Neil deMause: The Website

A flurry of recent media appearances for me, none of it, oddly, connected with this past week’s Yankee Stadium All-Star Game media frenzy:

• Mark Yost, author of the NFL business history Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps, quotes me on the impact (or lack thereof) of sports facilities on neighborhood development in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, in a long article on the new Washington Nationals stadium. And there’s a bit more on the story at the Market Power blog.
• Norman Oder of the blog Atlantic Yards Report has been doling out a long interview he did with me about the proposed Brooklyn Nets arena project in small bits; he’s currently up to segment #4. (You can find #1, #2, and #3 as well, or read them all in one place.)
• I’ll be on KFAQ in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday at around 3 pm Central time, discussing that city’s pricey new minor-league arena. If you can listen online, I haven’t been able to figure out how.

I weigh in on stadium financing in two far-flung corners of the nation today: In the Whittier Daily News I analyze a report by Los Angeles sports promoters on the economic impact of sports in Southern California (key quote: “I could teach my 5-year-old to make that calculation”); in the St. Petersburg Times, I’m one of four stadium experts giving their take on the Tampa Bay Rays’ latest stadium finance plan (key quote: “It’s not a financing plan. Rather, it’s a PR document that leaves out most of the important details”). You can read my even longer critique of the Rays plan at fieldofschemes.com.

The Brian Lehrer Show has archived my appearance yesterday, debating deputy mayor Linda Gibbs on New York’s poverty policies; you can listen to the mp3 here. They’ve even helpfully broken up the archive into segments, so you can hear my interview without having to fast-forward through the preceding news item on the oral rape of children by bishops. (That oughta do wonders for my Google hits…)

I’ll be on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC in New York at 10 am on Friday, talking about my investigation of Mayor Bloomberg’s poverty initiatives in the soon-to-be-released Spring issue of City Limits Investigates. Tune in on 93.9 FM, 820 AM, or via the web stream to hear me answer the musical question: Two years ago Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed “a major reduction” in New York City poverty. Does his plan match his promise?

I neglected to mention that I was going to be on Sports Byline USA’s overnight program on Friday, talking about the new edition of Field of Schemes, whether the Sonics will move to Oklahoma, and other sundry topics. As penance, I now offer up links not only to an mp3 of that interview, but of one I did for the same sports talk network last month.

And if you would have wanted to call in but couldn’t because you didn’t know about, all I can suggest is you try using Google Custom Time.

I was interviewed about stadium shakedowns by John Miller of National Review Online (yes, you read that right) a week or so ago, and it’s now available online. I don’t remember what I said, so tune in and then tell me!

Those of you with a local radio station that carries the talk show Sports ByLine USA, Sirius satellite service, or a computer can tune in tonight at around 7:55 pm Eastern [UPDATE: It was recorded then, but will now air at 11:10 pm Eastern] to hear me plug the new expanded edition of Field of Schemes. Stick around after my segment to Trey Hillman, manager of the Kansas City Royals, discuss whether anyone is aware that he’s manager of the Kansas City Royals.

Just got word that Field of Schemes: The Next Generation (ed. note: not the actual title) is now shipping from Bison Books’ website, notwithstanding the official release date being a month away. This edition has all the stadium-swindley goodness of the original FoS, plus four new chapters and annotations to the original chapters that make the whole thing clock in at a hefty 400-plus pages.

For more on this, visit fieldofschemes.com. And if you’re a potential book reviewer, radio producer, or bookstore that might want to host a speaking/signing, drop me an e-mail. (Bookstores, you might want to get one of your staffers to send the e-mail; I know how hard it is for brick and mortar to type.)

I’m going to be on KPFA-FM in the Bay Area tomorrow morning at 7:30 am, discussing the proposed San Francisco 49ers football stadium in Santa Clara. Those out of reach of KPFA’s signal (like me) can listen live via the station’s Internet streams; it looks like the shows are archived as well, so I’ll post a link here once that’s up.

UPDATE: The segment was postponed thanks to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and will now air Friday morning at 7:30 am Pacific instead.

UPDATE #2: The show is now online. (Scroll ahead about half an hour to hear my segment.)

The wheels of academic presses grind slow but fine, but I’m very pleased to announce that the newly revised and expanded edition of Field of Schemes is scheduled for release by University of Nebraska Press/Bison Books on April 1. (Pre-ordering will begin a few weeks before that, from the publisher’s website. This edition is the culmination of more than a decade of research, with four all-new chapters covering the latest stadium shenanigans in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, plus annotations updating the book’s original chapters to the present day.

In other words, please buy early, and buy often. If nothing else, the added heft will make the book a fine projectile for hurling at your favorite local stadium apologist.