DCU is really in a "no-win" situation with the DCSEC. DCU doesn't really have any feasible options to play somewhere else that is in the City, holds 20k plus, and is easily (somtimes) accessable by Metro and Interstate. DCU is RFK's only tenant, and more or less, the only steady source of revenue for the DCSEC. So, why is it in their interest to build a SSS? Then, RFK, their crown jewel, sits empty! Point is, its not at all in their interests unless there is a baseball team to fill the stadium for a few years, but then what? So DCU has a stadium, the Expos play for 2 years while their stadium is built elsewhere, then what becomes of RFK? There is NO compelling interest for DCSEC to build a SSS for DCU until DCU has a viable option elsewhere! It doesn't matter who is heading the organization, if my dumb ass can see this, some so-call specialist sure as hell will. DCU absolutely MUST start exploring other sites, if nothing else than to force the hand of the DCSEC. Why should they rush forward spending money on building a stadium and leaving RFK empty when DCU has no other options? There isn't! God forbid, but it may take DCU pulling a Southlake or a Naperville and playing in a crap stadium to make the DCSEC come to the table.
Although DC United has made some noise about looking at other locations and has tallked with others (most notably MD about a PG County site), I'd still like to see DC United follow the Chicago Fire's lead in putting out an RFP to local communities. Maybe then, the DCSEC might come to the table. Maybe not, but at least we'd know. Of course, maybe the reason they don't do that is that AEG has other stadium priorities (in NJ and Chicago, and possibly San Jose) ahead of DC United that push DCU's timeline back a bit. United may be getting d**ked around by the DCSEC, but as RFK's primary tenant, their present situation still isn't as bad as what the Metros have at the Meadowlands. With all of that said, DC, with its' central location and better transit/highway access, is still the best location for a new SSS. Sadly, the DC government may not agree. I wish the DC government would wake up from their baseball pipe dream (and maybe even give one of those nice sites they've set aside for a baseball stadium to DCU), but I don't know if they ever will.
Its great news that the head man is being drop-kicked out the door. Unfortunately, this will have little if any positve effect on the future of a SSS for DCU. I see it as a CYA move by the local politicians brought on by the scandal that was Goldwater. We are still faced with the same staff of cronies and incompetents that make up a large part of the DC government. Who ever is brought in will be there only to advance the Mayor's agenda on procuring a MLB team without doing things to turn the public scrutiny once again on the inbred corruption of DC govenment. I do not believe that anything will change in the delaying tactics of the DCSEC or whatever agency takes its place. For whatever reason, a SSS is not in their in their best interests and their best interests are all that matter in DC government. I can only hope that AEG has finally had enough of this run around and will seriously start talking to the Maryland Stadium Authority. But, I fear that a SSS in DC is low on the AEG priority list and will have to wait until the NJ and Chicago facilities are well under way. The foot-dragging may not all be the fault of DCSEC. I don't believe DCU will have a SSS before 2010 at the earliest.
Forget him and his stadium authority...Here is the bottomline on the quotes from the paper and speculation that others have made here. they will bring in a BASEBALL guy. They want MLB in DC and they are going to fight for it. DC United and company should be speaking with the MARYLAND stadium authority because they will build a soccer sprecific stadium to host DC United and the Freedom (Assuming the league comes back and it should) Maryland is a sports destination, not DC or VA. Pro teams in MD - Redskins,Ravens,Orioles on a lesser note but still pro- Blast, Bayhawks lax Baysox,Keys,IronBirds Maryland will get a stadium deal done if MLS wants to, and it will be located in the College Park area or close enough that Cirovski's Terps can play there on occasion and maybe even host an NCAA final four or two.
Looking at it from a DCSEC point of view, the best possible scenario for them is this: 1. MLB agrees to move some lame-o team to the District for the 2006 baseball season. 2. RFK is demolished and a new state-of-the art, baseball stadium is built on the site over a 24-30 month construction schedule. RFK is the perfect location for all the reasons we know. On a more lofty plane, the site of RFK is the terminus of the East/West axis of Washington's urban diagram. It would make sense to continue this strong relationship with the Capitol Dome, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial. ... where does that leave DC United? Well, hopefully, AEG could begin building a SSS somewhere on the grounds at around the same time, and would have it completed in time for the end of the 2004 season. In the meantime, DC United would have to pull a Naperville. Of course, nothing ever goes to plan... The bottom line is that AuH20 was no good for the DCSEC, and had to go. We will have to wait and see what the future brings.
Is the current Stadium/Armory/Old Hospital site even being considered for building a new stadium? I thought all the plans pointed elsewhere (Navy Yard, NY Ave or NoVa) I don't think the DCSEC were ever under the intention of demolishing RFK and building a new stadium in its ruins. Their "best case" scenario is to house a baseball team in RFK for a few years while a new stadium, under DCSEC control, is built elsewhere in the district. Even then, they will need a tenant at RFK after that, and the only tenant available is DCU. Them losing the 2012 Olympic bid puts even more pressure on keeping DCU as their source of revenue.
According to this Washington Post special section, RFK was one of the final sites under consideration for the construction of a new baseball stadium. I had thought that it would entail the demolition of RFK, but I guess not. The above plan is really horrible and totally screws up the site. Now, a SSS would be much smaller and easier to work into the overall site design.
To anyone who could possibly be worried about losing Bobby Goldwater (that should be noone): Tests conducted yesterday by the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs showed that the roar generated by high-powered cars racing around the track on the grounds of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium measured 100.4 to 105 decibels in the adjacent neighborhood, far exceeding the 60-decibel limit permitted in residential areas. Among the bills......was $26,845 to house Goldwater at a downtown apartment building for seven months after he moved to Washington and $2,500 for him to rent cars in the District.....the commission in late 2000 put $10,199 toward a restaurant reception for a District boxer who had won an Olympic bronze medal....out-of-town trips included stadium management seminars in Tucson, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Oahu, Hawaii; Grand Prix races in Michigan and California....the commission bought four Washington Wizards 20-game ticket packages at a cost of $6,160.....the commission paid $2,630 for Williams and his wife, Diane, to fly roundtrip in first class to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in Atlanta...Goldwater became the highest paid employee in the D.C. government when he was hired at an annual salary of $275,000...The commission paid one of Washington's top law firms, Covington & Burling, more than half a million dollars in legal fees since 2001....the commission's cash reserves have shrunk from about $18 million in late 2000 to $3.4 million at the end of last year. It posted operating deficits totaling $5.3 million in fiscal 2001 and 2002 and is facing another deficit this fiscal year...Goldwater said there have not been any financial abuses under his stewardship.....Asked why he chose to stay in an 11th-floor apartment at the Lansburgh on Eighth Street NW, where the rent was $3,835 a month, he said someone had recommended the building. As for the cars he rented, Goldwater said there were times when he needed a vehicle to transport passengers because his two-seat pickup truck did not have enough room
BudWiser, I could give two shits about him fleecing the DC taxpayers or violating noise ordinances. All I care about is having someone at the DCSEC who will build a SSS. That is the only issue for me (and probably many others). The rest is irrelevant.
i am not voting for Revelation for the stadium czar frankly because i like the guy. i wouldn't wish on anyone the bad luck to get involved with the DC government particularly something under the watchful eye of that sharpie harold brazil. instead there is a guy out there with the perfect credentials. of course i mean Cheatin Bob Bradley. a scumbag cheating bastard like cheatin bob is perfect for the job--particularly as it would seem that screwing DCU has been a big part of the job. so sorry, Rev you are just too stand up for the job. it has to go to cheatin bob...
I actually like that site for the baseball stadium - plus it leaves room for a soccer stadium where RFK is now. I think the preferred site for baseball is the Newy York Ave site just north of the Capitol, but the RFK site is cheaper and more likely.
Probably not. They'll just move one of the crooks over from the Teacher's Union to run things. I mean, come on....this is DC we're talking about.
Has anyone told the guys at The Palm about Bobby G's leaving? Those dudes are going to be seriously bummed.
i frankly could care less whether or not the new stadium person is pro-SSS. i imagine aeg will build a stadium somewhere in the area whether or not that is in dc. i think what the highest priority of the new E.D. ought to be the service of the existing clients and the maximization of these public structures. i would hope that new E.D. would insist upon ugrades to the public areas, food service, etc. at RFK. i would hope they would seek to re-invest in their current relationship with united and its fans and nuture and improve that until if and when we get a SSS. i would hope they would address the financial problems facing the agency and seek to increase revenue by improving service and product. and helps it customers--i.e. its prime tennant, reach their business goals.anything but that focus would suck as far as i am concerned. ps--if you are from Rutgers, please ignore the word "sucks".
We owe Goldwater our thanks... According to the article in the Washington Times, we owe Goldwater a big thank you: "He also is credited for keeping soccer team D.C. United, RFK Stadium's primary tenant, from moving to Maryland or Virginia." There you have it. If it hadn't been for Goldwater we'd be playing at one of those numerous soccer stadiums that dot those two states. Bet he had to struggle to pull that one off.
I agree. It doesn't surprise me that DC doesn't do simple not-too-expensive things like pave the entrance to the parking lot and things like that. Doesn't cost much, but like I said, it doesn't surprise me because there's no money in it. However, they are foolish not to improve those services that could result in direct income to them. They've learned that they can charge whatever they want for food and drink, but they don't seem to know that if the food and drinks were any good, they could sell a lot more of them. My wife likes the pretzels, but they are never warm. So she gets one, then never gets another until next season. Then she thinks "maybe they've fixed the problem," buys one, and then that's it for that season. I gave up on sodas because they can never mix them right. If I were selling $4 drinks, I'd make sure they were right. Heck, I'd put an umbrella in each one. I've had stale hot dog buns and cold hot dogs. Not any more. Now I make an effort to eat and drink beforehand, so that my spending on concessions this year has fallen off by over 50%. From DC's perspective, this is just loss of revenue if a sizable portion of fans are acting like myself. I don't like paying 400% more for food and drinks, but I'll be damned if I'll pay that much for bad food and drinks.
Sports Agency Head Assailed on Expenses Credit Card Use Unjustified, Report Says By Serge F. Kovaleski, The Washington Post