August 10, 2006 [LINK]
What will become of RFK Stadium after the Washington Nationals and the D.C. United soccer team move out? The National Capital Planning Commission is in studying that question, and the only thing certain is that the 190 acres of waterfront property in that neighborhood will not be sold for commercial development. Some combination of public sports, recreation, and nature preserve seems most likely at this point. The city's lease on the land ends in 2036, but that is contingent upon continued use of the site for sporting events. See Washington Business Journal, via Mike Zurawski.
As for D.C. United, they are still waiting for D.C. government approval on their plan to build a new stadium on the south banks of the Anacostia River, across from the future home of the Nationals. The four-time champions of soccer played in an exhibition match against the vaunted Real Madrid team last night at Qwest Field in Seattle, managing a 1-1 draw. That is a huge accomplishment. With a record of 13-2-6, D.C. United holds an almost insurmountable lead in the MLS Eastern Conference. Just thought you'd like to know...
Groundbreaking for the future version of Yankee Stadium, or whatever they plan to call it, has been set for August 16. Now the question is whether the Yankees or the Mets will be able to finish construction on their respective new homes first. See Sports Illustrated, via Mike Zurawski. Why has there been no groundswell of fan support for the grand old basilica of baseball, like there was for Tiger Stadium and Fenway Park? After checking the Year-by-year stadium chronology page, I've determined that this will be the first time ever that two major league baseball stadiums have been under construction at the same time in the same city.
Less than two weeks after being traded from Washington, Gary Majewski has been put on the disabled list by the Reds, who are angry at Nats GM Jim Bowden for not disclosing that the reliever had taken cortisone shots. Majewski's right shoulder has been bothering him, but tests indicate that there is no serious injury. According to MLB.com, the Commissioner's office stated that "Cincinnati may have no recourse on the dispute. Spokesman Richard Levin said ... It's essentially buyer beware." Nevertheless, opines David Pinto, "Obviously, this doesn't reflect well on Jim Bowden."