In a few years, remember what I am about to say: Atlanta will have a new all-purpose stadium with a retractable roof.
Many won’t remember, but before the Georgia Dome was built some 17 years ago, I covered for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the Falcons’ threat to move the team to Jacksonville if they didn’t get a new stadium. We all know what happened, and I don’t think Falcons owner Arthur Blank will pull a Rankin Smith Sr. and threaten to go.
But Blank should get new digs where we can make money off luxury boxes and such, like most every other NFL owner. The Georgia Dome is better than it was a few years ago because Blank has spent millions to improve every part of it despite realizing he probably is not going to get back much on his investment. But Blank is all about customer service and was bothered about the condition of the Dome when he bought the team a few years back.
It was announced a few days ago that the Georgia World Congress Center, which oversees the stadium, has hired a Kansas City-based architect to propose a master plan for the Dome. The Falcons are pushing to get a new stadium and well before the current contract they have with the Dome; they have to play there until the bonds are paid off, which could be as late as 2017.
My bet is that we have a new stadium, sitting either beside or where the Dome is today, by 2014. Shoot, the Falcons can play at Tech for a year while it is being built.
Like Dallas, the Falcons and their owner deserve it and we as fans deserve a place to watch pro football outdoors.
NEW BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD …
As we do on Friday nights with high school football, Score will be doing high school basketball scores beginning next month on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights for both girls and boys teams. We do these for the AJC, and they will be available at ajc.com as well as scoreatl.com. If you want your scores online and in the AJC print editions, please call our score hotline at 404-256-1572 or email scores to scores@scoreatl.com.
FALCONS WILL BE JUST FINE …
What did I take from the Falcons’ loss in Dallas? Not much. Past the first drive, they didn’t play well and ran into a quarterback who had a great game. And why in the world is everyone down on Falcons running back Michael Turner? The AJC’s Mark Bradley says he is looking more like a one-year wonder. Let’s see, I think they were saying the same thing a couple years ago about Saints running back Reggie Bush when some felt he would be a bust. Professional athletes, no matter how good they are, go through slumps, and while Turner hasn’t put up the same numbers he did last year, he certainly has helped the Falcons get off to a 4-2 start against a brutal schedule. Now they get 6-0 New Orleans on Monday night and many feel the Saints can go 16-0. The Saints undefeated? Come on. I bet the Falcons win this game, and not only win it, but handle the boys from the Bayou and win by 10. I called it after Tech’s loss to Miami, I said Georgia would win its next three after the loss to Oklahoma State. Panicking after one game is being called fair-weather. The Falcons, behind the leadership off the field of head coach Mike Smith, and on the field of quarterback Matt Ryan, will be just fine. Bet on it.
AND FINALLY …
Every week I get the same message at my office from a gentleman who always starts off by saying: “You write a great column as long as you don’t write about politics.” Excuse me, I have made one, well, maybe two, negative remarks about our president and I’m not going to stop there, especially after seeing that not only has the Prez failed to accomplish anything, he has let Wall Street and the banks, which got us into this whole mess, get back on their feet and take the same outrageous bonuses they always have. I am a conservative, but if Obama is the voice of the liberal side of this country, he sure hasn’t done much to help the people and small businesses that need it the most. I call it welfare for the rich.
I guess that’s enough for two phone calls this week.
AND FINALLY ONE MORE TIME …
The biggest knucklehead in sports today is Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin. If I saw him walk into a restaurant I was eating in, I would walk out immediately, worried the Volunteers coach just might blow himself up. Is it possible to have said more dumb things and upset more people in the small time he has been in Knoxville? Then, on Saturday, he has a chance to beat then-top-ranked Alabama but decides to play not to lose and puts his field goal kicker in a terrible situation when he lets the clock run down from 35 seconds because he is worried about the officials making a bad call against his team. Coaches like Kiffin never make it, and when he was at Oakland, we felt bad for him after the way he was let go by owner Al Davis. But we actually might have found someone who is wackier than Davis.
Rosenberg can be reached at ijrosenberg@scoreatl.com and 404-256-1572. Score also continues to look for interns for graphics, writing, editing, web work, webcasting and advertising. If you are interested, email us at info@scoreatl.com.
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