In Tampa, Richard Danielson in a front-page piece notes Rays execs yesterday met with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials for their "first discussion of specific potential baseball stadium sites in the county." They "spent nearly two hours going over nine sites both inside and outside the Tampa city limits -- seven presented by the Hillsborough group, two more by the Rays." Afterward, the Rays "would not discuss any of the sites," and the discussion did not go into "how many suites a ballpark might have, how seats would be arranged or how the outfield might be configured," (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/1).
COOL-DOWN PERIOD: In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes it is a "ridiculous money grab" by Rangers co-Owners Ray Davis and Bob Simpson to tear down Globe Life Park and "build a newer, slightly better retractable-roof stadium next door." Cowlishaw: "Nothing about this wonderful ballpark says it's deteriorating and that it needs to go." A roof is "simply not enough of a reason to bulldoze an otherwise perfectly good ballpark" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/1).
FIXER UPPER: In Hartford, Kenneth Gosselin noted with "no state money for a major overhaul, the agency that oversees the city's XL Center arena is heading down a path it had hoped to avoid: a patchwork of repairs." The Capital Region Development Authority "will seek" about $3.5M "in state bond funds to replace the ice-making system under the hockey rink; replace an elevator that no longer works; and further upgrade security systems at the 41-year-old arena." The $3.5M "would come on top of" $35M in "state-funded improvements at the XL arena over the last two years" (HARTFORD COURANT, 5/31).
