Is it possible to up and move a river? Because if so, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will slap a “wide load” banner on the Trinity River project and steer it toward Tarrant County any day now. And the JFK museum, and Deep Ellum and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
In surprising news along the lines of facial hair on a President, Jerry has a basketball Jones and Mavs owner Mark Cuban is actually considering hosting an All-Star Game. Not in American Airlines Center, of course, but in the Cowboys’ new $1.1 billion stadium in Arlington we affectionately have dubbed "Jonestown."
More Kool-Aid, anyone?
For years Cuban has scoffed at the notion of hosting the game, saying he wasn’t willing to shove out his season-ticket holders for what amounts to a corporate convention. But what do you know, Laura Miller? If you build it, they indeed will come a running.
If you’re keeping score, the new stadium not located in Dallas will now host Cowboys games starting in 2009, the Cotton Bowl starting in ’10, the Big 12 football championship game in ’09 and ’10, an annual Arkansas-Texas A&M football game starting in ’09, a Notre Dame-Arizona State game in ’13 and, of course, Super Bowl XLV in ’11.
Our sports world is literally moving 20 miles west.
Dallas, last I checked, was “hoping” to land Texas Tech-Oklahoma State, or perhaps another bowl game to put in the abandoned Cotton Bowl.
The Texas Rangers are planning to bid on baseball’s 2015 All-Star Game just next door, Miller Lite just signed a partnership in the new stadium that runs through 2020 and will include two big beer gardens. There’s also talk of hosting a college basketball Final Four, some lacrosse matches and – to christen the joint – a four-day concert series next summer.
AAC, if you remember, opened with an Eagles concert. Why not debut the planet’s biggest, coolest venue with Jerrystock? -- Richie Whitt
