The Art Neuro Weblog

Burning Down The House
George Steinbrenner announced the Yankees are going to build a new stadium. In short, George is tearing down 'The House That Ruth Built' and replacing it with a far more contemporary stadium design with more amenities for the fans. What is interesting is that the Yankees are building the stadium off their own bats, taking on a certain amount of debt to do so. What that means is that the Yankees significantly reduce the amount they place into the revenue-sharing pot; something George would like to do very much. After all, it's business.

For the second time in a week, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled plans this afternoon for a new baseball stadium in New York City: an $800 million home for the Yankees that will replicate the team's original ballpark in the Bronx, from the limestone walls and distinctive copper frieze to the placement of the bullpens in the right field.

The team plans to build an open-air stadium in Macombs Dam Park, across 161st Street from the team's historic home. It would have 51,800 seats, which could be expanded to 54,000, and 50 to 60 luxury suites, as well as 4,000 additional parking spaces, for a total of 11,000. The existing stadium has 56,937 seats and about 18 luxury boxes.

"What a week for baseball and what week for New York City," Mr. Bloomberg said at a news conference. "I'm thrilled that we've reached this agreement to build this stunning stadium."

The president of New York Yankees, Randy Levine, said that the project, which is to
begin next spring and be completed by 2009, would "benefit the Bronx" by ensuring that no businesses or residents would be displaced, by renovating areas around the stadium and by creating thousands of new jobs. The design, by the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, would restore many of the signature features of the original 82-year-old stadium that were wiped out by the 1976 renovation, and it would retain the same field dimensions and dugouts, Mr. Levine said.

"This will give everybody the feel of what people who in 1923 went to see the Yankees saw," he said. The announcement, made jointly by Mr. Bloomberg, Gov. George E. Pataki of New York and George Steinbrenner, the principal owner of the Yankees, comes only three days after a similar proclamation by the mayor and the Mets concerning plans to build a new stadium in Queens for about $700 million. That stadium would also be used for the Olympics if the city won its bid for the 2012 Games.

The Yankee Stadium project is part of a broader redevelopment plan, initiated by the Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrión Jr., that includes a hotel, conference center and high school for sports-related careers. "Today is a very special day and I'm very gratified that we are all here together as a team," Mr. Carrión said. "We have a achieved a great accomplishment."

The Yankees, one of the most valuable franchises in sports, have agreed to pay all construction, operating and maintenance costs for the stadium. The city and state will spend about $220 million on work related to the stadium, bringing the total cost to more than $1 billion.

The state has agreed to spend up to $75 million to build three or four parking garages, and to do some road work. The team says that the cost of the garages will be more than covered by game-day parking fees.

The city is expected to spend about $135 million to replace the roughly 17 acres of Macombs Dam Park and Mullaly Park that the new stadium will occupy with a 28-acre waterfront park along the Harlem River, Mr. Bloomberg said. The Parks Department will replace the running track, soccer field and tennis, handball and basketball courts that were in the parks with new and additional fields, some atop the garages.

The Jets' plan to build a $2.2 billion stadium on Manhattan's Far West Side collapsed last week, but the Yankees have chosen to follow a different route in their attempt to build a stadium. They have put their project through the city's lengthy land-use review process, rather than attempt to bypass it. Unlike the Jets, the Yankees have yet to encounter opposition.

In their new stadium, the Yankees plan to place about 30,000 seats on the first level and 20,000 in the second level, giving more fans a closer view of the field than the
current stadium provides. Most of the current Yankee Stadium will not fall to the wrecking ball.

The city plans to preserve at least the existing baseball field, the dugouts and the first level of the stands for Little League and high school use. "I'm sure they'll have limos or vans to take the ghosts over to the new ballpark," Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. Although the new stadium, like the old one, will go up on city-owned land, the team will not pay rent or property taxes under the terms of the deal with the city and the state. The Yankees and the Mets have existing leases with the city that are widely regarded as especially favorable to the teams. From 2000 through 2004, the Yankees paid a total of $26.43 million in rent, or a little more than $5 million a year.

To finance the construction, the city and the state would create a local development corporation that would issue tax-free bonds, which would be paid off
by the Yankees. That allows the team to save an estimated $12.8 million a year
in financing costs, although it reduces tax revenue.

The announcements are a remarkable postscript to Mr. Bloomberg's declaration in 2002 that the city could not afford to build sports stadiums, given more pressing municipal needs. Today, the New York area is awash in plans for stadiums and arenas, with new homes planned for the Mets, the Yankees and the Nets in New York City, and the MetroStars, the Devils, the Giants and, maybe, the Jets in New Jersey.

A 1996 report by the city comptroller estimated that professional sporting events account for only 0.7 percent of the region's economy.The deals for the Yankees and the Mets are far less generous today than in 2001, when Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani came to a tentative agreement with the two teams. Mr. Giuliani agreed to pay half the cost of building $800 million stadiums with retractable roofs for the Yankees and the Mets. Each team, in turn, agreed to pay the city 4 percent of the annual gate receipts.

I went to the current Yankee Stadium three times and each time the Yankees won. most memorable of those games was a 3-1 win agianst the newly minted Steattle Mariners, working behind Ron Guidry whoo was picthing at his peak and my favourite player Graig Nettles almost hit a homerun. The ball faded at the warning track and was caught, but everybody stood up the moment it was hit, and I had to jump to glimpse the moment the ball was caught and the crowd let out this mighty 'aaaaawwwwwww'. So some of the best moments of my childhood were spent in that stadium. Funny how I remember that but not where the Reggie Jackson double landed.

I guess by the time I get back for a look, there'll be this little league field where the original stadium used to stand. That won't be too bad. I know I'm going to stand in the batters' box and try to imagine it back.

- Art Neuro