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July 18, 2007
Quakes' return spurs media whirlwind
So, how's everybody doing today? Here at the blog, we're still recovering from yesterday—and no, there was no alcohol involved. (We're saving ourselves for Thursday night at the Brit.) The chain of events yesterday, while largely expected on our end, was nevertheless completely draining. We're back, and while the list of questions is long—Where will we play? Who will coach the team? Which players will have the honor of playing for the Earthquakes?—the elation of simply knowing we have a team with a dedicated, capable owner overrides everything else.
Here's a wrap-up of today's press reports:
- The man who broke the story yesterday was Jonah Freedman of Sports Illustrated. (We mentioned this yesterday, but we want to do so again today. Mad props to Jonah for being the go-to guy for breaking Earthquakes news, and thanks for the plug, too.)
- KGO-TV (that's "Channel 7" to friends) has their story online, with video. They picked some good highlights, too—even though they muted the sound on Dwayne De Rosario's game-winner in MLS Cup 2001, Jack Edwards' call of "The Quakes win the cup! The Quakes win the cup!" rings in our ears when we see it.
- On the radio side, Matt Bigler of KCBS (740 AM) has a story online alongside a great interview of Earthquakes Soccer's David Alioto by Steve Bitker. Bitker's conversation with the Quakes executive VP is a must-listen, as DA provides some more info about the possibility of the team playing exhibition matches in the Sacramento area next year.
- The Chronicle's Tom FitzGerald provides a top-quality piece on the team's resurrection by including an interesting local angle (the purchase of DC United earlier this year by San Francisco businessmen Victor MacFarlane and Will Chang) and by mentioning the fact that the owners of the San Diego Padres have expressed interest in an MLS expansion team, something we don't recall hearing before.
Our favorite bit was this, though: "The return of the Quakes will delight South Bay soccer fans who supported the team strongly for 10 years, during which it won two championships. As for fans of celebrities, yes, this means that David Beckham will be playing in the Bay Area next year." Ooh, snap!
- The Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, San Mateo County Times, insidebayarea.com (AKA the Oakland Tribune), and probably a few other papers we're missing are running David Pollak's story, "Smile, Soccer's back/The Earthquakes will be an expansion club ready for 2008 season." Pollak speculates that Santa Clara University's Buck Shaw Stadium could serve as a temporary home for the Quakes, but SCU's AD is mum: "The most likely option in the South Bay could be just outside the San Jose city limits. Santa Clara University's Buck Shaw Stadium seats 6,800 but was temporarily expanded to 8,800 for the NCAA women's soccer championships in 1996. Athletic Director Dan Coonan declined to discuss the possible use of the school's facility."
- Finally, it looks like MLSnet.com will have video of Commissioner Don Garber's "State of the League" address, where we understand there is an important announcement scheduled to be made. It's scheduled to start at 11:00 Pacific but we don't know if they're webcasting or will be serving up highlights afterwards.
Posted by Jay at July 18, 2007 09:19 AM
Comments
Props as well to KLIV 1590, the Quakes former radio home, which is featuring a recurring on-air story today.
Posted by: Don Gagliardi at July 18, 2007 11:06 AM