Marlins President David Samson said the team may open its new Miami ballpark without a facility naming-rights sponsor. Team officials at various points last year said they were on the cusp of a naming-rights deal, but Samson said the sales efforts are now on a slower track and that the team is prepared to open the facility, if necessary, without a deal (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
POWER FORMATION: In N.Y., John Upton notes the city of S.F. "decided to punt on plans to replace two aging electrical switches that were blamed for blackouts during the 49ers’ final regular-season home game last month." A broken feeder line, and slow-acting and faulty electrical switches inside Candlestick Stadium, "caused two blackouts during the Niners’ televised Monday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 19." Pacific Gas & Electric "spent $1 million to replace monitoring equipment, utility poles and 1.6 miles of power lines around Candlestick after the debacle last month." The electric company "urged the city to buy a more modern switch, which could cost as much as $1 million." Instead, city officials "left it alone and gave another crucial switch a less-costly tune-up" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/13).
STADIUM LOANS: In Milwaukee, Don Walker noted the Packers have "yet to make formal application for an NFL loan as part of the financing plan for the expansion of Lambeau Field, but plan to do so at the appropriate time." The team is "not expected to make formal application until March when NFL owners meet again." The amount of money the franchise "plans to borrow from the NFL is not known." Other teams, including the Chargers, are "expected to seek approval for a loan for a new stadium or expansion" (JSONLINE.com, 1/11).
