Dynamo Park not in danger just yet

That empty field right there, the proposed site of Dynamo Park in the shadow if downtown, is still on the table, regardless of what you may have read this week about letters and meetings, intimidating and otherwise. (No need to have me run down all the events of yesterday. Read about them here, here and here.)

However, it won't be for much longer if Don Garber (His letter to AEG, Oscar De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener is here.) doesn't keep his freakin' mouth shut and his pen capped. (Read Fallas' commentary on this here.) Nothing will turn the indifferent in this town into Dynamo-haters faster than perceived threats. As much as Dynamo's wins have captivated Houston and as much of a soccer hotbed that exists here, we all know the situation is still somewhat tenuous at best. Public opinion can turn fast, and if you try to intimidate here, you find out what a slight hand you're really playing with, trophies or no.

Oliver Luck, of all people, knows this, which is why he met with Mayor Bill White and called a press conference yesterday to keep things from turning into a full boil.

So let's stick with the simple truths of the matter:

Good news:

1. All sides are still at the table and are meeting. Going back to when the Allen Brothers first did the backroom deal that founded this place, quiet "you rub my shoulders and I'll rub yours" meetings are how bidness gets done in Houston. The fact that the sides are talking to each other and NOT the media means that, for now, no Bud Adams-type explosion is going on. Quiet = Good

2. It's early in the season and Dynamo face the Galaxy Saturday. Putting the focus back on the field, especially if the Orange can secure a win against such a visible and highly-beatable opponent, can only help. Everyone's on the same side when it comes to winning.

3. The city is still buying the land and there's really no other purpose for it than the building of Paradise South. The wheels that were turning before the Don's bone-headed letter are still turning.

4. Both sides were conciliatory in tone yesterday, with White saying, basically, there will be no pressuring, and the Dynamo saying, basically, the same thing.

BAD NEWS

1. The price tag went up from $80-90 million to $105 million. It's still a bargain, but two digits looks better than three in front of the "m" word when trying to sell the thing to the public.

2. Dynamo mentioned yesterday that the city needs to put in more money and nowhere was there reference to the former meme about the team footing most of the bill. This leaves people thinking that the team is asking the city to foot most or all of the bill. If this is true, this news turns from bad to really bad.

3. The time spent on this could have spent on something productive, but instead it turned into an airing of frustrations. Maybe this is good news emotionally for everyone in the room, but in the sheer lack of moving the ball forward I'm putting it in this column.

4. Bernardo Fallas says that UH is rumored to be wanting to raise Dynamo's rent by 50% next year. Luck says that's unnacceptable. There is no silver lining to this one


So back to Garber's letter, which was written April 4. Why was it released now? Absent hard facts, it's conspiracy-theory time. Here's a great post from El Naranja over at Bernardo Fallas' Soccer y Fútbol blog, in which he quotes a friend, who echoes my thinking as well:

Let's see. The Commissioner writes a letter to the Dynamo ownership group outlining the case for a stadium in Houston and listing other markets that have participated in public-private partnerships with MLS. The Dynamo ownership group gives the Mayor a copy. The Mayor releases the letter and says that he won't take money out of police and fire budgets to pay for a stadium (which no one believes would ever happen, isn't how the City finances things like what the stadium project would need, and is something that the Mayor has previously said numerous times) - all while reinforcing his image as a tough business person who won't be pushed around in a deal (which is a great image to have when you run statewide). Then the Dynamo throws together a press conference to say that they're committed to Downtown and aren't interested in moving.

I don't think there's any way that the Commissioner sends a letter to the Dynamo ownership group unless AEG wants that letter. But even if you believe that's not the case, there's no way that the Dynamo owners give White a copy thinking that he won't release it and publicly affirm his opposition to using money that could be used for things like fire and police to finance the stadium.

So have we got a deal or not? No. But will we? Well, I have seen so many stadium and other deals in this city, and usually when you've got everyone wanting the same thing and a lack of posturing, a deal gets done. If the cooler heads that were evident at the end of the day yesterday are any indication, it'll happen, but when is anybody's guess. Read more!

Rumors and ruminations about Dynamo Park

Bernardo Fallas over at the Chron yesterday made note of the fact that Dynamo's self-imposed April 1 deadline for a stadium passed without notice and without comment. But you know as a longtime Houstonian who has seen deal after deal done in this city, other than the announcement of the deal itself, I think this is the best possible news.

Make no mistake, I fully expect the deal will be done this month. The main sticking point, I believe, is over the concert usage. When the Rockheads got the city to build the Toyota Center, there was a clause in the deal that all downtown concerts had to there, with the Rockets getting the profit by the way.

Anyhow, that clause runs out in 2010 or 2011 so I believe that AEG is wanting to either (a) get the city to opt out of the clause early somehow or (b) ensure it does not get renewed so concerts can be at Dynamo Park. This is why AEG kept 50 percent of the team instead of selling away control to De La Hoya and Brener. After AEG's interest in the future use of the stadium can be satisfied, the deal will be done. and then after that, I fully expect that AEG will sell a controlling stake to De La Hoya/Brener.

I say this without ever sitting in on any meeting or talking to any principals, just reading between the lines from various sources around here. There is no resistance from the city or county and Dynamo want the deal done, so it's clearly complications beyond the basic "build a stadium for a soccer team to play in" sort of thing.

So while it's easy to be frustrated, basically I'm very optimistic that the deal is imminent.

What do you think? Read more!

Inching ever closer to Dynamo Park

Take a good look at that picture, because right there is the three-headed coalition that is going to make Dynamo Park a reality sooner rather than later. Dominic Kinnear has put together the team on the field to produce two titles. Mayor Bill White has coalesced the city's various forces leading to yesterday's purchase of the land for ParadiseTexas. And then Tim Leiweke has represented AEG's interests sometimes controversially, but always consistently.


As has been reported all over the place, Houston City Council yesterday voted to spend $15.5 million to purchase five blocks just east of downtown for Dynamo Park. The council also approved a land swap to obtain an additional block. This was mostly a foregone conclusion with White in charge of the, well, charge. However, it was crucial after it was announced at Oscar De La Hoya's official welcoming party last week that the team was putting a self-imposed April 1 deadline in place for a stadium deal with the city. There is no other site under consideration, and April 1 is, after all, only 27 days away. So it's this site (many, many pictures of it are here) or we go back to Square One.

Dynamo starts against the Revs March 29 in NE. Their home opener is April 6 against the Frisco candystripers. My personal prediction is the announcement of the deal will come March 28, the Friday before the Revs game. What's your prediction? Read more!

My early thoughts on the arrival of the Golden One and why the April 1 stadium deadline makes me nervous

Wow, as Glenn Davis says, "Game On!"

Y'know, throughout the offseason I looked on in mounting trepidation as many other MLS teams were highly, highly active and the only thing Dynamo was seemingly doing was looking forward to a crowded fixture schedule and losing Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jaqua. Then the last two weeks happened and I'm starting to get spoiled. "What? What do you mean there's no Dynamo news happening today? What's going on?"

In the last 10 days, the champs have:

1. Destroyed Sydney FC 3-0
2. Gotten beat down by Gamba Osaka 6-1
3. Signed Argentine Franco Caraccio
4. Brought in perennial winner Oscar De La Hoya as a new, and seemingly very active, co-owner; and
5. Set a deadline for stadium negotiations with the City of Houston for April 1.

Have I missed anything?

So, here are my quick takes:

1. Good and fun
2. Laughingly bad
3. Franco who? Guy seems green, but I refer back to my mantra of "Trust in Dom...Trust in Dom..Trust in Dom..." And even though Kinnear said he has never seen the guy play live, based on past performance, I feel like trusting him is like trusting Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man when he says to take another hit when you've got 19 on the blackjack table. Just do it, OK?

And that's the end of the quick takes, because these next two are going to take some time.


Bienvenidos Oscar. There's nothing in the Golden Boy's resume to suggest that he ever loses at anything. Geez, what do you want? He has had doubters are every step of the way in everything he has ever done, and you know what's he's done each time? Proven them waaay wrong. Too small to win at Olympic boxing? Too small and slow to win a prizefight? Too American to receive Mexican support? Too Mexican to receive American support? Too inexperienced to to succeed at boxing promotion? Too into boxing business to succeed in the ring? OK, that's 6-0 for De La Hoya here, alright?

Six....and.....oh.

Anything else? Oh yeah, now we can add, never been in soccer and thus cannot lead an MLS team.

Now, y'know, I'm not measuring the trophy case for that third Rothenberg trophy just yet here. But I really don't see a downside. I'm desperately looking for one and here's the best I can come up with:

Not even remotely local. As my brother wrote to me the other day:

De la Hoya also, to my knowledge, has little or no contact with the Houston business scene. This argues for maintaining the existing management structure of the Dynamo (and really, why would Golden Boy Prod want to change the model that's working so well?).

It would be so much better for a Houston entity to purchase the team. Is there not a Houstonian-led group who could purchase the Dynamo??? Tilman Fertitta, perhaps? But if we're going to have absentee, corporate ownership, that damn lease for the new stadium better be air-tight!

One other at least potential negative about Golden Boy Productions, they are a relatively new sports company, having been around just about 10 years now. All they do are prizefights. This would be an expansion of their business, and something about which they have almost no experience. We may be begging for a return to AEG if they can't pull this off.

So bottom line, they are not local and they are not experienced. But they are Hispanic owned and they have cash. I see storm clouds on this one.

Yes, I also see the storm cloud potential on this one. And both Bernardo Fallas and Glenn Davis specifically asked the Golden Boy about this. First, here's Glenn Davis' thoughts on the matter:

If you were worried about De La Hoya not being involved locally you can think again.
Just listen to his interviews and his desire for this market for both soccer and boxing.
Charismatic , young, intelligent and ambitious is a great combination for someone who gets the importance of soccer both locally and globally.
MLS had courted De La Hoya to buy a new franchise but he elected to buy into the Dynamo.

And here's what De La Hoya himself had to say:

To Davis:

“Well I have been an MLS fan for quite a while now and ever since I can remember I have loved soccer and especially now that Houston is the back-to-back champions you tend to pay more attention not only to the team that one but also the city. We go way back where we first staged our first boxing event many years ago; Houston is a great boxing and soccer town. I remember having various meetings with my colleagues and executives at Golden Boy. If we can ever do boxing events in Houston maybe once a month let’s take advantage of the opportunity so I have been spending quite a while in Houston . I travel to Houston quite often and it is a city I really enjoy.”

and

“Absolutely, the surface has just been scratched and the possibilities are endless for the MLS and especially for the Houston Dynamo. I have been now religiously following the Houston Dynamo for quite a while now. This is such an exciting moment for me personally because when you have an opportunity to join or be part of a team who is just coming off great success it is really a big thrill and an honor and we have to make sure that the level of integrity and level that the Houston Dynamo have been for quite a while we make sure we keep it like that and make sure the fans are happy and Houston Dynamo live on forever.”

and finally:

"The league overall has done a tremendous job you have to commend the commissioner and everyone else who has been involved in structuring in putting together to what the league is today. Like I said before this is only the beginning soccer will grow and expand. Houston Dynamo will have a stadium to play in. I am very positive that the city will make sure that all the fans in Houston will have a home, a home to cheer on their favorite team. I can not wait to wear my orange jersey and be part of (El Batallon) crew that they have down there cheering on our team.”

Here's what he told Fallas:

Q: When this all said and done, the team will still lack local ownership. Houston sports fans are used to having a visible owner, which the Dynamo don't have. Will you be a visible owner?

A: Absolutely. If I have to buy an apartment in Houston I will buy an apartment in Houston. I am dedicated to being part of a championship team and Houston will see my face very often. It's an exciting time for us. The passion and drive is there from our part.

And here he is at the rally yesterday:




and then this one:



So, I remain cautiously optimistic on this.

And about the April 1st deadline on plans for Dynamo Park, there has been nothing but positives on this story so far, except for the slow pace of the negotiations. De La Hoya's now active involvement (Who knows how active he was up to this point? My guess is not that much.) can only speed things up. This is all sheer conjecture on my part and with any negotiations with a municipality, I am well aware that things can turn south rather quickly, but I see nothing in the run-up to this point to make me think anything other than good thoughts. Last year, before the playoffs began, Mister3d made this prediction for the playoffs: "Predicting Dynamo to win it all makes me happy, so I predict Dynamo to win it all again." Similarly, on April 1st, I expect to gather again in Jones Plaza or on the site the city is about to purchase just east of downtown, and party at the announcement. The thought makes me happy, so I predict it will happen. So there. Read more!

Buenos dias El Niño del Oro

Dynamo sent out this e-mail today about a downtown party Friday to welcome the Golden Boy to town. I kinda suspect this will be sparsely attended, but I plan on going anyway. The weather will be nice and if I'm lucky, maybe I'll score an interview. At the very least, I'll take some shots and post them here. Maybe we'll even get a stadium announcement, but I think the chances of that are zero to, well, zero.

Read more!

Niño del Oro interview

Glenn Davis' blog has a fascinating interview (read it here) with incoming Dynamo minority owner Oscar De La Hoya. (And, of course, you can listen to the interview on Davis' Dynamo Power Hour podcast here.)I haven't wanted to post much on De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener's impending acquisition as the reports leave me somewhat confused about the business power structure, and the interview sheds no further light on this.

According to Bernardo Fallas' story in the Chron, AEG has the team valued at $40 million. De La Hoya will have a $10 million stake and Brener will have another $10 million stake. AEG, meanwhile, will still own 50 percent of the team. So the question is, who's in charge here? Hopefully, at the official announcement, which the story says could come by the end of the week, this question will be answered.

While I wholeheartedly welcome a guy like De La Hoya, who has done nothing but succeed in every thing he's ever done (much like this guy), my three main concerns are:

1. The power structure
2. No local ownership (though Fallas says Brener has family in Houston, and I know De La Hoya has multiple connections, to which he alludes in the Glenn Davis interview, in the city's vibrant boxing scene).
3. Will the Oliver Luck/Chris Cannetti/Dominic Kinnear/John Spencer on-field power structure be left intact or will De La Hoya/Brener start intervening?

One this last point, here's a great quote from De La Hoya in the interview, which is exactly what I, for one, want to hear:

“I think Coach Dominic Kinnear and President Oliver Luck have just done a tremendous job with the team. The team’s nucleus of players like Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching, obviously you have Pat Onstad who are incredible talented players who have had great success. You let the management take care of that, what they are doing now is perfect. No other team out there can say they are back-to-back champions and that is the thrill about our team. I say our team because it is not just Golden Boys team or AEG teams or MLS teams but it is the fans team and that where we want to keep it with the fans.”

Also, one other question, AEG has been trying to sell this team since they came in. Is their remaining 50 percent stake still up for sale?

Hopefully, more will be revealed when the sale is finalized.

But for now, here's another great quote from the Golden One:

"I can not wait to wear my orange jersey and be part of (El Batallon) crew that they have down there cheering on our team.”

Read more!