Retractable Roof

The Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game was rescheduled to Nov. 9 after Reliant Stadium in Houston was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike. The Texans' home opener was originally scheduled for today, then postponed to Monday night as Ike approached the Gulf Coast. The Category 2 storm moved into Houston early Saturday morning. Ike tore chunks off the stadium's retractable roof and the damage couldn't be fixed in time for the game, said Shea Guinn, the president and general manager of Reliant Park.

Car fans -- especially those interested in pre-World War II French icons -- have a little more time to enjoy some ultra-rare classics in Southern California. The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard has announced it is extending through June an exhibit of Voisin automobiles and motorcycles. The exhibit was previously scheduled to close in April. "The success the Voisin exhibit experienced over the past six months has been amazing," Peter Mullin, owner of the museum, said in a statement.  “It is with great personal pride that we continue to recognize and showcase such a design visionary and aviation pioneer.

Peter Mullin cracks open the door of a 1935 Voisin Type C25 Aerodyne at the back of the auto museum bearing his name. He points out the intricate details of a vibrant Art Deco interior, restored to its original luster. A small ashtray hangs on the inside of each door - made from etched Lalique crystal. Light streams into the car through three small glass windows in the fully retractable roof. A bold black and white patterned fabric covers the doors, seats and roof, sourced from the same French textile mill that wove the original fabric more than seven decades ago. "You can see why this one is kind of the favorite," Mullin says of the C25 with a smile.

Olympic pin designer Bill Hipson is poking fun at the Salt Lake City bid scandal. He is selling a series of 10 pins, each depicting a different "bribe" that the bid committee reportedly used to entice members of the International Olympic Committee to vote for Salt Lake City. The final two--one featuring a curvaceous nurse standing by a hospital bed and the other featuring a gift-wrapped rifle--are fresh off the Taiwan assembly line.

Once upon a time, fans wore mitts at baseball games. As the Arizona Diamondbacks opened their new ballpark, some fans planned to wear swimsuits. But the swimmers who planned to watch the game while cavorting in the pool, heated spa and swim-up bar beyond the right-center field fence were wise if they adhered to tradition by bringing along baseball gloves. The pool is just 415 feet from home plate, making it a prime target for sluggers such as Arizona's Matt Williams.

To claim a U.S. Open singles title, a player has to win seven straight matches against opponents with varied styles under difficult conditions, at times. Now, it seems, they've added one more element to test the nerves. Water torture. These days, you can't have a Grand Slam tournament without water. As in rain. The women's singles final in Australia this year was delayed by rain and it took about 30 minutes to close the retractable roof. Wimbledon?

Watching a game at the SkyDome is looking into the future of sports. The Toronto Blue Jays already have received about a dozen calls from teams in Japan asking about the new $375-million stadium and its retractable dome. There is talk that the Minnesota Twins might consider going to the retractable roof, too. When the Blue Jays arrived for Monday's inaugural game against Milwaukee, the $100 million retractable roof was being rolled back just as the sun slipped through the clouds.

Just name it, and this Calabasas house probably has it. The home, built in 1987, underwent a major remodel in 2005 and gained a variety of bells and whistles. An indoor basketball court, wine-tasting/catering kitchen and three-story atrium with a retractable roof are just a few of these added features. Among others are an art gallery, an in-home gym, a home theater and a 12-car subterranean garage, which added an extra 3,000 square feet to the original 9,000-square-foot house plan.

Even at $517.6 million, major league baseball's most expensive stadium isn't perfect. On Friday night, when the retractable roof on Safeco Field in Seattle was closed because it was raining, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres complained that the roof wasn't waterproof. Water dripped into right field and near second base on the dirt part of the infield. Officials said two of the three panels that make up the 11,000-ton roof weren't aligned right by a computer.

The day after going two for four and ending a 0-for-32 streak, second baseman Damion Easley said he is determined to avoid another slump and the anguish it brought. "Who knows?" Easley said. "I could start another kind of streak. [Sunday] was the start. Now, I've got to keep going." The Angels' winning record seemed to help Easley's confidence. "I'm not hitting, but obviously I'm doing something OK," he said.