29X Face

What with holiday shopping and trying to finish a big job at work, I missed the news that the New York State Commission on Public Integrity last week fined Governor David A. Paterson $62,125 "for soliciting, accepting and receiving five complimentary tickets to Game One of the 2009 World Series for himself, two aides, his teenage son and his son's friend." The $62,125 civil penalty consists of the $2,125 value of the tickets plus two $25,000 fines and a third $10,000 fine for violating three sections of the Public Officers Law. The commission based its decision on testimony by gubernatorial staff and the Yankees, as well as "an independent handwriting expert and common sense."  Ah yes, common sense.

The $62,125 the tickets cost Governor Paterson is equal to 29 times their face value. And you thought StubHub was expensive! Or, to put it another way, the "free" tickets ended up costing the governor one-third of his 2009 pre-tax salary.

One interesting fact to come out of the testimony is only 140 tickets were available to the public for the first game of the 2009 fall classic. Try to forget those odds the next time you register in a team lottery to win post-season tickets.

The story was broken by Fredric Dicker of the New York Post just one day after the game, which, incidentally, the Yankees lost to the Phillies, 6-8.  Yankee starting pitcher A.J. Burnett left after four innings, having given up six runs.  The Phillies went on to win the 2009 World Championship in seven games.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden, were also at the game. They did not pay for their tickets because they attended in their official capacities and performed a ceremonial function.  Also pictured at top are former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra and throwing out the first pitch, Tony Odierno, a West Point graduate and Yankees employee who lost his left arm in Iraq.

Although I thought my third post on Governor Paterson would be the end of my strange obsession with New York State's "first fan," there just always seems to be more.  I won't make another prediction in this regard.  Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo will be sworn into office this Sunday.