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Tuesday, July 02, 2002

The clock for a new arena is ticking. One month left, as of Monday. Local governmental officials and the Penguins agreed last week to extend their original June 30 deadline to put financing in place.

The deal will get done, public outcry will ensue, and the usual vexation over taxation will follow as well.

So here's a different twist to the same old issue:

Make Mario Lemieux pay.

Kevin McClatchy and his crew footed less than one-fifth of PNC Park's bill, and they're the sole tenants. Dan Rooney and family forked out slightly less than half of Heinz Field's costs, some 44 percent, even though they share the place with University of Pittsburgh football, not to mention four WPIAL games, a City League championship and an occasional concert there.

A new arena will get more public usage in one year than the new ballpark and football stadium combined.

A new arena, in a really productive year, could get twice as much public usage as the ballpark.

Therefore, there's no question about the value, the necessity of a Centre Avenue structure to replace Mellon Arena -- (repeat after me this Penguins mantra) the oldest building in the NHL.

Just make Team Lemieux and the Penguins pay nearly one-half the price.

That's right, if it's going to be a $225-million-plus arena, as their early figures indicate, then old No. 66 and Co. should cough up almost twice his jersey number in millions.

Surely, they could borrow the money and write their own terms. Mellon Centre, anyone? Alcoa Arena? It doesn't matter how they acquire their 50-percent share of the cost, because, in exchange from local politicians, they should get the prime position of Arena Manager. Yes, award the Penguins the rights to run the place and profit from it, after meeting certain tax obligations and loans.

This proposition will work for everybody, even if it does put the onus on the Penguins. Much like the San Francisco Giants owners with Pacific Bell Park and Nationwide Insurance with the Columbus Blue Jackets' Nationwide Arena, you pay the freight and you work to ensure profitability. Team Lemieux might need its namesake to dangle the puck in a new building if it wants to start out successfully there. It certainly will need to get this arena to work.

See, SMG runs Mellon Arena currently, and it books about 130 dates per year. That is the average over the past four years. Forget about the 250-date number being bandied about. Can't happen. A city of Pittsburgh's No. 21 market scope, an entertainment hub with two amphitheaters and one stadium and a bunch of theaters in direct competition, can hardly hope to fill any more than 175 dates per year -- excluding Penguins postseason games.

Maybe Team Lemieux can perform some magical feats and reach 200 dates. That's where its boss and creative genius Tom Rooney comes into play. He used to run the PG Pavilion back in its Star Lake infancy. He used to work for the SFX firm that booked most of the musical acts across America. He used to work for the DeBartolos when they infused the old Igloo with Spirit and all kinds of stuff.

Figure skating, ice shows, the circus, the Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street productions, monster-truck jams and motorcross will come, whether you build it or not. An idea man like Rooney might succeed in luring more shows, booking more dates.

We could all use more bathrooms, less waiting. We could all use wider hallways, less "excusemepardonmeexcusemeowohsorry." We could all use an increased number of concession stands and selections, a decreased number of long lines and nachos. We could all use a new venue -- hey, Philadelphia got one way back in the 1990s, so the state politicians owe us.

The Penguins need a new venue, more than any single tenant. So make them pay. Make them run the joint. Then we can sit back and enjoy the show, and they can -- if they handle it correctly, a la Nationwide Arena and Pac Bell -- reap some dough.

Bonus topics

All-Star games are passe. They're so ... last century. They're wide-lapel, banana-yellow, polyester leisure suits. They're naugohyde on grass.

Baseball's All-Star Game is next Tuesday at Miller Park in Milwaukee? Wake me when it's over. This rite of July -- also known as (and say this with me) The Midsummer Classic -- is a classic bore anymore. I mean, the most fun we've had in years came a year ago in that conspiracy-theorist debate over Cal Ripken's home run being rigged.

This year, the lords of baseball tried to get the fans more interested, and a shade more equity in the selection process, by allowing online voting for an extra, 30th player. Woo boy, that'll end any inane arguing or overinflated controversy: Colorado's Larry Walker or the Pirates' Brian Giles? It's a no-brainer: Walker, with better numbers.

To avoid Shinjo or Armando Rios ballot-stuffing, to avoid any more such attempts at equity (before we get to 35 All-Stars on a side), how about letting the managers vote on the extra players? Few in baseball know their league's players better. And that could remove any hint of nepotism, such as National League boss Bob Brenly of Arizona hand-picking his own Diamondbacks outfielder, Luis Gonzalez.

And, while we're at it, let's try an Americas vs. the World lineup. Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson and Jason Giambi vs. Sammy Sosa, Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martinez and Ichiro? With cable and dish game broadcasts out the Yazoo City, Miss., with interleague play bringing previously unseen stars to your city, the old AL-NL format seems overly stale.

Bid farewell to Robert Lang. The vital free-agent center left for the Washington Capitals where he will never enjoy as much success as with the Penguins. And the Penguins might not enjoy as much success without him the next season or so.

Without Lang, it's almost imperative that Lemieux plays considerably this season. And plays well.

Young Kip Wells deserved to be an All-Star before Giles, who, remember, has been there before.

In addition to The Big Picture, Chuck Finder writes a general-sports column exclusive to the http://www.post-gazette.com/ every Tuesday. He can be reached at cfinder@post-gazette.com