Field of Schemes
Page 42
“I know there’s a knee-jerk misunderstanding of it.” Bill Madden, Lisa L. Colangelo, and Luke Cyphers, “New Stadiums by ’07? Rent Plan Will Aid City, Giuliani Says,” Daily News, December 27, 2001.
“Given the lack of housing.” Neil deMause, “If You Don’t Build It, They Still Will Spend,” Village Voice, January 16–22, 2002.
“The passion and intensity absolutely floored me.” www.heremagazine.com/sausages.html.
“He wouldn’t have picked me.” Lois Weiss and John Lehmann, “New $1B Stadium in Play—May Host Jets, Olympics,” New York Post, January 10, 2002.
And that was before any of the cost overruns. Neil deMause, “Athenian Dreams of Trojan Horse? New York’s Olympic Bid Could Be Billion-Dollar Boondoggle,” Village Voice, December 13-19, 2000. Both the Atlanta and Sydney losses would pale in comparison to the 2004 Athens Games, which wound up absorbing more than $4 billion in cost overruns.
Any new taxes from the office buildings. Depending on how the geographical boundaries of the plan were defined, the West Side property was, according to the city Independent Budget Office, paying anywhere from $24,000. to $60,000. a year into city coffers. Anything above this would be redirected to repay the costs of the stadium and subway line.
“Someone’s going to have to guarantee those bonds.” Neil deMause, “West Side Stories: Scrounging Up $3 Billion in ‘New’ Tax Money? Hey, No Problem,” Village Voice, January 22–28, 2003.
“the precise structure may be different than a classic TIF.” Neil deMause, “Jockbeat: West Side Stories,” Village Voice, March 5–11, 2003.
helped lead USA Today to rate the arena as the worst facility. Greg Boeck, “NBA arenas: Fantastic or Not?” USA Today, April 12, 2005.
“As a boy, I cried when the Dodgers left.” Bill Farrell, “Boro Courting the Nets,” Daily News, July 24, 2003.
For MetroTech, which replaced several square blocks. All figures in this paragraph compiled by Good Jobs New York: www.goodjobsny.org.
“I was never interested in traditional real estate.” Alex Williams, “Back to the Future,” New York, October 27, 2003.
“We are essentially bailing out this white elephant.” Tom Topousis, “Taxpayers Malled,” New York Post, November 17, 2003. Montgomery later reported receiving an angry phone call from Ratner in response to her published comments.
Ratner’s own figures would show. Ariella Cohen, “Ratner Jobs Fall Short: Bruce’s Malls Haven’t Met Projections,” Brooklyn Papers, November 10, 2006.
“if they came to Brooklyn, [players] would pay $5.5 million.” Jamie Herzlich, “Plan for Nets Arena to Get Hard Review,” Newsday, December 11, 2003.
“It’s a huge step forward.” Lee Romney, “Community, Developers Agree on Staples Plan Deal,” Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2001.
“like an angel sent from God.” John Doyle, “Arena Supporters and Foes Clash at Borough Hall Pro-Ratner Rally,” Brooklyn Eagle, June 18, 2004.
Even build’s office space came courtesy of the developer. Juan Gonzalez, “Snake in the ‘Grassroots,’” Daily News, September 29, 2005.
“dead-end, low-wage, non-union, no-benefit jobs.” Katherine Hawkins, “Wage Rage,” City Limits, November 2000.
“This agreement represents the first time that this concept.” Jess Wisloski, “Sealed with a Kiss,” Brooklyn Papers, May 28, 2005.
“We’re concerned about traffic, hell yeah.” Norman Oder, “ACORN’s Lewis Gets Fiery as ‘Affordable Housing’ Debate Heats Up,” Atlantic Yards Report, March 1, 2006.
Some also recalled Lewis’ previous foray into sports projects. Neil deMause, “The Battle of Brooklyn,” Here, #3. The Parade Grounds stadium plan was ultimately scuttled by a lawsuit, and a smaller facility was built for community use.
a poll of Brooklynites conducted by Crain’s New York Business. Norman Oder, “Closer Look at Crain’s Poll,” Atlantic Yards Report, September 8, 2006.
“I think race was used from Day 1.” Nicholas Confessore, “Perspectives on the Atlantic Yards Development through the Prism of Race,” New York Times, November 12, 2006.
“The devil could bring in a project.” Confessore, “Perspectives on the Atlantic Yards.”
“forget the most important mantra.” Michael O’Keeffe, “Color of Money the Real Issue at Atlantic Yards,” Daily News iTeam Blog, June 7, 2006.
the public spending about $600 million for the rail yards platform and a retractable roof. While $600 million was the official figure, city public advocate Betsy Gotbaum analyzed other recent stadium deals and projected that an additional $430 million in overruns and inflation costs were likely.
“This is an incredibly complicated jigsaw puzzle.” Charles V. Bagli, “Jets Stadium in Manhattan Moves Closer, but Issues Remain,” November 29, 2003.
“providing needed flexibility to our efforts.” Neil deMause, “Where Does Your Garden Go?” Village Voice, June 18–24, 2003.
the New York Times reported that the Jets were working on redesigning. Charles V. Bagli, “To Avoid Competing with Garden, Jets Redraw Plans for Stadium on West Side,” New York Times, January 28, 2004.
“There is an allegation that one company.” Jennifer Steinhauer, “Garden Backs Ad Opposing New Stadium,” New York Times, May 28, 2004. The Jets’ own figures, meanwhile, projected seven thousand new permanent jobs from the project, for a cost-per-job ratio of nearly $100,000 in public money per new job; using the city Independent Budget Office’s estimate of thirty-six hundred jobs created, the per-job figure would jump to nearly $170,000 per job.
In total, according to figures compiled by Common Cause New York. The final lobbying tally, according to Common Cause–NY: Cablevision $38,964,287, Jets $12,705,136.
“It didn’t change my mind.” Charles V. Bagli, “After City Hall Lobbying, Group Postpones Stadium Vote,” New York Times, May 6, 2004.
“If a client came to me and said.” Ben Smith, “You Can’t Buy Mayor—So Give To 2012 Games,” New York Observer, January 26, 2005.
“I haven’t rooted this hard for England, France and Russia.” Mike Vaccaro, “‘Doctoroff’ Base with Olympics,” New York Post, August 16, 2004.
“The stadium argument comes down to tax dollars.” Associated Press, July 21, 2004.
“We’re not going to cut off our nose.” Michael Saul, “Housing Plan for W. Side,” Daily News, January 11, 2005.
“Silly me, I thought the state constitution.” Neil deMause, “The Jets’ End Run,” Village Voice, November 16, 2004.
“The State of New York’s budget operates like a slush fund.” deMause, “The Jets’ End Run.”
“we’ll take every legislative and other remedy available.” Charles V. Bagli, “City Plans to Use Real Estate Revenue to Finance Stadium,” New York Times, February 9, 2005.
“There is a reign of terror in this town.” Tom Robbins, “Stadium Fear Factor,” Village Voice, February 15, 2005.
“We are going to create 20 million square feet.” NY1, December 11, 2004.
“ambivalence [was] driving other politicians slightly batty.” Charles V. Bagli, “Will He Block That Stadium? Speaker Silver Bides His Time,” New York Times, January 22, 2005.
“the MTA is under a public and moral obligation.” Graham Rayman and Dan Janison, “MSG Makes Bid for West Side Yard,” Newsday, February 5, 2005.
“used as a shield.” Errol A. Cockfield Jr., “Lawmakers Say No to Stadium,” Newsday, June 7, 2005.
“let America down.” Cockfield Jr., “Lawmakers Say No.”
“It was never alive.” Cockfield Jr., “Lawmakers Say No.”
Within an hour of landing on legislators’ desks. Neil deMause, “The Shel Game: Silver and His Albany Pals Mint Hundreds of Millions in Corporate Handouts without Anybody Noticing,” Village Voice, August 2, 2005.
On one occasion, Steinbrenner had tried to bill the city. Clyde Haberman, “Millionaires on a Field of Diamonds,” New York Times, May 4, 2004.
When all was said and done, the new Yankees stadi
um. The public tally for the Yankees stadium plan as it was approved: $307 million from the city ($130 million for land and infrastructure, $11 million in added capital funds, $6 million in maintenance funds, $13 million in rent rebates from 2006-8, $144 million in forgone property taxes, $10 million in construction sales tax rebates, $11 million in forgone mortgage recording taxes, $12 million in tax-exempt bond subsidies, and $21 million in forgone rent credits from the old lease, less $43 million in new garage rent money and $10 million in projected memorabilia sales from the old stadium), $119 million from the state ($70 million in garage subsidies, $5 million in maintenance funds, $11 million in construction sales tax rebates, $11 million in forgone mortgage recording taxes, and $22 million in tax-exempt bond subsidies), and $120 million in federal tax-exempt bond subsidies. For the Mets: $256 million from the city ($98 million for land and infrastructure, $6 million in maintenance funds, $13 million in rent rebates from 2006–8, $72 million in forgone property taxes, $9 million in construction sales tax rebates, $6 million in tax-exempt bond subsidies, and $25 million in forgone rent credits from the old lease, less $31 million in maintenance savings), $97 million from the state ($73 million in infrastructure subsidies, $5 million in maintenance funds, $9 million in construction sales tax rebates, and $10 million in tax-exempt bond subsidies), and $57 million in federal tax-exempt bond subsidies. In February 2007, the city revealed that it was adding an additional $35 million for Yankees stadium infrastructure, and another $90 million in city and state funds was later added for a commuter rail station to serve the new Bronx stadium, bringing the total public subsidies for the two projects to $1.082 billion.
They would get to defray their costs with lucrative naming-rights. The Mets would ultimately strike a deal with Citigroup to pay a record $20 million a year to have the new stadium dubbed CitiField. The naming-rights payments alone would cover more than two thirds of the Mets’ construction costs.
“will leave us with a great sports landmark structurally mauled.” Bill Shannon and George Kalinsky, The Ballparks (New York: Hawthorn, 1975), ix.
“New Yorkers need schools and not stadiums.” Bob Kappstatter, “New Bronx Beep: KO Stadium Plans,” Daily News, January 7, 2002.
“No alienation has moved as fast as the Yankees’” An abridged version of this quote appeared in Neil deMause, “Two Stadiums. No Waiting,” Village Voice, March 14, 2006.
“There are no shortcuts.” Patrick Arden, “Parks Law May Trip Up Yankee Stadium,” Metro New York, March 28, 2006.
The $5 million a year in “stadium planning” rent credits.” See Neil deMause, “Yankee Lobbyists on Taxpayers’ Tab: Circling the Bases: Documents Reveal City Paid the Team’s Lobbyists and Execs—for Lobbying City and State Officials,” Village Voice, July 25, 2006, and Neil deMause, “Another Yankee Sweep: How City Officials Snoozed While the Yanks Burned Public Money for Their New Stadium,” Village Voice, August 29, 2006.
“like padding the expense account.” DeMause, “Another Yankee Sweep.”
“You’ve created this weird circular situation.” DeMause, “Yankee Lobbyists on Taxpayers’ Tab.”
“$3 billion sports stadium crisis.” Richard Wilner, “A State-of-the-Art Big Apple Complex,” New York Post, December 7, 2000.
“the worst thing [Bloomberg] has done.” Patrick D. Healy and Marjorie Connelly, “Big Issues Lift Mayor’s Rating to a New High.” New York Times, June 29, 2005.
“We would never have had the access in Albany.” Jarrett Murphy, “Stopping a Stadium: Heroes Had Different Motives, but They Shared Scorn for the Jets Deal,” Village Voice, June 14, 2005.
novelist Jonathan Lethem brought national attention. Jonathan Lethem, “Brooklyn’s Trojan Horse,” Slate, June 19, 2006.
“When you walk out of the building.” Neil deMause, “Yankees Build Giant Dustbowl in Bronx,” Villagevoice.com, November 21, 2006.
16. Saving Fenway
“If there isn’t a new ballpark by 2006.” Bob Ryan, “Fenway Is History—and Belongs in the Past,” Boston Globe, April 11, 2000.
This, the Globe coverage made clear. This section, including all the quotes within, is adapted from a portion of Neil deMause, “Throwing the Game,” Extra!, November 1999. Special thanks to the Fund for Investigative Journalism for helping fund the research for that article.
“Fenway is a wonderful ballpark.” Meg Vaillancourt, “Diamond in Rough: Backers of New Fenway Say Renovating a Park Past Its Prime Doesn’t Make Economic—or Baseball—Sense,” Boston Globe, April 2, 1999.
“The All-Star Game is a great opportunity.” Vaillancourt, “Diamond in Rough,” 2.
“What we want to do is to preserve the old site.” Vaillancourt, “Diamond in Rough,” 2.
“It would be easier to straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa.” Vaillancourt, “Diamond in Rough,” 2.
“You can’t renovate Fenway because the footprint is too small.” Vaillancourt, “Diamond in Rough,” 2.
“I love Fenway Park and I was an advocate of renovating it.” Vaillancourt, “Diamond in Rough,” 2.
“would exceed $500 million.” Meg Vaillancourt, “Analysis Is Cool to a Fenway Overhaul: Study for City Sees a $500 Million Price Tag,” Boston Globe, September 28, 1999.
“If we could get a 45,000-seat ballpark.” Cosmo Macero Jr., “Sox Blame Ticket Prices on Fenway,” Boston Herald, April 8, 1999.
“the total price tag could end up being as high as $900 million.” Seth Gitell, “Fenway Neighborhood May Be Too Expensive for the Red Sox,” Boston Phoenix, May 25, 2000.
“I saw the number and was somewhat staggered.” Jean McMillan, “Fenway Price Tag Shocks Lawmaker,” Associated Press, January 12, 2000.
“grave reservations.” Meg Vaillancourt, “Mayor’s Aides Consider City-Owned New Fenway,” Boston Globe, April 28, 2000.
“Yesterday’s announcement represented the necessary go-ahead rally.” Bob Ryan, “Raise a Toast—but It’s Past Closing Time,” Boston Globe, July 26, 2000.
“This is a community that has never had a plan formally presented.” Adrian Walker, “Fenway Foes Should Be Heard,” Boston Globe, July 27, 2000.
“Even in Boston, they can’t suspend the law of gravity.” Tom Condon, “No Need for New Fenway,” Hartford Courant, September 17, 2000.
“The team is in strong financial shape.” Meg Vaillancourt, “For Sale: Olde Towne Team,” Boston Globe, October 7, 2000.
“It would be irresponsible and reckless.” Tina Cassidy and Stephanie Ebbert, “Announcement Fuels Opposition to New Park,” Boston Globe, October 7, 2000.
“If you want me to cook the dinner.” Kevin Cullen, “An O’Donnell Combination Comes Apart,” Boston Globe, December 21, 2001.
“We will preserve all that is good about Fenway Park.” Kevin Paul Dupont, “Lucchino Outlines a Few Goals,” Boston Globe, December 22, 2001.
“Ninety-five percent of the calls we get on this issue.” Kevin J. Delaney and Rick Eckstein, Public Dollars, Private Stadiums: The Battle Over Building Sports Stadiums (New Brunswick NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2003), 184.
“seemed to have little in common with democracy.” Delaney and Eckstein, Public Dollars, Private Stadiums, 184.
Index
Page numbers refer to the print edition.
activists: community, xv, 19–20, 33, 128–29, 157, 166; social-justice, 84
Agnos, Art, 174
Allen, Paul, 44, 115, 163–65, 193
Allen, Sandy, 261
Alou, Felipe, 198
American Basketball Association, 279
American Friends Service Committee, 335
Amey, Hallie, 119–30, 135n1
Anaheim Angels, 199
Anderson, Dave, 2
Angelos, Peter, 71, 74, 252, 256
anti-Ratner rallies, 315
Antonetty, Anita, 302–3, 305, 308, 315–16, 337
Aranza, John, 119–35
Archer, Dennis, 96, 97
Arco Arena (Sacramento), 229
arenas:
filling, 58; life cycle of, 229
Arison, Mickey, 106
Arizona Cardinals, 373
Arizona Diamondbacks, 103, 213
Armour Field (Chicago) (proposed), 138, 146, 328
Arrington, Richard, 206
artificial turf, 131, 166, 239; AstroTurf, 137
“as-of-right” tax breaks, 284
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), 287, 288
Astrodome (Houston), 48, 66
Atlanta, Olympics in, 149
Atlanta Braves, 60n1
Atlantic Yards, 281, 282, 283, 316; affordable housing plan for, 287–88; financing of, 284–85
attendance (MLB), 183–84
Baade, Robert, 34–35, 39, 59, 173
Bagley, Lester, 231
Bagli, Charles, 294
The Ballpark (Arlington TX), 141; as a new “old-time” park, 203
Ballpark (Richmond), 350
Ballpark Agreement, 261
ballpark district, 210–13
“ballpark village,” 241–42
Baltimore Colts, 4, 190; relocation of, 1–2
Baltimore Orioles, 5, 9, 52, 71, 74, 252, 332; sale of, 10
Baltimore Ravens, 19, 31, 37, 52
Bank One Ballpark (Phoenix), 53, 223
Barron, Charles, 289
Barron, Ken, 193
Barry, Marion, 260, 267–68
baseball: as entertainment, 124; viewing experience of, 137
Baseball between the Numbers (Keri), 233
Baseball Club of Seattle, 160–61, 162
Baseball for Real Men (Wolff), 253
Baseball Palace of the World (Bukowski), 123
Bass, Carole, 219
Beaver, Don, 172, 207
Beeston, Paul, 42, 46
Behring, Ken, 163
Beijing Evening News, 225, 226
Bell, Jerry, 41n5
Belle, Albert, 182