Plaxico Burress: A Pawn in Michael Bloomberg's Game?

The Mayor of New York has many messes. Sure New York Mayor Bloomberg is highly annoyed that Plaxico Burress flaunted Gotham's guns laws and at the wide receivers Newsday reported snickering, but Bloomberg is using the situation to force folks eyes off the financial ball.

NYC is, like the nation, severely struggling in the financial shit-storm enveloping us. Cities budgets and pensions are going to be devastated as their revenues dwindle and Federal money disappears.

NYC has a massive pension obligation to its workforce and a massive budget to maintain city services. With the stock market free fall, financial collapses, credit disappearances, and the tax payer base dwindling with high unemployment the money isn't there anymore

Its the bailout blues and they are coming to a state, city, or town near you. When the city was flush and bankers buying ponzai mortgages stadium money was not a problem. It was fun playing the Great Gatsby while the party lasted.

But the ball is done and the bill is due and the high flying hosts have slithered away.

NYC has committed near a billion of tax bucks to infrastructure improvements around the new professional stadiums. Some of the funds have slipped into the black hole of NYC area construction "over runs" or disappeared due to mismanagement.

In return for the tax payer improvements the teams have given back outrageous seat prices and the PSL screwing of the fans. PSL's are the worst things owners have ever inflcied on fans.

The Mets new stadium has the collapsing Citi Bank 400 million naming rights issues.  Bloomberg's office sent an email to the Yankees offering 25 million of tax payer parking if they got an extra mayor sky box.

Enough to turn any tax payers stomach. A bailout ball park being named after a bad bank, and the Mayor's office offering tax payer bucks for box seats.

Which brings us back to Burress.

Bloomberg isn't dumb. He knows as the economy tanks and NYC jobs and services are slashed the stadium heat is going to become scorching.

When cops, fireman, transit, hospitals, jobs, wages, and such are slashed New Yorkers are not going to be happy paying for extra Steinbrenner family parking.

So when Plaxico fell into the Mayor's lap he had a pawn. The mayor would get to launch an all out attack to show his anti sport star toughness. The Giants didn't really care and actually considered it a bonus at this point to find a way to not pay the Plax because he was going to be cut at seasons end.

And he had become a Giant pain in the butt with his moronic actions.

So POW! Plax stepped right into sacrificial goat role with his stupidity. There is no excuse for his idiotic actions. Carrying an illegal gun, with a round in its chamber stuffed in his sweatpants while drinking at a club, defines stupid. 

But Burress has become part of something bigger. 

Bloomberg gets his press, the Giants get a great savings on a player they were sick of, and Plaxico will lose a bunch of money. But, once the media moves on, with the help of an expensive lawyer Plax will get a minor punishment.

And then sign a deal in the spring with the Oakland Raiders or maybe the Philadelphia Eagles or New York Jets, or perhaps Jerry Jones wants another whiny wide out.

But the Gotham tax payers are still getting screwed  by the stadium deals. Bloomberg is using Plax's stupidity as a waving, flaming, trick sword to distract the being fleeced masses. And it will work.

For awhile anyway...

Things learned from this mess:.

Promise if you sign 35 million dollar contract you will:

1] Keep your gold in a bank not on your neck.

2] Take a credit card out not massive rolls of cash.

3] Do not keep a live round in your Glock's chamber.

4] Do not put a loaded Glock, or any gun, in your sweat pants.

5] If you really have to somewhere where you think a gun is needed for personal protection you will pay some bored Ex Navy Seals and a sober limo driver to come with.

6] If you do shoot yourself with an illegal gun, and its not serious, pay the good Doctor to make a secret house call.