New York Yankees fans need not apply.
If you love baseball and ever wondered what it would be like to sleep inside a ballpark, the New York Mets' former player Bobby Bonilla have teamed up with Airbnb to give fans a chance to spend a night inside Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, New York City.
The Mets and Bonilla are inviting four lucky fans to experience a night at the ballpark “that will leave them with that bottom of the 9th, walk-off homerun feeling,” Airbnb says on its website.
“As a born and raised New Yorker and a longtime player in the city, there is a special place in my heart for Mets fans and it’s wonderful to see the faithful back in some green seats in Queens. This year, I’m joining in on the fun, trying on a new glove as an Airbnb Host and hopefully giving a few folks the night of their lives at Citi Field,” Bonilla said in a statement.
Starting on July 8 at 12:00 p.m. ET, Mets fans can request to book one night at Citi Field on July 28. The ticket prices are $250 if you can land them.
Fans will have their own VIP suite and enjoy limitless ballpark hot dogs and drinks. Other perks include working out in the players’ gym and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the night game on July 28.
The kings of Queens, New York, extended the invitation to fans on July 1, which has been known by fans as “Bobby Bonilla Day.” Since 2011. the former player is paid $1.19 million every July 1 by the Mets, and will continue doing so until 2035. 2035, CBS Sports reported. Bonilla, now 58, will be 72 when the last payment is made.
The Mets signed Bonilla to a five-year contract worth $29 million in 1991 that was the richest contract in team sports at the time, CBS Sports reported. He spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of that contract with New York before being traded and was later brought back to the Mets years later. However, in 2000, the team released Bonilla again but were still on the hook for his $5.9 million salary that season.
The owners of the Mets thought they would turn a profit from their investments with notorious swindler Bernie Madoff and actually agreed to defer Bonilla's salary with 8% interest and spread it across 25 years from 2011-35, CBS Sports reported.
In 2008, Madoff’s ponzi scheme crumbled and Bonilla's $5.9 million grew to $29.8 million from 2000-11.
The Mets are currently the No. 1 team in the NL East.
