I have no idea how Summers is doing in comparison to the other watering holes named by US Soccer in their fan poll. It seems pretty self-evident that the Arlington, VA institution should win hands down based on merit. After all, where else in the country could you watch obscure matches like Iran-Australia attempting to qualify for a world cup spot or sit next to the likes of Arena, Donovan and Beasley watching the U-20's in action? Having said that, a few questions come to mind. Recent reports have claimed that the establishment is no longer in danger of losing its lease. Does anyone know if that means that some of the floor plan changes that were in the planning stages awhile ago by Joe are now able to proceed? In a related item, did anyone notice that the much maligned Inter-Forever almost went bankrupt? In Friday's MLS Confidential piece discussing how SUM passed up on the Man Utd tour, Mahoney et al mentions that "no serious attempt was made to acquire rights to the Gold Cup and other CONCACAF properties from Inter-Forever Sports, which would have filed for bankruptcy under Chapter XI if a buyer hadn't stepped in. IMG, which has a marketing partnership with U.S. Soccer, inquired about CONCACAF rights, but a source says IFS will continue operating under the aegis of Brazilian marketing company Traffic." I would have thought that the rights to something like the Gold Cup would have fit right in with the Anschutz business plan... or at least given us a chance to see more US Soccer matches without having to jump through hoops all the time! With IFS still in operation, does this guarantee that DC fans will still have limited options to view these matches in the future? Just wondering if I need to reserve a booth in Summers in perpetuity... KGDG The SE New England Brigade "All in all it will be a good trip!" www.ymcacamp.net
"The District is, in a sense, a suitor of a debutante with expensive taste." Besides the amusement of seeing an ex-DCU player actually make the list of possible Chevy Male Athlete of the Year... in this case none other than Tony "Big Cat" Sanneh, there are other directly DC-related choices. www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=25319&itype= One of the US Soccer poll items is, of course, Best Soccer Stadium. In the Washington Post is the latest article from Mark Asher describing how Major League Baseball still has the local pols falling all over themselves to curry favor and come up with an astonishing half a billion dollars just turns the stomach. "Bullock said the mayor would lead the city's delegation, "barring some sort of emergency or immovable conflict . . . because it is one of his highest priorities." Right. "The Council, meantime, will hold a joint meeting of two key committees Wednesday so city officials can clarify and explain a site evaluation report that says a ballpark could cost $542 million, and how such financing could be accomplished without taking away budgeted tax money from health care, education and public safety. Bullock said city officials would complete a specific plan by mid-February." Right. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52496-2002Dec13.html I hope that Anschutz can solve the politics of his Qwest dealings, move the Jersey pols to salivate and jump in the same manner so that we can make some headway on our own little soccer stadium along the scenic shores of the Anacostia. All I want for Christmas is.... KGDG The SE New England Brigade "All in all it will be a good trip!" www.ymcacamp.net
Last I heard Summers will be remodeling, I guess starting sometime in the new year. I think the floor plan is to move the kitchen and basically try to make it all one room with a bar. Obviously there's no right time for him to do this. K
Granted that this isn't my strong point, but wouldn't that kind of remodeling force Summer's to shut down at least temporarily to get it done?
I believe they would close off half of it at a time. I understand they plan on being open during the renovation however it would mean less seating available. K
Room at the bar? Room for Jolley? K2 Have you seen the prospective floorplan? I am a little befuddled by the concept of making it all one room. Where exactly would the kitchen end up? How would such a design work in terms of smoking/non-smoking areas? Did anyone go there to see the college cup matches? I am beginning to dislike UCLA almost as much as the Galaxy themselves! While some might concentrate on whether Jack Bell's article in the NY Times is accurate in terms of not only the $50 - $60K per year he says Alecko might have signed for, but also Hudson's apparent view that we might as well take him with our first pick... I have a different query related to college players, lower picks and current defender salaries. Is Steve Jolley really in the $100+K salary range? And if so, wouldn't it be more worthwhile going after some of the young backline talent that might appear in the draft instead of trading for a high priced thug? If the top pick only goes for $50K... www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59477-2002Dec15.html Although Brian Straus called the match "dour", I found it pretty interesting in terms of watching the defenders from both teams strut their stuff and trying to visualize how many of them might end up in the MLS. Anyone know how many of these guys might be available in the draft? Any chance that Chad Marshall might come out early and be available along with Todd Dunivant? Are Griffin and Lawson coming out along with Scot Thompson? KGDG The SE New England Brigade "All in all it will be a good trip!" www.ymcacamp.net
Don't know if anyone watched the final (once MD lost I didn't care, I hate CA teams especially UCLA and Stanford; Standford are cheating bastards, screwed URI a few years back in the NCAA basketball tourney). I haven't seen a floor plan for Summers but from what I remember being told, the kitchen would be moved to the back of the bar side and they would remove the current kitchen to open up the place into one big room (I guess put the bar in the middle?) There wouldn't be a separate smoking and non smoking side but I guess designated sections. (You'll just have to come down for DC game and check it out this summer!!) K
Any idea when construction is due to start? We may want to have a "Before" Happy hour and then an "After". Hey, any excuse is a good one.......