In his "bluntest remarks yet," Yankees Owner George
Steinbrenner said that the Yankees "could join [New York's]
other storied franchises" in leaving the city "unless he
obtains public financing for a new stadium, according to
Dave Saltonstall of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Steinbrenner spoke
with the newspaper last week in an exclusive 40-minute
interview. Steinbrenner: "History may be repeating itself.
... How about the Jets? How about the [NFL] Giants?"
Steinbrenner cited public opinion polls which ask about the
Yankees' stadium situation but not the Mets: "Don't single
me out. If you single me out, you sure as hell are going to
lose me." Steinbrenner said that he "has more than kept up
his end of the bargain," spending over $300M in payroll for
the last five years, and fielding a contending team every
year. Steinbrenner: "I just want to do what is right by the
Yankees, which is to give me (a stadium) where I can succeed
with this team" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/12). A DAILY NEWS poll
of 501 New Yorkers found that 66% favor a November
referendum on financing for a new Yankee Stadium, while 21%
oppose it and 12% had no answer (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/12).
