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NFT: Mets Buyout - In Hands of Mayor?

UConn4523 : 10/21/2020 1:10 pm
listening to the fan and the weird just gets weirder. Not sure how much truth there is behind this but apparently Cohen is listed as a prohibited person in the lease agreement for the stadium. Technically de Blasio has the power to deny the sale?

Anyone else know more about this?
i guess he's listed as prohibitive  
UConn4523 : 10/21/2020 1:12 pm : link
due to felony activity of his firm, not he himself. I don't really now, seems absolutely bizarre.
I linked the  
pjcas18 : 10/21/2020 1:15 pm : link
USA today story on this in the thread from yesterday, not sure this needs it's own thread. not saying it doesn't but just pointing this out
link - ( New Window )
That story is weird.  
Mad Mike : 10/21/2020 1:21 pm : link
It asserts that Cohen would be a prohibited person, even while quoting the specific language which explicitly would not apply to Cohen. Seems unclear whether USA Today has confirmed that the terms of the lease allow the City to ding Cohen because of the SAC stuff, or if they're just speculating that it would.
Welp  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 1:23 pm : link
it was nice

Bronx royalty, meet the first family of New York City.

Jennifer Lopez and fiancé Alex Rodriguez stopped by Gracie Mansion Friday evening around 8 p.m. to share drinks with the de Blasio family, a City Hall spokeswoman said.

“It’s been non-stop this week, but Chirlane, Dante and I got a few minutes to make some new friends at Gracie tonight,” the mayor tweeted.-March
if this crushes the deal  
UConn4523 : 10/21/2020 1:30 pm : link
it might be the single most remarkable/inexplicable thing i've ever seen in sports.
Well, if the terms of the deal are correct in the USA Today  
Matt M. : 10/21/2020 1:35 pm : link
then their interpretation is wrong. He was not charged or convicted and thus not considered a prohibited person. But, if that tweet is correct and JLo and Arod were at Gracie Mansion Friday, I think it is safe to assume something is brewing.
.  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 1:35 pm : link
Nick Francona
@NickFrancona
·
19m
Let me clear up what’s happening here:

@BNightengale
has been serving as a useful idiot for A-Rod and Jerry Reinsdorf throughout this whole process.

As for Mayor de Blasio, well, he jumps at every opportunity to make a fool of himself.
if it benefits De Blasio in any way  
Matt M. : 10/21/2020 1:36 pm : link
it is likely he intervenes. If so, I think he grossly underestimates how this would negatively impact his image and reputation in NYC, which are already frail.
Good lord, what a bunch of garbage  
Greg from LI : 10/21/2020 1:37 pm : link
Certainly sounds like Mets fans are getting screwed here.
That A-Rod / JLo thing at Gracie Mansion is from March.  
Mad Mike : 10/21/2020 1:40 pm : link
So let's not go overboard connecting things.
Anyone strongly dislike  
Shecky : 10/21/2020 1:43 pm : link
This A Rod guy yet?

Give it a day or two for the return volley lol
RE: That A-Rod / JLo thing at Gracie Mansion is from March.  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 1:43 pm : link
In comment 15017072 Mad Mike said:
Quote:
So let's not go overboard connecting things.


#1 it was a joke #2 A-Rod is friendly with the mayor. That's factual.
So let me get this straight...  
figgy2989 : 10/21/2020 1:52 pm : link
There is a technicality here that Cohen might be prohibitive because of past allegations of fraud/insider trading (that he wasn't even charged for). However, he City decided to say with the Wilpons/Katz/Sterling Equities groups after the Madoff scandal? I mean, hey they weren't charged with any crimes, so it was perfectly OK to keep their names on the lease.

Give me a break. You now full well if there is a chance for Deblasio to get his name in the news, he is going to do it.
Story  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 2:46 pm : link
is complete BS per 2 different people who would know.
If he has any ambition to run for any future office  
butler : 10/21/2020 3:14 pm : link
besides the Mayor of Philadelphia, Atlanta or D.C. I'd advise him to let this one go.

RE: Story  
Metnut : 10/21/2020 3:23 pm : link
In comment 15017120 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
is complete BS per 2 different people who would know.


TY
Huh?  
Knineteen : 10/21/2020 3:29 pm : link
Quote:
“The Mayor has an obligation to the people of New York City,’’ press secretary Bill Neidhardt told USA TODAY Sports, “to closely examine new leases on culturally important and incredibly valuable city-owned land.’’

I wouldn't call Citi field "culturally important". There is absolutely zero history behind it. Unless he considers the Jackie Robinson pandering to be "culturally important".
Maybe I'm  
pjcas18 : 10/21/2020 3:32 pm : link
a little cynical, but this whole story seems like a way to influence Cohen to make a sizable donation to the Diblasio Foundation.
It's  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 3:36 pm : link
fake news. I suspect this actually comes directly from A-Rod's camp. Remember A-Rod being the "favorite" and A-Rod having private drinks with the mayor's family, and then ARod and Jlo volunteering (for free) to participate in the mayors virtual commencement address. In addition to people I've spoken to off the record, both Nick Francona and Deesha Thosar have confirmed it to be BS.


I hope the Mets look into Ha-Seong Kim, arguably the best non-US player in the world right now. He's expected to be posted.
Reinsdorf/A-Rod are behind this  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 4:38 pm : link
As the News reported several times, the group led by Rodriguez never stood a chance. He was out-bid by Cohen, who has an estimated net worth of roughly $14 billion per Forbes.
But Rodriguez’s bid had significant media firepower behind it, leading to ultimately inaccurate stories like an August USA Today report that A-Rod was the frontrunner to buy the Mets. On Wednesday, USA Today reported that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio could serve as a hurdle to Cohen’s pursuit of owning the club. Multiple industry sources strongly believe Reinsdorf was the primary source for the story.
Like the August story, this story is inaccurate. De Blasio, in reality, is not expected to “torpedo” Cohen’s plans before his approval reaches an owners' vote. De Blasio has enough problems (controlling the COVID-19 shutdown in New York City and avoiding confrontations with Orthodox Jewish leaders) without jeopardizing the lease over a non-issue and enraging the vast majority of Mets fans who want Cohen to own the club. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, although de Blasio did say in August that A-Rod owning the Mets “would be very good for baseball and very good for this country.”
USA Today also cited that, in the 2006 stadium lease agreement between the Mets and New York City, there’s a provision in which the mayor can block the sale of the team to a “prohibited person.” The lease defines a prohibited person as "any person that has been convicted in a criminal proceeding for a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude.''
good lord just let this sale be final so us Mets fans..  
Italianju : 10/21/2020 5:29 pm : link
can stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. We are Mets fans so even a story as dumb as this one gets us all worried, lol. I really hope they vote right after the WS, let this be done.
I’m sure it’s just coincidence  
Shecky : 10/21/2020 6:44 pm : link
That the headlines everywhere yesterday were “Cohen clears big hurdle”, and today this slips out there. Surely just a coincidence. Cohen should be the big boy this time and not even bother responding.
Cohen  
DanMetroMan : 10/21/2020 6:56 pm : link
should say "fuck the White Sox" and sign Cespedes brother who is rumored to be headed there lol
RE: Cohen  
Eric on Li : 10/21/2020 6:59 pm : link
In comment 15017385 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
should say "fuck the White Sox" and sign Cespedes brother who is rumored to be headed there lol


After so many years of bs we are about to finally have an owner capable of something like that.
As others have said  
bhill410 : 10/21/2020 7:28 pm : link
Bob Nighengale is being fed this line of nonsense from ARod and Reinsdorf. There is zero coincidence this comes out of the owners committee meeting where I am sure that was likely discussed. Furthermore clause as cited doesn’t implicate Cohen which Nighengale should have realized immediately and secondly apparently Cohen has smoothed this over with some behind the scene actions. Reinsdorf really is one of the biggest chumps in sports history.
A-Rod's  
DanMetroMan : 10/22/2020 5:12 pm : link
PR machine out in full force. Max Kellerman suggesting the team should go to A-Rod and JLO because it would inspire women.. like his daughter. Mentioned Jeanie Buss... uh.. she inherited the Lakers?
RE: A-Rod's  
pjcas18 : 10/22/2020 5:16 pm : link
In comment 15018150 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
PR machine out in full force. Max Kellerman suggesting the team should go to A-Rod and JLO because it would inspire women.. like his daughter. Mentioned Jeanie Buss... uh.. she inherited the Lakers?


Max Kellerman is the worst. I'd rather listen to Stephen A Smith than Max. At one point he was a "boxing guy" no clue if he's even that anymore or why any network even needs a permanent boxing guy, but his takes are the worst.
Martino  
DanMetroMan : 10/22/2020 6:02 pm : link
With the World Series set to end next Wednesday at the latest, a vote on Steve Cohen’s bid to purchase the Mets could come as soon as next Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, according to executives familiar with the process.

But the vote is not yet scheduled, in part because the parties involved in the sale want to be sure that any outstanding issue with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is resolved before the league’s owners decide if they are going to approve Cohen, according to sources.

Cohen needs 23 out of 30 votes in order to take control of the Mets.

As USA Today first reported, de Blasio technically has the right to block the sale to “any person that has been convicted in a criminal proceeding for a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude.’’

The company that Cohen founded, S.A.C. Capital, pleaded guilty in 2018 to securities fraud and wire fraud and paid $1.8 billion in fines. But Cohen was not personally charged with a crime, making it unclear what grounds de Blasio would have to block the deal.

But, per sources, the parties involved in the sale were aware of the de Blasio situation long before it surfaced publicly. League officials want it fully settled before the MLB vote.

If there is a delay beyond next week, this will be the likely reason. Both the Mets’ current ownership and Cohen hope for de Blasio’s blessing by then, so they can proceed with the vote.
RE: A-Rod's  
Matt M. : 10/22/2020 6:07 pm : link
In comment 15018150 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
PR machine out in full force. Max Kellerman suggesting the team should go to A-Rod and JLO because it would inspire women.. like his daughter. Mentioned Jeanie Buss... uh.. she inherited the Lakers?
Outside of boxing, Max Kellerman is a useless turd in the sports world.
Dan - I don't see the gray or ambiguous area  
Matt M. : 10/22/2020 6:11 pm : link
The terms call for "any person...". Cohen's company is not a person. Given he , personally, was never charged with any felony, the Mayor should abruptly fuck off. He has no grounds to be involved in this matter in any capacity. And I have no dog in this fight, as a Yankee fan.
RE: Dan - I don't see the gray or ambiguous area  
Del Shofner : 10/22/2020 6:45 pm : link
In comment 15018187 Matt M. said:
Quote:
The terms call for "any person...". Cohen's company is not a person. Given he , personally, was never charged with any felony, the Mayor should abruptly fuck off. He has no grounds to be involved in this matter in any capacity. And I have no dog in this fight, as a Yankee fan.


I agree. Cohen's company actually is a "person" for this purpose (see Citizens United or google 'corporate personhood'), but Cohen's company and Cohen are not the same "person." And since Cohen himself was never charged with any felony, I don't see any ground for the Mayor to block this. "Abruptly fuck off" is a good way to put it. And I'm a Yankee fan too.
RE: RE: Dan - I don't see the gray or ambiguous area  
Matt M. : 10/22/2020 6:48 pm : link
In comment 15018207 Del Shofner said:
Quote:
In comment 15018187 Matt M. said:


Quote:


The terms call for "any person...". Cohen's company is not a person. Given he , personally, was never charged with any felony, the Mayor should abruptly fuck off. He has no grounds to be involved in this matter in any capacity. And I have no dog in this fight, as a Yankee fan.



I agree. Cohen's company actually is a "person" for this purpose (see Citizens United or google 'corporate personhood'), but Cohen's company and Cohen are not the same "person." And since Cohen himself was never charged with any felony, I don't see any ground for the Mayor to block this. "Abruptly fuck off" is a good way to put it. And I'm a Yankee fan too.
Del - Thanks for that clarification.
no problem -  
Del Shofner : 10/22/2020 6:57 pm : link
and leaving that aside, why in the world would a Mayor want to block a motivated, deep-pocketed owner from buying a team in the city? I think that to avoid delay and/or confusion the Mayor should say sooner than later that he has no objection. (Another way of saying "abruptly fuck off.")
As an aside - I've read that Yankee Stadium has the same clause - now.  
Del Shofner : 10/22/2020 7:04 pm : link
George Steinbrenner pleaded guilty to a felony a year after he bought the Yankees.
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