The Yankee Stadium Kerfuffle: A Crib Sheet (Village Voice news blog)

The issue of how the Yankees are funding their new stadium has exploded all over the newspapers in recent days, thanks in large part to state assemblymember Richard Brodsky issuing a 33-page report criticizing the deal, and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich holding hearings (at which Brodsky was the main witness – neither the Yanks nor the city showed up) on the subject. With claims and counterclaims flying, I try to get to the bottom of the Brodsky report:

State assemblymember Richard Brodsky was largely silent during the debates over building the Yankees’ new $1.9 billion stadium — as the Yankees and Mayor Bloomberg have been quick to point out, he even voted for the project when it came up in the legislature. But with Yankee Stadium’s days dwindling, he’s been making up for lost time.

With Brodsky in D.C. today for his star turn before Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s subcommittee investigating the Yankees’ stadium deal (streaming video here), it’s a good time to examine some of the questions raised by the 33-page report on the House That George Built that Brodsky let drop on Tuesday…[read more]