economic factor, including the impact on real estate” (JSONLINE.com, 11/16).
