Sugar Ray Robinson: King of Harlem

Detroit is a wonderful sports town. It finished second in the running for the 1968 summer Olympics, and high in the ‘64 bidding. Fans of the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and most important- the beloved Red Wings, are noted for their zeal and fealty. Motown was generous enough to give the world two great prizefighters, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson (as well as some guys named Hearns and Kenty that weren’t half-bad). At age 11, Robinson moved to Harlem, where championship status made him a king of sorts. Architecturally, much of that Harlem is visible to today’s tourists. A new book, Wil Haygood’s “Sweet Thunder”, chronicles the salad days when Sugar Ray’s bar was a Manhattan landmark:

http://www.baystatebanner.com/arts41-2009-10-08

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Brazil (Goes) Nuts: Rio Awarded 2016 Summer Olympics

South America will host its first Olympic games:

All-time IOC city bidding results and votes:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/02/olympics.2016/index.html

http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html

BCB

Bigger and Better: Dallas Cowboys Stadium On “Today” Show Friday

Jerry Jones’ jewel of the southwest will be featured on Friday’s “Today” show. What’s different about Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium? What isn’t? If you’re in The Metroplex, fan or not, you have got to see the newest wonder of the world. It more than exceeds expectations, in every measure.

Events Scheduled:

*U2 on 10/12

*Super Bowl 45 in 2011

*NBA All Star Game in February 2010

*NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2014 and regionals the previous year

*OU/BYU Sept 5  for ESPN’s Kickoff Weekend

*Texas A&M vs Arkansas on 10/3; once a year for the next 10 years with options for up to another 20 *years;

*Big 12 Championship Game on December 5^th;

*Baylor vs Tech  Nov 28

*College Basketball:  Texas vs North Carolina, Dec 19, 2009

*Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2^nd; 10 year contract with options for up to another 25 years

*Notre Dame vs Arizona State, October 2012

*World Football Challenge:  Chelsea vs Club America, July 26, 2009

*CONCACAF Quarterfinals Soccer double-header, July 19, 2009

 

*upcoming bids for World Cup Soccer Tournaments in 2018 or 2022

FUN FACTS:

SIZE: Everything is bigger in Texas, no brand bigger than the Cowboys

*approx 3 million square feet (Texas Stadium was 950,000 square feet)

*largest NFL venue in terms of size of the building;  seating capacity is 80,000 seating capacity with expansion to 100,000 thanks to the open end zone plazas

*this is the longest roof-span structure in the world

*when the retractable roof is closed, this is the largest interior room in the world at 104 million cubic ft

*the roof dome is the largest in the world at 661,000 square ft

*the arches that span the stadium are twice the distance of the St Louis Gateway Arch; the building – from one end zone to the other – is as long as the Empire State Building;  and if you put her on the star at midfield, the Statue of Liberty could stand inside the stadium (just barely – 320 ft high from the field to the arch)

 

ARCH TRUSSES:

*each is 1,290ft in length making each a quarter of a mile long and the world’s longest roof span structure

*stand 320 feet above the playing surface at midfield

*weigh 3,255 tons each

*each boxed arch is 35 feet wide and 17 feet deep

*4 concrete abutments

*arches support the world’s largest video board which is center-hung and 60 yards wide; trusses also support the lighting, speakers, mechanical systems and catwalks for daily operations.

*there are no viewing obstructions – this is a column free building thanks to the arches

*the structural steel was imported from Luxembourg

 

ROOF

*the hole in the roof is an homage to Texas Stadium…..Why was there a hole in the roof at TX Stadium?

*the hole is rectangular; it’s 410 ft long and 256 ft wide which is 105,000 sq ft

*supposedly you could be 5 miles up in the air directly over the stadium and look down and see the field

*the roof panels open and close in 12 minutes; each panel weighs 2.1 million pounds

*the panels move thanks to a first-of-its kind rack & pinion drive system; quarter-mile of track; 480 horse power per panel

*the panels move on the steepest travel path in North America

 

RETRACTABLE END ZONE DOORS

*These are the largest retractable doors in the world; 120 ft high, 180 ft wide; clear glass door panels

*air circulation – keep them open when the weather is good to save money on heating and air conditioning

*Each end zone retractable door has 5 panels that are each 35 ft wide

 

END ZONE PLAZAS:

*each has lower level seats, then extended concourses at street level which will serve as a sort of party platform similar to the end zone in Tampa Bay with the big pirate ship; Glendale has something similar behind one of the end zones, but you can’t watch the game from there;  “standing room only”

 

Maryland Basketball, Raycom Style

From Gene Shue to Len Bias and Steve Francis, Maryland University basketball has a rich history. Many celebrated games were played outside Washington, D.C. in the campus’ Cole Field House. Lew Alcindor’s Power Memorial High School team had their 71-game winning streak stopped there in 1965 by DeMatha High. In 1966, Texas Western upset Kentucky in the NCAA championship at Cole, starting five Black players. And the 1970 NCAA Final Four (UCLA, Jacksonville, St. Bonaventure, New Mexico State) was played in College Park.

When college basketball season begins, I’ll be blogging about the Terps here:

http://maryland.raycomsports.com/blog/

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Splitsville: Bowling in Arlington

It’s only fitting that Arlington, TX’s Highland lifestyle center is home to the fun and fabulous Splitsville Lanes- the newest thing in bowling experience. The International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum is moving from St. Louis to Arlington. Splitsville is equal parts Rat Pack era martini bar, corporate retreat, and pin party.

http://www.splitsvillelanes.com/

We have blogged here about Pin-Up Bowl in St. Louis’ The Loop district, and The Corner Alley in downtown Cleveland, but Splitsville has locations in Tampa’s Channelside Bay Plaza, the eight floor in Miami’s The Shops at Sunset Place, and is coming to San Antonio and Dallas. What other attraction offers great lunch or dining, the world’s only outdoor bowling lane (Arlington, complete with full bar, plenty of plush seating, flat screen t.v. outdoors, and live music out there on Thursdays), lanes separately placed so groups of 700 and 200 can bowl and not even know the other is there, and a wait staff that is at once attentive and attractive? You’ll love the touches, all conceived by the owners (UNC-Chapel Hill guys) themselves from the ’60’s-to-90’s music, the menus with a cover logo that reads “7/10″, and flooring from vintage 1950’s bowling lanes. In Arlington, the generous banquette style love seats swing out to create more space (for viewers that remember “The Newlywed Game”, think of how the couples’ seats used to swing out to make room for host Bob Eubanks).

Planning a reunion, bachelor or bachelorette party, retirement or conference breakout activity? You can’t go wrong in friendly, trendy Splitsville. The Cuban Reuben sandwich meets Tampa standards, and Spicy Edamame, sushi, and French Fries With Chive Dip are also worth a shot. Whether you’re a crack bowler, or haven’t been since your teens, it’s a real hoot. I wish these guys well in any future locales they branch into.

This really brands Arlington as a sports capital- major league baseball’s Texas Rangers play here, as well as the Dallas Cowboys, in their jewel-like $1.15 billion new digs. Six Flags theme park is also a city feature. No wonder  Men’s Health magazine named Arlington America’s #1 sports city!

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Confessions of a Travel Writer: All Guts or All Glory?

How glamorous is the life of a travel writer? Is it really the dream job non-journalists tell me they believe it is? The Travel Channel aired a pilot for a series about what we do, and the press trips that facilitate it:

http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-interviews/interview-with-charles-runnette-confessions-of-a-travel-writer-20090810/

and my colleague Shannon Hurst Lane of The Traveling Mamas weighed in on the show:

http://www.shannonlane.com/confessions-of-a-travel-writer/

Shannon’s exactly right- there is no such thing as a “free lunch”.

BCB

CMH Heli-Skiing Announces Partnership

Popular adventure company adds new venture:

Two of the ski industry’s most innovative companies, CMH Heli-Skiing–the company that introduced heli-skiing to the world–and K2 Skis, known for its cutting-edge ski design, have announced an exciting new partnership for the 2009/2010 ski season.

For the first time ever, CMH Heli-Skiers will be able to ski the pristine powder of the Selkirks, Monashees and Cariboo ranges on the new K2 BackSide skis.  The BackSide series is an entirely new category for K2 in 2009-10, designed for those skiers who ski off piste–whether it be just off the side of the trail, a tour into the backcountry or if they’re lucky enough, a heli drop to the most remote spots.  This category of skis is designed to accommodate any type of binding setup–alpine, telemark or AT–depending on what the skier wants to do, from the most serious alpine touring to big mountain powder-ripping. These skis come in a variety of widths, weights and constructions designed to make the ski experience more fun and exhilarating than ever.

Also new for 2010 will be the first CMH Ski Demo Trips, which will allow guests to test-run and evaluate K2 prototype backcountry skis before they’re even released to the skiing world.  The seven-day backcountry CMH/K2 Ski Demo Trips will feature Heli-Skiing at the Monashee Lodge, March 13-20, 2010 and Helicopter-Assisted Ski Touring from the Adamants Lodge, April 10-17, 2010.  Aside from the “ordinary” thrill of backcountry skiing in some of the world’s most pristine powder, CMH Ski Demo guests will also get the rare opportunity to go “behind the scenes” and be a part of the testing and design of the next generation of K2 BackSide skis, to be released in fall of 2010.  K2 ski engineers will also be on-hand to gather real-time feedback from Heli-Skiers about the feel and performance of the skis, which will help fine-tune the prototype design.  At the end of the trips, each CMH Ski Demo guest will go home with a certificate for a brand-new pair of K2 skis of their choice.

“We are so excited to be a part of this first-of-its-kind partnership to offer CMH Heli-Skiing guests the unique opportunity to basically design their ideal skis on the mountain,” says Marty von Neudegg, Director of CMH Heli-Skiing.  “From its very beginning almost 45 years ago when our founder Hans Gmoser brought Heli-Skiing to Canada, CMH has been committed to innovation-and this partnership with K2 is just the latest example of that commitment.”

The seven-day ski touring trip to the Adamants, April 10-17, 2010, is priced at CAD$3,700 per person, based on double occupancy, while the seven-day Heli-Skiing trip in the Monashees, March 13-20, 2010, is priced at $10,440 per person, based on double occupancy (with a guarantee of 30,500 vertical meters, or more than 100,000 vertical feet!).

For more information and to book, please go to www.cmhski.com/k2 or call 1-800-661-0252.

ABOUT CMH HELI-SKIING
Offering Heli-Adventures since 1965, Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) is the oldest and largest Heli-Skiing and Heli-Hiking operator in the world.  CMH operates exceptional helicopter adventures from 12 different lodges located in the Bugaboo, Purcell, Selkirk, Kootenay, Monashee, and Cariboo ranges of British Columbia, Canada. Helicopter skiing takes place from December through April, and Heli-Hiking from July into early September.

ABOUT K2 SKIS
K2 has proudly supported the ski world for over 45 years.  Our products encourage consumers in more than 60 countries to stop working, stop worrying and head to the hills.  The K2 Ski Division is a part of the Seattle-based K2 Sports family, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of like-minded winter and summer recreational products.  The K2 brand and businesses are world-renowned as leaders in design, production, marketing and sales.  For more information on K2’s latest ski products, dealers and team activities, please visit: www.K2skis.com.

BCB

PGA And Greenbrier Extend Bunker Agreement

The hotel that was built so shelter the U.S. House and Senate in event of a nuclear attack extends its pact with the PGA:

HITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va., August 5, 2009 – The PGA TOUR and The Greenbrier jointly announced today that they have entered a six-year agreement, through 2015, whereby the historic West Virginia resort will sponsor and host The Greenbrier Classic as part of the FedExCup, beginning the week of July 26-August 1, 2010.

The new tournament will be held on The Old White Course, The Greenbrier’s original of four golf courses, dating back to 1914. The Greenbrier will form a separate non-profit charitable organization to serve as the tournament operator.

The announcement was made at The Greenbrier during an afternoon press conference that included resort owner James Justice, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, World Golf Hall of Fame member and Greenbrier Golf Professional Emeritus Tom Watson and, by videoconference, PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.

“We are absolutely delighted that The Greenbrier, recognized as one of the truly great resorts and golf destinations in the world, will become part of the PGA TOUR in 2010 with The Greenbrier Classic,” Finchem said from Akron, OH, where he was attending this week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. “From our ongoing discussions with Jim Justice, I can tell you how totally committed he is to creating an exceptional tournament that is befitting of such a historic resort.”

A West Virginian who was born and raised near The Greenbrier, Justice said he has had his sights on bringing a PGA TOUR tournament to The Greenbrier from the time he purchased the resort and The Greenbrier Sporting Club, a private equity, residential community, in early May.

“Players and fans alike will be stepping into the American story and experiencing a true national treasure,” said Justice. “The genuine warmth of West Virginia will resonate among all that join us.”

The Greenbrier has had considerable involvement with professional golf over the years. The Greenbrier Course, built in 1924 and renovated by Jack Nicklaus in 1977, played host to the 1979 Ryder Cup Matches as well as the 1994 Solheim Cup Matches. It also played host to a Champions Tour tournament from 1985-87. World Golf Hall of Fame member Sam Snead, the winningest player in PGA TOUR history with 82 victories, served as Golf Professional Emeritus from 1994 until his death in 2002. And Watson became The Greenbrier’s second Golf Professional Emeritus in 2005. The Golf Club also features a large collection of Snead and Watson memorabilia.

“West Virginia has an incredibly rich golf heritage and The Greenbrier is a legendary golf destination, so it makes all the sense in the world for the PGA TOUR to choose this resort and our state for this prestigious tournament event,” said Gov. Manchin. “I believe the excitement of the TOUR and the national exposure will bring even more people to our state to discover our great golf and hospitality.”

Measuring nearly 7,000 yards and playing to par 70, The Old White Course originally was designed by Charles Blair MacDonald and most recently underwent an extensive renovation by Lester George to return it to its original design, reopening in 2006. In preparation for the tournament, minimal course modifications are expected to add a couple of tees and the practice facility will be enhanced.

“The Old White Course will make a tremendous tournament course in a traditional sense and The Greenbrier will provide a great experience for both the players and the fans,” Watson said.

About The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. As a National Historic landmark, The Greenbrier’s classic architecture, exquisite interior design, carefully sculpted landscape, impeccable service and outstanding amenities have hosted distinguished guests from around the world since 1778.

This renowned property offers 635 rooms, including 33 suites and 71 guest and estate houses. The Greenbrier has 10 lobbies, 40+ meeting rooms and a complete conference center facility. Guests enjoy over 50 recreational activities including 4 championship golf courses, indoor and outdoor tennis courts and a 40,000-square-foot spa. Visit www.greenbrier.com.

About the PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers. Its primary purpose is to expand the PGA TOUR domestically and internationally so as to substantially increase player financial benefits while maintaining our commitment to growth in charity and integrity to the game.

In 2009, the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour together will compete in 100 events offering more than $350 million in prize money. Tournaments will be held in 10 countries outside the U.S. and in 35 states.

In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, TOUR events also generate significant funds for local charities.  In fact, the three Tours have surpassed the $1 billion mark in overall charitable contributions.  The PGA TOUR’s web site address is www.pgatour.com and the company is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

During the Cold War, the only bunkers at The Greenbrier were to hide out from nuclear winter.

Bayoquot: Where Glamour Meets Fly Fishing

Who says women can’t have the woods and lipstick too?

Real women fly fish and, when they do, they can do it in style on the wild West Coast of British Columbia during Clayoquot Wilderness Resort’s “Reel Wilderness Women” fly fishing weekend from September 17 – 20, 2009.

Far from the typical guy’s fishing getaway with its cigar smoke, buckets of bait, rusty barbecues and clapboard shacks, at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort this September, women will learn the fine art of fly fishing in the world’s premiere glamour camping resort, where the water is pure, the canvas tents are outfitted with Persian rugs, the four poster beds are warm and the food is haute cuisine – all in the great outdoors.

A sport fishing paradise, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is surrounded by pristine fresh and salt waters, including the Bedwell River, Bedwell Estuary and the saltwater of Clayoquot Sound where rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, coho salmon and spring salmon abound. This year has also proven to be the best fishing in years, according to the local ‘fishers’.

Always worried about what to wear fishing, ‘Reel Wilderness Women’ will be presented with top-of-the line fly fishing gear, upon arrival, as well as wilderness chic apparel that will put participants at the height of fly fishing fashion. Once geared up, the ‘fishers’ will learn to read the water, pick their flies, cast their lines and catch fish. Specifically, they will learn single and double haul and roll casting, attend a fly tying clinic and, hit the water with expert guides. Reelers who are lucky enough to reel in that special rainbow trout will get a personalized framed underwater photo of their catch featuring their self-tied fly to prove their angler prowess to the menfolk back home.

At the end of the day, the woman can join executive chef, Tim May, in the 3,000 square foot log cookhouse to watch him prepare the catch of the day along with his trademark modern natural cuisine which focuses on the freshest of fare from the regional farmers to purveyors, fisherman (or woman) to foragers. After dinner they can recline on the oversized velvet sofa by the fireplace with a night-cap in hand and swap fish tales of the day.

Of course, for those who wish to dine on their catch later, arrangements can be made to have the fish packaged and sent home with them and a few recipes and preparation tips from the chef.

The ‘Reel Wilderness Women’ fly fishing package is CDN $5,500 and includes return air transportation from Vancouver International Airport float plane terminal, three nights accommodation, all food and beverage, guided fishing instruction, fishing gear, a wide array of ‘glamping’ wilderness activities and one heavenly spa treatment per person. For more information or to book, contact Clayoquot Wilderness Resort at 1-888-333-5405, or visit www.wildretreat.com.

About Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Surrounded by glacial mountains and lush rain forest, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is located in the fragile Clayoquot Sound Biosphere reserve, right at the mouth of the Bedwell River where it spills into a nine-mile-long fjord. Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is an all-inclusive eco-resort open annually from May to October. The resort offers three, four and seven night packages and includes a gourmet culinary experience and spa facilities. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, ocean and fresh water fishing, whale and bear watching, a Wild Side First Nations Interpretive Trail, a natural rock climbing wall, an archery range, a ten-stand sporting clays course, kayaking, canoeing, tree canopy climbing, flight lines and more.

BCB

Basketball In The White House: A Gift To The President

My colleague Claude Johnson and his family visit the White House before Dr. Henry Louis Gates, and offer a singular gift:

http://blackfivesblog.com/?p=1978

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