Baseball’s All-Star game going to Seattle

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999 | 10:19 a.m.

line By Jim Cour ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE -- How's this for a return on an investment? The price tag of Seattle's Safeco Field keeps escalating and is currently at $498 million.

But the Mariners' new stadium is getting the 2001 All-Star game, and that's reportedly worth more than $60 million to the city's economy.

"The All-Star game is getting bigger and bigger," commissioner Bud Selig said Monday after the announcement that the game was returning to Seattle, where the All Stars last played in 1979.

The 2001 game will be played in the 47,000-seat ballpark in July, probably July 10. The exact date won't be determined until next year.

A crowd of 58,905 watched the NL win 7-6 in the 50th All-Star game in 1979.

"Boy, is this a home run or what?" Washington Gov. Gary Locke said. "A home run for the Mariners. A home run for Safeco Field. A home run for Seattle and the state of Washington."

After opening the upcoming season in the Kingdome, the Mariners are scheduled to move to their new outdoor stadium with grass and a retractable roof on July 15.

Mariners chairman and CEO John Ellis said it's important that Safeco Field bring as much money to Seattle as possible.

"Remember that this stadium is being significantly financed with public funds," Ellis said. "And we represented from Day One that we were going to make this stadium available for as many events as possible."