This Week's Newsmakers: MLS Met With Enthusiasm In Northwest
THE DAILY each Friday offers our take on the performances over the past week of people and entities in sports business. Here are this week’s newsmakers:
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Sounders Dive Into Action With Perhaps
League's Most Passionate, Largest Fan Base |
WIN: MLS IN THE NORTHWEST -- The week the Sounders FC make their heavily-anticipated debut in MLS, the league unveils the team's future geographic rivals, awarding expansion franchises to Vancouver and Portland. Behind a powerful and smart marketing push, the Sounders dive into action with perhaps the league's most passionate, not to mention largest, fan base in city hungry for sports success. Topping off the week, DON GARBER continues the league's push into the Northwest with the new teams, which both seem willing and able to follow Seattle's blueprint.
LOSE: CARDINALS' BALLPARK VILLAGE -- The much-maligned project takes another hit this week when the struggling economy forces the team to alter its plans and proceed with a temporary version for the time being. The Cardinals will construct a temporary softball field and parking lot ahead of July’s MLB All-Star Game at Busch Stadium, and the team claims the move is only a stopgap until financing can be secured for the envisioned mix-use development. Still, the news is yet another setback for a project that has seemed to be beset with delays and challenges from the start.
DRAW: CLARK KELLOGG -- Admittedly it is early on, but the first impression of Kellogg serving as CBS’ lead game analyst for the NCAA tournament is eh. Words such as “steady” and “reserved” are used to describe Kellogg, and while there is certainly nothing wrong with that approach, it does little to make viewers forget BILLY PACKER is not a part of this year’s event. It would have been nice to see Kellogg grill NCAA Selection Chair MIKE SLIVE a little more about St. Mary’s missing the Dance during the net’s selection show, but at least no one is accusing him of being against small-conference teams.
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