Stains on the New Yankee Stadium

On Sunday, the ESPN program , "Outside the Lines" did a piece on the tax assessment scam the NYC Government of Major Bloomberg did for the New York Yankees. Seems concrete hardness is not the only problem with the New Yankee Stadium.

For those who missed it, the land the new stadium is built on was reassessed at 60 times it's worth. This was done to enable the New York Yankees Organization to qualify for US Government bonds to build the new digs. Yes George Steinbrenner and family are footing the cost, but on one of the greatest financing scams perpetuated on the Americans since Peter Minuet bought Manhattan for $24.00 in beads from the American Indians.
The issue of concrete hardness, much like the issue of financing of the new Stadium will not halt construction. However both elements loom bad for Major Bloomberg when he has sought to circumvent the law.

For those that care or those that don't, NYC Major Bloomberg is seeking a 3rd term. Three consecutive terms are not allowed by the NYC Constitution. Bloomberg, because he thinks he is the only one who can save NYC in our depressed economy feels the city needs him. As such he has won approval of the NYC Council to run for a 3rd term. The council has no legal authority to canhge the law, lawsuits are now being filed to overturn the vote. But apparently Bloomberg believes he can make law any way he wants; God forbid the citizens actually vote on the subject. The voted to ban 3 terms, they shoudl have the say in overturning it.
I find all the negative things unfolding around the new stadium scary. The scariest of which occurred today.

This morning I got a phone call from Joe in the Yankee Ticket Office. He explained the call was courtesy call, to inform me I would receive my invoice in Early January for the seats in the new Stadium. He asked me if I had any questions. I had plenty:

• NET ?: "Where are my seats"
• NYY Joe's Reply: "They will be assigned in a few weeks, we are too busy and overloaded to let each seat holder know their individual seat location personally. This will be your only call till you are invoiced."
• NET ?: "What if I don't like them"
• NYY Joe's Reply: "Reject them and you will be reassigned to a pool with other ticket holder who rejected their first assignment, then you will be given another assignment in order of seniority."

The concrete didn't bother me, that NYC construction.

The money game by Bloomberg's administration and the Yankees to inflate the land value to get US Gov't financing didn't bother me, because that's also NYC Construction.

The attitude of the Yankees, of not having time to call ticket holders to tell them their set options, that bothered me. It brothers it's not about the fans; if it were, I'd be getting a phone call before being invoiced asking me if I accepted my seat assignment.

At the ground breaking for the new Stadium, George Steinbrenner, said he was doing it for the fans. He lied, he's doing it for his self; and it got me to thinking. With all the lying and cheating around the new stadium , I hope it does not make it cursed. The honorable tradition of the NY Yankees, the mystique may prefer to stay at the old site. Why would the ghosts of historic Yankees want to inhabit the new place when it is shrouded in some much dishonor?

Old Yankee Stadium may be called the House that Ruth built, but it was more than Babe Ruth. Their was Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra and scores of honorable Yankees. For an team that prides itself in it's tradition and honor, it's management has a few lessons to learn from the ghosts. Yankee Management has not been honorable, at least not with fans.

It's time for Yankee Management to become honorable, because all the payroll in the world won't keep the fans in their seats if they play poorly and lose games. And besides Management should practice what it preaches. If they want the players to honor tradition, then Management must also honor tradition.