Talk » Sun Devil Stadium to hide signa

MINNEAPOLIS -- At the top of the Vikings shiny, new $1.1 billion football palace, there is a ring of glass separating the seating bowl from the roof that the team and the stadium designers call the clear story.At night, when U.S. Bank Stadium is lit up, the clear story gives the visual impression that the roof is floating. And on sunny mornings, the large windows allow sunlight to flow in from the east, bathing the seats on the other side of the stadium in a yellow glow.The clear story is one of the many calling cards for architects of the stadium -- and one that almost didnt make the cut: With the cost of the project rising, Mortenson Construction told the Vikings that eliminating that particular feature would save the team $800,000.At the time we were over a perceived budget. They said, `Well, wed like to accept that, said John Hutchings, sports principal-in-charge at HKS Sports and Entertainment.We said, `Over our dead body. ... It was a decision that we fought hard to keep. We didnt win all of them, but that was one that was pretty important for the overall look of the stadium.The discussion was one of the countless debates that come with designing, approving and building a stadium of this kind of size and scope.In the end, HKS won that tussle. Vikings owner Mark Wilf pointed to that clear story as a sign of the additional investment the team put into the project to try to achieve the world class designation that the franchise has used to describe it from the stadiums infancy.The first official event is Wednesday, an international soccer exhibition that has sold more than 55,000 tickets.When you weigh those millions of dollars versus the span of a building like this, we wanted to make sure that in five or 10 years this building wouldnt be instantly obsolete. We want this building to last for decades and generations to come, Wilf said.Things like letting in that light, hundreds of decisions like that, our whole team really made sure to implement that vision that the fan experience were to be maintained.There were other points of contention. Some designers preferred to have a scoreboard hanging over the field like the famous giant boards at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.The Vikings wanted to have video boards above the lower bowl in both end zones so that fans didnt have to crane their necks upward to see replays.And the huge glass doors on the west side of the stadium that open to allow fresh air inside the fixed-roof facility were initially proposed to go from the plaza cement up to the very top of the stadium, some 240 feet high.We got the numbers back and they said, `No way can we do that! a smiling Hutchings said. They said, `What would it take to have the biggest ones in the world? We said, well they need to be 100 feet tall.And there they stand now, five doors ranging from 75 feet to 95 feet tall and 55 feet wide.It never became personal, Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren said.We had some very tough and tense disagreements. But we always moved forward. At the end of the day, we knew we would get this done and build an incredible building that one day would revolutionize how professional sports franchises handle their buildings and how fans get a chance to watch their teams.In the end, an architectural marvel was born. Sixty percent of the roof is made of a translucent material called ETFE that allows the sun to pour in and create the feel of an outdoor venue.The cramped concourses and scarce bathrooms of the Metrodome are a distant memory, replaced by the open-feel, amenity-loaded stadium that features a giant glass wall looking toward the downtown Minneapolis skyline.The seats are the closest to the field in the NFL and a one-of-a-kind retractable section can be moved to allow baseball to be played indoors.When they showed us this design, we were just blown away, Wilf said.The Vikings first game will be an exhibition against the San Diego Chargers on Aug. 28, with the real curtain raiser coming on Sept. 18 in a Sunday night game against NFC North rival Green Bay.And then, of course, the big show is not far off: The Super Bowl will be held at the stadium on Feb. 4, 2018.More than 200,000 people visited the stadium for an open house that was held last weekend.Initially, the Vikings pledged $477 million toward the project, with the rest coming in public funding. By the end of it, the team contributed an extra $125 million to add the bells and whistles it wanted.This project had its share of pushing and pulling in that respect. But look at this place, said John Wood, senior vice president of Mortenson Construction.When you compare it to some of the NFL facilities being built right now or being planned right now, its a bargain.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLAdidas Falcon Herr . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Adidas Superstar Dam Sverige . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. http://www.nmdsverige.com/nmd-xr1-adidas-skor.html . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Adidas NMD R1 Dam Rea . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Adidas y3 Sverige . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half.EUGENE, Ore. -- With a five-game losing streak, Oregon is in danger of missing out on a bowl game for the first time since 2004. Yet the Ducks are looking for positives, and theyve found one in the emergence of quarterback Justin Herbert.The 6-foot-6 freshman has thrown for 507 yards and eight touchdowns in two starts for the Ducks (2-5, 0-4), taking over for graduate transfer Dakota Prukop. A local kid out of Eugenes Sheldon High School, he is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Oregon since 1983.In last weekends 52-49 overtime loss at Cal, Herbert tied the Oregon single-game record for TD passes with six. But the game ended on a disappointing note when he was intercepted by Jordan Kunaszyk on the final play of the game.Hes still going through growing pains. Hes just got to learn through games like that but I still trust him with everything in me, Oregon running back Tony Brooks-James said.Coach Mark Helfrich even found himself addressing comparisons between Herbert and former Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota this week.I think hes a highly competitive, highly productive guy thats really quiet. I think theyre similar that way, Helfrich said. Certainly their freshman years -- just of how they present themselves -- are remarkably similar. But I think its very unfair to make that comparison on the field yet.Helfrich went on to add that Herbert has earned the respect of his teammates.I think you saw how much guys respect him and how guys rallied around him in these last couple games, I think thats telling, the coach said.Oregon must win four of its last five to be bowl eligible. Theyre favored at home on Saturday against Arizona State (5-3, 2-3), which has lost three of its last four games after a 4-0 start.WHO WILL START FOR ASU? The Sun Devils also have a young quarterback in Dillon Sterling-Cole, who could start against the Ducks. The freshman was pressed into service in last weekends 37-32 loss to Washington State after Manny Wilkins was injured and Sterling-Cole completed 7 of 16 passes for 86 yards.dddddddddddd Earlier this week, Sterling-Cole was taking snaps with the first team, although Wilkins was back at practice and could return against the Ducks.NO QUIT: There was talk after the Ducks fell 70-21 at home to rival Washington that some of Oregons players had quit on the team. But the teams spirited game against Cal quieted the critics.Everyone who says we quit are just liars. We gave it all. We gave it everything we had, Brooks-James said after the game.STEALING SIGNS? Last year the Ducks turned heads when they used large white sheets on the sideline at Sun Devil Stadium to hide signals. Helfrich would not comment this week about whether the team would use them again. Washington also used sheets last year against Arizona State.Then Washington States Mike Leach was reprimanded and fined $10,000 for comments he made about Arizona State stealing signs, in advance of the Cougars victory over the Sun Devils last weekend.I think they still steal signs, and well have to keep an eye on that, Leach said. That is a very unsavory practice they have, so well have to do what we can to defend against it.After the game, ASU coach Todd Graham confronted Leach using an expletive that was caught by television cameras.YIKES!: The five-game losing streak is Oregons longest since 1996. The Ducks havent lost six in a row since 1991 when Rich Brooks was head coach.THE SERIES: Oregon has won nine straight against Arizona State, averaging 44.3 points per game. The Ducks also lead the all-time series with the Sun Devils 18-16 and have won the last three in Eugene. The last ASU win was in 2004 at Autzen Stadium. ' ' '