The two biggest news stories this weekend are obviously the Super Bowl and the lead-up to Tuesday's Big Heaping Pile O' Primaries, AKA Super Tuesday. (Call me PC, but I refuse to use the term "Tsunami Tuesday." Whoever thought of that term clearly needs to get off the campaign trail and back to the real world.)

Fox News this Sunday morning is going to try and mesh these two big events into one two-hour special featuring Shepard Smith and reporters from Fox-owned news outlets across the country. Smith will be joined by Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly in election headquarters in New York, while reporters will follow Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and Republican candidates John McCain Mike Huckabee, and Gov. Mitt Romney.

"Together, they will examine the leading candidates along with the crucial states and key issues that could lead to the selection of a nominee by both parties on Super Tuesday,' Fox said in a press release. "Additionally, they will explore the social and impact of the Super bowl and how it intertwines with politics, as well as a behind-the-scenes look as the action gets underway for the Super Bowl."

-- Tim Lemke

Ratings for last night's Super Bowl aren't available yet, but I am willing to bet it set records for viewership.

While the first three quarters weren't particularly compelling, the game was close from start to finish. And anyone who didn't tune in at first probably turned the game on just to see the end.

Any ratings analyst will tell you that when it comes to sports, ratings are driven by the competitiveness of the game above all else. So Super Bowl XLII truly delivered on that.

I'll check in here later once ratings figures come out, hopefully later today. I may even have some thoughts on some of the Super Bowl commercials, but I want to go online and watch a few of them again.

I know I'm about 18 hours late in doing this, but I did want dish out some info and thoughts from yesterday's ballpark tour with Nationals President Stan Kasten.

- One of the most difficult things about the offseason, Kasten said, is that the team is essentially starting from scratch when it comes to sponsorships in the ballpark. Typically, a team will transfer at least one-third of its sponsorships from one season to the next, but this year the team has no carry-over. As a result, some areas of the ballpark that will eventually have sponsors will not have sponsors right away.
"All of our deals will not be in place by Opening Day," Kasten said. "It will be something of a work in progress."

- No real news on the parking issue. Just a reiteration that there is not a lot of parking and that folks should seriously consider taking Metro or the free shuttle from the RFK Stadium lots.

- Kasten said there would be between six and eight local vendors a the ballpark. He declined to reveal names because deals are still being worked out, but he indicated that rumors about certain establishments are true. So, devotees of the Ben's half-smoke, myself among them, should be pleased.

- The Nationals have boasted for a while about how they're paying to expand the right-centerfield concourse, but I never knew exactly what they meant until yesterday. Basically, there was a long row of concession stands that curved around centerfield behind the massive scoreboard. The team decided to push the curved portion back about 50 feet, opening up a big area where the team plans to install a two sided bar and possibly some entertainment options. The change gives the outfield concourse a more open feel; Kasten said it added 10,000 square feet.

- Reporters got to see where the cherry blossom trees will be installed in the left-center concourse and near the main entrance to the ballpark. There are about 10 boxes carved out; team officials said they trees have been selected and tagged at a nursery in New Jersey and will be planted by the end of the month.

- The press box is still under construction, but already reporters noticed a major design blunder that hopefully will be remedied by Opening Day. We found that the long table where sportswriters sit is too low for anyone to get their legs under, even if they're sitting in an ultra-short chair. While the low table means a nice view of the field, there's no way anyone can work there. We notified the PR staff, who immediately told Stan. Hopefully that gets fixed in the next 54 days.

- The Nationals were kind enough to give us some lunch, including a soft pretzel shaped like a "W." As a Philly-area native, I am kind of snobbish when it comes to soft pretzels. These passed the test. Buttery. Salty. Soft. Very tasty.

The big question, of course, is "will the park be done?" And the short answer is yes, although even Kasten admits that the team and sports commission will be adding elements to improve the overall look and feel of the ballpark even as the season goes on.

"It will be virtually 100 percent done except for the enhancements and additions we will put in to help make it a cooler place," Kasten said. "And that will never stop."

-- Tim Lemke

* The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission has arranged for the city's high school baseball title games to be played at the Nationals new ballpark on May 31. The day will feature three games, plus an all-star game.

* Web analysis firm comScore reports that beermaker Anheuser-Busch had the most popular advertisements during Sunday's Super Bowl. About 49 percent of respondents said they would like to see the company's ads again, with 44 percent saying they felt the ads "improved" their perception of the brand. Only 2 percent of respondents said the ads hurt Anheuser-Busch's reputation.

Anheuser-Busch paid for seven commercials for Bud and Bud Light that featured everything from a man breathing fire to a dalmation befriending a clydesdale.
Auto manufacturer Hyundai also got good feedback for its two ads promoting its new Genesis luxury car.

Not surprisingly, comScore said salesgenie.com did the most damage to its brand with the strange ads involving the parachuting genie, the cartoon pandas and the Indian salesman with seven kids.

* Tom Petty's appearance at halftime of the Super Bowl worked out pretty nicely for the Hall of Fame rocker. His greatest hits compilation is now the #3 album on iTunes. It was released in 1993, when Eli Manning was 12.

* Turner Sports has extended the contract of announcer Marv Albert through the 2015-2016 season. He will continue working on TNT's Thursday night games and the All-Star Game, and will also announce some Conference finals series. In addition, he'll do some games on NBA TV beginning next year, as part of the deal that allowed Turner to take over operation of the league-owned cable channel.

- Tim Lemke

It appears the Indy Racing League and Champ Car Series may finally be close to a merger that would end the ugly split that has been so damaging to open-wheel racing in the United States.

The two sides acknowledge being close to a deal that would bring the two series together in time for the 2008 racing season.

For years now, open-wheel racing has struggled to gain a widespread audience as NASCAR gained millions of fans nationwide, and the split between IRL and Champ Car has long been blamed. Because of the split, neither side could boast the most competitive fields. Consider that the prestigious Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend featured several rookie drivers; anyone who tried to qualify for the race made it in.

"Reports that open-wheel racing is close to unification is the best thing to happen to the sport since Rick Mears, Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr. and Danny Sullivan were battling each other in front of huge crowds 20 years ago," said Texas Motorspeedway President Eddie Gossage in a press release. "From a promoter's perspective, it will provide our fans with a larger field that could lead to even more exciting races and drama."

Under the merger, IRL would offer chassis and engines to the Champ Car teams, then several of the top Champ Car events would roll into the IRL schedule.

It would be remarkable if the two racing leagues could merge in time for this season. IRL's season begins on March 29 at Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. while Champ Car's first race is the Grand Prix Long Beach on April 20. That leaves less than two months to get all of the issues ironed out.

And there is one apparent big stick point, as the Grand Prix Long Beach is scheduled to take place the same weekend as the IRL race in Motegi, Japan. Neither side feels it can move their race to another date because of contractual commitments.

"It's as close as it's ever been to being together, but we don't know if we can get across the goal line," Tony George, the head the Indianapolis Motorspeedway, told Speedtv. "But no one is giving up yet."

- Tim Lemke

I'm here inside Building 32 on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the second annual MIT Sloan Sports Business Conference.

There are quite a few interesting panels scheduled for today, and I'm going to try and blog on a semi-live basis.

Just finished listening to the keynote speech from Wyc Grousbeck, the managing partner and CEO of the Boston Celtics.

While I was expecting a speech filled with wonky points about analytics, ticket data and marketing -- and there was some of that -- Grousbeck actually spoke more about emotions and gut feelings.

He began his speech by playing a rousing promotional video featuring highlights of the Celtics this season. Dunks by Kevin Garnett. Flashy passes from Paul Pierce. More dunks by Kevin Garnett.

"I've seen that 60 times...I love that video," Grousbeck said.

He then read from an article by John Updike published after Ted Williams' last game with the Red Sox. Williams, if you recall, hit a home run in his final at bat, leading Updike to opine on the often illogical way fans believe they can affect the outcome of a game or "will" something to happen.

"We're all searching to be that part of history," Grousbeck said. "With sports, there's an emotional connection...it can be deep....its not just recreation or an affectation."

Grousbeck said he has learned to use that feeling when making business decisions, using data and analytics only as a tool. He said his decision to keep Paul Pierce was made largely from the gut.

"I just looked at Paul and said he's a Celtic. I loved the guy," he said. "Data is a tool, it's not a replacement for your own intuition. I know you'll spend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today talking about the data. This is my way of striking a balance."

Grousbeck did offer some unique insight into his decision to be the lead partner in buying the Celtics in 2003.

At the time, he said, the rumored value of the franchise was about $300 million. (The Mavericks had been sold for slightly less; everyone figured there'd be slight premium on a Boston team.) Because the Celtics were part of a public company at the time, Grousbeck and his partners did anl analysis of the team's financials. He found that the team had cash flow of about $23 million. Based on that, he determined that he could raise $180 up front and take on $180 million in debt, which averaged out to about $11 million per year. That would leave $12 per year to reinvest in the team, pay down additional debt or save for a rainy day.

"I did a 90 second evaluation on the biggest decision of my life," he said.

- Tim Lemke

Wyc Grousbeck, the managing partner and CEO of the Boston Celtics, pointed out that Ben Watson, the tight end of the New England Patriots, was in attendance.

"That's an awfully big ring you have there," Grousbeck said, referring to Watson's Super Bowl XXXIX ring.

"Shoulda had two, but you know how that went," Watson replied.

- Tim Lemke

I just finished listening to a panel discussion on the economics of sports facilities. The panelists:

- Tim McManus, vice president of AECOM, which has been involved in building Olympic facilities.
- Dennis Robinson, president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which manages the Meadowlands.
- Tim Romani, CEO of the Romani Group, a stadium development management firm.
- John Wentzell, President of TD Banknorth Garden (where the Celtics play.)

Based on this discussion, I'm planning to write a broad story on the future of stadium development, but here are a few tidbits from the panelists.

Robinson weighed in on the issue of whether stadiums can trigger the revitalization of a city.

"Everyone makes that argument," Robinson said. "It only works if it's part of a long-term strategy for a city. It requires huge, ongoing commitment on behalf of everyone to really turn a city around. Camden Yards was only one part of the revitalization of the inner harbor. For anyone to say that a facility will solve all of the ills and problems of a city, they're mistaken."

As head of NJSEA, Robinson has been heavily involved in the construction of the new stadium for the Giants and Jets at the Meadowlands. After the panel, I chatted with him about that project and I asked him about the notion of the Redskins leaving FedEx Field and moving back to a new facility in the District.

Since I didn't record or take copious notes, I'm going to do my best to paraphrase our conversation:

Robinson: "Didn't they just build a new stadium?"
Me: "Well, yeah. It's about 10 years old."
Robinson: "Well then what's the point?"
Me: "I think some people believe Dan Snyder will want a new stadium to keep pace with the Giants and with Jerry Jones' new stadium in Dallas."
Robinson: "That's stupid. First of all, he probably has all kinds of debt service on FedEx. And second of all, that kind of thing has nothing to do with winning and losing. He's making money. Aren't they the most highly valued franchise in sports? Look at the Giants. ... they just won the Super Bowl playing in one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL."

McManus, who was the program director in charge of building the Patriots' Gillette Stadium, was skeptical of whether putting a roof on a football stadium makes economic sense. At Gillette Stadium, the project cost about $350 million; a roof would have added $100 million to the price tag, making it unaffordable for Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

"From an operations standpoint, large venues like football stadiums, where you have 16 crowds at capacity-plus, you're not going to generate that many more events in that stadium," he said. "You may get a Super Bowl once or twice. But you're not going to get payback on that $100 million."

- Tim Lemke

Rob Neyer of ESPN.com is moderating a panel on baseball analytics, featuring Red Sox advisors Bill James and Tom Tippett, Diamondbacks scout Joe Bohringer and "Diamond Dollars" author Vince Gennaro.

Some highlights:

- James and Tippett said that contractually, they can't really say a whole lot about what they do. But Tippett, a creator of baseball simulation programs, said they do a lot of aggregating of statistics from all walks of baseball including the minor league and college level. He said much of what they've been able to do results from Major League Baseball's decision a few years ago to take over collecting play-by-play data for all games from rookie ball all the way up to the big leagues. Tippett said he'd also like to improve the statistical models that project how minor league performance projects to the major leagues.

- Bill James said he stopped writing his famous "Historical Baseball Abstract" 20 years ago because there was no way for him to keep up with the amount of information that was being collected.

"We're 20 years further along ... some of the information out there is truly fascinating. Technologically, it's so far ahead of me I can't even fathom it."

James said the biggest void in baseball analytics is that there is no system for evaluating a player's character.

"We worry about it all the time. Every time we make a trade we worry about how he'll fit in. And we don't really understand what we're doing. We don't really have any organized way of looking at it in a way that makes sense. There's no systematic data about it because no one knows how to collect it."

- James said MLB should consider standardizing equipment, including bats. He compared players using their own custom-made bats to field goal kickers using their own footballs.

- James said the Red Sox do not regret Hanley Ramirez for Josh Beckett, but admitted that "99 percent of the time you trade away a player like that you regret it."

- Bohringer, a traditional scout, said he will often incorporate statistical analysis in his reports, but rarely uses it for the youngest players because useful data is so hard to come by. A player who is 27 with four years of experience, he said, is easier to rate than an 18-year-old kid with 20 total innings pitched in an independent league. Overall, though, he said

"We really don't know how to evaluate players. As much as we're trying to be more right, we're really just trying to be less wrong. The variables are astronomical in terms of what's thrown out there."

- All of the panelists they'd like to find out more about how injuries will affect future performance. Tippett said he is still often baffled as to why one player is injured all the time while others are more durable.

"I can tell you we talk about it all the time," he said.

- Tim Lemke

The NFL and its players association announced today that it has extended its contract with video game maker EA Sports through 2012, providing the company the exclusive rights to use NFL players, team names and stadiums.

The deal is an extension of the contract signed in 2004 and will allow EA Sports to continue to sell the popular Madden NFL game, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2008. The agreement also allows EA Sports to use content produced by NFL FIlms and the NFL Network.

"This is all about bringing authenticity and realism to NFL video games," said Eric Grubman, president of NFL Ventures. "EA SPORTS continually works to maintain the cutting edge for NFL products across a variety of gaming platforms. We like the fact that they never rest."

EA Sports' exclusive contract with the NFL has forced other video game companies to either drop pro football games altogether or get creative. Last year, 2K Sports began selling NFL 2K8, featuring scores of former NFL stars ranging from old timers like Johnny Unitas and Sammy Baugh to more recent retirees like Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice.

There's an editorial in the D.C. Examiner today regarding the Nationals new ballpark and its costs to the city.

The piece raises some very important issues, most notably that the stadium is over budget as a result of increased costs for land and environmental remediation at the ballpark site. But from what I can tell, the editorial contains a few factual errors and a misleading statement.

The Examiner repeatedly refers to the $611 "cap" on city expenditures passed by the D.C. Council.

But the Council's "cap" only applies to $475 million to be spent on the hard and soft costs of the stadium. ($300 million for hard, $175 million for soft.)

And when it comes to the cap, the city is actually on target to be under target, with about $12 million left in contingency.

The Council's cap did not apply to $24 million set aside for renovation of RFK Stadium or $111 million estimated for the cost of land and environmental cleanup. The cost of land and environmental remediation was not capped by the Council, because eminent domain cases would be up to a judge in many instances. (Members of the media, myself included, have admittedly done a poor job of explaining the cap issue.)

As it turns out, it's clear that city officials did underestimate how much land would eventually cost. But not to the extent the Examiner claims.

The Examiner says "the total price tag of the new stadium has now reached $674 million -- $63 million over the cap taxpayers were promised would not be exceeded -- due to settlements in some eminent domain cases and increased site remediation costs."

It is accurate that the new projected cost of the stadium is $674 million. But the $63 million cited by the Examiner is wrong, according to the latest budget statement from the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission. That budget table shows the additional cost is actually $43 million, broken down as follows:
-$30 million for land (was $97 million, is now $127 million)
-$951,170 in additional support services
-$4.75 million for eminent domain legal services
-$7.3 million for environment remediation (was $8.5 million, is now $15.9 million)

It appears that the Examiner is basing its overrun figure on a budget of $610 million. The actual original budget was about $631 million ($610.8 million from the city, $20 million from the team.

The Examiner says that "according to the city's official 2007 budget figures, the District's contribution to the stadium was supposed to be $630.8 million -- compared to $20 million from the team's owners."

As stated above, the city was supposed to contribute $610.8 million, while the team is contributing $20 million, bringing the total to about $631 million.

The Examiner states that the total cost of the project will be "closer to $759 million" when you include the cost of settling eminent domain lawsuits and a lawsuit with developer Herb Miller and upgrading nearby roads and the Douglass Bridge.

It's true that the costs of settling remaining eminent domain lawsuits and settling with Miller could bring costs up. But those costs are unknown at the moment. Furthermore, the cost of upgrades to roads and the Douglass Bridge are not part of the stadium's budget. There can be a reasonable debate about whether those costs should have been included in the final budget, but they were not.

The Examiner refers to the baseball stadium as "$168 million over budget."

I do not know how they came to this number.

So I guess the question everyone will have is "will the stadium come in on budget?" And the answer is that no, the stadium is over budget as a result of more than $40 million increased costs for land and environmental cleanup. However, it's worth noting that the project will not violate the cost cap on hard and soft costs set by the council.

It appears that the Marlins may finally be getting their new ballpark, after eight years of waiting.

City and county commissioners in Miami voted in favor of building a new $515 million, retractable-roof stadium at the site of the Orange Bowl.

There are still some details to be worked out, but the financing would be set up this way:

- $347 million derived from a $50 million general obligation bond approved by voters in 2004 to renovate the Orange Bowl.
- $13 million from the city of Miami, stemming from hotel taxes
- $120 million up front from the Marlins.
- $35 million from rent

If things move smoothly, the stadium would open in 2011, and the Marlins would change their name to the Miami Marlins.

Agreement came late last night, following a hearing of county commissioners. The hearing featured some of the same kind of histrionics that D.C. residents saw during the debate over building a stadium for the Nationals.

"I just want you to know that if you decide not to make a decision tonight, that will be the death knell for baseball in Miami," MLB Chief Operating Officer DuPuy said, according to press accounts of the hearing. "We are out of time."

- Tim Lemke

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network announced it will broadcast 80 baseball games in high-definition this season, split evenly between the Nationals and Orioles.

The network said all six interleague games between the Nats and O's will be in HD, as well as the Nationals' first game back after the opener and the road swing: April 7 vs. Florida. The complete schedule of HD games will be published in the next two weeks.

MASN said that the "Nats Xtra" and "O's Xtra" pre-game and post-game shows will return and that 160 will be produced on location at the ballparks, up from 64 last season.

This is the first year MASN has rolled out HD broadcasts, and the 80-game schedule leaves 242 that will be shown in standard definition. The Nationals and Orioles are among the few teams remaining in baseball that do not have all their games broadcast in HD.

MASN, which now reaches 5.2 million homes, said it expects all HD games to be shown on the HD tiers of its cable and satellite partners. Listings for the HD channels will be available before the season begins.

All of MASN's announcers and reporters will return for 2008, with the exception of Don Baylor.

- Tim Lemke

The Nationals have released its roster of food vendors that will have stands and carts at the teams's new ballpark this season.

On the food side, the team confirmed that Ben's Chili Bowl will sell chili dogs, half-smokes, vegetarian chili and turkey burgers at the stadium. Barbecue restaurant Red Hot & Blue, which has several restaurants in the area and had a presence at RFK Stadium, will also be at the new ballpark, along with Hard Times Cafe. Kosher Sports will also return, selling grilled hot dogs and garlic knishes. Boardwalk Fries, founded in Ocean City and based in Columbia, will sell their famous fries, plus chicken fingers.

Fans looking for drinks can go to Cantina Marina, which sells specialty frozen drinks along with tex-mex and Cajun food and has operated on the Southwest Waterfront since 2003. And those spectators looking to warm up during those chilly spring games can buy cappucino, esspresso or latte from Mayorga Coffe, which will have four carts throughout the ballpark.

Looking for treats? Well, there's tropical snow cones from Krazee Ice, founded by two women entrepreneurs in Maryland. There's La Piccola Geleteria if you want a gelato, and there's ice cream from Gifford's, the most famous ice cream parlor in Washington.

Also, Noah's Pretzels will sell "Curly W" pretzels, as well as special gluten and casein-free pretzels. A portion of all sales of Noah's pretzels will got to fund autism research in the Washington, D.C., area.

Since I must enjoy torturing myself, I sat through last night's D.C. Council hearing on parking and transportation at the new Nationals ballpark. We heard a lot of the same things we've been hearing for months: Take Metro, don't drive, there's virtually no available parking, take Metro, don't drive, etc. We'll likely have a broad story looking at all the plans for getting to and from the ballpark early next week. For now, a few new tidbits:

- The D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Nationals have reached a deal in principal to allow for free parking and shuttle buses from the RFK parking lots to the new ballpark. The sports commission had been reluctant to offer the spots for free, but instead worked out an arrangement in which the Nationals would pay the commission $215,000 to allow the team to pursue monthly contracts for parking in the garages at the new ballpark on non-gamedays. Under the terms of the stadium lease, the the city gets two-thirds of all the money from non-gameday parking. Sports commission CEO Greg O'Dell said the monthly contracts could net the city as much as $600,000 annually.

The Nationals have not finalized a contract with a bus company, but said they will offer 55 buses, all of them the luxury motor coach variety.

- DDOT plans to have 12 traffic control officers stationed at intersections around the ballpark to keep cars moving. The 12 officers represent about 20 percent of their entire staff.

- Confirming what we've heard anecdotally from some fans, Nationals Vice President Greg McCarthy said that season ticket holders did not claim all of the parking spaces made available to them. There are a few hundred left, but he stopped short of saying those spots would be made available to non-season ticket holders.

- DDOT is predicting about 52 percent of fans will take public transit to games. Metro, however, thinks it will be closer to 60 percent. That could represent about 25,000 fans taking Metro; the expanded Navy Yard Metro station can move about 15,000 in an hour. Officials said they expect some fans to use the Capitol South, Waterfront or Anacostia Stations.

- Council member Jim Graham said he thinks the Navy Yard station should be renamed so that people don't accidentally go to the Stadium/Armory stop. Graham, who serves on Metro's board, said he had proposed changing the name, but that there was a feeling that the team would prefer the station be named after whoever buys the ballpark naming rights.

"I must tell you I had immediate reservations about naming it after Quaker Oats, or whatever," he said. "I don't think Metro would ever name a station after a private company. Traveler's Insurance station or whatever."

Graham's suggestion for the station name: "Ballpark."

- Tim Lemke

I took a trip this afternoon down to the ballpark site, and decided to walk across the Frederick Douglass (South Capitol Street) Bridge to test this whole "fans can walk across the bridge to the ballpark" concept.

I discovered that it is definitely a reasonable walk -- only took me about 10 minutes -- but its not the most pleasant stroll in the world. Cars and trucks go by pretty quickly; at one point, the side of a cement truck came within about 2 feet of my head. It was also very windy on the bridge, making it awfully unpleasant on chilly days like today.

What's more, getting across the bridge is one thing, but it's quite a bit further to get over to the Anacostia Metro station, where fans would presumably park their cars. In the future, parking at Poplar Point would make the walk a little shorter. But for now, I don't see the point of parking at Anacostia and walking when you can simply hop on Metro for one stop to the Navy Yard.

In the coming days, I'll be testing various routes to and from the stadium. I think I will test out the walk to the ballpark from the Capitol South Metro station next.

- Tim Lemke