In Chicago, Mary Houlihan notes fans at "several gates faced a longer than usual wait Sunday" at Soldier Field for the Chiefs-Bears game as fans at Gates 0 and 38 were "scanned by handheld metal detectors." But Soldier Field GM Tim LeFevour said that at about 11:40am CT, with the crowd "backing up nearly to the tunnel at Gate 0 where about 23,000 fans enter, the wands were set aside." Security personnel "returned to patting down fans and the crowd quickly began moving." Smart fans "got in line early to avoid the crunch." LeFevour said that the handheld detectors "will be added to another gate" when the Bears play the Seahawks on Dec. 18 (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/5).
OPPOSING RELOCATION: In S.F., Marisa Lagos reported a group calling itself Stand for San Jose that "opposes the potential relocation of the A's to downtown San Jose filed suit Friday, challenging a recent vote by the San Jose City Council that gave the baseball team the right to buy 5 acres of land." The council "voted Nov. 8 to approve a two-year, $50,000 option for the A's to buy the land near HP Pavilion for $6.98 million." Stand for San Jose is "claiming the city's action violated state and San Jose law and would result in taxpayers losing millions of dollars." The group "contends the land is worth at least $14 million." The complaint "names the city, the City Council, the city Redevelopment Agency and the Diridon Development Authority" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/3).
IN NEED OF MONEY: In California, Robert Rector noted the Rose Bowl, "as it has for years, needs money." Rector wrote, "They need it for maintenance of a nearly 90-year-old facility, they need it to modernize and stay competitive, they need it because the stadium actually operates at a loss." They "need money because the stadium by ordinance is limited to 12 events a year that would attract more than 20,000 attendees." And that "impacts the stadium's revenue stream." Now, the NFL is "being wooed by Los Angeles city officials and if the NFL decides to locate a team here, it would need a place to play while a new stadium is being built to house the pro team." The Rose Bowl is "one of the most recognizable sports facilities in the world." Its "very existence has elevated Pasadena from just another Los Angeles suburb to the special status it enjoys now" (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 12/3).
