The Mets Police

The New York Times is paying attention!  They write:

As the race for three casino licenses in the New York City region kicks off in earnest this year, the developers behind a number of the multibillion-dollar bids are hoping to improve their chances with some Vegas-style sleight of hand: They’re asking, “What casino?”

The article mentions all the proposed casinos, but for purposes of Mets Police let’s focus on the Parkland that is the area next to Citi Field.

A website for the development plans does not mention casinos, but a poster at the event, where guests could place a sticker next to their favorite choices, solicited thoughts on “gaming” as a possibility for the site. It was one of the least popular options.

He is not the first to try to develop the site. Related Companies and the former owners of the Mets tried for years to convert the parking lot, once the site of Shea Stadium, into a mall complex and movie theater. Their plans were thwarted in 2017, when the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the project could not proceed without permission from the State Legislature, because the site sits on public parkland.

Good stuff New York Times.  I encourage everyone to head on over there and educate themselves about casinos and parkland.

….

This morning I saw an article about Rikers Island closing in 2027.  Wouldn’t THAT be a good place for a casino?  Obviously you’d knock everything down and start over, but Casino Island seems like something that could be cool.

And since Steve wants to improve the community, what improves a community more than rehabilitating criminal offenders.  Since the Mayor seems OK with building on parkland, I propose a replacement prison be built on the parking lot of Citi Field.

Good News Everyone!

The New York Mets and Pete Alonso will host the Cleveland Guardians and Jose Ramirez on May 21….on Sunday night Baseball.

The Sunday Night Baseball team of Karl Ravech, World Series Champion David Cone, analyst Eduardo Perez and reporter Buster Olney will provide commentary. Sunday Night Baseball begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes. Select games also air on ESPN2 with KayRod Cast, ESPN’s alternate presentation. Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown precedes Sunday Night Baseball at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Keith Hernandez will be pleased to learn that he doesn’t have to work on a Sunday in May.

The Mets at Giants game on April 23rd is also on SNB, and that one comes with a Kay Cast!

If only the casino were open, we could take the new bike lanes to the night game with our young children!

I guess Uncle Steve and Tia Alex thought it was more important that Justin Verlander have a fancy diner instead of working our and watching game films.  The New York Post was on Alex Cohen’s social media and aw…

Justin Verlander and his wife Kate Upton were dining with some new friends.

The superstar pitcher ate out with Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex, after the 39-year-old superstar inked a two-year, $86.7 year deal with the Mets this offseason. Cohen’s wife took to her Instagram story on Sunday night to spread the news of the newfound friendship. (via NY Post)

Now of interest….

I went on Alex’s Insta this morning and I don’t see the picture.  Am I bad at looking?  Did she take it down?  Am I looking on the wrong social media feed?  If she took it down….why?

Alex’s bio also mentions that she is “Owner of the @mets”

Now that Pete Alonso got his $14,000,000 payday, I guess he didn’t feel the need to spend Saturday working out and watch game film.  He spent Saturday at a Hugh School taking selfies.

Standing on the field at Plant on Saturday, before hosting his “Battle for the Bay,” Alonso, 28, said the contract was something he could only dream about when he was hitting homers for the Panthers.

“(Friday), it was really special. As a young kid, thinking back on it, I never thought that that would be a possibility. I mean, it was a dream, ” the two-time home run derby champion said. “As a young kid, you … just want to get (to the majors), and then once things start to become more of a reality, then it’s like ‘OK, this is this is real. This is real.’

“So, it’s a really special moment, and I had to go out and perform, but also at the same time, I feel blessed.”

I mean, I just kind of sat back and just kicked my feet up and watched (Cohen). I thought we have some great players that are on the roster, and I think that making some new additions was awesome.

“I think that we have a great core of kids. We have great talent. And I feel like we made some really positive additions. So it’s going to be really exciting.”

“I feel like we’re on the brink of something extremely special.  And I know that we don’t just want to win one (championship). We want to win multiple championships. And in order to do that, we’ve got to perform. We definitely have the talent to be able to do that.” (Via TampaBay.com)

Let’s take a break from Steve’s Casino Project to look at the other side of the street.  The New York Times asks: Will New York City’s Soccer Stadium Cost Taxpayers $0 or $516 Million?  An independent budget analysis suggests that the city will be losing $516 million in tax revenue from its deal to place a new soccer stadium in Queens.

The Times writes:

In a new analysis, the city’s Independent Budget Office has concluded that the actual cost to taxpayers for the new soccer stadium in Queens will be at least $516 million, spread over the course of the 49-year term of the New York City Football Club’s lease.

…

Because the city chose to lease the land in the Willets Point neighborhood to the developers rather than sell it, no property taxes will be generated.

..

The stadium’s other developers, a joint venture of Related Companies and Sterling Equities, are also not without substantial resources. Stephen M. Ross, the founder and chairman of Related Companies, is worth nearly $12 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Sterling Equities was co-founded by Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, who, with Jeff Wilpon sold the Mets to Steven A. Cohen, a hedge fund manager, for $2.4 billion in 2020.

Well, at least it isn’t parkland.