TIGER LAND: In Detroit, Joe Falls writes on the
difficulty that Tigers Owner Mike Ilitch is having on
completing the financing of the Tigers' new ballpark: "The
consortium of 14 U.S. banks backed out of the deal, and now
the financiers from Japan still haven't given Ilitch the
money. This should tell you something about the financial
structure of the Ilitch empire, which should tell you
something about the sad state of the baseball team" (DETROIT
NEWS, 8/13). The Tigers will post clips of construction at
their new ballpark on www.detroittigers.com (Tigers).
NOTES: The Lakers and NHL Kings announced their intent
to build a combined practice facility in El Segundo, CA.
Naming rights to the $15M, 120,000-square-foot complex will
be sold (L.A. TIMES, 8/12)....Attorneys for the NFL
Cardinals and the Rio Salado Crossing District met yesterday
and will meet again today "in hopes of reaching a
preliminary agreement" before the Mesa City Council makes
its decision whether to put the stadium measure on the
November ballot (AZ REPUBLIC, 8/13)....The Padres proposed
ballpark measure will appear as Proposition C on the
November ballot. Politicians and consultants say that being
first on the ballot "is best because it gives backers first
shot at voters' attention" (S.D. UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/12).
