My article on, well, why mayors love sports stadiums is out in the new special sports issue of The Nation, guest-edited by the inimitable Dave Zirin — unfortunately, it’s behind the web paywall, so unless you’re a subscriber you’ll need … Continue reading
With just one week to go before the New York Islanders arena referendum, New Yorkers are beginning to take notice that there’s a team called the Islanders, and they’re having some kind of arena referendum: Today’s Daily News features an … Continue reading
Wow, it’s been ages since I last posted here. Most of that remains (as I hinted before) due to the vagaries of the dead-tree publication production cycle: Right now I have at least four articles in the can that should … Continue reading
If you’ve been wondering where my non-baseball writing has gone to recently, I have a bunch of stuff in the pipeline that’s going to start showing up in print (and in pixels) in coming weeks. And the first of these … Continue reading
Ten years after the idea of “contracting” baseball teams died a merciful death, it’s back in the news. Who’s trying to get what out of whom this time? This time, it seems, it started with Ken Rosenthal. Two days after … Continue reading
Trying to make sense of what the Mets owners’ money woes could mean for the finances behind their new stadium: If the last ten days in the life of Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon were a baseball game, they … Continue reading
My first biweekly (semiweekly? I can never remember which is which) column for Baseball Prospectus is up. The column is titled “Payoff Pitch,” and will cover all things baseball and economic; today’s is about the never-ending saga of the Oakland … Continue reading
If you can’t be bothered to read Atlantic Yards Report’s crazy-long FAQ on its even crazier-long series on Bruce Ratner’s still crazier green-cards-for-financing schemes, you can now read my Cliff Notes version instead. (Not nearly so crazy, but with more … Continue reading
More on George Steinbrenner, the Great Philanthropist: Poor dead George Steinbrenner doesn’t even have a grave to spin in yet, and already he’s being raked over the coals for his past sins. First came Jim Dwyer’s recounting of The Boss’s … Continue reading
In which I debunk the latest from my new favorite punching bag, the New York Times’ Ken Belson: Following the Mets’ improbable come-from-way-behind win over the Marlins yesterday, the Shea Stadium Citi Field scoreboard blared the slogan “We Believe in … Continue reading