Vic Sage wrote: premise: I have enough money to own 100% of the Mets and i buy them. If so, i would treat the team as a charitable foundation and: * Give 49% of the team to the City (in exchange for city improvement of roads, access, public transportation, parking, maintenance, and urban development of the local community), and allowing them the veto authority over any move of the franchise and public review of the team's finances; * Build new stadium (at least 60,000 seats), based on classical architecture (no retro, no "modern" [which dates even faster than "retro"], to be called "Metropolis Field", with no obstructed views, a retractable roof and the highest tech score board that can be produced by ILM, and specifically designated areas of the park (the Krane Pool, Kiner's Korner, the Strawberry Patch, Payson Pavillion); with ads and concessions only from NY-based businesses; and with the stadium, grounds and common areas designed with statues, gardens, murals and other commissioned art celebrating the history of the team (including its national league baseball antecedents), plus an interactive Mets Museum and Hall of Fame (accessible to the general public year round); * 1000 free tickets per game to local schools, camps and hospitals, plus cool giveaways for every fan at games Monday-Thursday and Sunday afternoons; * NY Heroes Game on Sunday closest to 9/11, with players wearing 1st Responder hats and free tickets to any family of first responders who died as a direct result of 9/11; * Mets Old Timer's Game and a Future's game, on Weekend before the All-Star break; * Free Broadcast local TV package of at least 10 games; * Using the facilities for Community-based services when no games are scheduled (food drives, public concerts, green markets, job and health fairs, etc); * 1 Home uni, 1 road uni, 1 throwback uni for special events (and no black); * SNY features more baseball-related content than just the games (documentaries, talk shows, game shows, news, interviews, analysis, movies, dramas, sitcoms, mini-series, etc), with an on-demand archive of every broadcast in Mets history that still exists; * Hire management with respect for quantitative analysis, and the resources to establish best scouting system in baseball (including academies in Cuba, Mexico, DR, Japan, Korea, Australia and Europe), and a minor league system with all teams in the northeast and southeast, including the purchase of the Long Island Ducks, and making them our AAA affiliate, and a guarantee that the Mets will maintain a 25-man roster with a budget among the top 25% of teams every year. Then, i'll watch the games from my suite, sitting with my friends, being served nathan's hot dogs and Brooklyn Lager by Hooter's Girls, stopping into the booth once in a while to chat with Gary, Howie, Ron and Keith, to tell the fans what i REALLY think. Until the day I die; at which point the remaining ownership will also go to the city, with my family maintaining an ongoing profit participation and luxury box in perpetuity. This is why it's Ralph's world, and we just reside in it.