In Buffalo, James Fink wrote newly inaugurated Erie County Exec Mark Poloncarz “used his first ‘executive order’ to seek outside legal counsel to handle negotiations between the county” and the Bills. The Bills' lease for Ralph Wilson Stadium expires in July '13, but Poloncarz said that he "wants to start talks with the team as soon as possible." The team is currently “reviewing what renovations may be needed for the 39-year-old, which is one of the oldest” in the NFL. The cost of the renovations “will likely be shared by New York state and the county as was the case during the last lease negotiation/renovation 15 years ago.” The legal services for the Bills talks “was one of five executive orders Poloncarz signed on Jan. 3, his first official ‘work day’ as county executive” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/3).
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT: In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes under the header, “Big Blue Win Can Breathe Life Into MetLife.” The perception right now is that the NFL Giants “are a vulnerable home team.” Many “still pine for the old stadium, the one that was named after the Giants and not an insurance company.” A lot of the more “rambunctious fans were priced out of their seats by the PSL scourge; you would hope that Sunday, during a playoff game, the thousands of lower-bowl wine-and-cheesers who seek weekly refuge during halftime and take their time returning to their seats -- rendering entire sections ghostly and abandoned for the third quarter -- will have their priorities in order” (N.Y. POST, 1/4).
IS GILLETTE CROWD TOO QUIET? Patriots G Brian Waters was asked about how the crowd noise at Gillette Stadium compares to his former home, Arrowhead Stadium in K.C. Waters responded, "Good question. It's a tough question. You're right, I have played in some loud places, and this place can be loud -- at times" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 1/3).
IF THE STARS ALIGN: Phillies President & CEO Dave Montgomery Saturday said that the team "is not pushing" to host an All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Ballpark. The Phillies “hosted the All-Star Game at the Vet in America's bicentennial year of 1976 and again 20 years later in '96,” and Montgomery said that they are “looking ahead to the next decade and there is method to that approach.” Montgomery: "There's a debate about that in our organization internally. We had it in '76, which was the bicentennial. And, of course, 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of this country. In Philadelphia, we're pretty proud of that. It won't be on my watch by then, but I've often thought that that would be the ideal time to have the All-Star Game here again" (MLB.com, 1/2).
