Ducks owner to bring team to Nassau

Nassau County is one step closer to an Expressway Series.

Long Island Ducks owner Frank Boulton's bid to bring an independent minor-league baseball team to Nassau was approved Friday by a committee of county officials. The choice of Boulton over a joint bid by the New York Mets and Syosset developer David Blumenfeld will be announced Monday, county officials said.

The move is contingent on county voters' approving an Aug. 1 ballot to allow the county to borrow as much as $400 million to build a new Nassau Coliseum and minor league ballpark at Mitchel Field in Uniondale. The county would own and receive revenue from both facilities.

"Attracting a baseball team to Nassau County will create jobs while providing an affordable, family-fun destination for our residents," said County Executive Edward Mangano.

Even if the voters say yes, the county legislature and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state watchdog that controls the county's finances, must approve the borrowing.

The new field would be scheduled to open in the spring of 2013 and host about 70 games annually.

"We are enthusiastic about bringing another Atlantic League team to Nassau County," Boulton said. He predicted the as-yet-unnamed Nassau team would have "a natural rivalry" with the Ducks -- whose home field is Bethpage Ballpark in Central Islip -- creating an "Expressway Series" between them.

"We anticipate over 800,000 fans a year will get to enjoy Atlantic League Baseball," Boulton said.

The proposed Nassau field would be similar to the Ducks' ballpark, with roughly 6,000 seats, including 18 to 20 skyboxes, and a standard minor-league scoreboard.

The six-person committee said its decision was influenced by the Ducks' 11-year track record, including near-capacity attendance in a market similar to Nassau.

The committee, which met with both bidders in late June, also preferred to move forward with a team preapproved to play in Nassau, county officials said. The eight-team Atlantic League, which has no affiliation with Major League Baseball, has already given the green light for a new Boulton-owned franchise to play in Nassau. The Mets would need the permission of their crosstown rival New York Yankees to bring a minor-league squad to Long Island.

Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Nassau had not officially informed the team of its decision. Nassau and Boulton are expected to begin negotiations this week on a revenue-sharing agreement. Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin has said that Boulton had offered $200,000 more in annual revenue-sharing than the Mets. Nevin declined to provide copies of the competing proposals.

Boulton said he expects a deal similar to the Ducks' lease agreement with Suffolk. The Ducks pay the county $1 per ticket and 25 percent of skybox revenue. For non-Ducks events, the county gets 20 percent of gross concession revenue, he said.

Suffolk retained its field's naming rights. In Nassau, Boulton has proposed to share revenue from selling the naming rights.

Mitchel Field has more than 1,000 parking spaces used by county agencies during the day that would be available on game nights.

On nongame days, the ballpark will be available to local youth and sports organizations.

While the referendum would allow Nassau to spend up to $50 million on the facility, county officials estimate the cost at closer to $25 million.