NEW YORK — You may have already read up on future construction going down outside of the New York Mets home ballpark, Citi Field, located in Queens with a new soccer stadium/venue coming across the street. But, that may not be the only project in the works…
Last Wednesday, Mets owner Steve Cohen spoke at Sportico’s “Invest in Sports’ conference held in midtown Manhattan. Sportico is a recent sports trade publication which competes with another newcomer, Front Office Sports, and the more established Sports Business Journal.
When someone in the audience told Cohen how much there is to do at the Mets ballpark, Cohen threw cold water on the compliment and started ranting about why a casino would create much needed pregame entertainment for his customers.
“There’s nothing going on. The only thing you can do at Citi Field is get your hubcap changed or maybe get back a catalytic converter. The way I would describe it is 50 acres of cement,” Cohen told the audience as a way of mocking how the land surrounding Citi Field is not being utilized optimally.
Tom Seaver statue in front of the main entrance to Citi Field – Image Credit: Latino Sports
I understand both the pros and cons of the casino argument. Even if you agree with Steve Cohen’s viewpoint, his flip comment was dumb. People who pay $40 for the privilege to park their cars at Citi Field are not going to be thrilled to learn they run the risk of having their automobiles vandalized. If Cohen is trying to make this appear to be a common experience of coming to Citi Field, why would things improve in the parking lots if a casino is built there?
Cohen also told the audience how he found financial reporters to be much tougher on him than the sporting press. His main source of wealth comes not from the Mets, but rather from running his Point72 Asset Management hedge fund.
Steve Cohen should not be surprised by that. Informing the public on the intricacies of investing and financial reporting is far more difficult and requires far more rigorous and sophisticated journalism than reporting on athletics. That is not a knock on sportswriters.
Steve Cohen meets with the media at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
I am also not sure how much interaction most sportswriters have had with him. I have been at a handful of press conferences Steve Cohen has held at Citi Field. The Mets media relations department was careful to only call on those journalists from the dailies and the team’s cable home, SNY.
For a man of incredible wealth, Cohen comes off as a regular guy you would see standing on a concessions line at Citi Field. Although he does not wear the sweatsuits favored by Pennsylvania US senator John Fetterman, he prefers casual clothing instead of jacket and tie when meeting with the media. This makes him more relatable to both the press and fans.
I have only spoken with Cohen once. He told me he has read my articles and enjoys them. “It’s good stuff!” he said. The kind words were much appreciated, but that will not make him exempt from criticism in my column.
Phillies take down Braves in NLDS for second-consecutive season
For the second straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies have defeated the Atlanta Braves in the National League playoffs. The Braves have a stronger 26-man roster as evidenced by their superior won-loss record in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Yet for some reason, the Phillies have had their number when it has really counted.
Bryce Harper’s Game 3 home run in 2023 NLDS at Citizens Bank Park – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Yes, two playoff series losses may simply be due to the vicissitudes of a short series. Getting a bye from the first round of the playoffs for having won the National League East may have hurt the Braves the past two years. What is undeniable is the Phillies have a certain swagger. It is nowhere more evident than watching their star player, Bryce Harper. The Mets could certainly use some of his “we’re going to beat you no matter what it takes” attitude.
Former Knicks guard John Starks visits Queens and hosts Youth Wheelchair Basketball Clinic
Former New York Knicks guard John Starks, who owns a Kia dealership in Briarwood, visited Queens College’s Fitzgerald Gym last Saturday to host a youth wheelchair basketball clinic. One of the nation’s largest insurance companies, The Hartford, has partnered with CUNY’s Adaptive Sports Program, which has helped fund custom-fit wheelchairs for disabled athletes.
Event Planner Expo in Manhattan
Image Credit: The Event Planner Expo/Instagram
A good sign life is getting back to normal after the pandemic was the return of the Event Planner Expo held in Manhattan last week. The exhibitors are trying to attract the attention of corporations who are interested in dining and entertainment for holiday parties and other special occasions.
Harlem Wizards at Event Planner Expo
One of the exhibitors was the Harlem Wizards basketball team which was founded by Far Rockaway native Howie Davis in 1962. Howie’s son, Todd, who is a former Ozone Park resident, is now the team’s CEO. Yes, the Harlem Wizards were created to be a competitor to the far more famous Harlem Globetrotters, but unlike the Globetrotters, the Wizards have always been based in the New York City area.
One of the Wizards stars, Dwayne “Swoop” Simpson, who played at one time for the Globetrotters, explained the differences between the two Harlem-named basketball entertainment troupes. “The Globetrotters are like a Broadway show. Every routine is carefully scripted and designed to occur at a certain time. The Wizards are more like a comedy improvisational show where we can try new things.” He added the Globetrotters tend to play at major arenas while the Wizards are content to play at schools and charity fund-raisers. “I enjoy teaching kids about basketball,” Simpson said with a smile.
Image Credit: Harlem Wizards
Todd Davis told me one of his greatest thrills was when 1969 Mets stars Donn Clendenon and Ed Kranepool joined the Wizards for a few games after their miraculous season. “Kranepool was not a good hoops player, but Clendenon was,” David said with a chuckle.
A well-known Queens Wizard alum is “Sudden” Sam Worthen who played at Franklin K. Lane High School, and later for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. Worthen was also a coach for the Wizards.
Aaron Rodgers Tuesdays on the Pat McAfee Show
New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand last week reported how ESPN’s Pat McAfee has been paying Aaron Rodgers about $1,000,000 per year for his weekly Tuesday interviews. He is not the only athlete who gets a check from McAfee.
Pat McAfee – Image Credit: ESPN/AP Photos
I have no problem with McAfee, who is a prominent and very well-compensated ESPN personality, doing what he needs to do for his company and brand to succeed. The problem is this gives a major incentive for “name athletes” not to speak to sportswriters who cannot compensate them for their comments.
High Profiled Names in Sports speak out and support Israel
Atlanta Falcons owner and Flushing High School alum Arthur Blank contributed $750,000 to Israel relief organizations. “It is just a start,” he told NFL media.
Former Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire, who owns a winery in Israel and spends part of the year there, took to social media to blast progressive groups and social justice warriors who either refused to condemn the atrocities Hamas committed on October 7, or even worse, gave not-so-tacit approval of their actions.
While most news commentators were comparing the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, no one I heard brought up what happened a year earlier. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich when Palestinian terrorists broke into the poorly guarded Olympic village and killed 11 Israeli athletes. Many of us never looked at the Olympics the same way after that.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
