Digging up the dirt has only just begun…
I suppose I should be drinking the Kool-Aid that everybody has been serving up. If I let them tell the story the new home for the Mets will be like the infant baby Jesus for this boro in New York City. It will wipe away the eyesore of the ‘Iron Triangle’. A hodgepodge of junkyards and auto body repair shops where Thundercracker, Soundwave and I used to try to sell our stolen cars. The pitch so far has been the percentage of the construction costs that the Mets are ponying up. But inside the fine print I can see that NYC is biting off a far larger chunk than it can chew. Keep in mind that the Yankees are also being gifted with a new facility as well.
It all boils down to real estate and the city government gives it away to sports franchises like a fiefdom. The Big Apple beomes the ‘Big Plum’ for the Yankees, the Mets, the United States Tennis Association and soon, the Nets. No where in America, save for maybe Los Angeles is land this valuable. You have to understand another thing about New York City. It’s essentially a consortium of islands. At some point you run out of land to expand on so you begin to build upwards. This adds exponential value to the land because you can increase your tenancy on the original footprint. Just try to imagine the monthly rents for all the businesses that occupy a fifty story skyscraper. The landlord receives fifty monthly checks twelve times a year. This is why landlords run NYC with an iron fist. They force the politicians to amend the zoning laws and allow them to add fifty more floors to their fifty floor buildings.
It’s like getting free land from the city isn’t enough for the Mets either. In typical fashion they have begun to cut their construction costs by removing features from the facility that were highlights of the initial proposal. They was going to be a field surface that would have been reconfigurable for multi sport use. There were also going to install a high-tech retractable roof, but that design has been kicked to the curb as well. And in the ultimate display of selfish, tacky greed the Mets owners have decided to sell the naming rights to the stadium to CitiBank. Who cares what amount CitiBank is paying them, although the deal that Jay-Z and the Nets got from former slave holders Barclay’s Bank was pretty sweet.
Anyhoo, what CitiBank should do in their ultimate wisdom is cede the name of the park over to a local legend. like CASEY STENGEL CitiPark or JACKIE ROBINSON CitiField. That would be corporate classy and it would allow CitiBank to say, “See, we’re for the community.”
What do you think Mets’ fans?
“Anyhoo, what CitiBank should do in their ultimate wisdom is cede the name of the park over to a local legend. like CASEY STENGEL CitiPark or JACKIE ROBINSON CitiField. That would be corporate classy and it would allow CitiBank to say, “See, we’re for the community.”
Dallas…
One of my ace homies works for the Jackie Robinson Foundation and was present for the groundbreaking along with Rachel Robinson and other members of Jackie’s clan. There was very strong consideration by Wilpon (a huge contributor to the JRF) to name it Jackie Robinson Field/Stadium. But when it comes to raising dollars you can’t wave away that CitiBank check. However I’ve seen the plans and the main entrance of CitiPark is named “The Jackie Robinson Rotunda” and it is a huge plaze complete with statue, memorabilia, mural(s), and tributes to Jackie. It has the full blessing of Rachel Robinson and the family. My man tells me that LOS METS are the premiere sports team supporters of the JRF even rivaling the LA Dodgers. So even though his name isn’t on the masthead of the stadium, the one of the highways that get your there bears his name, and you’re not gonna be able to get into the park with out seeing ole Jack Roosevelt Robinson.
On a side note which ties in very well with this drop. Peep this article about Ebbets Field (Apartments) in ESPN.com’s great series called “After Jackie”. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/jackie/news/story?id=2830342
The scary consistency is in this series of articles is the comment “Jackie would be rolling over in his grave.”
the new stadium is a myth that’s been propped up and by city managers and team owners pimping for muni funds. here in orlando, we’re being strung along by dick devos, absentee owner of the orlando magic, owner of amway and general scumbag. luckily godfather stern stepped in because devos has been trying to hold the arena for ransom, threatening to leave town if orlando doesn’t up its share of the new arena. the jobs that are created are vastly low paying, low skill jobs.
billionaire welfare at its finest and since the asshole can’t get a decent sponsorship, he names the place amway arena.
it’s too bad that most teams aren’t owned by fans, but rich guys that want to play jerry jones.
NY will always strongly support their sports franchises and continue the billionaire welfare policy. George Steinbrenner, his family and friends have been reaping huge financial windfalls though city tax breaks initiated by Guiliani and continued by Bloomberg. I like sports but not enough to continue to pony up huge city taxes for new facilities. The Village Voice has been exposing these big city-business frauds for what they are, greedy business men.
Yeah, dats dat bullsh–.
the retractable roof was a major selling point! imagine not having to watch through yet another Seinfeld re-run during a rain-delay! actually…come to think of it that jews cakin of those rain-delay’s….you know how they say that they control everything anyway.
Fuck The Mets ………go Padres
Totally off Topic: Let me be a total girl and declare my undying love for David Wright.
40,
Have you ever been to the USTA Tennis Center for the Open? Have you seen that statue of Arthue Ashe. It is a naked grotesque. Why does white love/hate the Black man’s penis so much?
I just hope the Mets don’t honor Jackie by commissioning a naked statue of Jackie with the phallus dismembered. Not that I care about Jackie’s schlong either but damn…
Rachel Robinson = fine forever
LMAO… Dallas I’ve yet to go enjoy tennis at the Ashe Center but now you’ve made it one of my “Summer To Do” lists just off of that rip alone.
From what I’ve seen of the renderings JR will be fully clothed. I think there was discussion on whether to have him in a suit or decked out in his Dodger Blues. I think the #42 will be there for all to take in…
Citigroup is spending millions of dollars on the Citifield stadium while announcing today 17,000 layoffs and another 9,500 jobs will be moved to low cost areas domestically and internationaly. Luckily I like curry.
I don’t like that it’s going to be Citi field, in fact I like SHEA just the way it is. Real baseball fans will go to games anyway without a high tech stadium that will appear old 10 years from completion. In fact I thought that New York sports franchises were too proud and storied to take names from corporations, but I guess I was wrong. I wonder what the plans are for Yankee Stadium, god knows people will throw a huge shitfit if its named anything other than Yankee stadium. While they’re at it we should name MSG Cablevision center or some wack shit right?
Cosign about “billionaire welfare”
I don’t know why any of these mayors or governors grow a set of balls an insist on 1 of 2 options for their sports teams.
1 ZERO billionaire or other corporate welfare under any circumstance
2 Hit up the league commissioner for an expansion team rights. Make this team a public corporation, but with rules that 75% of the stocks have to be owned by individuals residing in the city or at least state. Try to sell the stock to season ticket holders and other team stans. This way the team will never jump ship & move to another city for better billionaire welfare.
My understanding is that the Green Bay Packers & Cleveland Indians have this arrangement. Note that they never trying to leave town, even though they’re in “small media markets”.
Ayo Dallas, thx for the props & commentage on my blog.
Glad I’m not the only LOTUG stan left!
“It all boils down to real estate and the city government gives it away to sports franchises like a fiefdom.”
Truly, the heart of the issue and why so many cities are nearly held captive to the whims of billionaire sports owners and the politicos who need their support to keep riding the publicly subsidized gravy train.
NOMAMESBUEY,
The proposal you just mentioned is revolutionary and in some ways could be unfair if big market city fans owned a team. People in NYC spend so much money on their regular lifestyles they wouldn’t mind ponying up some bucks to pwn the league with an all-star team. Think about the money that NYC has to spend as compared to shitholes like KC. There would have to be some revenue sharing put in place to mitigate the discrepancy.
Where’s LM at? He knows all this shit.
yo Dallas,
Great point. The salary cap rule would still have to be enforced.
The NFL has the salary cap, & the Green Bay Packers, who have this public ownership model, have done well in terms of W-L record.
NMB,
It’s true that Green Bay does do pretty well within their economic model, but baseball is a whole ‘nother animal. Keep in mind that a baseball team plays 10x more contests than a football team. That means 10x the ad revenues and concessions and licensing fees, blah, blah, blah. The stakes are high for the MLB.
Incidentally, C.S. and I just came home from watching the Phillies drop the Mets. Baseball should never be played in 40 degree weather.
^yo Dallas, you went to hallowed grounds of the Mets stadium, which is right next to the USTA National Tennis Center in Corona Pk, where the US Open is played.
I’ve been to the US Open a few times. I’m a huge tennis stan, & a dece rec / hack 4.0-level tennis player.
I was there in 2002 Final in Arthur Ashe Stadium when Sampras beat Agassi for his record 14th grand slam title. It was Sampras last match as he “went out on top” & retired.
I saw Feliciano Lopez play a doubles match on an outer court with literally only 20 fans watching. You have the atmosphere of a rec sport event, except you got world class athletes. The same dude Lopez then had to play Hewitt in Arthur Ashe, which has 20 thousand capacity. I don’t know any other sport where you have to be ready to play in front of 20 people or 20K people!
We tennis stans envy you New Yorkers for being able to go to the USO without having to travel! It’s an awesome experience.
NMB,
I grew up in Corona on 113th St in the shadow of Shea Stadium. The USTA built their first stadium in Flushing Meadows in 1980 and they moved the Open from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows Park after that. That stadium is called The Louis Armstrong Tennis Center because Satchmo resided in Corona on 107th Street.
The privileged Corona kids got to be ball boys at the Open.
The rest of us just stole the cars of the people that parked in the neighborhood because they were too cheap to pay for the parking service. True Story.
^comedy!
I thought even local NYCers took the subway, since it goes right there to the Mets/USO complex.
I got a Colombian homie that lived in Queens at the time when I visited the USO, so I crashed over there. The subway station was like 10 blocks from his crib, so it was no big deal to take it.
I guess I was under the impression that most NYCers would just use the subway when feasible, since it’s more convenient than effed up traffic & parking.
I guess you & your homies might’ve indirectly influence some mofos to use the subway!
I couldnt help but read your proposal NBM and thought it was brilliant but I also think in baseball they have this fraternity type atmoshphere when it comes to owners and if they dont like you they will just get rid of you ask Marge Schott and thus it would be hard to get rid of a city that controlled the majority interest of a team. I have only been to New York on a layoff on a flight to Puerto Rico but a friend of Mine decided to ride the subway when he was vacationing and dude is latino but looks white and he said a hispanic dude literally cut his face on the subway for not giving up his backpack….Luckily it was not to the severity of a buck fifty but he still has a slight scar, crazy shit but I will assume them crackas are scared of that type shit therefore drive where ever they go…..
some hear for the kids
http://www.zshare.net/audio/20-love-it-or-leave-it-alone-live-mp3.html
^word? Sorry about your homie.
I took the subway & it seemed to be really safe.
There was some random middle-aged ladies on there also, so I assumed it had to be fairly safe
Sorry I’m way late to this… about the Packers: Green Bay itself is a different animal than other NFL towns, which helps community perception. Green Bay population = about 100,000. Number of Packer shareholders = about 110,000. When the Packers wanted to expand Lambeau Field, you’d better believe the Green Bay public came out of their pockets for half of the cost. (Referendum passed 53 percent to 47 percent, not overwhelming.)
BTW, Packers shares cannot be resold. So there’s no cashout potential.
And even with community support the Packers wouldn’t survive if not for revenue sharing in the league.
All that said: to have a sports team or teams in a metro area is almost always going to be a financial break-even at best. And we know that if everything stays the same the winners keep winning and the losers keep losing.