JoAnn, didn't you say you were at New Hampshire Speedway last weekend? I haven't been to a NASCAR race in a couple years but the last I knew they weren't any less expensive than a Yankee's game.
Sorry about that, I should have realized you are very busy with your mom. Not the thread, but how is she? I mentioned earlier in the summer I had 5 out of 7 herniated disks in my neck. I can attest to the pain it causes and I'm alot younger than her.
Panel takes swings at Yankees’ stadium Congressional committee probes financing The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A congressional panel has taken tough swings at the New York Yankees and New York City government over a new stadium for the Yankees, but neither the team nor the city budged from their positions on the $1.3 billion structure. Rep. Dennis Kucinich said Thursday he found “waste and abuse of public dollars” in the financing of the new stadium under construction in the South Bronx. Kucinich is an Ohio Democrat who heads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He charged that city officials misrepresented to the IRS the value of the property, helping them to get special tax deals from the federal government and in effect dumping the cost of construction onto taxpayers. No one from the either the city or the Yankees spoke at the hearing. As Kucinich spoke, New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, was in a nearby building testifying before a different House committee on global warming. Earlier this week, Bloomberg defended the deal, calling it “a great project.” “We want these kinds of facilities here. Having new stadiums is as important as other things in terms of not just the spirit for the people who live here but our economy,” Bloomberg said. That’s not how several Democrats on the panel saw it. “In the case of the new Yankee Stadium, not only have we found waste and abuse of public dollars subsidizing a project that is for the exclusive benefit of a private entity, the Yankees, but also we have discovered serious questions about the accuracy of certain representations made by the city of New York to the federal government,” Kucinich said. The panel’s investigation found “substantial evidence of improprieties and possible fraud by the financial architects of the new Yankee Stadium,” he added. The criticism highlights tensions felt nationwide as governments increasingly support stadiums for profitable pro sports teams with multimillion-dollar payrolls. Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., said her hometown of Los Angeles has gone without a professional football team for decades because city officials are unwilling to pay for a new stadium. Given the current financial crisis gripping the U.S. economy, she said it made no sense for taxpayers to pay for the construction of buildings for the benefit of sports owner tycoons. “In this country we have allowed the upper class to destroy the middle class,” Watson charged. The panel did hear from New York Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, an outspoken critic of the deal, who charges that between $550 million and $850 million in taxpayer money has been committed to the project. Brodksy’s charges, based on city, IRS and Yankee documents, include: The city manipulated the assessed value of the stadium to meet requirements for an IRS tax exemption. City officials didn’t disclose their purchase of a luxury box and extra game tickets, and apparently, there is no city policy on their use. The $366 million in additional funding sought by the Yankees to complete the stadium would be for a large video screen, not structural costs.
CAPITAL REGION The last hurrah at Yankee Stadium Fans follow trail of memories to attend final game BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter
Zachary Whitmore will always remember Yankee Stadium. The 7-year-old baseball fan from Averill Park stood in the right field stands on May 24, watching batting practice before the New York Yankees’ game against the Seattle Mariners. “Robinson Cano hit a shot that hit the wall,” said Zachary’s father, Scott Whitmore. “He tried to catch it but missed it. He kind of looked at me, and I said, ‘That’s okay, buddy.’ ” The ball fell to the field. That’s when fate — and pitcher Chien-Ming Wang — intervened. “Wang grabbed the ball, pointed to Zach and threw it to him,” Whitmore said. “He caught it, and if you saw his face ... tears came to my eyes. It was an awesome moment.” Yankee Stadium is running out of awesome moments. The fabled “House That Ruth Built” will host its last nine innings tonight. The game against the Baltimore Orioles, scheduled for 8 p.m., will be broadcast nationally on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” Whitmore, Randy Kelly of Castleton and Joe DiBella of East Greenbush will be among Capital Region Yankee fans in the stands to pay last respects. With the Yankees out of the American League’s division and wild card races as the regular season winds down, there will be no October playoff games at the stadium for the first time since 1994. Whitmore will board one of two Yankee Trails buses that will leave the Capital Region around 3 p.m. A total of 110 people have paid $139 for tickets and transportation to the Bronx. BEING THERE Steve Tobin, president of Rensselaer’s Yankee Trails, said he’s sent about 100 buses to the stadium this season. That’s about double the normal business. “Everybody that has never been there says they’ve got to give it a try this year,” said Tobin, who has not seen as much local interest for expeditions to Flushing’s Shea Stadium. The home of the New York Mets also will close after the season. Tobin believes a seat near, above or beyond the field is better than watching at home. “It’s the action, it’s the smell, it’s the environment, it’s the highfive after the game,” he said. “You can’t beat it.” Whitmore understands all four. He also understands the coming change in venue. “It’s the closing of a book for most people but kind of a new start for the younger generation, because they’re going into a new stadium,” said Whitmore, 37, an insurance claims adjustor for Blue Shield of Northeastern New York. The new $1.6 billion ballpark is being constructed on parkland adjacent to the current facility. The existing stadium, which opened in 1923 and has occasionally hosted papal appearances, college football games and prize fights, eventually will be demolished and used for parkland. Whitmore has been to Yankee Stadium about 50 times. Like his son, he will always remember one particular moment in the seats. It happened Oct. 21, 2001, when the Yankees played the Seattle Mariners in the fourth game of the American League Championship Series. With the scored tied at 1 in the bottom of the ninth, Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer that gave New York a 3-1 win and a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. “The roar of the crowd, you can’t describe it unless you’re there,” Whitmore said. “A walk-off home run in a playoff game, the shaking of the stadium, everybody jumping up and down.” The Yankees won the series, and proceeded to win the pennant, with a victory the next night. The team lost the World Series, lauded as one of the best ever, to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Randy Kelly, 42, also has heard the noise. And like Whitmore, he has taken his family to the Yankees’ headquarters. His wife, Donna, sons Ryan and Jeremy and daughter Alysa have all learned how to root for the home team. “It’s bittersweet,” Kelly said of tonight’s closing exercises. “You love the stadium, I’ve been there several times, but they’re going to have a new stadium that’s really fan friendly. I’ve been to other stadiums like Camden Yards and all the newer stadiums. I’ve been saying for years the Yankees need a modern stadium.” Kelly, who builds custom, inground swimming pools, has seen about 60 games at the stadium. His first was in 1978, when the Kansas City Royals were in town. “I still remember walking in behind home plate and everything I saw was blue,” Kelly said. “I was just amazed at how much blue it had.” Watching the last game — in person — is something Kelly will be able to talk about in coming years. “I’ve been thinking about it all season long,” he said. “Just to be there, I just think it’s a personal memento, it would be nice to say I was at the very last game there. I think I’ll be on cloud 9 the whole time. I’ll probably take about 600 pictures, just be thinking about all the times I’ve been there.” He’ll get on the bus with his son Jeremy. A PIECE OF HISTORY Buses also were part of the plan in 1938, when about 600 local baseball fans traveled to Yankee Stadium. Schenectady’s Laziale Mutual Benefit Society, which celebrated and promoted Italian heritage, organized a summer trip to see countrymen Joe DiMaggio and Frank Crosetti in action against the Detroit Tigers. Motor coaches left Erie Boulevard at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 17. Some people were up even earlier — a special 5:30 a.m. church service was held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Schenectady Street. The Rev. Anthony S. Spina celebrated Mass without a sermon and skipped the usual Sunday announcements to ensure fans made their connections. John Ferro had one of the seats for the trip south. He was 14 when his father, George, signed them up for the game. Ferro, now 84, remembers everyone dressed up for their visit to the field in the Bronx — shirts and ties, jackets and hats. The Laziales had chartered city buses built for stop-and-go traffic; top speed was only 40 mph. The New York State Thruway would not open until the 1950s, so the upstate fans rolled along Route 9 and passed through several small towns during a six-hour trip to the stadium. Some members of the Laziale contingent received a bonus. Joe Massaroni, Lou DeLegge and Tony Martini, who helped organize the trip, posed for a photo on the field with their pinstriped paisans and presented travel bags to “Joe D” and “The Crow.” The game has changed in 60 years. Fans are no longer allowed to meet players before games. DISTANT MEMORIES Joe DiBella doesn’t like other changes. He believes the newer stadiums reflect baseball’s courtship with corporate America. “I think over the years, it’s changed from a game to a business,” said DiBella, 57, a partner in the DiBella Financial Group in Latham. “The little guy who helped Ruth build Yankee Stadium isn’t as welcome, I don’t think, as he was back then. In the last 10 or 15 years, we’re seeing a change to big business, and although I can understand that to an extent, I don’t have to appreciate it. I like to see the young guy get out there and the older guy get out there and enjoy the pastime.” Joe Mazzone of Rotterdam, another longtime Yankee fan, remembers watching New York teams in action during the 1940s. He and his late wife, Mary, often were part of the peanut and Cracker Jack crowd. “You could sit out in the bleachers and still see a good game from the bleachers,” said Mazzone, 85. Next year, people won’t be able to point to places on the field where favorites like Don Mattingly, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle used to play. “You won’t feel the same when you sit in the new park,” Mazzone said. “All the memories will be gone.” Dave Palatsky, 48, of Guilderland, will enjoy the last ups on television tonight. He, wife Lisa and sons Joey, 7, and Jason, 8, are all diehard Yankee fans. Dave is the team leader — he’s made five or six trips to the stadium every season for the past 30 years. “I used to go to opening day and I used to marvel at the way the grass was so manicured and so nice and green,” he said. “When you go to opening day, you know that spring has come and winter is now behind you.” The boys, budding Little League infielders, know players’ names and positions. Jason remembers watching Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run at the stadium last summer. David can still see the Yankees taking the field just after catcher Thurman Munson died in a plane crash in 1979; the team left home plate empty as the National Anthem played. Lisa Palatsky grew up in Maine as a Boston Red Sox fan. She converted to the navy blue of New York and appreciates live baseball as family entertainment. “Most of the fans are conscientious there are little kids in the crowd,” she said. “You get the drunks now and then, but the people are so friendly. They talk to you, they want to talk about the players and the games they’ve seen.” Dave Palatsky is hoping for one last, glorious box score. “I’d like to see the game be tied going into the bottom of the eighth inning,” he said. “And then, with two outs, I’d like to see Derek Jeter hit a home run to put the Yankees ahead. And then I’d like to see Mariano [Rivera] pitch a one-two-three ninth. And I’m talking like one-two-three. I don’t want any stress in the ninth.”
PETER R. BARBER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Joe Mazzone of Rotterdam stands in front of his New York Yankees tribute wall, named after his late wife Mary, at his Hamburg Street accounting office. Mazzone will miss Yankee Stadium, which will close after tonight’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. PHOTO PROVIDED PHOTO PROVIDED Scott Whitmore and son Zachary, 7, of Averill Park smile as Zachary shows off the baseball he received at Yankee Stadium earlier this year. Scott Whitmore will be in the stands tonight as the Yankees play their final game at their longtime home in the Bronx. Randy Kelly of Castleton and son Ryan are dressed for baseball success at Yankee Stadium in 2004. Randy Kelly, who will attend tonight’s final stadium game, is looking forward to the new ballpark. BRUCE SQUIERS/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER The Palatsky family of Guilderland prepares for a few innings with the New York Yankees. From left are Dave, Joey, Lisa and Jason. GAZETTE FILE PHOTOS Six hundred Schenectady baseball fans traveled to New York City to watch the New York Yankees play the Detroit Tigers on July 17, 1938. In the photo at top, men prepare to board buses on Erie Boulevard. In the center photo, baseball men from Schenectady’s Armco Club smile as they prepare to begin their trip south. In the bottom photo, members of Schenectady’s Laziale Mutual Benefit Society pose before departure; from left are Louis DeLegge, John Iafrate, Joseph Masserone, Tony DiCarlo, Attilio Santilli and John D’Ambrosio. The Yanks won, 16-3.
He said the report indicates that taxpayers — not the Yankees — are paying for the construction of the new stadium. The report indicates that taxpayers have spent between $550 million and $850 million on the project to create only 15 new permanent jobs.
what the.......!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quoted Text
Brodsky is the chairman of the Assembly committee on corporations, commissions and authorities, which has jurisdiction to review proposals involving IDAs. The Westchester Democrat said the IDA may have violated the law by creating massive amounts of public debt, and by failing to assure public benefits from the taxpayer investment. Brodsky also said the city didn’t protect the public from excessive ticket prices by the Yankees.
what the......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what was it that Forrest Gump would say......"Stupid is as stupid does."
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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