Stadium Concept Plan Unveiled

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission unveiled its new stadium design plan Thursday, which calls for an open-air stadium with a retractable roof in hopes of engendering support from the Minnesota Legislature.

The concept plan for a new $853 million open-air stadium with a retractable roof was made public Thursday by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission. The reduction of $100 million or more in cost involves reusing parts of the existing Metrodome as part of the concept plan, which would be about $100 million less than building a facility from all new materials.

According to projections, a new stadium would bring in about $32 million in additional revenue per year, which would help defray the public cost of helping to fund a new stadium. A plan is currently being prepared to present to the 2009 Legislative session.

The Vikings' current lease in the Metrodome expires in 2011 and, even if approved in the 2009 session, a new stadium won’t be complete until 2012 at the earliest. The Minnesota Gophers are playing their last season in the Metrodome and the Twins will play their last year at the dome in 2009.

FRIDAY NOTES

Adrian Peterson’s trophy case has a new addition. In a release Thursday, ESPN announced its award winners for the 2008 ESPY Awards. A.D. won for Best Breakthrough Performance of 2007 Wednesday night. The ceremony will carried on a tape-delayed basis at 8 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

The Vikings remained mum in response to charges leveled by Green Bay officials that the Vikes tampered with Brett Favre. A team spokesman said Thursday, “We are not commenting on this issue. These types of matters are handled by the league.” Last year’s penalty to the 49ers for tampering with Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs resulted in San Francisco forfeiting a fifth-round pick. That was the first time a team had been found guilty of tampering since 1995, so there is little in the way of precedent to go on.

It would appear that, given the ongoing friendship between Favre and Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, it will be difficult to prove as being tampering. But reports Thursday tried to link a conversation between head coach Brad Childress and Favre, which would be much more likely to result in sanctions if proved accurate.

With almost all potential AFC teams out of the running, the latest rumor has the Packers trading Favre to Tampa Bay. The Packers will play the Buccaneers in Week 4 this season.

A farm family from Eleva, Wisc., has shown its love for Favre with a maze of maize. The family has created a huge maze in a corn field on the family farm showing the upper body of the quarterback holding a football with the word “Thanks” under it. Tours of the maze will be opened to the public Sept. 1. The family intends to give $1 of every ticket sold to the Deanna Favre Foundation.

The Bears head into training camp with an all-out competition at quarterback between Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton. If those remain the only candidates, most Bears opponents won’t care which one wins the preseason competition, which may extend all the way to the final preseason game before a starter is announced.