In N.Y., Marc Berman noted he took a tour of MSG yesterday, led by MSG Exec VP/Sports & Arena Renovation Joel Fisher, to "see the progress" of the arena's renovation. With two and a half months remaining in Phase One, the "newly colored Yankees-blue seats are in place in the lower bowl, all covered in plastic." But the interior is still "such a massive, dusty construction site." Berman: "The first phase is ahead of schedule. The first summer was supposed to cover just the lower bowl. However, it appears some 'blue-seaters' in the upper reaches behind the basket on the Eighth Avenue end will have a treat with an expanded new concourse. As for the sixth-floor concourse, it is a whopping change: three times the width, and featuring a bank of windows that gives a view of the old Post Office and Eighth Avenue." Berman wrote the one "down note is the famous Garden tunnel in which Willis Reed once hobbled through during the 1970 Finals has been eliminated." The players "now enter the court from the corners," and fans in the Delta Club "will have a bird's eye view through a window of their entrance" (NYPOST.com, 8/8).
ON ICE: Enoch Cree Nation Chief Ron Morin said that officials from his tribe and the Katz Group "spoke this spring about whether a new arena for the Edmonton Oilers could be built on the reserve west of the city." But Morin on Friday said that "true negotiations would start only if Edmonton's efforts to build a new arena downtown failed." The Katz Group last week in a statement said, "We continue to believe that the best solution for the city and the Oilers is a downtown development and we remain committed to those negotiations. However, to the extent that we cannot be certain of the result of those negotiations, we are open to alternatives to find another long term home for the Oilers in the Edmonton region." The Edmonton City Council in May approved an agreement in principle "on how to build and operate an 18,500-seat arena" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 8/6).
GOING GREEN? In California, Thomas Himes notes a committee of state lawmakers "will meet this month in an effort to prevent environmental protection laws from hindering" the proposed Farmers Field in downtown L.A. AEG officials have previously said that they "would seek immunity from civil litigation that could use environmental laws to challenge the project." A spokesperson for California state Sen. Kevin De Leon, who chairs the State Senate Select Committee on Sports & Entertainment and requested this month's meeting, said that De Leon is "open to the idea of a legislative exemption for the stadium, but doesn't have anything specific in mind" (WHITTIER DAILY NEWS, 8/9).
