Facility Notes

Paul Larrabee, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, would not confirm a report that Aqueduct could be closed under a plan to overhaul horse racing in the state, but he said that Spitzer “was considering options that he felt would strengthen horse racing in the state.” Larrabee added, “No proposal has been advanced at this point or finalized” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/20).

TOWER OF POWER: Bruins Exec VP Charlie Jacobs said that his family’s Delaware North Cos. “soon hopes to finalize plans with a co-developer to construct a 37-story hotel/residential tower” on a lot behind TD Banknorth Garden. Jacobs said that the building would have a hotel and condos and five floors of parking. Meanwhile, Jacobs said that the “only change” in ticket prices next season will be a “slight cost reduction to [about 3,000] corner balcony seats” (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/20).

Yankees Reportedly Lobbying Hard Against Change To State’s Anti-Scalping Laws

KEEP AWAY: In N.Y., Kenneth Lovett reports the Yankees “are lobbying hard against a proposed change to the state’s ticket-scalping laws that would strip away the club’s exclusive resale rights.” Yankees spokesperson Howard Rubenstein indicated that the team “supports part of a measure ... that would remove all caps on tickets’ resale prices,” but it “‘strongly opposes’ a provision that would ban sports and entertainment venues from exclusively reselling their tickets” (N.Y. POST, 5/21).

INSURANCE RUN: Fremont (CA) City Manager Fred Diaz “recommended that the A’s be required to ensure the city doesn’t lose money from its general operating budget as a condition of building the team’s proposed ballpark village.” The requirement, “along with 18 others that the city council will consider on Tuesday, is consistent with public promises already made” by A’s Owner Lew Wolff. Wolff said the proposed guidelines “seem fine to me” (MERCURY NEWS, 5/19).