Sports Teams Pitching In to Help Flood Victims

Check out the part about the Rockets auction on Saturday!!!

Local pro teams pitch in to help
By CARLTON THOMPSON
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle


Tropical Storm Allison was relentless in its attack on the Houston area, turning roadways into lakes and forcing many from their homes.

But with the exception of the Compaq Center (home of the Rockets and Comets), which suffered significant water damage, the facilities Houston's sports teams call home held up well. And in keeping with the spirit that epitomized the way Houstonians pulled together through the disaster, local sports teams are lining up to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Texans owner Bob McNair and his wife Janice donated $100,000 through their charitable foundation to the Red Cross, a gesture that will be matched by NFL Charities. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams, a longtime Houstonian, also donated $100,000. The Red Cross also will receive a combined $100,000 from the Astros and Major League Baseball, although specific allocations have not been finalized.

The Rockets and Comets plan to raise money through an auction scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. at Gallery Furniture. The auction will include nearly 300 pieces of memorabilia, including autographed jerseys and balls, as well as rings from the championship years of both teams. Players and coaches from the Rockets and Comets will make appearances from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Additional donation plans toward the relief effort will be announced at a later date.

"Clutch City has always supported us when we've needed it, and now it's our turn to help our neighbors in need," said Leslie Alexander, who owns the Rockets and Comets. "We know that there's nothing we could ever do to make up for the tremendous losses suffered by so many families, but we hope that by donating some rare, championship memorabilia that we can raise money to assist as many people as possible."

The Astros, who have plans for blood and food drives Friday, have made about 1,600-1,700 parking spaces available at Enron Field to help alleviate the parking woes created by several garages downtown being closed because of flooding. Lots B and C are available, free of charge, with Metro providing shuttle service from those locations. This service will be provided until at least Friday when the Astros begin a three-game series with the Rangers.

"Drayton was touched by the devastation and he followed it closely over the weekend," Astros president of business operations Bob McClaren said. "We kept asking ourselves what we could do to help. Drayton (Astros owner McLane) called the commissioner (Bud Selig) and we talked to several groups. It seems as if the Red Cross is the most coordinated and organized."

As for Enron Field, the two-year-old facility suffered minimal damage, but had the club been in town, Rob Matwick said a game could have been played at Enron on Saturday.

"The biggest impact we had over the weekend was the phone system being down," said Matwick, the team's senior vice president of operations and communications. "It's back up now. We had some water damage on the service level, but it was nothing I would classify as major.

"We got one to two inches of water in isolated areas such as the entrance to the home clubhouse, and there was some merchandise -- caps and shirts -- in a storage area at Union Station that got waterlogged, but the box office is open and the field is fine."

Reliant Stadium, which is being built for the Texans next to the Astrodome, also escaped damage, as did the practice facility under construction on the other side of Kirby. In fact, full crews were back at work Monday. Nevertheless, McNair's mind was on the community.

"This is a time to provide some leadership within the community and do what we think is right," McNair said. "Bud and I live across the street from each other and fortunately we were able to avoid most of the ravages that many of the people in our community were not able to avoid.

"We decided we would jointly come forward with a contribution that would help those flood victims. We're delighted that we were able to work together on it. We're very distressed by the loss many of the families have suffered. I wish that there was some way we could repair that quickly, but unfortunately, it's going to take time.

"What we're doing won't solve the problem, but it will offer some assistance and let people know that we are concerned about it. We're part of the community and we want to be a participant in helping to find a solution to the problem."

This is the second time in four years Adams has been involved with the NFL in a community assistance venture. He donated $100,000 when tornadoes ripped through Tennessee in 1998.

"I lived in Houston for 55 years," he said. "I lived through Hurricane Carla in 1960 and Hurricane Alicia in 1983, but I've never seen anything like the devastation that hit this city this time. I watched it every day on the television. It affected me to the point where I said, `this city needs some help.' I still live in Houston; my heart is still here."

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