In Cincinnati, Rory Glynn noted with Saturday's crowd of 41,680, "the Reds have drawn 1,934,904” at home so far this season. The team has 15 home games remaining and is averaging "29,768 through 65 dates.” If the Reds average 26,273 in the final 16 games, “they would break the single-season high for Great American Ball Park, currently 2,355,259 in 2003, the stadium's inaugural season.” Keeping that pace with kids back in school “is always a challenge, but a first-place club trying to clinch a playoff spot certainly should help the cause” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/25).
BABYSITTERS CLUB: ESPN DALLAS’ Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote Cowboys WR Dez Bryant “has agreed to a rigorous set of rules designed and implemented by owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys to prevent any off-the-field issues.” The Cowboys “informed [NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell] of the rules being put in place for Bryant, and he decided that was good enough for him” (ESPNDALLAS.com, 8/27). In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel writes of the new rules for Bryant, “Despite what you think about his chances of being able to get it together, the Cowboys have to try” (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/28).
| COWBOYS' NEW RULES FOR WR DEZ BRYANT |
| A midnight curfew |
| No drinking alcohol |
| No strip clubs; can only attend nightclubs approved by Cowboys and must have a security team with him |
| Attend counseling sessions twice a week |
| A rotating three-man security team with one man with Bryant at all times |
| Security will drive Bryant to practices, games and team functions |
| |
DECLARATION OF LOYALTY: In Oakland, Matthew Artz writes city Mayor Jean Quan yesterday “declared the second week of September as ‘Oakland Loves its Sports Teams Week’ with events scheduled both for the Raiders Sept. 10 home opener and a Sept. 14 A's game.” A's co-Owner Lew Wolff is “still seeking approval from his fellow owners to move the club to downtown San Jose, while the Warriors need no such permission to make good on their plan to pack up for a proposed waterfront arena” in S.F. The Raiders “want to stay, but haven't disclosed how they would help finance the new stadium they want built at the Coliseum site” (
OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 8/28).
DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP STYLES: In Memphis, Geoff Calkins wrote prospective Grizzlies Owner Robert Pera “didn't technically extend the lease” at FedExForum, “but he bolstered it.” He appears to have “gained something [outgoing Owner Michael] Heisley never had in more than a decade in Memphis: real, committed, enthusiastic partners.” Pera “may or may not be a good owner over the long haul,” but it is “striking, the way he has gone about his business so far, and the way it differs from Heisley” (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/26).
