NYC to spend ONE Billion for TWO new ballparks, while it asks Feds for $20 BILLION more

[ken5050]

Am I the only one who sees something, bizarre, and very wrong, with this? This afternoon,Mayor Guiliani, in the final act of his administration, is set to announce deals for TWO new stadia, for the Yankees and Mets, that will cost the taxpayers about one billion. Now, if the projections are one billion, figure about a 50% cost overrun. But, despite all the projections that this will be a good deal for the city,

[ken5050]

it won't cost the taxpayers anything, yada, yada, yada, we know that's not the truth. The taxpayers ALWAYS end up holding the bag. The Yankees just spent several hundred million on free agents, and the Mets may be the odds on favorite to win the National League pennant, after their recent aquisitions. So, the citizens of the rest of the country are being asked to subsidize baseball in NYC, and make the likelihood of future subway series even greater.

The good people of Minneapolis and probably 2 or more cities, will be losing their baseball teams, while subsidizing New York's. Indeed, on several occasions, the voters of Minnesota have turned down funding referenda for a new stadium for the Twins, yet now they are going to pay a portion of the cost of TWO new edificies for New York?

My prediction: This will not happen. Guiliani really messed up with this, and it will hurt his legacy and image, which has been awesome since 9/11. Incoming Mayor Bloomberg has NOT agreed to it, and it's a lousy thing for an outgoing mayor to try and bind the new one to a major deal like this. Plus, NYC's Firemen and Policemen , not to mention the teachers, are looking for new contracts with big raises, and to be told they must settle for less, while the city spends a billion to build new playpens for Derek Keter and Mike Piazza, just won't fly. And when the news of this starts to echo around the country, a lot of pols ( Jesse Ventura, are you listening) will start to question the so-far open ended aid bill to NYC...Look, Bush may be popular in NY now, but no way he's gonna carry the state in 2004, and besides, it makes Chuckie Schumer and Yankee "fan" Hillary look stupid, with all their bleats for more aid......

Ain't gonna happen, IMHO, but how do YOU feel??

[abandon]

I agree, it probably won't happen, especially since Mayor-elect Bloomberg kind of poo-pooed the idea. I think Rudy is hoping that if it does go through, his name will be plastered on at least one of the stadiums.

[NOLBRLS]

It seems that a lot of average people have become millionaires and NYC is riding high as a result of this tragedy. The final impact will be on my rural wallet.

[Rodney King]

Unfortunetly, I think that it will happen. The voters of NYC are by far the stupidest in the nation.

[mysterio]

No tax dollars for sporting arenas. The taxes get enacted, and then they are never retracted. You still pay for the stadium 20 years later. By then, the state has already sold the naming rights to some corporation. So you have Cingular stadium, paid for by the people of state X.

[B Knotts]

. I think Rudy is hoping that if it does go through, his name will be plastered on at least one of the stadiums.

He'd be wrong. All new stadiums have corporate names (blech!).

[NativeNewYorker]

Won't happen.

The terms of the deals aren't awful, but it is very hard to imagine it going through in this environment.

The Yankees are literally rolling in money, with Steinbrenner's adept creation of a local sports empire including the Yankees, Nets and Devils, and their inevitable morphing into a dedicated cable channel. There is no rationale for the city helping that club at all.

As for the Mets, their God-awful ballpark is usable, if unpleasant.

[NativeNewYorker]

We can't be THAT dumb. No one running on the Democratic party line has won the mayoralty since the Crown Heights riots!

[kahoutek]

True enough, but ya still got hitliary.......

BTW, omma native NYer too.

[abandon]

The voters of NYC are by far the stupidest in the nation.

They are second only to those in Connecticut.

[wheezer]

It should happen, the citizens of NYC who prefer sporting events to operas, ballets and museums deserves some NY-supplied subsity for their low-brow recreational interests.

I highly doubt it will happen now that Bloomy is in charge.

[Neets]

I saw this earlier this morning...and I'm with you babe,,,ain't gonna happen

[Rodney King]

I highly doubt it will happen now that Bloomy is in charge.

I see the opposite. I see Bloomy trying to shed his rich nerd image, and trying to keep the looming fiscal crises out of the papers by rallying around the Mets and the Yanks.

[Rodney King]

Yeah, we are pretty bad here as well, but Hillary takes the cake.

[kahoutek]

Guilty as stated....

Lowell Weicker

Christopher Dodd

Rosa DiLauro(sp?)

(first name?) Shays

[The Drowning Witch]

I saw this earlier this morning...

Can you give me a link to where you saw this???

[Phantom Lord]

"If they can afford to pay 1 player over $100,000,000 they can afford to build their own stadiums." --Gov. Jesse Ventura

[TomT in NJ]

My wonderful state of New jersey has to be a close 3rd. Look at who we have: Gov.-Elect McGreedy Sen. Corzine Sen. Toricelli Rep. Rush Holt

[ken5050]

Just heard Mo Vaughn's press conference at Shea...he was introduced as a "good guy, good family values"....while today's NY Post reported that he celebrated his birtday this weekend at Score's with EIGHT strippers......dontch just love it?

[isthisnickcool]

Professional "sports" in America suck. A ripoff to the taxpayers because most don't attend the games or even watch them on TV. These stadiums are nothing more than welfare for rich guys and subsidies for TV and newspapers to provide them with free content.

And I can't think of any players that's admirable. And calling some of them "heros" as it's done so often is laughable. Seems like a lot of gangster types and druggies. Especially in basketball. The only sports figure I can see that has anything admirable about him is Lance Armstrong. And all he needs is a bike.