Rusty's Right

Fantasy football owners should be thrilled Adrian Peterson shed those cop-pushcharges

Great news for my fantasy football team: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been cleared of his resisting arrest charge stemming from an incident at Houston's Live! at Bayou Place nightclub in July.

A Harris County grand jury found that there was no probable cause for Peterson's arrest in the early hours of July 7. The grand jury's decision to drop the misdemeanor charge means that Peterson can avoid a scheduled court appearance on Thursday (which fell during a bye week for the Vikings).

"Adrian had always had a sense of irritation that he was being lied about and didn't do what he was being charged with."

According to police reports, Peterson was with his girlfriend and several family members at a bar inside downtown's Bayou Place just after 2 a.m. on July 7 when an off-duty police officer working as a security guard asked them to leave as the bar closed. After the officer repeated his request, Peterson "pushed the officer's shoulder and caused him to stumble," leading three officers to put him under arrest.

Peterson vehemently disputed that version of events from the very beginning.

Peterson's high-powered Houston attorney, Rusty Hardin, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Peterson was one of five people to testify Tuesday at the grand jury hearing, including three nightclub employees and one of the initial arresting officers.

"Adrian had always had a sense of irritation that he was being lied about and didn't do what he was being charged with," Hardin said. "But he was also always very confident that he knew exactly what happened.

"And he believed, like I did, that when 12 citizens heard things, they would easily conclude he didn't do what he was charged with."

Now the guy who rushed for 171 yards against the Detroit Lions just two days before his grand jury appearance gets to concentrate on football without any legal distractions.

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chill out

Houston Astros ballpark gets cool new name for the next 15 years

Courtesy of the Houston Astros

The Astros' stadium will have a new name in 2025.

The Houston Astros are about to have the coolest ballpark in Major League Baseball. The team announced on Monday, November 18 that its has reached a naming rights agreement HVAC manufacturer Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the stadium will be known as Daikin Park (die-kin). Scheduled to run through the 2039 season, the new name replaces Minute Maid Park, which has been the stadium’s name since 2002. It opened in 1999 as Enron Field.

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Astros fans online are already calling the new stadium “The Ice Box,” replacing its informal “The Juice Box” moniker. That name feels likely to stick.

Japan-based Daikin Industries is a leading manufacturer of HVAC systems. It sells air conditioning units and other products under brand names such as Daikin, Goodman, Amana® and Quietflex. Critically, it operates Daikin Texas Technology Park in nearby Waller, which is the largest HVAC manufacturing facility in North America. The company employs approximately 10,000 people in Greater Houston, according to a release.

“We are excited to be partnering with Daikin for our ballpark’s naming rights,” Astros owner Jim said. “Daikin is an international company that proudly calls the Greater Houston area its North American home. The Houston Astros and Daikin share the same values, a commitment to excellence and a desire to give back to our local community. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this ballpark in 2025, I am proud to have Daikin alongside us to create even more special memories for our fans now and in the future.”

The Astros will use the revenue for new stadium amenities and other upgrades. It will also continue the team’s various community initiatives. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. the Houston Chronicle notes that naming rights deals may be worth anywhere from $3.5 million per year (T-Mobile park in Seattle) to $11 million per year for the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field.

The team’s first game in Daikin Park will take place on Monday, March 24, which it plays an exhibition against its Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. It will open the regular season on Thursday, March 27 against the New York Mets.

“Daikin fit all of the criteria we set out to find in a naming rights partner,” Astros senior vice president Matt Brand added. “Their name and reputation fit our iconic downtown Houston home, and their values mesh perfectly with those of the Astros. We are grateful to partner with the entire Daikin team and to help them succeed in their business goals. Daikin Park will be a special place for our fans for many years to come.”

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