Giuliani Releases Budget, Hints At Pair Of New Ballparks

N.Y. Mayor Rudy Giuliani released his $39.5B city budget yesterday, "hinting once again" that new ballparks for the Yankees and Mets "would be built soon," according to Lipton & Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Giuliani said, "We are negotiating with both the Yankees and the Mets and we are very, very close and we will tell you everything in about two weeks, maybe three." However, Giuliani's aides "were playing down his comments, saying in fact much work remained before any kind of announcement could be made." One Giuliani official said, "It could be two or three weeks, it could be a month; it could be four months away. There is no deal" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/26). Giuliani said last night on WABC-AM, "I believe the way it's going to come out is that the Yankees will stay in the Bronx in a beautiful new stadium." In N.Y., Colangelo & Lombardi cite a source as saying that the plan "called for razing" Yankee Stadium "and building a new home" next to it. The source also said that "if a new stadium is built there, construction might be able to begin without a lengthy land-use review process that typically ties up most new projects" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/26). In N.Y., Wilner & Seifman note that a new Jets stadium is also a possibility. Giuliani "would not say how much of the three stadiums' $2.2 billion price tag the city would fund." Giuliani: "I'm not foolish enough to give you a ballpark estimate when I'm in negotiations with the Mets, Yankees and who knows who else" (N.Y. POST, 4/26).