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.

Arena: Mets and Ducks Submit Plans For Minor League Stadium

According to Newsday, the New York Mets and Long Island Ducks have submitted plans to be the primary tenant for the minor league baseball stadium proposed in the Nassau Coliseum site redevelopment. The Mets have offered a full-season minor league team, which means a Single-A, Double-A, or Triple-A team. However, the Ducks proposal is said to provide over $200,000 extra in revenue sharing per season. Nassau County will not release more details until the procurement process is completed, according to the newspaper.

CH: I don't think anyone expected the Mets (or Yankees) to be in on this, so the fact that they are is a very good thing. There's a few ways to look at it. First, the money aspect cannot be ignored and is the primary component, especially with NIFA watching over every move. If the Ducks' proposal to put a new team in Nassau County will generate more money for Nassau County, it's a huge advantage for them.

AT: Having an MLB team's affiliate right near the Islanders would be a great, great opportunity. The Isles and Mets are already pretty much conjoined as we've seen many Islander players (such a DiPietro) take batting practice with the Mets. If they can capitalize on this, with the amount of Isles-Mets fans, you'd see an even bigger influx of revenue in the area.

CH: That said, the Mets have an allure of being a Major League franchise. It's clear they want to move either their Triple-A team (Buffalo agreement expires in 2012) or their Double-A team closer to Citi Field. This could be a huge coup for Nassau County. The Mets have more fans on Long Island than the Ducks, which means over time having the team in Nassau County could provide more of an economic benefit to the county. When looking at the options, would residents care more about a Nassau/Suffolk Atlantic League rivalry or the opportunity to watch future Mets play in their backyard? New York has always been a professional town, so I do believe Nassau County is better off going with the Mets in a long-term perspective.

AT:  Absolutely. I enjoyed Ducks game when I went to them, but even being a Yankees fan I know that it'd be a huge opportunity to have an MLB affiliate right near the new Coliseum. This is a no-brainer IMO.