The View From Wisconsin
Just a random set of rants from a Sports Fan from Wisconsin.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The Fill-In-The-Blank Saints
Obviously, I'm putting forth an outsider's point of view here, so here's my $0.02 on the Saints' situation:
First of all, it's rather obvious that the Superdome isn't going to be back in operation before then end of the year - if at all. Rumors are even flowing that the facility may be demolished instead of re-opened.
Secondly, there are some logistical problems with LSU's Tiger Stadium, as it is currently being used as part of the recovery effort. If that wasn't bad enough, I understand there's construction going on at the site; I'd bet that any construction that was done before last week probably has to be "re-done" after whatever Katrina did.
The other most logical place for the Saints to use is being used - ironically enough - for the same purpose the Superdome was being used. That would be the Astrodome. Of course, the Houston Texans might have a problem with the Saints playing (literally) in their back yard, anyways.
There's be the concept of putting the Saints on the road for all 16 games. That could be described in one word: "Nightmare."
So that leaves us with two choices: San Antonio or Shreveport. I haven't heard anything about the condition of the Independence Bowl after Katrina, but since they offered LSU to host their opener (before it was switched to Tempe), you'd have to assume it's a viable option for the Saints.
San Antonio has its advantages, as it won't have as many conflicts in scheduling as it would if they played in Shreveport. It's not like the Alamodome doesn't have events scheduled, but they're more likely to be able to be rescheduled than they would elsewhere.
It would be the more PC thing to do to have the Saints play in Shreveport or Baton Rouge; it might be more financially sound for the Saints to play in San Antonio. It's more of a question of whether or not the Saints' Tom Benson wants to be opportunistic or not when it comes to this situation.
I really don't have an opinion one way or another; I just think it would be best served if the Saints played this season - period.
First of all, it's rather obvious that the Superdome isn't going to be back in operation before then end of the year - if at all. Rumors are even flowing that the facility may be demolished instead of re-opened.
Secondly, there are some logistical problems with LSU's Tiger Stadium, as it is currently being used as part of the recovery effort. If that wasn't bad enough, I understand there's construction going on at the site; I'd bet that any construction that was done before last week probably has to be "re-done" after whatever Katrina did.
The other most logical place for the Saints to use is being used - ironically enough - for the same purpose the Superdome was being used. That would be the Astrodome. Of course, the Houston Texans might have a problem with the Saints playing (literally) in their back yard, anyways.
There's be the concept of putting the Saints on the road for all 16 games. That could be described in one word: "Nightmare."
So that leaves us with two choices: San Antonio or Shreveport. I haven't heard anything about the condition of the Independence Bowl after Katrina, but since they offered LSU to host their opener (before it was switched to Tempe), you'd have to assume it's a viable option for the Saints.
San Antonio has its advantages, as it won't have as many conflicts in scheduling as it would if they played in Shreveport. It's not like the Alamodome doesn't have events scheduled, but they're more likely to be able to be rescheduled than they would elsewhere.
It would be the more PC thing to do to have the Saints play in Shreveport or Baton Rouge; it might be more financially sound for the Saints to play in San Antonio. It's more of a question of whether or not the Saints' Tom Benson wants to be opportunistic or not when it comes to this situation.
I really don't have an opinion one way or another; I just think it would be best served if the Saints played this season - period.
Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, Joseph Houk. All rights reserved.
