News: Ducks Win Ballpark Bid

According to Newsday, the owner of the Long Island Ducks won the fight to bring another minor league Atlantic League team to Long Island, beating out a joint bid by the New York Mets and Syosset developer David Blumenfeld. The ballpark would cost around $50m and is attached to the August 1st referendum to develop a new Nassau Coliseum. The field would open in the Spring of 2013.

AT: I don't think anyone is surprised by this. From a previous blog post, we noted that it seemed as if another Atlantic League team would bring in more revenue than a minor league Mets team. While having a double or triple A team next to the new Nassau Coliseum (should it happen) would be nice, Mangano and Nassau County should be showing that they're looking out for money to bring in to the county first and foremost. This adds one more thing to the HUB to make it a prime destination and further the development of the surrounding areas along.

CH: This is clearly all about the money, which it should be. Have to remember Nassau County needs the money more than the prestige, so that's where we stand. I do think the economic benefits long-term were best suited with the Mets, but Nassau residents are short-sighted and will only look in the short-term. From that sense, since the stadium will only cost an estimated $25 million and the County will bring in more revenue with the Atlantic League, this made more sense.