Results tagged “stadium”

A Yankees fan from New Jersey is filing a $5 million class action suit over some seats from the old Yankee stadium he bought as a souvenir. John Lefkus spent the best 23 seasons of his life rooting for the Yankees from section M11, Row A, seats one and two, and after the Team moved to a new stadium, Lefkus decided to buy his old seats for $2,000. But what he actually purchased would shock him.

Did you know that a 16 ounce cup of hot chocolate will cost you ten dollars at Yankee Stadium? It's news to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, who was shivering through a Yankees-Angels game the other night when a vendor passed by hawking the luxury chocolate-flavored water. He later crunched the numbers on the product, and guesstimates that the Yankees are making about $9.15 profit on each hot chocolate sold (23 cents for bulk chocolate power, 6.5 cents for a cup and lid, 5 cents for hot water, and maybe 50 cents for the vendor).

With four major sports complexes crowding a 30 mile radius, and another on the way to Brooklyn as part of the embattled Atlantic Yards project, owners are now facing the sobering prospect of one day fighting to fill nearly 100,000 seats, 365 days a year. Mark Rosentraub, a professor of sports management at the University of Michigan, tells the Times, "The market is saturated... Five arenas is not going to work. I don’t think four works, even in a market as large as New York. There’s competition in every direction and there aren’t enough events." Of course, there's been heated debate for years over whether these government-subsidized stadiums—often sold as snake oil panaceas to foundering regional economies—actually contribute much to the community. (Here's one great article on the subject.) Now arenas are hemorrhaging money across the country, the Times reports. But this is New York, and there's always room for one more! Developer Bruce Ratner, demonstrating a vampiric ability not to die from a thousand cuts, scored some major victories last week, and is rushing to break ground on his Brooklyn monstrosity before the end of the year.

An elderly bartender who spent 27 seasons behind the bar at the Yankees' Stadium Club says he was rejected for a job at the team's new home because he's just too old. 73-year-old John Vendikos—who has served legends like Joe DiMaggio—says that when the Yankees' food service company began hiring for the new stadium, he was instructed to re-interview for his old job. He tells the Post, in an article headlined Boo-ze for the Yanks, "I had to wait in line for three hours, and when I got in, the guy said to me, 'Why should I hire you? You're an old man.' At first, I was sure he was being a wisenheimer. But then I realized he was dead serious." Vendikos is filing a complaint against the Yankees with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and says, "This never would have happened before Mr. [George] Steinbrenner became sick."

Consider those Wall Street Journal-fueled hopes that CitiField would be something else , as both the Mets and CitiGroup say they are going ahead with their $400 million, 20-year agreement. Mets VP of business affairs David Howard tells Newsday, "The Wall Street Journal got it wrong. Citi contacted us this morning and they reinforced that they will honor the legally binding agreement that they have with us. They have consistently said to us that they will honor the agreement." And Citi released a statement, "Citi signed a legally binding agreement with the New York Mets in 2006. No TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] capital will be used for Citi Field or for marketing purposes." And yesterday, Howard explained to Newsday, "Superficially, I understand [the public's reaction. But the reality is, the TARP recipients were companies the federal government thought were vital to our economy. To continue doing business, they still need to advertise."

      

Diamond Hoggers has a first look inside the new Yankee Stadium, which includes a new shiny locker room complete with giant hot tub and Yankee logo carpeting. Elsewhere there's an indoor batting cage for rainy day sluggers, as a sign hangs outside stating the date the park is to be born: 2/17/09. That's the day construction is set to end, and reportedly "some of the workers on site are wearing buttons that say, 'YANKEE STADIUM, 2-17-09' as a motivational reminder."

With Citgroup in serious trouble of being taken over as stock prices continue to plummet, will Citi Field, the Mets' new stadium set to open next year, still have its name by Opening Day? Citigroup's deal with the Mets calls for the financial company to pay the team $20 million annually for the name. The Hoston Astros were still playing in Enron Field when the company went bankrupt and was mired in an enormous scandal. But with other financial giants lining up as potential Citigroup suitors, could Queens become home to Goldman Sachs Stadium? It seemed that New Yorkers' ability to pretend it was called "City Field" softened the blow of the town's first major corporate handle for a hometown team's digs. Maybe now we'll just have to pride in not being San Diego, a city saddled with the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

WCBS 880's Tom Kaminski took some aerial photographs of Shea Stadium's dismantling. The stadium, where the last game was held on September 28, is being taken apart--and much of its belongings are for auction. Also, Forgotten NY's Kevin Walsh put together a touching tribute to Shea Stadium with some history and many of his memories: "Possibly, 1973 was my favorite year to be a Mets fan. The Mets had been moribund most of the summer, dropping 13 games under .500 at a couple of occasions. But other clubs failed to take charge and the Mets made a run, winning 24 of their last 33 to edge out the Cardinals on the last day of the season."

At least 18 baseball fans were arrested after the last game at the old Yankee Stadium Sunday night, as attendees ran amok trying to grab whatever souvenirs they could get their hands on. We're talking precious mementos such as cup-holders ripped off of seats, which can now be yours on eBay! According to the Post, one fan sneaked onto the field after the game and blended in with the groundskeepers, almost managing to steal third base, some priceless grass and sacred dirt.

      

Yesterday afternoon, the Giants and Jets announced it ended talks with Allianz, a German insurance company that was interested in buying stadium naming rights at the new stadium.

             

As anticipated, last night's gala event at the Brooklyn Museum honoring real estate developer Bruce Ratner attracted protesters opposed to the $4 billion Atlantic Yards stadium and residential development proposed for a 22-acre site just a stone's throw from the museum. Atlantic Yards Report was at the scene and writes: "The protest organized by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn last night outside the museum was notably angry, with some 80 people gathering at one point, many chanting 'Ratner is a liar' and 'Shame on you' at vehicles coming to drop off their passengers."

Brooklyn community groups opposed to the Atlantic Yards project are outraged developer Bruce Ratner will be honored tonight at a gala at the Brooklyn Museum. Ratner's Forest City Foundation gave $100,000 to the museum in ’05 and again in ’06; now the museum's is giving him their highest honor, the Augustus Graham Medal. Brooklyn resident Michael White is organizing a protest, and tells the Daily News, "A museum should be a good neighbor to its community. You cannot be a good neighbor by promoting the activities of someone who is a bad neighbor."

During a conference call with investors yesterday, Forest City Enterprises CEO Charles Ratner acknowledged that a window of opportunity had all but closed for the ambitious, 22-acre housing, retail and stadium project proposed for Brooklyn. But he also insisted that the delay – brought on by recession and dogged opposition from community groups – was just temporary:

The economy sometimes alters the timeline, but we have demonstrated our ability to see these projects through to completion—the value they create is well worth the time and effort. … Real estate is a long-term business. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

The holy Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, adored for its succulent burgers, righteous shakes and hellish lines, will soon expand into multiple locations. Owner Danny Meyer has signed a lease for a branch at 366 Columbus Avenue (at 77th Street), the former home of New Orleans import Jacques-Imo's. The new location will be entirely indoors, enabling delicate Upper Wide Siders to do their time on line out of the elements.

Bronx legend Clive Campbell, who as DJ Kool Herc is widely credited as one of hip-hop’s founding fathers, is not suing Jay-Z, developer Bruce Ratner and Barclays bank, as previously reported by the Observer online. The $5 billion lawsuit is being brought by a much less famous Brooklyn activist also named Clive Campbell, and the mix-up is probably a big publicity boon for his lawsuit, as it echoed far and wide across the internets before the Observer corrected it. Campbell is demanding the money as slavery reparations because of Barclays’ history with the slave trade; the bank has secured the naming rights for the controversial Nets stadium Ratner is trying to build at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards, which would be part of a bigger residential development.

Put any thoughts of the new Giants-Jets Stadium being named Mara Field (after the recently deceased and beloved Giants owner Wellington Mara) far from your heads. Sports marketing experts believe that the value of slapping a corporation's name on the arena, which is expected to be completed in 2010 and cost $1.3 billion, could generate revenues of $25 million to $30 million annually for the two teams. In comparison, the Mets are charging Citigroup $20 million annually for 20 years to name the team's new stadium in Queens Citi Field.