Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Mets: Citi Field Name Stays

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Mets say the name Citi Field will remain on their new ballpark and believe the struggling bank will survive its current economic crisis following a government bailout.

Citigroup is paying the Mets $400 million over 20 years for naming rights to the stadium, scheduled to open next year. Two New York City councilmen said last week that the ballpark's name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.

``We think we can bring the right people to help them market their product so that they can be a going concern,'' Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said Tuesday. ``It's not really Citi's fault that they're in this problem. They're a lot of other banks in the same situation.''

But my pal Andrew Fine is wondering Why Don't We Call It New Shea?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Call it New Shea!
Will Citibank listen?Will Excel Energy center listen?How about M&T bank stadium.Fed Ex field in Landover MD.Invesco field in Denver sounds like a good investment.Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte N Carolina sounds pretty patriotic.

Perhaps the most interesting example is Houston's Minute Maid Park, which hurriedly dropped its original name of Enron Field when scandal engulfed the latter corporation — it became Astros Field for a year before finding a new corporate naming sponsor.And the search goes on.
How about a sponsor that doesnt need a bailout.

Trilby said...

Money is fungible. If the taxpayers have to give money to Citi, then Citi is giving OUR money to the Mets. Because it is all the same.

If they need a bailout, they can't afford to name stadiums after themselves. When does the madness end?

Anonymous said...

REPEAT POSTED INFO:

Shea was the lawyer responsible for the demolition of the late great (old/original) Penn Station!

I hope his name as well as his bones remained buried in obscurity!

The demo of Penn Station led to the creation of NYC's landmarks law!

Enough said!

"SHITTY FIELD" or "JUNKYARD STADIUM" seems much more appropriate considering the way the Mets have played.

Anonymous said...

H-m-m-m-m....
"Recession Ball Park"
is my entry for a new name
(now that it's become official
that we are in a recession)!

Anonymous said...

I never liked
that abbreviated "Mets" name.

It sounded too much like Ricky and Lucy's neighbors the "Mertz's" to me.

They should have carried their full name proudly..."The Metropolitans".

But that would have required that they would have played as professionally as the Yankees!

Anonymous said...

mets suck

Anonymous said...

It's not really Citi's fault that they're in this problem. - Wilpon

ARE you kidding me?

Anonymous said...

Shea it aint so.

Anonymous said...

It's not really Citi's fault that they're in this problem. - Wilpon

Let me guess. Its the General Motors union with there benefits??While the ceo of ford made 43 million last year.

Anonymous said...

If the junk yards survive, they should offer the Wilpons a collective $100 a year and call it:
THE CHOP SHOP

Anonymous said...

How many additional percentage points will they add to their customer's credit cards to pay for this? Given the economic situation (taxpayer bailouts left and right) all of these naming contracts should be voided.

The rule is the same whether for banks or any other debtor, "if you can't pay for it, don't buy it...

Anonymous said...

taxpayers, assume position and bend over.
idiocracy

Anonymous said...

Won't the Mets be embarrassed when Citibank is taken over by another bank. Why not just call it "Gil Hodges Stadium."