ESPN's Charley Steiner wrote an op-ed in the HARTFORD
COURANT on the Whalers' situation entitled "Don't Let Them
Go." Steiner: "If the Whalers are allowed to leave,
Hartford will never be given the opportunity again to house
a major league franchise. ... It really isn't so much Save
the Whale as it is Save the City" (HARTFORD COURANT,
2/2)....Reports in Toronto have the Raptors announcing their
intention to build a basketball only arena on the Air Canada
site, with construction expected to start within the next
two weeks (TORONTO SUN, 2/3)....In Boston, Tina Cassidy
examines the role of the "NFL Experience" on Patriots Owner
Robert Kraft's proposed stadium in South Boston. Cassidy
notes "NFL Experience has proven that the idea could be a
strong money-making component to a stadium project,
essentially subsidizing" Kraft's proposed 70,000-seat
stadium (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/1). Also in Boston, the Sunday
GLOBE Real Estate section profiled recent NFL stadium deals
and interviewed NFL Facilities Development Consultant Rick
Horrow, who called Kraft's offer one of the most substantial
such private investments to date in the U.S. (BOSTON GLOBE,
2/2)....In Toronto, SkyDome will become owner of the
stadium's catering rights, after buying out the interests of
the Bitove Corp. As part of the deal, the two sides will end
a court fight over the lease (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/3).
