Stadium

Fans eager to pay for soccer stadium The Baltimore Sun has weighed in against a proposed soccer stadium in Prince George's County ("Another stadium?" editorial, Feb. 25). I must disagree with this conclusion. Major League Soccer is healthy and growing even in these very tough times. This soccer league is here to stay. And D.C. United is a flagship team for the league. A study funded by the Maryland Stadium Authority clearly finds this project would be a net benefit for the county and state.

Forget training seminars in hotel conference rooms. Or those dreaded catch-and-fall trust exercises. These days, companies are using creative activities to build morale, camaraderie and teamwork among their workers. They include team skydiving or bungee jumping (sounds more like a scare tactic), a group Segway tour and line dancing on the beach with matching outfits. These examples were given in a recent survey of 250 marketing and advertising executives by the Creative Group, a staffing agency.

The five members of Congress who represent Baltimore are urging CSX Corp., whose tracks run alongside the Camden Yards sports complex, to cease shipments of hazardous materials through downtown during Ravens and Orioles games and other stadium events. The two U.S. senators and three representatives said yesterday that they had sent a letter to CSX Chief Executive Michael J. Ward calling for a series of precautionary measures after the city reached what they called an "apparent stalemate" in negotiations with the freight railroad.

SAN DIEGO -- As an independent, Navy doesn't have to wait for a conference championship to be determined to resolve bowl possibilities. It can plan years ahead to line up bowl commitments, and with that in mind athletic director Chet Gladchuk is hard at work. The AD said yesterday that there are a lot of "ifs" to be worked out, but if the NCAA this April approves the newly proposed Congressional Bowl in Washington at either the Nationals' new baseball stadium or RFK Stadium, the Midshipmen will likely play in the new December bowl.

CLEVELAND -- Mark Kloch has been a Ravens season-ticket holder since the team came to Baltimore from this Midwest city in 1996, accompanying his brother Steve to games at Memorial Stadium and M&T Bank Stadium. Until yesterday, the Klochs had never seen the Ravens play away from home. Just like the fraternity brothers from Delta House, the Klochs and their friends Evan Kelley and Don Blair got together last spring and uttered those famous words: "Road trip." By their choice of destination, some might think that this fearless foursome was a tad masochistic.

The outlines of a possible deal between Cal Ripken Jr. and his hometown of Aberdeen on the sale of Ripken Stadium began to emerge yesterday, one in which the retired ballplayer's company could take possession of the stadium but avoid paying annual property taxes. The city owns the 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium and rents it to Ripken for his Aberdeen IronBirds games. If Ripken purchases the stadium and the land it occupies, he would also acquire tens of thousands of dollars in annual property taxes on top of the millions still owed on the stadium debt.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals' unfinished, $611 million stadium exists largely in the mind's eye. It's a steel-and-concrete repository for imagined home runs, cotton candy not yet made and summer nights to come. Remember, Baltimore, when the Camden Yards gates slid open 15 years ago and giddy fans literally raced around the concourses examining their shiny new toy? That's the Christmas-morning feeling Washingtonians are anticipating as they begin to catch their first glimpses of Nationals Park, due to open in April 2008.

When Camden Yards hosted its first home opener 15 years ago, many already regarded it as a triumph for Baltimore and the Orioles. "Field of Dreams Comes True in Baltimore," gushed the headline in The New York Times. Less obvious was that the park - with its brick exterior, exposed metalwork, city backdrop and incorporation of existing architecture - would become the template for a generation of baseball stadiums. Today, with a more modern park featuring concrete and glass rising up along the Anacostia waterfront in Washington, that wave might be over.

The day's defense-heavy first game was almost done. Some of the country's best lacrosse players were sweating, slashing and scoring their way to a shot at the men's collegiate lacrosse title. But outside the gates of M&T Bank Stadium, with summer's first sizzling heat taking hold, even the hardiest of the sport's fans were beginning to wilt. Time to shotgun a beer. "We're having a great time. And yeah, we'll see the games, too," said Adam Cummins, a former college lacrosse player from Towson who circled up with friends to guzzle Busch Lights from small holes poked in the bottom of the cans.

Several state lawmakers urged Ripken Baseball yesterday to renegotiate deals with the city of Aberdeen and help the small community as it struggles with debts it took on to build a minor league baseball complex. Three state officials whose districts include Aberdeen said yesterday that the Ripken organization should revisit the deals, which were the subject of a special report published Saturday in The Sun. "I don't think the Ripkens should get blamed, but I would hope out of goodwill that they renegotiate some of the deals that they made, to relieve some of the city's problems," said Del. B. Daniel Riley, a Democrat whose district includes Aberdeen.

Suzanne Ryan and Marcy Morelock lay in ambush Saturday in the front seat of their car parked along Taylor Avenue in Annapolis. Ryan was armed with Jujyfruits; Morelock with miniature Tootsie Rolls. Their mission: Intercept a column of midshipmen being deployed to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for a Halloween football skirmish with Temple and bombard them with confections and affection. Ryan and Morelock, both of Washington, were part of an endangered but stubborn tradition of showering the midshipmen with candy as they march from the Naval Academy to the stadium for football games.

The spectacle of 80,000 people gathered in Baltimore to watch a professional soccer game - as happened at M&T Bank Stadium last July with the match between Chelsea and AC Milan - was the latest sign that soccer may be turning a corner in this country. It especially suggests this city might be a prime location for the sport. In that light, Mayor Sheila Dixon's recent request that the Maryland Stadium Authority investigate the feasibility of building a stadium in Westport to bring the DC United pro soccer team to South Baltimore is entirely appropriate.

COLLEGE PARK -- The white wine was chilling on the counter. The chicken Parmesan, flank steak and Caesar salads were soon to arrive. Rick Jaklitsch's second-level Byrd Stadium suite had a swank look and a new-car smell. But the party was down a few guests. The University of Maryland had long-term commitments for 41 of its 64 new suites as it unveiled the stadium's upgraded Tyser Tower on Saturday for its football home opener against James Madison. The university had also secured seven single-game suite leases.

The Baltimore ordinance seems clear. Drinking an alcoholic beverage "in open container" on a "street, etc., or in vehicle" is illegal, and violators are subject to fines of up to $500. A judge can throw you in jail for up to a month. That rarely happens, of course. But if you ask people who live near M&T Bank Stadium, it never happens on a day the Ravens play at home. They complain that many laws, particularly the one governing where revelers can drink beer and throw their empty cans, seems to get lost in the revelry of the spirited tailgate.

Thirteen more stadiums have been dropped from consideration for the U.S. bid to host soccer's World Cup in 2018 or 2022, leaving 32 under consideration, including Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium. Failing to make the cut Thursday were Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.; Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati; Ohio Stadium in Columbus; Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.; Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.; the planned Sports City USA venue in Las Vegas; the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis; the Superdome in New Orleans; Heinz Field in Pittsburgh; Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City; the Alamodome in San Antonio; and Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - -How do you resurrect an ailing football program? It all starts with winning more games. But there's so much more. Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis passed for 2,171 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, but the rising senior says that's not enough. Lewis has made himself an emissary for reviving Duke's football program. In public appearances, he talks about rising attendance, the community becoming more engaged and Wallace Wade Stadium undergoing much-needed renovation.

Before the roar of Friday's international soccer celebration began to fade at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore officials already were planning for a return match featuring European teams next summer. Mayor Sheila Dixon said Saturday that aside from rush-hour traffic congestion, the match "was an example of our capacity to handle something like this." An enthusiastic crowd announced at 71,203 arrived in the colors of Chelsea (blue) and AC Milan (red and black), replete with horns and high energy levels.

Orioles@White Sox 8 p.m. [MASN2] Maybe the White Sox will bring in that rag-armed left-hander we saw on the Busch Stadium mound Tuesday night.

Ravens@Cowboys 8:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. [NFL Network] It's never the wrong time of year to watch the Ravens dance on the Cowboys' star. Enjoy the 77- and 82-yard touchdown runs last season that closed down Texas Stadium.

Florida took two of three from the Yankees this past weekend and has gone a combined 6-3 against the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Yankees this month. Florida star shortstop Hanley Ramirez is 12-for-33 over his past nine games, and he broke a 26-game homerless streak with a two-run shot off Brett Tomko on Sunday. First baseman Jorge Cantu hit seven homers in April, but he has only two since. Outfielder Cody Ross is having a strong June with a .294 average, five homers and 13 RBIs in 19 games. Kiko Calero, who had a 2.01 ERA and a team-leading 36 appearances, went on the disabled list Sunday, robbing the Marlins of one of their top relievers.