Results tagged ‘ Randy Levine ’
New Era Pinstripe Bowl partners up with Big Ten
The Yankees and the New Era Pinstripe Bowl announced Monday a partnership with the Big Ten Conference. The eight-year affiliation will cover the period from 2014 through 2021 marks the first bowl tie-in for the conference on the East Coast where it has recently expanded with the additions of Rutgers and Maryland.
“The Big Ten Conference playing college football at Yankee Stadium is something I know my father would have been proud to see come to fruition,” Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. “Welcoming a national powerhouse conference like the Big Ten to participate in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl and partner with the New York Yankees for years to come only expands the prestige of our great annual bowl game in New York City.”
Former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s interest in Big Ten football extended to his taunting shortstop Derek Jeter, who attended the University of Michigan, whenever Ohio State defeated the Wolverines. As Hal Steinbrenner pointed out in Monday’s news conference at the Stadium his mother attended Ohio State and his father coached football at Northwestern and Purdue.
“Our family has a strong Big Ten connection,” he said.
“Once we saw the success of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl it became obvious – especially with the Big Ten’s growing East Coast footprint – that being in the media capital of the world at one of sports’ most renowned venues was a natural pairing,” Big Ten commissioner James Delany said. “By agreeing to an eight-year partnership, it increases the likelihood that most of the Big Ten schools will have the opportunity to participate in the game while giving our coaches, student athletes, administrators and fans the opportunity to experience the nation’s biggest metropolis and an iconic setting like Yankee Stadium.”
Established in 2010, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has featured some of the most memorable moments of bowl seasons in a short period, including the inaugural 2010 game in which Kansas State missed a potential game-tying, two-point conversion in the final minute and the record-setting 208-yard rushing performance by Syracuse’s Prince-Tyson Gulley in last year’s game.
The 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl featured six 2013 National Football League draft picks, including each of the game’s starting quarterbacks – Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib (Giants) and West Virginia’s Geno Smith (Jets).
“A lot of people were skeptical at the beginning, but in three years it has been a great success,”
Yankees president Randy Levine said of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. “There is no better place during the holiday season than New York City. They make movies and write songs about New York at that time of year. We thank the Big 12 for its involvement, but the Big 10 is much more geographically suited for us. The Boss is smiling tonight.”
Syracuse’s 38-14 victory over West Virginia recorded a 3.9 household rating. For bowls played prior to New Year’s Day, only the Chick-fil-A Bowl (5.6) and the Alamo Bowl (4.8) had better overall ratings. After drawing a 2.5 total rating in 2011, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl’s 56-percent ratings increase was the second largest for all bowls on ESPN this past season through Jan. 1, 2013. Only the Armed Forces Bowl (plus 62 percent) bested the New Era Pinstripe Bowl for the largest ratings increase from 2011 to 2012.
In addition, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has had increased attendance in each of its first three years with a record crowd of 41,203 in 2012.
“As we continue to build equity in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, partnering with the Big Ten Conference will bring a whole new level of premier talent to this event,” New Era chief executive officer Christopher Koch said. “We’re excited to have such a prestigious conference on board.”
The 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl will take place Saturday, Dec. 28. It will be national televised by ESPN, which has also secured national and local radio rights for ESPN Radio. Fans are encouraged to visit newerapinstriplebowl.com, the game’s official website, for access to up-to-the-moment information and sign up to volunteer.
In the week before the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, players, coaches and university staff take part in a variety of events, showcasing their respective universities to the New York metropolitan area. Special events, promotions and community outreach will take place throughout New York City during the week of the bowl game.
Prior to the inception of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in 2010, the last college football game that had been played in the Bronx was in 1962 when Nebraska edged Miami (Fla.), 36-34, in the Gotham Bowl at the original Yankee Stadium.
New York City FC hires 1st employee
Claudio Reyna became the first employee of New York City Football Club by being named director of football Wednesday. Reyna will be responsible for building the soccer elements of the New York City FC organization, including the recruitment of players, coaches and trainers, and other support staff, in preparation for the team’s inaugural Major League Soccer season in 2015.
The announcement took place at PS 72 (Lexington Academy) in East Harlem, which boasts the city’s only rooftop soccer field and was donated by Manchester City Football Club in 2010. This facility provides quality soccer instruction and programming to thousands of children in 20 city public schools each year.
New York City FC, the MLS expansion team, was unveiled Tuesday as part of a partnership of two global sports powers, the Yankees and Manchester City FC. The Club will become MLS’s 20th team. Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner and president Randy Levine represented the Yankees.
In announcing the appointment of Reyna, Manchester City chief executive officer Ferran Soriano noted Reyna’s significant contributions to soccer in the United States, both as a player and in his position as youth technical director of the U.S. Soccer Federation, a post he has held since 2010.
“Finding the right person for this role and getting him in place from the start was a priority,” Soriano said. “The football culture of New York City FC will be built from this decision, and we believe Claudio is the man who uniquely understands what New York soccer should mean, and how it can benefit from the relationship with Manchester City FC.”
“Having had the privilege of playing both for my country here in the U.S. and for Manchester City FC in England, I could not have hoped for a more tailored-made opportunity in soccer,” Reyna said. “I am incredibly excited to again wear City’s ‘Sky Blue’ as part of the expansion of the MLS and the growth of soccer in the United States, and am honored to have been offered this opportunity. With a large fan base through the New York area, prime television rights and distribution, sponsorship commitments, and the Yankees as a U.S. partner, the New York City Football Club has everything in place to succeed.”
New York City FC will be an independent club that mirrors and benefits from its relationship with Manchester City Football Club, allowing both organizations to collaborate on community programs and other team aspects, such as global youth development and scouting, coaching, sports science and first team football operations. Reyna will work closely with Manchester City’s Brian Marwood, managing director of City Football Academy; Txiki Begiristain, director of football, and World Cup winner Patrick Vieira, head of elite development squad.
Reyna had an illustrious professional career as a player in Europe and the U.S. for more than 12 years, including at Manchester City FC from 2003-2007. The two-time Olympian represented the U.S. National team in four World Cups from 1994 through 2006 and was team captain in 2002 and 2006.
Yanks, Manchester FC get MLS franchise
The Yankees are enhancing their commitment to big-time soccer. Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber announced Tuesday that a partnership of global sports powers, the Yankees and Manchester City Football Club, has acquired the League’s 20th expansion club. The team will be named New York City Football Club and expects to begin play in 2015.
“We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organizations to Major League Soccer,” Garber said. “This is a transformational development that will elevate the league to new heights in this country. The New York area is home to more than 19 million people, and we look forward to an intense crosstown rivalry between New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls that will captivate this great city.”
“New York is a legendary sports town, as well as a thriving global city with a rapidly expanding soccer fan-base,” said Manchester FC chief executive officer Ferran Soriano, who will oversee the process of filling top New York City FC leadership positions in the weeks to come. “We are thrilled to contribute to the energy and growth of New York City Soccer. In the Yankees, we have found the absolute best partner for developing a world-class sports organization and a winning team that will carry the New York City Football Club name with pride.”
Manchester City will be the majority owner of the new Club. As an investor, the Yankees will be an active member of the ownership group. The Yankees and Manchester City Football Club have an existing commercial relationship through Legends Hospitality, LLC, an international entertainment, hospitality and marketing organization. Yankee Stadium will be the site of a “friendly” match Saturday between Manchester City and Chelsea FC.
“We are pleased to be associated with this major move by MLS to increase its presence in the New York market and to enhance the opportunity for New York soccer fans to enjoy high-level play in their own city,” Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. “We look forward to the opportunity to work with Manchester City to create something very special for the soccer fans of New York and to bringing another terrific team to this city for all sports fans to enjoy. Randy Levine, president of the New York Yankees, will be the point person in leading the effort to launch and establish the team on behalf of the organization.”
The New York/New Jersey area is one of North America’s most vibrant and proud soccer communities. The region has filled stadiums for countless marquee soccer events including the 1994 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, three MLS All-Star Games and numerous international exhibition matches. NYCFC will become the first MLS club whose home will be located within the five boroughs, joining the Red Bulls as the second MLS club in the metropolitan area.
“Soccer is one of the world’s most exciting and popular sports, and it should be played on the world’s biggest stage – in New York City,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said. “New Yorkers are the greatest sports fans in the world, and they will welcome a Major League Soccer franchise with the full-throated and loyal support they are famous for.
“Manchester City has a great reputation for both winning teams and serious community investment, and that will help them fit in well with the excellent leadership of New York City’s other professional sports teams. Increasingly, sports events and activities from the NHL playoffs to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game to the Super Bowl are spurring economic growth as our investments in new arenas and infrastructures are paying off.”
New York City FC is committed to seeking a new permanent stadium in New York. Until that time, the new team is arranging to play in an interim home beginning in its inaugural MLS season in 2015. Over the past year, MLS began discussions with the City of New York and other stakeholders about the possibility of constructing a new stadium in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The Club’s new management will continue these discussions with local government officials, community residents and businesses, soccer leagues, and MLS. The Club will continue to review other potential sites as well.
“New York City FC will have a permanent home in the City in the great traditions of New York sports and world soccer, a home that must be a sports, commercial and civic success,” Soriano said. “But in considering any stadium site, we will listen first. This is what we have always done in Manchester and what we will do in New York. Only in this way, can the Club truly represent the City whose name it will carry.
Manchester City is a leader among sports organizations in its charitable efforts, with one-sixth of its staff fully dedicated full-time to community outreach. Building on this tradition of community outreach, New York City FC will expand and enhance the grassroots youth soccer program “City Soccer in the Community,” which it has been running in New York since 2010.
The program, now headquartered at PS 72 (Lexington Academy) in East Harlem, which boasts New York City’s only rooftop soccer field, provides quality soccer instruction and programming to thousands of children in 20 city public schools each year. New York City FC plans to expand its community outreach to bring soccer to thousands of more kids throughout the five boroughs.
Manchester City has funded the construction of soccer facilities for youth in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. Since new ownership took over five years ago, Manchester City has gained its place as one of England’s most successful football clubs and one of the fastest growing clubs in the world. Last spring, Manchester City won the 2012 Barclay’s Premier League Championship. This year it finished second in the League and was the FA Cup runner-up. Manchester City FC is wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
The Yankees, of course, are baseball’s most storied franchise with 27 World Series titles and 40 American League pennants.
Headquartered in New York, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in North America. MLS’s 18th season features 19 clubs each playing 34 regular-season matches. The clubs are Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo; 2012 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy, Montreal Impact, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Pinstripe Bowl charity golf outing May 20
The New York Yankees Foundation will be the host of the third annual New York Yankees/New Era Pinstripe Bowl charity golf tournament, sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, Monday, May 20, at Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y.
Net proceeds from the event will benefit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Pediatric Cancer Center, Tourette Syndrome Association of Central New Jersey, Boomer Esiason Foundation Fighting Cystic Fibrosis and UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation. More than 400 individuals have participated in the tournament the past two years, and in excess of $200,000 has been raised for charity.
Registration and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start for the scramble-format tournament. A cocktail reception, dinner and an awards presentation will take place at 6:30 p.m. For more information, fans can call (646) 977-8400.
This year’s event includes Yankees alumni and broadcasters, football Giants alumni and select head coaches from Big East football and basketball teams.
Among those scheduled to attend are Yankees president Randy Levine; general manager Brian Cashman; former Yankees players Ralph Branca, David Cone, John Flaherty, Ron Guidry, Pat Kelly, Lee Mazzilli and Mickey Rivers; former Giants players Mark Bavaro, Luke Petitigout and Amani Toomer; Rutgers head football coach Kyle Flood; Syracuse University athletic director Dr. Darryl Gross; Syracuse head football coach Scott Shafer; Princeton head basketball coach Mitch Henderson; CBS sportscaster Don Criqui; WABC-TV weatherman Bill Evans; Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum, ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer; WPLJ Radio personality Scott Shannon and New Era Cap Company chief executive officer Chris Koch.
Westchester Country Club offers two championship golf courses and a nine-hole executive course. The West Course continues to be a regular location for professional golf events, including the Westchester Classic, Buick Classic and most recently, The Barclays, the first of four stops on the FedEx Tour. Westchester Country Club was also the site of the Senior Players Championship in 2011.
The New Era Pinstripe Bowl will take place Saturday, Dec. 28, at Yankee Stadium, pitting a team from the Big East Conference against a representative from the Big 12 Conference.
Combat veterans to be honored Sunday
The Yankees will honor former Marine Cpl. Megan Leavey and Sgt. Rex, the bomb-sniffing German shepherd who was her combat partner during two tours of duty in Iraq, Sunday at Yankee Stadium in a Mother’s Day ceremony prior to the finale of the three-game Yankees-Mariners series.
In 2006, following more than 100 missions with each other, Leavey and Red were both injured by a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Iraq. They underwent a year of rehabilitation together at Camp Pendleton in California. Rex was eventually called back into active service. Leavey, a Purple Heart recipient, was honorably discharged because of her injuries. Leavey subsequently adopted Rex in April after he was retired from service.
A Marine Corps Honor Guard and the New York Police Department Pipes and Drums band will be on hand for the ceremony that is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Right fielder Nick Swisher will present the former Marine with a jersey signed by the entire Yankees team. Yankees president Randy Levine and third baseman Alex Rodriguez will participate in a series of presentations to celebrate Leavey’s dedicated service to her country and the love and loyalty she has shown to her combat partner, Rex.
Ticket holders are urged to arrive at the Stadium no later than 12:15 p.m. to be in position to view the ceremony prior to the 1:05 p.m. game.
Levine named to foundation board
Yankees president Randy Levine has agreed to join the board of directors of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, which is widely acknowledged as the leader in the advocacy against performance enhancing substance abuse by the youth of North America.
“I’m honored to join the Board of this outstanding foundation,” Levine said. “With the help of Major League Baseball, the Yankees and other supporters, Don Hooton and his team have done more over the years to educate our kids as well as their parents and coaches about the dangers of these drugs than any other organization.
“Every young person they reach with their message is potentially a life saved. I look forward to being part of their efforts to drive awareness of this problem as well as helping them reach their goal of eliminating steroid abuse.”
“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to bring someone of Randy’s stature into an organization,” Taylor Hooton Foundation board chairman Neil Romano said. “His accomplishments as president of the Yankees for the past 12 years are well-known and considerable, but his abilities go far beyond just the game of baseball. In the increasingly complex world of business and philanthropic endeavors, there are few people better than Randy to have on your team.”
“Having someone like Randy Levine join our board is further validation of everything we’ve been trying to accomplish since this Foundation started over eight years ago,” THF founder and president Don Hooton said. “I’m absolutely thrilled that he has agreed to join us and excited to think about how much more we can accomplish together over the next few years with Randy’s help.”
Levine is in his 13th season as Yankee president, a position he has held since January 2000 when he became the first person in 14 years to hold the post. Prior to joining the Yankees, Levine was New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Planning and Administration. He also served as the city’s Labor Commissioner and was formerly Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Principal Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. Randy and his wife Mindy live in Manhattan.
The Taylor Hooton Foundation, based in McKinney, Texas, is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating North America’s young people about the dangers of anabolic steroids and other appearance and performance enhancing drugs. The Foundation was formed in 2004 by the friends and family of Taylor Hooton after his untimely death.
Yankees president addresses fans
Yankees team president Randy Levine issued a statement before Wednesday’s game about the decision to wait for more than hours to play Tuesday night:
“The decision to play Tuesday night’s game vs. Baltimore was a collaborative effort between Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees. Every possible effort was made to play the game because there were no suitable alternative dates on which to play a rescheduled game given the poor weather forecast for Wednesday. We certainly recognize the inconvenience to our fans and have invited them back to enjoy a future game at Yankee Stadium.”
Women empowering women at Stadium
The women of Yankee Stadium joined forces with Same Sky to honor the HIV-positive women artisans who have hand-crafted bracelets through its trade-not-aid initiative to affect change in Rwanda.
Founded in 2008, Same Sky is a fair-trade company whose mission is to inspire a movement of women empowering women as part of the global effort of lifting women out of poverty by giving them tools to become entrepreneurs and lead self-sustaining lives. The bracelets are made of hand-blown glass beads and crocheted by women artisans. Each bracelet carries the signature of the woman who made it.
Thanks to the women of Yankee Stadium, Same Sky expanded its facilities in Rwanda and now embraces the women of the Abataka Collective in Lusaka, Zambia. The new lighter, thinner Prosperity bracelets are intricately crocheted and made of delicate seed beads on a stretchy cord.
Friday night’s event in the H&R Block Suite Club was hosted by Safe Sky founder Francine LeFrak, Yankees assistant general manager Jean Afterman and Mindy Franklin Levine of Women of the New York Yankees organization, Legends Hospitality, the YES Network and Securitas to bring awareness to this cause.
“The Yankees’ brand is a global brand,” Ackerman said. “We can bring attention to this effort. We don’t think of it as a traditional fund-raiser. The goal is for this program to be self-sustaining. It’s great to see [team president] Randy Levine and [general manager] Brian Cashman wearing the colored bracelets.”
Funds collected from the sale of the bracelets are used to pay the salaries of the women who make them, which rose in one year from 34 to 75. More information about the movement is available at http://www.samesky.com.
Yanks honor Jeter for 3,000th hit
Derek Jeter was honored before Saturday’s game by the Yankees’ organization and its players at Yankee Stadium to commemorate his reaching the 3,000-hit plateau July 9 against the Rays, the same opponent in the regularly scheduled game.
The ceremony began with Jeter presenting the batting gloves and helmet he used that day to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which was represented by board chairman Jane Forbes Clark and president Jeff Idelson.
Yankees president Randy Levine and chief operating officer Lonn Trost presented a Waterford crystal vase to the Captain. The 14-inch legacy piece was hand crafted in Ireland and copper wheel engraved. It was etched with Yankee Stadium and “DJ3K” logos with an inscription that read:
Presented to Derek Jeter, in recognition of your career 3,000th hit. The first New York Yankees player to reach this historic milestone.
July 9, 2011
New York Yankees
Yankees managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner and his wife, Christina, next presented Jeter and his immediate family commemorative rings and pendants from Balfour. Derek and his father, Dr. Charles Jeter, each received 14-K white gold rings with 50 diamonds (36 surrounding the blue facet stone and 14 making up the number “2”).
On one side, “Captain” is etched above the Yankees top hat logo, along with two banners etched with the words “Pride” and “Tradition.” On the other side, the “DJ3K” logo is etched with the date “July 9, 2011.” The ring top pendants that were presented to Derek’s mother, Dot, and his sister, Sharlee, are etched with the “DJ3K” logo on the back.
Yankees players came on the field and circled around a golf cart that contained a stainless steel structure by Scott Kranzler of Milgo Industrial presented to Jeter by teammates Jorge Posada and CC Sabathia. The custom-designed pieced weighing 225 pounds had an inscription reading:
To our captain, leader and friend. Congratulations on a great achievement, from your teammates.
Speaking on behalf of Yankees players, Mariano Rivera said, “I want to say thank God for giving me the opportunity to play with a tremendous player like Derek and being in this organization and being able to see every one of them. Jeet, I love you, and continue. God bless you and God bless your family.”
Greenberg ‘chucked’
Good riddance to Chuck Greenberg is the way Yankees fans should look at his departure from a brief run (seven months) as chief executive officer of the Rangers. As if getting to the World Series last year for the first time in the franchise’s 50-season history wasn’t enough, Greenberg felt compelled to insult Yankees fans with his remarks about the behavior of some boisterous individuals who took verbal aim at some wives of Texas personnel during the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium.
You may recall Greenberg’s comments: “I thought Yankee fans, frankly, were awful. They were either violent or apathetic, neither of which is good. So I thought Yankee fans were by far the worst of any I’ve seen in the postseason. I thought they were an embarrassment.”
I love that “I’ve ever seen in the post-season,” as if the Rangers have made a habit of getting to the dance. All the whining did was to get Greenberg a rebuke from commissioner Bud Selig, who ordered him to apologize.
Even worse, though, was the boast that by extending the contract talks with free agent pitcher Cliff Lee, Greenberg opened the door for the Phillies to come along and snatch the lefthander away from the outstretched arms of the Yankees. Greenberg’s chest was swelling over the Rangers having outmaneuvered the Yankees in obtaining Lee in a trade from the Mariners last summer. That deal cost Texas its top prospect, first baseman Justin Smoak, as Yankees general manager hung on to infield prospect Eduardo Nunez.
Lee’s return to Philadelphia left the Rangers with nothing to show for giving up Smoak, but Greenberg chose to pat himself on the back with the consolation that at least the pitcher did not go to the Yankees. Some in the media felt Yankees president Randy Levine lowered himself by responding to Greenberg’s characterization, but I for one was amused and bolstered by the retort.
“He has been in the game for a few minutes and yet he thinks he knows what everyone is thinking,” Levine said. “He could really impress us when he keeps the Rangers off of welfare and keeps them from receiving revenue sharing the next three years.”
Greenberg deserved to hear that, but Randy could have held his breath because the loud-mouthed newcomer had no chance to survive in the Texas organization if he got on the wrong side of Nolan Ryan, which Greenberg apparently did. The Hall of Fame pitcher can do no wrong in the Lone Star State and could probably get elected governor there without having to spend one minute on a campaign trail.
In point of fact, it was Greenberg’s third visit to Lee in Arkansas – without Ryan, this time – that hurt the Rangers’ chances of re-signing him. As for swaying him from the Yankees, Lee made it clear that the Phillies were always his priority based on the good feeling he had pitching for them in their pennant-winning 2009 season. That he rejected a seven-year contract offer from the Yankees for a five-year deal from the Phillies was a pretty good indication where Lee’s heart lay, and it had nothing to do with Greenberg, whose 15 minutes are now up.
Jack O'Connell
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