Kingdome A Big Loser In Playoffs

More bad news for the Kingdome: With Ken Griffey Jr. safely signed to a contract, the Seattle Mariners could make the playoffs for a second straight year.

Kingdome officials told the King County Council’s budget committee on Wednesday that the county-owned domed stadium lost $1.2 million on an $11 million budget in 1995, owing, in part, to the heavy expenses of hosting the American League playoff games.

Over the past two years, operating losses at the dome have eaten away a once-hefty reserve fund. The Kingdome now has only about $125,000 in reserves - about enough to cover two Mariners playoff games.

In 1996, if the Mariners go to the playoffs, “We’re blown out of the water,” said Kingdome finance director Susan Clausen.

The losses raise the specter that the stadium might require a subsidy from the county’s general fund for the first time in its 20-year history.

That’s a real problem, County Councilman Ron Sims said.

“I can’t go to my district, and say we need to reduce police … because we decided to directly subsidize pro sports,” Sims said Wednesday night.

Under the Mariners’ lease, the committee was told, the county loses money if the team draws fewer than 25,000 fans per game. But it also loses money if too many fans turn out. If 50,000 show up, the county loses about $5,500 per game, as increased revenues fail to cover the cost of extra staffing.

It gets worse if the Mariners make the playoffs, something that hadn’t been a worry until last year. The 1985 Kingdome lease agreement with the Mariners charges the team just $2,000 per playoff game, and there are extra staffing costs for the big crowds.

Last season’s pennant race, in which the Mariners reached the A.L. Championship Series for the first time, cost the Kingdome $382,000.

“The irony is the better they do, the more county taxpayers pay,” said Councilman Peter Von Reichbauer.

But the Mariners aren’t entirely to blame. The Kingdome also lost money on 1995’s Final Four basketball series, apparently because the county shifted some dome repair costs onto the event.

In addition, the Seahawks made a lot less money for the county than expected last year. The county had counted on 60,000 fans per game, but actual attendance was closer to 43,000. That’s a lot of lost concessions sales.

The Mariners announced Wednesday that Griffey had signed a fouryear, $34 million contract. By 1999, the Mariners plan to be out of the Kingdome and playing in a new retractable-roof stadium to be built nearby.

Unaffected by move

Unaffected by the team’s planned departure - at least for now - are the many Seahawks emblems that adorn Fairchild Air Force Base.

In the 1980s, the base received permission from the team to use the hawk-face logo on the tail sections of all Fairchild planes. Originally painted in official Seahawks green and blue, the emblems now carry the colors of individual squadrons.

A bronzed Seahawks logo is part of the headquarters sign for the 92nd Air Refueling Wing. The base even called its newspaper The Strikehawk at one point.

Sgt. Sue Conard, a base spokeswoman, said she knew of no plans to remove the logos because the team is moving from Seattle. “I don’t think it matters. It’s basically that Fairchild has incorporated (the logo) into its motto.”

Warren reaches tentative deal

Halfback Chris Warren has reached a tentative agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on a $10 million, three-year contract, making him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL.

Warren would have become an unrestricted free agent on Feb. 17.

The deal was worked out Wednesday by Warren’s agent, Rick Schaeffer, and the Seahawks.

Warren, who has had four 1,000-yard seasons, is at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The $10 million deal includes a signing bonus in excess of $2 million. The Seahawks can now concentrate their negotiating efforts on Robert Blackmon, Brian Blades, Selwyn Jones and Michael Sinclair. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON THE ROAD A list of NFL franchises that have left their metropolitan areas since the merger of the NFL and the All-American Football League in 1950: 1960-Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis 1961-Los Angeles Chargers (AFL) moved to San Diego 1963-Dallas Texans (AFL) became Kansas City Chiefs 1982-Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles 1984-Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis 1988-St. Louis Cardinals moved to Phoenix 1995-Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis 1995-Los Angeles Raiders moved back to Oakland 1995-Cleveland Browns announce they will move to Baltimore 1995-The Houston Oilers announce they will move to Tennessee