PepsiCo Signs Multi-Year Deal As Signature Partner At Citi Field

Pepsi Will Become Mets' Official Soft Drink While Gatorade Is Mets' Official Sports Drink

SHEA HELLO: NEW YORK magazine's Will Leitch wrote "as nice as Citi Field is," its existence as a "shiny, pretty, glimmering new ballpark feels out of place with the neighborhood in a way that Shea didn't." The new ballpark is "like a brand new couch you're afraid to remove the cover from, lest someone spill something on it," and it is "going to be a while until it feels like part of home." Leitch noted there are "potentially some sight-line issues, particularly in the outfield corners." Fans should "expect a lot of fly balls to go into a phantom area of the stadium where you'll have to wait for the crowd reaction to find out what the heck happened" (NYMAG.com, 3/30).

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES: In N.Y., Tom Topousis reports city planners yesterday unveiled a proposal to transform the area around the new Yankee Stadium "into a neighborhood of high-rise towers, wider sidewalks and new shops." The plan would "clear the way for developers to replace streets filled with the one-story bars, souvenir stands, empty lots and repair shops that now dominate the neighborhood." Planners "hope to create a year-round commercial district that would anchor a reinvigorated Bronx civic center that includes the courthouses" (N.Y. POST, 3/31). Meanwhile, a Yankees official indicated that the team will allow beer in Section 203 at the new ballpark, home to the "sometimes overly passionate Bleacher Creatures." Beer had been banned from the comparable Section 39 in the old Yankee Stadium since '00. No beer vendors will "come through Section 203, but fans will be permitted to purchase 12-ounce beers for $6 in the stadium and take them back to their seats" (N.Y. POST, 3/31).

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