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Photograph from Diamond Hoggers
It appears that various members of local and state government have lost their cool with the Yankees and their struggles to finance their soon to open new stadium without the additional financial assistance. City Comptroller William Thompson came out swinging with the harshest rhetoric yesterday when discussing the ongoing state of the project stating, "Costs don't go up that dramatically in that period of time. Either someone did that intentionally or it is the worst job of management that I have ever seen."
Longtime critic of the stadium's financing and the team's relationship with the Bloomberg administration State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky issued subpoenas for Yankees president Randy Levine and Seth Pinsky, chairman of the city's Industrial Development Agency for a hearing today investigating stadium financing. Brodsky claims that the Yankees and the city have "continued to stonewall" the committee's requests for documents about the Yankees' request for an additional $430 million in public-backed financing.
The Times questions whether the city's dealings with the Yankees could become an Achilles heel for the mayor's reelection campaign. They compare the situation to the mayor's attempts push for a West Side stadium before the '05 campaign, but with higher stakes given the current economic state. One Quinnipiac pollster speculates that close ties with the Yankees might do more harm than good just due to the fact that "people are being told we’ve got to economize, we’ve got to tighten our belts, and the Yankees are blowing money by the carload for players.”
Earlier this week, another Bloomberg opponent in the mayoral race Anthony Weiner took a jab at the Yankees fundraising efforts saying, “Maybe CC Sabathia can buy the big-screen TVs.” Comments like that have made it easier for Bloomberg aides to brush off the criticisms as nothing more than "political theater." Yankees President Randy Levine added, “Surprise, surprise — Billy Thompson is running for mayor. Billy voted for this deal in the beginning, I continually briefed him, and only after the term-limits law does he now decide to criticize the deal. What a coincidence.”
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holy headlines, batman!
Just an smoke and mirrors act to cover up all the kick-backs, bribes and assorted graft that ultimately will wind up on the taxpayers' tab.
Whoever decides to run against Bloomberg will have plenty of fodder.
Maybe instead of paying insane salaries to players they should pay for their own damn stadium. I'm done with them. Anyone that bitches and whines about money and the obvious corruption between the city agencies and these kinds of giant developments should not step foot in this stadium. Balance the budget by not funding stupid projects like these.
the band of thieves were all present only because they were subpoenaed. the same cast of characters with their noses up bloomberg's butt. Levine, cardozo all of them.
The city and/or state needs to come up with some way to tax the hell out of these leeches so they can actually give something back instead of their half assed charity thing. Money that could have gone to schools, parks, infrastructure, etc. got wasted in this and the other stadium.
In the days when baseball players got paid realistic salaries, the team owners built their own stadiums without extorting the city and state government.
I'm so angry with the Yankees for having the gall to waste my tax dollars on the stadium while they blow ridiculous amounts on the team!
I just wish we could mobilize as NY'ers and make it known to them - but let's face it, that'll never happen and this behavior will never change.
Not one more dime to those deadbeats. If they want to play baseball send them to Randalls Island.