Call The Yankees’ Bluff

The corporate heads of Yankee stadium are warning (perhaps threatening is the better word) that unless they get another $350-$400 million in tax-free city bonds for their over-budget stadium it may not open on schedule.
Betting types are probably safe laying odds the Bombers, who already scored $941 million in bonds, will get what they want. But it’s hard for objective people to see how the two sides are playing with even hands.
With the new stadium three quarters complete, the Yankees aren’t about to start making Dodger noises and threaten to move elsewhere. And if the new stadium isn’t ready so quick, they’ve still got a perfectly good one sitting next door.
The only possible, if unspoken threat, is that f they don’t get the help they need from the city, they’ll be forced to pass the cost along to patrons next season.
That’s a stretch, too. Die-hard fans would dig deeper into their pockets even if it means more credit-card debt. But with gas prices driving the cost of everything else up and a growing housing crisis, it’s not likely skyrocketing ticket and vending prices are going to put more money in the Yankees’ coffers. The average cost of a family outing to Yankee Stadium already exceeds $150, around the cost of a large bag of groceries, or three tanks of gas, or an average monthly electric bill.
At the same time as this, Gov. David Paterson is waging an honorable fight for a cap on property taxes, and finding substantial resistance from the teachers-union-cowed Legislature. It would be nothing short of an outrage if the Yankees get a bigger free pass at the public trough while struggling home-owners are told their tax dollars are too important and fund too many programs to be winnowed.
Under the stewardship of former deputy mayor Randy Levine, the Yankees know how to work the system, but the city’s Economic Development Corporation should play hardball.
Even if they have put seven lackluster seasons behind their last World Series Trophy, the Yankees are still the most successful sports franchise in history.
It’s a safe bet that without any more help from the city, they’ll come up with the money to finish their stadium.