20 The Queens Courier • july 25, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com All-Star Game a HOME RUN for Queens biz The MLB All-Star game paid dividends for city businesses, with fans spending a cool $191.1 million, according to the Queens Economic Development Corporation. Teen who ran onto field at All-Star Game arraigned BY LIAM LA GUERRE lguerre@queenscourier.com The truth is that this dare landed him in hot water. The teenager who ran onto the field during the MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field as part of a dare posted on Twitter may pay big for that error in judgment. District Attorney Richard Brown announced that Dylan McCue-Masone, 18, has been arraigned on charges of interfering with a professional sporting event and third-degree criminal trespass, and faces up to a year in jail and $5,000 in penalties. “The defendant is accused of interfering with a nationally televised sporting event and the enjoyment of the viewing public,” Brown said. “What is particularly disturbing in this case is that the incident occurred while the game was in progress and the players were on the field.” McCue-Masone reportedly tweeted he would go through with the dare if he received 1,000 re-tweets, according to the district attorney. Brown acknowledged that McCue-Masone was an excited young sports fan but said, “There is no such thing as being too careful,” citing the 1993 incident when a spectator stabbed professional tennis player Monica Seles during a match in Germany. Brown added that “is why my office and the operators of the various sports arenas in Queens County have zero tolerance for spectators who fail to conduct themselves responsibly at sporting events.” The City Council passed the Interference with a Professional Sporting Event Law in 2003 after designer Calvin Klein stepped out onto the basketball court at Madison Square Garden in 2003 to speak with Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell during a game. New Jersey resident John McCarthy, 38, was the first person charged under the law. He ran onto the field during a Mets game at Shea Stadium on May 4, 2004 carrying a sign that read, “Howard Stern: Here’s Johnny.” McCarthy pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight weekends in jail, fined $2,000 and ordered to serve three years’ probation. He was also banned from Shea. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Give blood, get tix BY MELISSA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com Mets fans and good Samaritans can help save lives and earn free baseball tickets at the same time. Assemblymember Ed Braunstein and the New York Blood Center will host a blood drive on August 15 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Bay Terrace shopping center. “Every donation helps to save up to three lives,” Braunstein said. “Our hospitals are in need of your help, so I hope you will take the time to share this lifesaving gift.” Donors ages 16 to 75 need to have photo identification and weigh at least 110 pounds. Each will be mailed a pair of tickets to a Mets game this year, courtesy of the New York Blood Center. The shopping center can be found at 212th Street and 26th Avenue. To schedule an appointment, call 718-357-3588. BY LIAM LA GUERRE lguerre@queenscourier.com The 2013 MLB All-Star Game and weekend events were a home run for businesses in and around Citi Field. The major sports event pumped $191.1 million into the city, according to Rob Mackay, director of marketing, events and tourism for the Queens Economic Development Corporation. “In general it’s good for the city,” Mackay said. “so if it’s good for the city, it’s good for Queens. The entire event was very good for hotels and quite good for taxis.” Mackay added that the All- Star Game introduced Queens to fans around the country and the world, which could lead to increased tourism. “It put Queens in everyone’s living room,” Mackay said. “It was very good for our image.” The All-Star weekend kicked off on July 12 with Fanfest in Manhattan. It was followed by the Celebrity and Legends Softball Game, the All-Star Futures Game, the State Farm Home Run Derby and the main event on July 16. Hotels around the borough and near Citi Field were at or near capacity during the events. Corona Hotel, which is located a block away from Citi Field, was at 80 percent capacity. The hotel is normally around 60 percent at this time of the year, according to manager Chatn Patel. As an official sponsor and MLB All-Star retailer, Modell’s Sporting Goods was allowed to set up shop right in front Citi Field to sell merchandise. The tent-like store sold baseball equipment, New Era fitted caps and Majestic All-Star players’ jerseys, among other items. The pop-up store sold so well that employees had to go to local Modell’s locations and pull more items. “The fans of the city have really embraced everything that is going on here,” said Kelly Harvey, senior manager of brand and event marketing. “MLB has been great getting fans to come here. We’ve done better than we expected to do.” Restaurants inside Citi Field, some of which had experienced lower sales this year due to low attendance at Mets games, saw an explosion in sales during the All-Star festivities. Union Square Events, which manages Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria and Box Frites in Citi Field, said the eateries had the highest volume of sales since opening in 2009. The game itself had 26 percent higher sales than any game over the last three years. “Union Square Events feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in such a momentous event,” said Ron Parker, Union Square Events managing partner. “Citi Field was in all its glory and the Mets really showed everyone what New York hospitality is all about.
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