Shea Stadium, the radium, EMD squared

[Guest Edgy DC]

Village Voice says Wilpon paying practically nothing for Shea II.

[Elster88]

Not surprising. Why would Wilpon open up his wallet? He's a cheap scumbag who's only interested in money and doesn't give a shit about the product on the field, or the field itself.

[Guest KC]

Reading it quickly, I'm not sure I get the writers point. Is it that Wilpon is
getting off scott free or that Yankee Stadium will cost so much more than
Shea or is it a pot shot at the government agencies and mean old con-
servative Pataki or ....?

[metirish]

That's not true Elster, he's not cheap and he's not a scumbag, now Iv'e not read the article yet but Wilpon spends on payroll.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Irish, Ellie's spraying the room with an AK-47 of satire.

Kase, I believe the last guess of yours was closest. But blog-style opinon journalism doesn't really have to have a specific point. They can just throw a bunch up there and see what sticks. Like J.F.K., I guess, or so I'm told.

[Frayed Knot]

The Voice is essentially saying that the city if giving perks to rich sports owners -- longer tax exemptions, free rent despte the building being on city land, sweetheart parking arrangements, etc -- that presumably other businessmen can't (although sometimes do) get.

The guys at "Field of Schemes" are pretty much saying the same things; although I find the part about treating the MLB rule which allows teams to divert rev-sharing money into stadium construction as if those too are somehow "gift" funds to be stretching things a bit.


btw: a line in the NYPost (yesterday I think) said the team will unveil plans for the new stadium "in the next few weeks"

[metirish]

]Irish, Ellie's spraying the room with an AK-47 of satire.

He's always doing that....LOL...

[seawolf17]

I can't believe Wilpon is trying to run a business and make -- and save -- money. I'm going to go be a fan of the Boise Potato Fighters, because their owner wants to win. He gives away tickets for free to everyone, and pays his players eighty gazillion dollars every time they sign an autograph for a kid.

Gimme a break, folks. Let Steinbrenner pay through the ass for Steinbrenner Field; it's still going to suck.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Word to LF's mutha on that "stretching" point.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Seawolf and Elster might want to consider saving some money by merging operatons.

[Lundy]

Was that article actually published in the Village Voice, or is it part of a blog? It's not clear to me.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's a Voice-sponsored blog.

Traditional journalism sources are fighting back at bloggers siphoning off readers in part by including blogging sections as part of their own online editorial sections.

It doesn't usually work for me. It almost says "Here are the opinions held to journalistic standards and here are the ones you don't have to hold to any standards."

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's fun that, despite the blog coming through VV window, where the reader would be expected to be attracted to appeals for resentment of corporate welfare, the first two comments are of the "Yay, Mets" variety.

[seawolf17]

Edgy DC wrote: Seawolf and Elster might want to consider saving some money by merging operatons.

Nah. This is a business, man! My profits from my posts go to me and me alone.

Besides, it scares me when Elster and I agree on something.

[Vic Sage]

the main thing one should take from this, and similar articles from reputable sources, is the continuous gouging of the taxpaying public for the benefit of landlords and developers.

The concession the city and state are making in tax rebates and rent waivers = real revenues lost. Money that could be going into school construction is going into stadium construction.

As much as i hate Shea and would happily pee on its imploded rubble, i despise the corporate welfare that cities are seduced, or coerced, or bribed into paying to rich owners, when so many independent studies show that there is little economic bang for the bucks spent in this way, and when our city has so many other more pressing priorities.

The whole Yankee/Met comparison is pointless, except to say that the Yanks want to build the best state-of-the-art stadium money can buy and are willing to spend 2x-3x as much on their stadium as the cheapass Mets, who apparently do their stadium shopping at K-Mart.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Shit.

I thought I agreed with Elster and Seawolf for once.

[seawolf17]

We still love ya, BS.

[Diamond Dad]

Don't believe everything you read in the Voice. Or on the Voice blog. For my money (tickets) I don't care who'se paying. Let's just have a better park!

[Zvon]

Has there been any speculation as to what this stadium will be called?
Surely not Shea II, or Shea, for that matter.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

"Preparation H Stadium" has the inside track.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Zvon wrote: Has there been any speculation as to what this stadium will be called? Surely not Shea II, or Shea, for that matter.

Whichever corporation bids the most money will get to name the stadium, I'm afraid.

The only likely alternative to a corporate-naming would be "Wilpon Field."

[Guest Edgy DC]

Naaah.

Mets Stadium

Jackie Robinson Memorial Stadium

Casey Stengel Field

Joan Whitney Payson Memorial Field? (My son is so cultured. He goes to the Whitney every weekend.)

Tom Seaver Field

Mays and Seaver Field

Mays and Robinson Field

Flushing Meadows Stadium

The Stadium at the Navy Yard

John Lennon Memorial Stadium

Strawberry Fields

Elysian Fields

September 11th Memorial Stadium

Ebbets Field 2.0

And then there are compromises:

Old Navy Stadium at the Navy Yard

Nike Presents Seaver Stadium

Prudential Bache Presents Stengel Stadium

Met Life Stadium

[Guest KC]

I forget who thought of it years ago on mofo, but I thought it was clever ...

The Polo Grounds, by Ralph Lauren

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: ="Zvon"]Has there been any speculation as to what this stadium will be called? Surely not Shea II, or Shea, for that matter. Whichever corporation bids the most money will get to name the stadium, I'm afraid. The only likely alternative to a corporate-naming would be "Wilpon Field."

That's what I meant by "Preparation H" Field. Don't matter how unattractive an image is conjured up, the bottom line is the bottom line.

So to speak.

The motto could be "We stick it straight up your asses every day. Come out to Preparation H Field and see."

Wonder if anyone has approached the Lauren people with the naming offer. Wonder if Brooklyn Fred would allow it, even if they had the highest bid and the cleverest name.

[seawolf17]

If it's anything other than Bob Murphy Stadium, it's a travesty. Hell, whatever it is, I think we'll call it Bob Murphy Stadium anyway.

[Guest KC]

I think Mets immortal figures should be remembered by things like naming
gates or thoroughfares or by monuments and such. While I loved Bob and
miss him, naming a stadium after him seems a bit extreme. He's not the
first thing I think of when thinking of Mets years gone by. Certainly in the
top ten.

[Frayed Knot]

It's going to have a corporate name. Virtually every new arena now is (plus many of the older ones) and they've been saying as much all along since the plans were first unveiled around a decade ago.

At this point you just hope it's:
- something that rolls off the tongue reasonably well. Some of the hi-tech gobbledygook or byzantine corporate intitials that pass for stadium names these days have been tough to say and even harder to remember.
- something that can be shortened or "nicknamed" if it does wind up being a less-than poetic moniker. I like how 'Minute-Maid Field' became "The Juice Box"
- something that doesn't change every other year as companies change their minds, go under, get taken-over, have their entire board indicted, etc. I have no idea what they're calling the joint the SF Giants play in these days.

As long as it's somewhat reasonable we'll get used to it. Hell, we've got a place right now named after some deceased corporate lawyer and no one gives it a second thought.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

I understand that Preparation H is "something that rolls off the tongue reasonably well."

[metirish]

Hope you like PNC Park....

] At Mets' park, you'll think you're in ...Pittsburgh? Feb 12, 2006 The Mets are staying secretive about their ballpark plans, but Newsday has learned that, in addition to Ebbets Field, the Mets' other main model is Pittsburgh's PNC Park. For those who haven't been there, that's an excellent choice. If the Mets pull this off, they'll go from baseball's worst stadium to one of its best. According to a well-placed source, Jeff Wilpon told confidants about PNC Park, "I'd take it in a second if I could." Wilpon or his underlings have toured every new ballpark, but Wilpon is said to love the homey feel of PNC best. PNC also is known for its view, tougher for the Mets to duplicate given that they're a few miles from Manhattan, which can be seen only from the upper deck now. One goal is to upgrade Willets Point, which might mean folks needing a chop shop will have to go elsewhere. Wilpon declined comment on stadium plans. Sometime in the next month, the Mets will unveil their new park.

Jon Heyman

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

That would be cool. PNC and Pac Bell (or whatever they're calling it now) are my favorite stadiums.