New security measures

Major League Baseball and the National Football League have implemented new security measures to ensure fan safety. Here is a sampling. MLB: Fans can no longer bring coolers, backpacks and large bags into stadiums. All bags will be inspected. More uniformed police officers will be present. Stadiums will be inspected each day before gates open. Parking will be restricted within 100 feet of any stadium. All ballpark deliveries will be inspected. Club personnel will undergo new training. NFL: Strict screening at all parking and stadium entrances, meaning that fans will have to leave tailgate parties and head for seats much earlier. Cars will be checked at the gate and parking spaces will be moved away from the stadiums. Fans will be barred from bringing bags into stadiums. Credentialed media will be asked to show picture ID. Players will be checked before boarding charter flights. More uniformed police officers will be present.

No coolers will be allowed at NASCAR's race. Backpacks and briefcases will be searched at hockey games. Football fans will be asked to arrive early. Even the Goodyear blimp might not fly.

On the ground, in the sky, at stadium entrances and among tailgaters, security will be increased this week as football, hockey, auto racing and other sports resume.

Baseball returned Monday night for the first time since terrorists attacked New York and Washington on Sept. 11. New security rules were in effect for all six games, including a ban on coolers, backpacks, large bags and parking within 100 feet of the ballparks.

Things will also be different when the NFL reopens Sunday. Fans will no longer be able to blithely drive into parking lots three hours before a game, tailgate for 2½ hours, then casually walk to their seats just in time for kickoff.

"The commissioner has decided that our No. 1 priority is security," said Milt Ahlerich, the NFL's senior director of security. "Our fans are going to have to be more patient. We're suggesting that they get to the stadiums early and then get to their seats early. We want to alleviate that last-minute game crush."

At colleges with large stadiums, fans were warned to be ready for heightened scrutiny.

The University of Michigan is expecting a crowd of 110,000 for its game against Western Michigan on Saturday.

"Our fans should expect some possible delays, especially if they continue to come in at the last minute," said Bill Bess, the university's director of public safety. "We would like fans to get in the stadium sooner than they have in the past."

Every bag brought into the stadium will be subject to search, and other measures are being taken, although university officials declined to elaborate.

Several schools were working with the Federal Aviation Administration to stop airplanes from flying near stadiums, especially planes dragging advertisements.

Shutting down that airspace could mean a temporary end to a familiar sight.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. planned to send its blimps to the Wisconsin-Penn State and Ohio State-UCLA games, along with the Detroit-Cleveland NFL game.

"We're waiting at the moment for clearance. As always, we will cooperate with aviation authorities," Goodyear spokeswoman Jennifer Arnold said.

Dover Downs officials said Monday that fans will not be allowed to bring coolers, backpacks or large bags onto the race track grounds Sunday for NASCAR's MBNA.com 400 Winston Cup race. In conjunction with the move, the track is reducing the price of concessions to compensate fans.

"While we regret that we have to step up our security measures to this extent, it is, at this time, completely necessary," said Denis McGlynn, Dover Downs' president and CEO.

"We don't know how long the changes will have to be in place. But given the events of the past seven days, we think it is of the highest importance that this race takes place in a completely safe manner."

The first sporting event in the nation's capital since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon will be Tuesday night's NHL exhibition game between the Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers.

"As always, we will follow the lead of the FBI, Secret Service, Metropolitan Police and other agencies," said Matt Williams, spokesman for Washington Sports and Entertainment. "Fans will see an increased presence at the arena entrances. However, many security measures are never seen by patrons."

College football will not have a blanket set of security rules.

"With 976 different institutions, it is difficult to make policies that are applicable to the broad membership," NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said. "Security is an issue for most schools every week, but when you're dealing with circumstances that defy logic, it puts a whole new perspective on what precautions you need to take."

Nebraska's game against Rice was pushed back to 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday for a smoother adjustment to the school's first weeknight home game.

A thorough search is planned for all parts of the stadium. Parking is no longer permitted under the stadium and all deliveries are being inspected.

Fans carrying coolers, umbrellas and bags larger than a purse will be turned away. If it's cold, bulky winter coats and blankets will be allowed in only after they are searched.

Thursday night's first college football game -- South Carolina at Mississippi State -- will have "strong" stadium restrictions in place, said MSU Associate Athletic Director Duncan McKenzie.

Noisemakers will be prohibited in the Starkville, Miss., stadium, and police will restrict parking. Authorities do not plan to install metal detectors, McKenzie said.

Perhaps no team will feel quite as safe as the NFL's Cleveland Browns, whose security director, Lew Merletti, is the former head of the Secret Service and served under Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

"We couldn't ask for a better scenario from the standpoint of security," coach Butch Davis said. "There isn't a team in the league that has better access to individuals that know more about security."