Seattle City Council OK's NBA arena deal
SEATTLE, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The Seattle City Council announced Tuesday it has reached a deal with hedge fund manager Chris Hansen to build a new $490 million NBA basketball arena.
Council members Sally Clark, Tim Burgess and Mike O'Brien said the body had reached a memorandum of understanding with Hansen's ArenaCo that creates a $40 million transportation infrastructure fund for Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, where the arena would be located.
It also contains "significant new financial protections" for the city and King County, which would provide $200 million in bonds toward the construction of the arena.
The building will be used to lure an NBA team back to the city. The Seattle SuperSonics fled to Oklahoma City in 2008 after efforts to finance renovations at the existing KeyArena were rejected by the Washington Legislature.
The deal includes a personal guaranty by Hansen for the city and county's annual debt payments on the new arena, and also requires him to double a proposed security reserve if its revenue fails to meet expectations.
The transportation fund was created to address the objections of the Port of Seattle, which says arena traffic will clog vital truck shipping routes.
A's McCarthy discharged from hospital
OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Oakland Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy was discharged from a California hospital Tuesday, six days after being struck in head by a line drive during a game.
McCarthy was hurt Sept. 5 after a line shot off the bat of the Los Angeles Angels' Erick Aybar hit him in the head. He was initially taken from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, where tests revealed an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and a skull fracture.
He was later transferred to the California Pacific Medical Campus in San Francisco, where surgery was performed to relieve the pressure in his head.
"It's times like these when you realize you have an extended family, and feel so fortunate," McCarthy said in a statement. "Now we look forward to continuing the healing process, and returning to baseball and our normal lives in the weeks and months ahead. Go A's!"
The right-hander had compiled an 8-6 record with a 3.24 ERA over 18 starts for Oakland this season.
Wrestler Lawler stable after heart attack
MONTREAL, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- World Wrestling Entertainment announcer Jerry "The King" Lawler was in critical but stable condition Tuesday after suffering a heart attack during a match.
"As of this morning, Jerry 'The King' Lawler is in a cardiac care unit and all his vital signs are stable," the WWE said in a statement. "WWE will provide additional information as it becomes available. We continue to wish Jerry all the best for a full recovery."
The wrestler collapsed during a broadcast of "Monday Night Raw" at the Bell Center in Montreal during a tag-team match featuring Kane and Daniel Bryan versus the Prime Time Players, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Emergency medical procedures were administered to Lawler, 62, who had wrestled in an match earlier in the evening.
He was carried out of the arena to a Montreal hospital as the match continued.
His ex-wife, Stacy Carter, said in a Twitter post the wrestler underwent an angioplasty procedure.
"He had a (stent) & a balloon put in," she wrote. "Right now he is still heavily sedated."
Lawler gained fame in the early 1980s with his much-publicized feud with comedian Andy Kaufman, whom he slapped during an appearance on "Late Night With David Letterman."
Penguins' Crosby says he's '100 percent'
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Oft-injured Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby says he's feeling completely healthy as the scheduled start of NHL training camps draws closer.
Crosby -- who missed much of the last two seasons with concussion and neck problems -- told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after an informal workout with teammates Tuesday he is in good health.
Asked if he had experienced any health setbacks over the summer, he told the newspaper, "It's been really good. Nothing. I've been feeling 100 percent. It feels good to not have to think about that, and to work as hard as you want."
The Penguins superstar said he's eager for training camps to begin but is also wary of a possible lockout when the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires Saturday.
"It's a little bit of a tricky situation," he said.
Crosby confirmed to the Post-Gazette he will consider offers to play in Europe if the lockout drags on.
The NHL Players Association was set to meet Wednesday in New York as a league-imposed deadline for a new deal approached.
