Citi Field No More?

The joke surrounding the new ballpark in Queens is that Citi-Field should be renamed City Field. With all of the taxpayer money going to Citigroup, there has been plenty of criticism surrounding their $400 million dollar deal with the Mets to name the new stadium for the next twenty years. Now it appears that Citigroup is finally getting the joke, and changing their tune.

From The Wall Street Journal:

Citigroup Inc., eager to quell the controversy over how lenders are using government bailout money, is exploring the possibility of backing out of a nearly $400 million marketing deal with the New York Mets, say people familiar with the matter.

Officials at Citigroup have made no final decision about whether to try to void the 20-year agreement, which includes naming the Mets' new baseball stadium after the bank, say these people.

In a statement Monday, Citigroup said that "no TARP capital will be used" for the stadium -- referring to government funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Yes, it isn't a change in company policy but the confusing words have more meaning than what they lend to believe. Pat Kiernan calls them ridiculous for the statement because one dollar is just as good as the next. Of course reading between the lines shows that the beleaguered banking behemoth is ready to cave to popular sentiment on this issue. Now if they can start serving the interests of the shareholders taxpayers in everything that they do, that would be real progress.

Kucinich Goes After The Yankees...And The Mets

With the slightest amount of interest in Major League Baseball, a fan can tell you that the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox is legendary. However, there isn't much tension between the Cleveland Indians and the Yankees...or the Mets for that matter (Mets are in the other League, but that's besides the point). Regardless of team rivalries, Congressman Kucinich is leading an investigation into the construction of the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, being built simultaneously in the Bronx and Queens respectively.

From RawStory:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich is opening an investigation into perks for New York City officials being offered as part of a deal to build a new stadium for the New York Yankees.

Kucinich (D-OH) chairs a House Oversight subcommittee, and he has made similar inquiries regarding the New York Mets stadium, which offers similar perks for city officials.

In its investigation of the deal between the Yankees and New York City for land on which the new stadium is to be built, Kucinich's Domestic Policy Subcommittee found that the lease allows city officials free use of a luxury box in the new stadium and priority rights to purchase up to 180 tickets per game.

Hmm, city officials would exchange taxpayer money for special perks....in New York City of all places? Never! For the amount of money New Yorkers have put down for the ridiculously wealthy Yankees is obscene even without the perks to grease local officials. If the Yanks get the additional money they've requested, public assistance for the team will almost touch $1.3 billion dollars. Oh and fans will still have to pay outrageous prices for seats.

We'll have to see how far Kucinich will go to stop the special favors, but don't expect a refund from George Steinbrenner for the costs of the stadium anytime soon.

No Falafels Allowed In Mets Clubhouse

You may be able to eat Mediterranean food at Shea Stadium but there was no love lost for Bill O'Reilly in the Mets Clubhouse this weekend. To be fair, it had nothing to with his politics. It had everything to do with credentials and O'Reilly did not have them. He must have felt that due to his status, he can just waltz in as he pleases.

From The Daily News:

O'Reilly, the FoxNews Channel talking head, got inside the visitors' clubhouse before Stadium security realized that he was not wearing a credential granting clubhouse access. He and his party then were escorted out of the room.

According to a reporter from The Record of Hackensack (N.J.), the Big Righty complained to the security officer, "You don't have to escort us out - we're going."

Coincidentally, If there is some irony surrounding the incident, it's that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann was in the Mets' clubhouse before Friday night's game. Olbermann hosts the left-leaning "Countdown" on MSNBC and he and O'Reilly have frequently exchanged barbs on their respective programs.

Despite the difference in political views, Olbermann has been around sportscasting for years. He was well known on ESPN, long before the days of his barrages against the Bush Administration. O'Reilly on the other hand is merely another right wing gas bag, and although he is (in)famous, that doesn't mean he can go where he chooses at Shea. Of course, like a good little wingnut, he didn't go without leaving a stench, complaining all the way.