STEPPING Into the Arena : General Manager Is Hoping to Produce an Eventful First Year

It’s OK to dream, and for Anaheim Arena General ManagerBrad Mayne, his hope is to one day bring the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four to the new $103 million facility, which is scheduled to open this summer.

Mayne worked at the University of Utah’s Special Events Center in 1979, when that facility played host to the Final Four, which culminated with the classic Michigan State-Indiana State, Magic Johnson-Larry Bird showdown.

Mayne knows the kind of prestige that event can bring to an arena. But he also realizes how remote the chances are of landing an event of such magnitude.

“The reality is the Final Four goes to an arena (as opposed to a domed stadium) every fourth year and there are 50 arenas that want it,” Mayne said. “So within the next 200 years it’s a possibility.”

Mayne isn’t holding his breath, though. Instead of spending a lot of time and energy on a longshot, he has been busy negotiating deals for a series of prominent events that--Final Four or not--he hopes will turn Anaheim Arena into Southern California’s pre-eminent sporting venue.

Mayne, in conjunction with the Orange County Sports Assn., will be making bids this year for an NCAA basketball regional or subregional tournament, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the Davis Cup finals and the NCAA Division I hockey finals.

Among other events high on Anaheim Arena’s list are major professional tennis exhibitions, quarterly boxing cards and, possibly, a world title fight, world-class volleyball and gymnastic competitions and indoor soccer.

Mixed in with the assortment of professional wrestling cards, rodeos, motor sports extravaganzas, concerts, circuses and ice shows, Mayne is confident that, even if Anaheim’s NHL expansion team were to hold off until 1994 to start play, the arena would have some 120 days booked in its first 12 months.

“We’re to the point where we’re so busy, we have to move committed dates to different locations on the calendar to accommodate everyone,” Mayne, 37, said. “We’ve got so many people who want to use the building, we’re jumping through hoops trying to take care of everyone. This August, there are only two dates in the month where there won’t be performances.”

This must be music to the ears of Anaheim city officials, who eagerly anticipate the soothing sounds of arena cash registers ringing and turnstiles swinging.

Under the city’s agreement with its partners in the arena project--Ogden Entertainment Co. and the Nederlander Organization--the city was liable for annual payments of up to $2.5 million for eight years if the facility was not being used by a professional basketball or hockey team after it opened.

That liability will be reduced by $1 million per year providing the Walt Disney Co., which owns the NHL expansion team, and Ogden agree on an arena lease and the hockey team begins play in 1993. But with no NBA team, the city could still be liable for up to $1.5 million a year, depending on the financial success of the arena.

“If there are shortfalls, the city may have to pay up to $1.5 million a year to cover them,” Mayne said. “But if we show a profit, the city receives a percentage of it.”

Mayne’s objective is clear. He must maximize revenues by offering a wide range of entertainment choices that will fill arena seats and complement the arena’s major tenant--the hockey team. To that end, Mayne and his staff have been busy on numerous fronts:

* College basketball. The Freedom Bowl Classic, held in conjunction with the Freedom Bowl football game, has already been booked for Anaheim Arena next December and will feature the basketball teams from Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine.

Mayne expects the arena to become the permanent home for the annual tournament, and OCSA Executive Director Don Andersen hopes to lure Indiana to next winter’s field.

There have been numerous discussions with NCAA officials, and Mayne said he has received positive feedback regarding Anaheim’s chances of landing a regional or subregional tournament.

Under NCAA rules, a facility cannot play host to an NCAA postseason event until three years after it stages an NCAA-sanctioned game in that sport, so the spring of 1997 would be the earliest Anaheim could garner an NCAA regional.

“Anaheim’s chances would be good,” said Bill Hancock, director of the NCAA’s Division I men’s basketball championship. “When we select sites, we look at four things--the quality of the facility, lodging, transportation and the ability of the host school to put on a tournament.

“Anaheim is in great shape in the first three, so it would depend on the ability of the host school (likely Cal State Fullerton or UC Irvine). A good, large arena in the West would be good for us. We’re real excited about this arena.”

Andersen has also had discussions with the Raycom television network about adding an Anaheim Arena game between a prominent area team, such as UCLA, USC or Nevada Las Vegas, against another nationally ranked school from the Midwest or East, to the weekly Raycom package, perhaps as early as February, 1994. Raycom televises some 20 college basketball games a year, usually on Sundays.

Mayne has had discussions with Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell about holding that conference’s postseason tournament in Anaheim, but the arena currently has a three-year commitment to the CIF Southern Section and Southern California Regional basketball championships in March, which coincides with the dates the Big West would need.

* World-class tennis. Ogden Co. representatives, who have attended the past three Davis Cup finals, made a bid to hold last year’s event in the Anaheim Convention Center but lost out to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Mayne is confident the Anaheim Arena, which is considerably larger than the Anaheim Convention Center, will improve Ogden’s chances of landing a Davis Cup event.

Mayne also said he has been approached by five promoters who want to stage major tennis exhibitions, featuring the likes of Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors, in the arena.

* Indoor soccer. Mayne is close to finalizing a deal that would place a Continental Indoor Soccer League team in the arena this summer. The new league will have eight teams and will run from June to September.

* Boxing. Ogden runs the Forum and doesn’t want to conflict with that arena’s monthly boxing cards, but Mayne would still like to hold about four fights per year in Anaheim.

Las Vegas has cornered the market on major prize fights, but Mayne believes Anaheim would have a good chance for a title bout in one of the lesser weight classes.

* Figure skating. Mayne has already booked a one-week run of the Ice Capades for October and a one-week run of Disney on Ice for December, and Anaheim will make a bid to play host to the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships this summer.

Representatives from the Tour of Olympic and World Figure Skating Champions toured the building this past week and are considering staging an event in Anaheim in June or July.

* Professional wrestling. All you fans of Brett (The Hitman) Hart, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair and Big Van Vader, fear not. Mayne is holding dates for World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling events in the arena.

“I go to Rotary and Kiwanis meetings and tell them the WWF is coming and they start laughing,” Mayne said. “Then I tell them how many people come to those events and they say, ‘Yeah, right, you’ve gotta have that.’ ”

Mayne is also holding dates for an indoor motor sports extravaganza, which could include motocross, mud bogs, tractor pulls, monster truck crushes and daredevil events. Totally gnarly stuff, but a big hit with fans.

“You watch all that and see how many people come to those things and you say to yourself, ‘Why didn’t I become the promoter of that?’ ” Mayne said. “This facility will strive to have something for everybody.”