New York City to invest in the development around Citi Field

By Craig CalcaterraJun 15, 2012, 11:39 AM EST
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I’ve not been to Citi Field, but I’ve flown in to LaGuardia a bunch and have seen the blight surrounding it. It’s a lot of junkyards and derelict warehouses and, presumably, is a wonderful place to stash dead bodies and stuff. But soon it will be shimmering with commerce, hotels and housing:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration has announced an agreement with a group of developers that includes the owners of the New York Mets to clean up and develop a blighted neighborhood next to the team’s stadium.

The agreement was announced Thursday. It covers a 20-acre portion of Willets Point in Queens, where Citi Field is located.

The developers include the Mets owners themselves, via their company Sterling Equities. And it is estimated to be a $3 billion deal of some kind, presumably with a healthy municipal investment.

Just something else to remember the next time someone claims that a publicly-financed ballpark will spur local development. Sure it will. A decade later and only with a zillion dollars of more tax funds.

Report: Mike Redmond has interviewed for the Orioles’ manager job

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
By Bill BaerDec 9, 2018, 9:05 PM EST
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Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that former player and manager Mike Redmond is among those who has interviewed for the Orioles’ open managerial position. Those others include Mike Bell, Pedro Grifol, Chip Hale, and Brandon Hyde.

Redmond, 47, spent 13 years in the majors as a player from 1998-2010. He took over as manager of the Marlins in 2013 but had a short and unsuccessful stint. The team went 62-100 in his first year, 77-85 in his second, then went 16-22 to start the 2015 season before he was fired. It was hard to put too much blame on Redmond, though, considering that the Marlins have nearly perpetually been non-competitive over the last eight years.

Redmond has served as the bench coach with the Rockies for the last two years.

Whoever becomes the Orioles’ next manager will be taking over a team that went 47-115 in 2018. It was the first season in franchise history and one of the worst seasons of all time. The Orioles traded Manny Machado during the season to help facilitate a rebuilding process that will likely take a few years.