New York to Host Major League Baseball's All Star Game

Mayor Bloomberg announced today that the city will host this year's Major League Baseball All Star Game.  He says hosting events like this brings the city free publicity that it can't get any other way.

"When your neighbor says 'hey I was in New York and it's not like the late night comedians used to say.  I felt great, I walked around, I was in Central Park, all these ethnic neighborhoods in all five boroughs where my ancestors came from.'  That kind of stuff you can't get from buying ads."

Bloomberg also said this validates that New York is the Sports Capital of America.

"We have a new baseball stadium in Queens, we have a new baseball stadium in the Bronx.  We have a new basketball-hockey facility in Brooklyn.  We have a new football stadium just across the river in New Jersey.  Hopefully we're getting close to announce a new soccer stadium here in Flushing Meadow Park."

This will be the tenth time New York has hosted MLB's All Star Game, but the first time in Queens since 1964.  Citifield can hold 41,922 fans at full capacity.  Bloomberg says he and his daughters will be attending most of the All Star events.