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WPCNR’S VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By “Bull” Allen. November 23, 2008 UPDATED November 24, 2008: This just in — from Reuters — of all places — the Citibank deal for naming rights for the New York Mets new ball park ( “Citi Field”) has been announced still in effect by the Mets and Citibank Friday, on the same week the “sleeping” Citi has announced plans to lay off 52,000 Citibank workers nationally — the equivalent of a ballpark of people’s hopes, dreams and lives. How bush league is that?
The Mets new ballpark in computer simulation.
Once again the New York Mets have pulled a major public relations bungle — similar to the three Detroit “wheels” flying by private jets to Washington last week to lobby for $25 Billion to save their sorry anachronistic organizations. I wish I was doing the p.r. for the Mets, Citibank and the Detroit 3 — to get paid for allowing such “Let them eat cake” gestures?
Jonathan Appel notes to WPCNR: When the heads of the auto Big 3 flew to Washington, it was not on charter jets, These were biz jets that the company already owned. Each of them own between 3 and 5 biz jets; costs are approximately $25MM to $40MM each.
According to Reuters, The Mets Jay Horowitz issued this statement:
“There is no change in regard to Citi’s commitment to the new ballpark,”
Citibank’s spokesperson Steve Silverman issued this statement: : “We remain committed to our relationship with the Mets. It’s an important marketing priority for us.”
At the very least the Metropolitans should have let Citibank off the hook to be decent and caring.
But, noooooo!
major league baseball teams are never decent and caring, especially the New York Mets, and the Standard Oil of Baseball, the crosscity colossus , the Yankees.
The Mets and the Yankees looted New York State and New York City for new ballparks for teams in decline, at a time when the state within the last month, has frozen funds for opening of new group homes for adult disabled children already purchased.
How shabby is that of the state? Spend billions for new homes for crass commericial operations which make obscene profits, pay obscene salaries, and FREEZE funds for the diabled to live in decent homes and quarters? A non-sequitar? Of course, but it shows where the New York State priorities are.
The two new stadiums, as well as the Jets-Giants football stadium in Jersey are examples of the morally bankrupt thinking in Albany and Trenton for that matter.
The Yankees and the Mets, especially the Mets, are two of the most successful teams in sports and the state helps them?
Let them go to Jersey, but NO, we build them new ball parks. Sure the Mets and Yankees contribute to the economy. But do they give back? As little as possible!
The Yankees are even fighting with New York City, in true philanthropic Yankee fashion, to keep all the revenue from selling off pieces of the old stadium. How venal.
But Citibank paying the mets $400 Million over 20 years for naming rights? THAT is a priority? Over people?
It once again shows, major league baseball is a business in the Dickensian sense of the word: to exploit, loot and generally screw the fan and the public. There is nothing sporting about it.
Of course, you did not read any of this on any of the New York sports pages this weekend about the $400 Million naming rights deal still in place, did you? At least I did not see it.
The local sports editors and writers are shills for the house, hogging at the press box buffets. Do we really expect them to catch the Metropolitans pigging out?
These are some of the same sports teams who could not see fit to donate money to save the Mount Vernon sports program that is struggling through on donations — actually from one person — Denzel Washington.
And speaking of outrages – the Journal News discovery that County Executive Andy Spano is giving retroactive raises to county Commissioners – compounds the Mount Vernon sports felony that the county would not make up a shortfall of those important sports programs. But that’s another column.
This is a public relations nightmare for the Mets. And it does not look good. Citibank is going to be history by the spring anyway at this rate.
The owner of the Mets, Fred Wilpon, is a very generous and philanthropic man, and I cannot conceive of him allowing the team to take this strange position. It does not make sense from a public relations point of view and does not look good. Mr. Wilpon, throw Citibank out.
If I were the Mets, I would not want anything to do with the “Citi Bank” name on my ball park next spring. I’d let them off the hook. I would not want to be associated with such a badly managed bank, would you? But it fits with this team which consistently turns gold into lead – not in the heart-breaking way the old Brooklyn Dodgers did – but by simply doing dumb things.
Let’s review the last two years:
The firing of WillieRandolph. The hiring of Randolph’s assistant. Then rehiring that assistant when the assistant turned manager presided over the same Met collapse that everyone vilified Willie for not doing anything last year.
And then, keeping the general manager Omar Minaya who true to form when he was with the Montreal Expos, would not pull a deal to shore up his pitching and hitting down the stretch in two consecutive stretch runs! You have to roll dice! All hands on deck.
But please, taking Citbank’s $400 Million when 52,000 are going to be laid off?
It’s the Met Way.
Money talks nobody walks. Nobody wins. Especially the Mets.
