Rosenblatt group sends petitions to NCAA
Posted: Tuesday, October 02, 2007
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A group working to keep the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium sent petitions with 14,000 signatures to the NCAA on Monday, hoping to convince officials that renovating Rosenblatt is a better alternative to building a new ballpark.
The group, called Save Rosenblatt, says it is working on a plan that it hopes submit to the NCAA soon. But the president of the local organizing body for the event -- which would have to submit the plan -- criticized the petition and would not say whether CWS Inc. would forward the group's proposal.
"I wasn't aware that they were going to send petitions to the NCAA, and that was a bad thing for them to do," said Jack Diesing Jr., president of CWS Inc. "We take the chance of, frankly, sending the message that we don't want to send them (the NCAA), and that is that we're not all on the same page."
The NCAA said last month that it's willing to go along with a plan backed by city officials and CWS Inc. that would move the series out of Rosenblatt and into a proposed stadium near downtown.
The city is proposing a new 25,000-seat stadium with open concourses, plentiful parking and skyboxes. That plan has the backing of Mayor Mike Fahey, CWS Inc. and the Triple-A Omaha Royals.
Royals officials said their club probably would move in if the stadium is built, giving the ballpark a major tenant.
The NCAA has said it would consider giving Omaha a long-term contract to continue hosting the CWS, but only if a new stadium is built. Fahey has said he would want a 20-year commitment. The current five-year contract expires in 2010.
Dennis Poppe, the NCAA managing director of baseball, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office by The Associated Press.
Save Rosenblatt was formed by citizens who want to keep the CWS in the South Omaha ballpark that has hosted the event every year since 1950. The group has enlisted the help of actor Kevin Costner, who appears in a short television commercial urging Omahans to keep the series at Rosenblatt.
In a letter mailed Monday to Poppe and the NCAA Division I baseball committee, Save Rosenblatt said its stadium renovation plan, when completed, would be submitted by CWS Inc.
But Diesing said he had not talked with Save Rosenblatt officials about sending along their proposal and would make no promise that he would do so.
Poppe said previously that the NCAA would not speak directly with Save Rosenblatt officials and that any correspondence regarding the stadium issue would have to come from CWS Inc.
"At the end of the day, we've got to present a unified front," Diesing said.
Jason Smith, chairman of Save Rosenblatt, said he thinks the NCAA would be open to keeping the series at Rosenblatt if it sees a strong proposal.
Smith said CWS Inc. should not stand in the way of the NCAA receiving the proposal.
"There would be scores of thousands of people in an uproar because this is a public stadium and we the people deserve a fair shake at a reasonable proposal," Smith said.
Critics of the city's plan say building a new ballpark would be too expensive and would strip the College World Series of its tradition. City officials have not said how much a new ballpark would cost or how construction would be funded.
Save Rosenblatt sent copies of a cover letter and petition to Poppe and the NCAA baseball committee, along with copies of Costner's videotaped plea.
The group hasn't set a date for finishing its stadium renovation proposal. Smith said the group would have a preliminary outline submitted by the end of the month.
Save Rosenblatt has said a local architect is working on the plans, but would not identify that person on Monday.
More than 300,000 people attended College World Series games over 10 days in June.
Rosenblatt was built in 1948 and opened as Municipal Stadium. It was renamed in 1964 in honor of Johnny Rosenblatt, Omaha's mayor from 1954 to 1961. The stadium, which originally seated 10,000, now has a capacity of 23,145.
On the Net:
Save Rosenblatt: http://www.saverosenblatt.com
CWS Omaha: http://cwsomaha.org/html/home/index.asp
NCAA Sports: http://www.ncaasports.com
The group, called Save Rosenblatt, says it is working on a plan that it hopes submit to the NCAA soon. But the president of the local organizing body for the event -- which would have to submit the plan -- criticized the petition and would not say whether CWS Inc. would forward the group's proposal.
"I wasn't aware that they were going to send petitions to the NCAA, and that was a bad thing for them to do," said Jack Diesing Jr., president of CWS Inc. "We take the chance of, frankly, sending the message that we don't want to send them (the NCAA), and that is that we're not all on the same page."
The NCAA said last month that it's willing to go along with a plan backed by city officials and CWS Inc. that would move the series out of Rosenblatt and into a proposed stadium near downtown.
The city is proposing a new 25,000-seat stadium with open concourses, plentiful parking and skyboxes. That plan has the backing of Mayor Mike Fahey, CWS Inc. and the Triple-A Omaha Royals.
Royals officials said their club probably would move in if the stadium is built, giving the ballpark a major tenant.
The NCAA has said it would consider giving Omaha a long-term contract to continue hosting the CWS, but only if a new stadium is built. Fahey has said he would want a 20-year commitment. The current five-year contract expires in 2010.
Dennis Poppe, the NCAA managing director of baseball, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office by The Associated Press.
Save Rosenblatt was formed by citizens who want to keep the CWS in the South Omaha ballpark that has hosted the event every year since 1950. The group has enlisted the help of actor Kevin Costner, who appears in a short television commercial urging Omahans to keep the series at Rosenblatt.
In a letter mailed Monday to Poppe and the NCAA Division I baseball committee, Save Rosenblatt said its stadium renovation plan, when completed, would be submitted by CWS Inc.
But Diesing said he had not talked with Save Rosenblatt officials about sending along their proposal and would make no promise that he would do so.
Poppe said previously that the NCAA would not speak directly with Save Rosenblatt officials and that any correspondence regarding the stadium issue would have to come from CWS Inc.
"At the end of the day, we've got to present a unified front," Diesing said.
Jason Smith, chairman of Save Rosenblatt, said he thinks the NCAA would be open to keeping the series at Rosenblatt if it sees a strong proposal.
Smith said CWS Inc. should not stand in the way of the NCAA receiving the proposal.
"There would be scores of thousands of people in an uproar because this is a public stadium and we the people deserve a fair shake at a reasonable proposal," Smith said.
Critics of the city's plan say building a new ballpark would be too expensive and would strip the College World Series of its tradition. City officials have not said how much a new ballpark would cost or how construction would be funded.
Save Rosenblatt sent copies of a cover letter and petition to Poppe and the NCAA baseball committee, along with copies of Costner's videotaped plea.
The group hasn't set a date for finishing its stadium renovation proposal. Smith said the group would have a preliminary outline submitted by the end of the month.
Save Rosenblatt has said a local architect is working on the plans, but would not identify that person on Monday.
More than 300,000 people attended College World Series games over 10 days in June.
Rosenblatt was built in 1948 and opened as Municipal Stadium. It was renamed in 1964 in honor of Johnny Rosenblatt, Omaha's mayor from 1954 to 1961. The stadium, which originally seated 10,000, now has a capacity of 23,145.
On the Net:
Save Rosenblatt: http://www.saverosenblatt.com
CWS Omaha: http://cwsomaha.org/html/home/index.asp
NCAA Sports: http://www.ncaasports.com
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