Author: Don Muret

Stadium Managers Get Gomez’s Diamond View

Stadium Managers Get Gomez’s Diamond View

Posted by | Feb 27, 2020 | , ,

BALLS AND STRIKES: ESPN’s Pedro Gomez, whose son is a minor leaguer, weighed in on potential contraction. (Courtesy SMA) Longtime reporter shares thoughts on computer umpires and paring minor league teams, but not his Hall of Fame ballot The electronic strike zone is coming to Major League Baseball, but whether that’s a good thing for the game is up for debate, according to ESPN broadcaster Pedro Gomez.  Gomez, a longtime baseball reporter, was keynote speaker for the recent Stadium Managers Association seminar in Phoenix. Gomez, a local resident, told some humorous stories tied to his 30 years working for newspapers and TV networks, followed by a Q&A session. Among the highlights: The calling of balls and strikes by computer is inevitable in MLB. “Be careful what you wish for,” Gomez said. “I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be the greatest thing. We’ve already seen managers have the arguing… Continue Reading Stadium Managers Get Gomez’s Diamond View

To access this content you must be a subscriber and logged in with your subscriber credentials here. To subscribe to VenuesNow, click here for more information or here for combo subscriptions including sister-publication Pollstar.

Continue Reading Stadium Managers Get Gomez’s Diamond View

Read More
When Kobe Came to Play

When Kobe Came to Play

Posted by | Feb 27, 2020 |

Kobe Bryant salutes the crowd after his last game at Atlanta in December 2015. (Getty Images) Venues industry veterans shared their unique perspectives on Kobe Bryant’s impact both on and off the basketball court. Mike McGee, former general manager of the Houston Summit and part owner of the NBA’s Rockets, recalled that Bryant’s father Joe played for the team in 1982-83 and Kobe was a ball boy. “I used to run him out of the Summit after practice and after games because he’d just want to sit out there and shoot,” McGee said. “He’d get all the other ball boys and they’d be out there with a pickup game going on.” McGee said he ran into Bryant four years ago at a Dick’s Sporting Goods in Newport Beach, Calif., near where Kobe lived, “and I walked over to him and said, ‘Hey Kobe, you probably don’t remember me,’ and he… Continue Reading When Kobe Came to Play

To access this content you must be a subscriber and logged in with your subscriber credentials here. To subscribe to VenuesNow, click here for more information or here for combo subscriptions including sister-publication Pollstar.

Continue Reading When Kobe Came to Play

Read More
‘Something I’ll Never See Again in My Life’

‘Something I’ll Never See Again in My Life’

Posted by | Feb 27, 2020 |

SHARING THEIR SADNESS: Mourners gather outside Staples Center to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant after his death in a helicopter crash. (Getty Images) Lee Zeidman on how Staples Center helped a city deal with its grief after Kobe Bryant’s death Over his 35-year career, Staples Center President Lee Zeidman has coordinated six memorials for sports personalities, musicians and other dignitaries.  First, it was Los Angeles Lakers play-by-play legend Chick Hearn in 2002, followed by pop icon Michael Jackson (2009), Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss (2013), longtime Grammys producer John Cossette (2014) and rapper Nipsey Hussle (2019). For Zeidman, though, no tribute had more impact than the one after the death of former Lakers star Kobe Bryant, a future basketball hall of famer and a beloved figure in Los Angeles sports history. Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash.  Zeidman and Bryant… Continue Reading ‘Something I’ll Never See Again in My Life’

To access this content you must be a subscriber and logged in with your subscriber credentials here. To subscribe to VenuesNow, click here for more information or here for combo subscriptions including sister-publication Pollstar.

Continue Reading ‘Something I’ll Never See Again in My Life’

Read More
Overnight NHL Star Still Has Time for Shop Talk

Overnight NHL Star Still Has Time for Shop Talk

Posted by | Feb 26, 2020 | , ,

MAN OF THE MOMENT: Dave Ayres signs autographs at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., at a Carolina Hurricanes game Tuesday. (Getty Images) Spectra arena ops manager Ayres is a ‘rink rat’ turned hero goalie Dave Ayres’ position as manager of operations at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto took a back seat to his side job last weekend. Filling the role of NHL emergency goalie on Saturday night, Ayres skated into the spotlight at Scotiabank Arena. Working the net for the visiting Carolina Hurricanes after their two goalies were hurt, Ayres stopped seven shots in the third period as the Canes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3. The news of Ayres’ heroics lit up the sporting world and some of the nonsporting world, too. He made multiple national television appearances with stories posted on many websites. Along the way, though, some misinformation around his experience working at hockey facilities got into… Continue Reading Overnight NHL Star Still Has Time for Shop Talk

To access this content you must be a subscriber and logged in with your subscriber credentials here. To subscribe to VenuesNow, click here for more information or here for combo subscriptions including sister-publication Pollstar.

Continue Reading Overnight NHL Star Still Has Time for Shop Talk

Read More
Kings Shake Up Cocktails With Tech

Kings Shake Up Cocktails With Tech

Posted by | Feb 26, 2020 | , ,

A TOAST TO TECH: The Nina app connects to digital devices on liquor bottles to regulate pours. (Courtesy Golden 1 Center) With Nina system, suite patrons use app that measures pours to make drinks The Sacramento Kings have adopted another layer of self-serve technology at Golden 1 Center. The NBA team is expanding the use of a mobile system for ordering mixed drinks in premium spaces after testing it in five suites and one loft at the 5-year-old facility. It follows Zippin, the big leagues’ first checkout-free convenience store, which debuted in October. The new hard liquor system, developed by Nina, an 18-month-old Israeli firm, allows suite patrons to make cocktails using a mobile application that measures pours. It connects to a digital device on top of the liquor bottle that controls the amount of alcohol being poured. The Kings are acting as a beta test and at this point… Continue Reading Kings Shake Up Cocktails With Tech

To access this content you must be a subscriber and logged in with your subscriber credentials here. To subscribe to VenuesNow, click here for more information or here for combo subscriptions including sister-publication Pollstar.

Continue Reading Kings Shake Up Cocktails With Tech

Read More

This Month's VenueNow

Most Recent