Long Ball

What is Long Ball?

Resorts World has announced that the replacement for Mulberry Street Pizza, which closed Sept. 14, will be another New York-inspired slice shop. However, unlike Mulberry Street—an established Los Angeles brand—Amici New York Pizzeria is an entirely original concept created by the resort.

Instead of collecting rent from a successful tenant, Resorts World aspires to collect profits directly from pizza-hungry patrons. But since Mulberry Street was consistently among the busiest dining spots at the property, it raises an obvious question: Was its popularity driven by brand recognition, or simply by resort guests, late-night Zouk Nightclub revelers, and foot traffic seeking a quick slice?

To stack the odds in its favor, Resorts World is tapping major culinary talent: Executive Chef Ricky McCormick. McCormick, who currently leads the kitchen at Stubborn Seed on-property, previously held leadership roles at Michelin-starred Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas and multiple Gordon Ramsay venues.

What is Long Ball?

A yes for jobs, a yes for economic opportunity, a yes to support our community,” the narrator says during the commercial. “A new casino would have a positive impact on our county, and we have the power to make sure it lands here, where our community can benefit.”

There’s also opposition to a casino in Allen County. Last year, a group of anonymous business owners, residents, and faith leaders assembled to launch Save Fort Wayne. The political action group says a casino “creates a net loss” by increasing addiction and crime.

The group’s website features an interactive slot machine where the spin always lands on an alleged negative consequence such as “addiction,” “bankruptcies,” “divorces,” “mental health issues,” “fatal accidents,” “child neglect,” “human trafficking,” and “poverty.”

How to play Long Ball

The artifacts also include a 1966 cocktail waitress uniform, a Cleopatra costume and headdresses from opening events, a Tom Jones show program from 1971, Caesars Palace Grand Prix posters, and an old high-stakes slot machine.

The statue now stands, bargeless, mounted on a red-striped pedestal flanked by golden sphinxes.

Cleopatra’s Barge opened in September 1970 in what is now the Nobu Hotel tower, replacing the earlier Nero’s Nook lounge. The 180-seat lounge featured as its centerpiece a “floating” stage designed as a replica of the vessel aboard which the Egyptian queen is said to have bewitched Mark Antony.

The pleasure craft, installed in a shallow lagoon, featured a gold-painted, topless figurehead that extended far into the public walkway. Guests quickly turned rubbing the statue’s golden breasts for luck into a classic Vegas tradition; staff regularly repainted the most-touched areas.