DJ V Lawrence

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/soc/4466713.html The next team that could draw blood in the MLS major signing war is our other arch rival, FC Dallas. The next could be Dutch star Edgar Davids, who has lost his place in the starting Tottenham lineup in England and is holding talks with FC Dallas. He's world-famous for his ruthless, aggressive style of play, his trademark glasses, and speed. This is another player who's probably a household name every country except the states. If he were signed, it won't be nearly as big as Becks, but FC Dallas will be a much tougher team with a guy like him pushing the speed button. The dude's 34. He'd be a good passer for Hoops, but yeah, lets hope the Dynamo are smart in getting someone that's less than 30, and isn't past their prime.

Yea. ABC shows a marquee match each weekend (usually Saturday), ESPN shows a few, and ESPN 2 shows a majority of the games during the week. If Dynamo's game isn't national, it's either on FSN, FSSW, or on TV51 like the Rockets. I don't know the spanish schedule, but they cover MLS, Mexican leagues, and South American leagues. They show a lot of Chivas USA though. Teams play around 2-4 times a week give or take. Let's hope it's someone in their prime and under 30. If Dynamo get better because of him, they'll get the higher consistant attendance they're looking for. Like I said, I think Houston has won more than anyone when it comes to the Beckham signing.

I agree; that is a major question mark. It's obvious that there are many sports fans in America, many "sports critics" in America (even though a majority of American critics don't follow the world's biggest sport), and there's a huge amount of soccer/football fans in America, which is shown when international clubs are able to sell out NFL stadiums and ratings are healthy during World Cup time. The question now is if MLS has finally tapped the market in terms of getting those fans of soccer and/or sports to follow MLS as we do the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and the World Cup. Will the supposedly greatest athletic country in the world succeed in having one of the premier soccer leagues in the world? I think Beckham is a great step to that, but it's nowhere near enough. I think MLS will succeed this year in terms of fans in the stands, but if people will tune in to MLS with high numbers remains to be seen. This is just the beginning in terms of big-name signing in MLS. I hope the rumor is true and New York Red Bull get Ronaldo at 33, 'cause he's older, he'll bring many people to the stands in New York, and they'll waste their star pick. If MLS REALLY wants to show they've arrived (and Dynamo), they'll sign a star who is young and at his prime, like, I dunno, Ronaldhino or Eto of Barcelona. The best player in the world. If they were capable of bringing him and players like him before he were 30, MLS will be one of the powerhouse leagues not just in America, but the world. I also think if Ronaldhino were to go to Dynamo, it would be a bigger contract than A-Rods or Beckhams. It'd probably be at least a $300 Million signing with endorsements. If American sports is serious about being taken seriously on an international scale, that may be worth it.

I think it's safe to say it's not gonna pull off an NASL (signing big names well past their prime, then folding.) Becks is 31, and still has a lot left. The goal of MLS with Becks' transaction, plus Demsley going to England and Adu sure to be next, is to become one of the premier leagues in soccer, in turn make them one of the more watched leagues in America which would increase American endorsement deals, which would bring more interest into playing the sport and improving talent at a younger age (i.e. high school and college), and in the end improve the U.S.'s talent on the World Cup squad. The ultimate goal is to win the most prized title in all sports, and to have a nasty after-party to go along with it. The Beckham deal is a big one, but it surely isn't the last. Every MLS team will either be signing a big name overseas star within the next three years, or trade that right for a major prospect. Houston announced they're pursuing a star from Mexico or South America while in their prime to improve their chances of repeating at the MLS Cup. --- Now THIS is where I think Houston may have the advantage. Check this out from the BBC: LA Galaxy admitted their interest in signing Beckham in November, when general manager Alexi Lalas told the BBC Sport website of his admiration for the former England captain. In an exclusive interview, Lalas said: "The Los Angeles Galaxy are looked upon as the jewel of Major League Soccer. "We play in the best stadium, we have had incredible success over the history of the league, we have had great individual players and great teams. There's a tradition of excellence. "All of this leads to this race to become the first MLS super club, if you will. Yea, LA Galaxy will get their money from the attendance spike, plus their endorsements, but their stadium is built, and it will sell out at 25,000-30,000 tops. Houston hasn't built theirs yet, but if they're able to build a crowd at Robertson where it regularly exceeds LA's crowd, and they're able to build a stadium within the loop that has at least 10,000 more seats than LA, twice as many luxury boxes, and THAT'S able to sell-out, Houston could give Galaxy a run for their money as the SuperClub of American soccer. Dynamo would recieve more stadium revenue than any team in MLS. Both clubs have won 5 of the last 6 MLS titles, and are second and third in MLS titles to DC United. Galaxy used their star-contract on Beckham, whereas Dynamo's still looking. They don't have to use it this year, since their attendance will be high when Becks comes. Dynamo picked the right season to win a title.

Robertson is a temporary home, because it belongs to UH. Reliant can be used when the event is right and as long as it doesn't conflict with Texans gams and HLS&R obviously. There's two problems with Reliant Stadium long-term. 1) It's much more expensive to run or rent Reliant than it is to play at Robertson. Last season, their highest attendance was 25,000 at Robertson. (They had 70,000 at Reliant for the double-header, but Ronaldhino was there). Even if Dynamo had 40,000 at Reliant, they would still get a bigger profit at Robertson because of how much it costs to rent out Reliant. 2) Much more money is made with their own stadium. If they were to play at Reliant, it still costs the team and taxpayers money to maintain. If they have their own stadium, the tickets, luxury suites, and naming rights go to the MLS team. In turn, because of this Beckham deal, other teams with their own stadiums and sources of extra income could work to bring a megastar of their own to their city to compliment the stars already on their team. If a team stays at another team's stadium, they're renting out another team's facility while that other team has the first say as to who gets to use it. And it will cost more to rent out than to have a stadium of your own, which you could rent out to someone else. It's like going from tenant to landlord.

That's why Houston may be the biggest winner of all in the Beckham deal. We'd be the first MLS team to build a stadium for Dynamo in the Beckham-era. Everyone else either has already built stadiums for their teams, or have already created renderings and plans for new stadiums, including Toronto. We very well may be the team that builds the biggest and best soccer-only stadium in MLS, being that we have a healthy attendance at Robertson, and Beckham's able to bring at least 10-20,000 more to a stadium than normal. Plus the amount of luxury suites for Dynamo's new stadium? AND the fact that we'll also be signing a major star on the team with the championship team we already have?! >

Actually, tickets for that game aren't on sale yet. And the date and site haven't been announced yet. Yes, I say site. ABC13 reported tonight that the Galaxy/Dynamo match where Beckham makes his Houston debut may very well be at Reliant Stadium. The same two teams played for the Club America/Barcelona double-header. Now, they'll be the headliners. Also, Oliver Luck made a statement tonight that Dynamo are very much active in looking for an international superstar answer to Becks to play for Houston. No one can match Beck's starpower (Except Ronaldhino from Barcelona. Imagine THAT for Dynamo), but Luck says instead of Europe, he's looking toward Mexico or South America for the major star to compliment Ching and De Rosario.

(the new www.espn.com homepage 4 now) Beckham's debut in Houston will either be in August or September. It will still probably be a big crowd for the season opener since it will be a Championship party for Dynamo that night. Will it pass last season's record at Robertson for MLS at 25,000+ before Beckham arrives, we'll have to wait until April to find out. If that does happen, it's a big boost for H-Town.

Made official today: The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorodo. The RNC was already announced to be held in Minnenapolis

Made official today: The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorodo. The RNC was already announced to be held in Minnenapolis

The Astros are looking to sign Richard Hidalgo http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4464563.html

Is the golf course nice enough to host an Open? Or is it meant to be a community course?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/soc/4462484.html Glenn Davis of the Houston Chronicle believes the new stadium should be built Downtown.

Why couldn't they have tried to sell Astroworld. Man, Six Flags sucks...

Now THAT'S the biggest question. Is soccer now officially one of America's major sports? Fans of the other American sports leagues have been trying to brush soccer under the rug for years, but how can you ignore MLS after this past off-season? Adu gets traded to Salt Lake, Demsley goes to the English league for a record transaction, DC United gets bought for a record amount, a new team (Toronto FC) is coming in next season, new stadiums are being built, MLS announces they'll allow teams to sign big-name players into the league for big contracts, and now Beckham gets signed to a record deal into the league at 31. This is all after Dynamo moves to Houston and win a championship. Also, ABC, ESPN, and Univision announced last week they'll be broadcasting the European Cup in 2008. They'll also cover the Gold Cup and Copa America this year. If there's anything Americans don't ignore, it's money. Did MLS succeed with making themselves big enough to eventually become one of the top four leagues in America?

It was just the perfect fit. Beckham is Hollywood. The most famous athlete in the world except the states. If successful in terms of winning, and in terms of American popularity, he has a lot to gain. Plus the fact that his teammate is soccer star (and I think over-rated) Landon Donovan. Here's a pic or two from the front-pages of a couple media outlets... www.espn.com home page Front Page of the Houston Chronicle www.houstonchronicle.com Front page of the LA Times www.latimes.com www.foxsports.com home page More than anything, I'm excited for American soccer. Perhaps more young talent will work towards taking their basketball and football skills and putting it on a soccer ball like Clint Demsley did. If that happens, perhaps we could finally have a World Cup within our grasps. Sounds far-fetched, but if Becks is able to create that media around American soccer, perhaps more youth will watch.

I remember that. David used to talk about how he used to enjoy coming to the States because it was the only place on earth he could go to without getting hounded on the streets. This is the same dude that has a shrine in a buddist temple in Thailand for people to worship (no joke). I think people in America will pay attention to him this time, plus this will make him a household name for one reason only: money. Americans seem to pay attention to sports more when lots of money is involved. I really don't know if he and the Galaxy will be able to dethrone the Dynamo this year (though they beat us without Becks last year). His Hollywood endorsements, international presence, and A-list status as a celeb is where he's gonna bring MLS money back. My biggest question on Becks is if he still has the skills to be a starter for England in the 2010 World Cup. If so, MLS has brought themselves into a league that will be respected like the others in the states. If not, Beckham's value is in jeopardy. Either way, MLS's value has gone up. Lastly, as pointed out in this thread, we don't know where the $50 million will come from yet. It's either guaranteed, endorsement deals, or incentives. We'll probably find out later this week. The world is watching the states, though. That's all MLS wanted.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4462027.html Five-year, $250 Million dollar contract. I'm in shock and awe. We in America have talked about "what-ifs" for a while as to what if Beckham signed in MLS after his prime, but I don't think anyone thought he would sign at 31. Alex Rodriguez signed a $250 contract as well for the Yankees, but I think that was a 10-year deal. This is five. I'll be starting the Dynamo thread soon, but man, this is big. The U.S. was still reeling from not signing Kinsmann as coach (yet), and losing felow Texans Clint Demsley to English League, and end up responding with the biggest contract signing in American sports history.

I have a video of Masters of the Universe on my myspace!! Check it > (NSFW though) http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...deoid=633561418 (For the record, I was a Lego dude )

Congrats to Mutombo passing Kareem as 2nd on the all-time blocked shots list against Kareem's old team, the Lakers! Congrats also for giving the Lakers their worst loss of the season! Also, Webber just became a free-agent. Should the Rockets consider him, or are we already championship bound?

(For the record, Korea's bullet train wasn't completed until a few months after World Cup 2002) If it weren't Cape Town, are there any other cities on the continent of Africa that you think has a shot at making a bid for the Olympics?

South America is long overdue. Cape Town, South Africa is almost a guarantee for the future as well. U know the Olympics will wanna pull a FIFA and host an Olympics in Africa for the first time. Since South Africa won the World Cup bid, and Cape Town will be home of the final, they'll have a chance to prove why Cape Town should be the city that represents the continent.

I'd also look into investing in high-rise living in G-Unit as to if the demand is stronger than beachfront or not. Prior to '04, I never heard of high-rise living on the island, but within the past couple years, luxury high-rise living has become available. Here's a link to a previous thread on one of them: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=8263 If it is successful, expect a few more to be announced. May be a good investment opportunity.

U rock!

I've yet to see that or experience that since I've been back. What area of town is this? I also saw Port Arthur's post: Everytime I've gone clubbing in Houston since May '06, (Downtown, Richmond/Westheimer), I've had nothing but positive vibes, people stopping by and shaking hands, occasional dancing in the sidewalk, and nothing but a good time. Prior to me moving out of country (2001), there was violence every other night when I walked up in the club, and people were flat-out snubbish. But I've yet to recieve the cold shoulder from anyone on the nightscene since coming back thus far. I've only been Midtown twice for clubbing this past Summer, and though I wasn't allowed in because my friends weren't "wearing the right shoes", people were still stopping me and starting conversations as to what the Midtown vibe was like, as if they could already tell that I was a Midtown first-timer. If it weren't for that, I would've had no idea what Midtown was all about, because none of that stuff was there before I left Houston. (None of this is made up; I'm for real. But it sounds like too totally different Houston-vibes that we've been experiencing) What area of town has given you the most hassle in Houston in terms of nightlife? Or does it seem to be the same negative vibes for you throughout?