Fans give Toyota Center a test drive Roominess of seats, large video screens, variety of foods among things praised By BRIAN McTAGGART Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle David Hancock of Webster is one of probably only a handful of Houston sports fans who can claim they were at the first games ever played at Minute Maid Park, Reliant Stadium and the Toyota Center. Unlike at the unveiling of Minute Maid Park -- then-named Enron Field in 2000 -- and Reliant Stadium last year, Hancock was fortunate to get some pretty good seats for the Rockets' exhibition game Sunday against New Orleans, thanks to a crowd that was well below capacity. "There's just something about this place that makes you go, `Wow,' " said Hancock. "It's a big step up from Compaq Center. It's almost like you're watching a game in another city, because it's hard to believe this is in Houston." It was difficult to find a Rockets fan who didn't like the 18,500-seat arena, although those who had been to all three of Houston's new venues ranked Toyota Center behind Minute Maid Park and Reliant Center. "This place in nice, but all these basketball stadiums look the same," said Amanda Henderson of Houston. "Minute Maid has so much character, and the Texans' games are like big parties. I think once the Rockets get going and they have sellouts, the atmosphere will get better. But there's something about Minute Maid that sets it apart." But for hoops, few had complaints about Toyota Center as a basketball venue. "The seats are comfortable, and there seems to be plenty of room," Hancock said. "There's so many more seats near the court that this will be a pretty intimidating place for visiting teams when it's full." Jose Gutierrez and his friend David Herrera, both of South Houston, watched the first quarter from behind the basket in the lower bowl before moving upstairs and finding a pair of seats in the upper deck. "This is probably where we're going to end up sitting most of the time, so we figured we'd come up here and check it out," Gutierrez said. "I had seen some stuff on TV about how all the seats were close, but this is pretty far up. You can still see pretty good, but I think I'd pay a little more to get down there." Herrera praised the food choices at Toyota Center more than the sight lines. "It took me awhile to decide what to eat, but that's not a bad thing," he said. "I remember the days of having to choose between nachos or hot dogs, and that was about it." In addition to praising the vast number of food choices available at the concession stands, several fans spoke about how much better the scoreboards are at Toyota Center. Unlike at Compaq Center, which had tiny screens hanging from each end of the arena, Toyota Center has an easy-to-read board hanging at midcourt that includes sharp video screens. Those came in handy for Pearland's Geoffrey Johnson and family, who had seats in the upper deck behind the basket. "We don't feel like we're missing much up here," Johnson said. "There are so many TV screens around here, you don't have to always strain to see the court. I like how you can see different stats. Everything looks real sharp." Everything but the Rockets, who fell to 0-4 in the preseason with an 89-71 loss to the Hornets. "I know they have a new coach and have a lot of new players, so I guess it's going to take awhile for it all to come together," Henderson said. "I just wish they would win more."
