Rumor.....
 

around San Antonio is, the Saints are gunna be playing the 18th in the AlamoDome, anyone around SA hear that?????

RE: Rumor.....
 

the saints will most likely end up playing in either tiger stadium or in jackson, miss. if the stadium has power and isnt too messed up

Saints talk to city about using dome for opener
Web Posted: 08/30/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Tom Orsborn
San Antonio Express-News

With the Louisiana Superdome facing repairs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints spoke Monday with city officials about moving the club's home opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 18 to the Alamodome.

"We would love to have them," Alamodome director Mike Abington said. "We certainly don't wish them the misfortune that would force them to come here. But if that is the case, we would love to have them and a lot of our citizens would love to watch them."

San Antonio never has hosted a regular-season NFL game.

Saints officials spoke with Abington and City Councilman Roger O. Flores after learning that Hurricane Katrina has ripped two holes in the curved roof of the Superdome, where nearly 10,000 people gathered for shelter.

Each hole measured about 15 to 20 feet long and 4 to 5 feet wide, officials estimated.

A decision by the Saints is not expected until structural engineers can inspect the Superdome. But even then, a move to San Antonio is not automatic. Another venue that could accommodate the Saints is Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

The Saints flew to San Jose on Sunday to prepare for their Thursday night exhibition game against the Oakland Raiders.

"(The hurricane) has been on everybody's mind," cornerback Jimmy Williams said. "From where did they leave their car parked, because it's probably going to be underwater because of the flood, to alligators in your house."

The Saints practiced in San Antonio for three days last September after fleeing New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Ivan.

Saints owner Tom Benson, a New Orleans native, was once one of San Antonio's biggest car dealers and still has strong ties to the area.

"Mr. Benson has been an integral part of our business community," Flores said. "We also have a fan base that should provide them with some measure of success financially. Also, the residual economic impact to the city of San Antonio would be very important."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...s.86904ba.html

8)

I think its to early to call... I think the only thing preventing the Saints from playing in the dome is going to be power issues. Structure integrity of the dome is solid... through a tarp over the missing tiles and power up the dome.

There is no way they play that game in the dome. Levees are continuing to break. They have stated they do not know when water and sewage will be back to normal. With the water rising they can not even begin to restore electricity. And did you see the picture surrounding the dome on MSN? you need a boat just to get there, with water still rising. 80% of the city is flooded, and they have ordered everyone to leave. My grandmother, who is still trapped in her home in the city, advised me sections of East I-10 are completely out. They mayhave to play the whole season elsewhere.

Well look at it this way... they couldn't win in the dome anyways. It'll be like a year on the road.

Glad you made contact Whodi. Most of my family lives well west of New Orleans. My brother goes to graduate school in Thibodeaux, but he left Saturday. On the other hand, a family friend in Gulfport told us his house (and his boat) are just gone. I'm not from New Orleans proper, but I'm numb for the people there.

I suspect the condition of the Dome will be just one factor. Service industry (hotels, restaurants,etc) and city infrastructure will be considered.

I dunno. Just a thought....


8)

Truly, thanks saintfan. I wasn't worried about my grandma for a while, but with reports of levees breaking and areas that weren't flooded now being flooded, I am sick again.My mom, dad, and sister I know are safe. Lots of cousing, aunts uncles friends I have no idea about. Prayers go out to you and yours, and everyone else.

I agree that it's probably too early to call. Hell, they're trying to take care of lives right now, not the Saints. And from the Saints perspective, they would probably play better without a home anyway.

My wife woke me crying at 7 am telling me about the levee down there. I was playing with my little six month old girl in the relative calm of Alpharetta, GA. (We had some nasty little tornadoes, but nothing compared to what people on the gulf coast are going to.)
It was touching, because my wife is from Georgia and I'm from MS and to see her heart go out to the people down there means that I have shown her some of the reasons to love that part of the world...the history and people of New Orleans are a breed of their own and my heart goes out to you guys. It really puts things in perspective. My buddy in Pascagoula's house was completely flooded out. There are times when you just have to be happy to be alive and to have your loved ones.

Who knows where the Saints will play. I may drive to Jackson if they host a game there. I just hope the city recovers with the State's economic issues. Wasn't it last year that the Saints went to San Antonio because of a hurricane and played their best home game of the year? This may be the best way to make them think they are on the road all year long. And maybe the water will wash those evil spirits out of the Dome.

At any rate...I hope everyone is doing OK.

Well now I don't think they will be playing in New Orleans this year... because there isn't a New Orleans. I saw from CNN water creeping up to the dome.

Rising water in, around Superdome to force evacuation
ESPN.com news services


BATON ROUGE, La. -- Rescuers in boats and helicopters struggled to reach hundreds of wet and bedraggled victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, while New Orleans slipped deeper into crisis as water began rising in the streets because of a levee breaks.

In New Orleans, water began rising in the streets Tuesday morning, swamping an estimated 80 percent of the city and prompting the evacuation of hotels and hospitals. The water was also rising perilously inside New Orleans' Superdome, and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said the tens of thousands of people now huddled there and other shelters would have to be evacuated as well.

Story continues...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2147141

8)

LSU officials: Stadium 'in good shape' after hurricane
Associated Press


BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU's Tiger Stadium, which is undergoing a major expansion, escaped significant damage during Baton Rouge's brush with Hurricane Katrina, university officials said.

With work continuing on the new west upper deck, No. 5-ranked LSU is scheduled to open the season by hosting North Texas on Saturday.

"It looks like everything came through the storm very well," senior associate athletic director Dan Radakovich said. "Obviously we have to speak with the guys who do the work when they get back. But from the standpoint of us eyeballing the stadium and the grounds around it, it's in as good a shape as can be expected."

Construction crews suspended work Sunday on the $60 million west upper deck project, which was expected to be mostly usable for LSU's first two games and completely finished for its third game Sept. 24 against Tennessee.

The hurricane forced LSU coach Les Miles to juggle the Tigers' game week practice schedule. He said he gave the team Monday off and resumed practice Tuesday.

"We just hope like heck the people in New Orleans and elsewhere aren't too adversely affected by this," Miles said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2146797

8)

Updated: Aug. 30, 2005, 6:24 PM ET

Two games postponed due to Hurricane Katrina
ESPN.com news services


Hurricane Katrina forced the postponement Tuesday of two NCAA football games: Tulane vs. Southern Mississpippi in Hattiesburg and North Texas vs. Louisiana State in Baton Rouge.

The Tulane-Southern Mississippi game that was supposed to be played Sunday has been moved to the Saturday after Thanksgiving because of the problems caused by Katrina.

The North Texas-LSU game has not been rescheduled because the teams don't share an off day until Dec. 3, a day on which LSU could be playing in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Baton Rouge, however, didn't suffer near the damage that New Orleans and Hattiesburg did Monday.

"We have been in contact with the administrators for both universities and we all agree that the focus of our attention should be on the continued safety of the student-athletes, coaches and the lives of those affected by this storm," Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said Tuesday. "Playing a football game is not our highest priority at this time."

Tulane and Southern Miss were scheduled to end their seasons Nov. 19. Now, their opener will become their finale on Nov. 26.

ESPN2, which was to carry Sunday's game, told the conference it will still try honoring those plans.

The Green Wave football team, which had moved to Jackson, Miss., on Sunday, only to have Katrina move right through that city as well, spent Tuesday on a seven-hour bus ride to Dallas. The team will stay at a hotel near SMU and work out at the Mustangs' campus for the foreseeable future.

The Golden Eagles, whose campus also stood right in the path of the epic storm, have moved to Memphis, some five hours north. The team will stay at a hotel there and work out at the University of Memphis' facilities.

Banowsky said his office spent most of Tuesday serving as a help desk and clearinghouse for the two Conference USA schools. According to the commissioner, officials at both campuses could call out but not receive calls, so the league office helped coordinate the postponement of the game and the logistics of moving the teams.

The schools caught a break on scheduling. Not only were they scheduled to play each other Sept. 4, but both had been scheduled to have their season conclude on Nov. 19. That left Thanksgiving weekend available. In addition, with a Sunday game, Tulane had Saturday, Sept. 10, as an idle date, which gives the team more time to get its life together before the new start of its season on Sept. 17.

The larger picture, however, concerns what happens if school is postponed indefinitely. As New Orleans continued to fill with water on Tuesday, the possibility existed that Tulane may not open for a long time.

"It's too early to speculate whether schools will be closed three weeks or a month," Banowsky said from his office in Dallas. "People are still in an assessment mode."

Banowsky said the conference office blocked the hotel rooms for Tulane in Dallas for three weeks. He added that players will be allowed to return home to their families in the short term, and will then return to Dallas to resume practice. The NCAA allows the university to pay for the players' transportation home in such an emergency.


Story continues...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2147003

8)

It will be in the state of louisiana where they play.... atleast that id where they need to look... not out of louisiana saints!!! YOU GOTTA HAVE FAITH ....

Not that I would put anything beyond Benson, but he's already sold 40 some-odd thousand season tickets to Louisiana residents. I'm sure that he's not inclined to pass out refunds when he simply has to move 90 miles north to keep most, if not all of those seats filled. Refunding $20 million and then trying to recoup that within the next 2 weeks would be difficult.

In addition, he can see what playing outdoors in Louisiana would do for the Saints. I'll bet he changes his tune on an open air stadium really fast...

The stadium issue has certainly taken a unpredicted turn. I'm torn between speaking on it now or later. I'd hope that those feeling the need to speak on it now will be tolerated as this is a Saints Football forum.

Faith, indeed.



8)

Speak Tally speak. The best idea I heard was someone suggesting we build a new stadium/hurricane evacuation center. Two birds with one stone. Win win. We can use government aid towards it as well. I don't see how this is a bad idea. BUT, the question is, where to build it.

Hmm...well. My first thought is the State of Louisiana's, and many folks camped out on their roofs tonight, are putting a new Saints stadium way down their lists. Financial and otherwise. My second thought is our beloved owner, despite dangling a carrot with a possibility of playing games elsewhere this year, best say tommorrow he's committed to keeping the Saints in 'Nawlins.... or he'll be a bigger some***** than he is now. :wink:

You asked. :)


8)

My heart go out to people south of lousiana & mississippi but I seriously doubt the saint will be playing this year or next year in the city of nawlins. If you are not affected by Katrina you will be tomorrow with the price of gas.

While not comparable to the disaster on 9/11...
The City of New Orleans will never be the same.
IMO, getting the city back on it's feet shoudl be the most important discussion right now.
I hope Tom Benson and company realize this and do what most of you are saying....
Pledge their support to the community, provide an entertaining release for their residents, and provide for the future of their residents.
A re-furbished Superdome -- built to withstand a future hurricane and make the team money.
Benson should aslo push for NFL money to help rebuild the surrounding area, and promise to bring the SuperBOWL back to it's home... THE SUPERDOME.

While not comparable to the disaster on 9/11...
The City of New Orleans will never be the same.
IMO, getting the city back on it's feet shoudl be the most important discussion right now.
I hope Tom Benson and company realize this and do what most of you are saying....
Pledge their support to the community, provide an entertaining release for their residents, and provide for the future of their residents.
A re-furbished Superdome -- built to withstand a future hurricane and make the team money.
Benson should aslo push for NFL money to help rebuild the surrounding area, and promise to bring the SuperBOWL back to it's home... THE SUPERDOME.

I personally think they should move the whole freakin town! Ya live in a bowl! A rebuilt dome that is higher and made to withstand a cat 5.