Outrage over New Yankee Stadium

[GordonGecko]

This really needs its own thread, can a mod please return the posts to this thread so we can un-clutter the Yankee Stadium thread and discuss items specific to the outrage over NYS. We would all appreciate it, thanks.

[nymdan]

If you insist on it being a separate thread, that's fine. But I don't have time to sort through and move posts back to this thread.

[soup]

it really does need its own thread

[joeybigblue]

Other than the ticket prices and high concession stands, the stadium is great.

[SparkyL]

This really needs its own thread, can a mod please return the posts to this thread so we can un-clutter the Yankee Stadium thread and discuss items specific to the outrage over NYS. We would all appreciate it, thanks.

Unfortunately, the YS thread is clogged up by Yankee baseball discussions . . at least the YS outrage stuff has something to do with the stadium - but the non-stop baseball discussion is totally out of control there.

[Gary Dunaier]

Wasn't there already a separate thread about this?

[RoastedPeanut]

Wasn't there already a separate thread about this?

Unfortunately, the last thread had a star of David stitched into its coat..

[SparkyL]

Other than the ticket prices and high concession stands, the stadium is great.

That's like discussing Mars and saying - "other than the lack of air and water"

and what about being a prisoner of your seating section. Why open 3 hours before the game and force people to just their section during BP?

[Strawman]

Couple of days of good back-and-forth (w/links) - all gone??

[stadiumbuilder]

The Yankees are involved in a full blown, large scale, self-inflicted indentity crisis. The old stadium was a bigger component of this franchise than their current ownership/management calculated. The team struggling makes matters worse. Of course there's no such things as curses, but when you make bad decisions, like the Red Sox selling Ruth, it's sure going to seem like a curse. Lots of great American companies have gone through periods where they seem to be pushing all the wrong buttons, and when that happens, it's usually followed by a boardroom shakeup. The Yankees should address the most obvious of their problems, pick a couple of scapegoats to ax, apologize to the fans and make things right. They can start with the pricing and work from there. The patrons that are sitting in those expensive seats probably feel conspicuous, successful people aren't exactly the toast of the town right now.

[stadiumbuilder]

This thread was temporarily combined with the regular 09 YS thread. I just picked up my post from yesterday and dumped it back here, as it looks like this thread going to remain independant afterall.

[Strawman]

This thread was temporarily combined with the regular 09 YS thread. I just picked up my post from yesterday and dumped it back here, as it looks like this thread going to remain independant afterall.

Yeah but it looks like that (rather terrific) thread isn't working either...wonder why these were down-graded?

[metfan13]

Those great and loyal posts left the thread and are now not being allowed back in.

Read the fine print, NO RE-ENTRY ALLOWED.

[Strawman]

Those great and loyal posts left the thread and are now not being allowed back in.

Read the fine print, NO RE-ENTRY ALLOWED.
Hee hee - c'mon, no way the moderators and fine proprietors would take any guff from Yankee brass. No way. This place always seems wide open and quite fair.

[Strawman]

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/files/2009/05/photo1.jpg

The "crowd" during the national anthem for a huge game with the defending AL champs - clearly the market is speaking loudly to Levine and Trost.

That never happened at the beautiful mecca of American sports across the street, now sadly being destroyed.

[hbwriter]

i had started this thread just yesterday and it had a ton of action--i was surprised to see it get moved--i thought everyone was keeping it nice and focused.

[CoreyNYC]

Why open 3 hours before the game and force people to just their section during BP?

To buy Martinis and expertly cut steaks from a butcher. Isn't that why everyone goes to the ballpark?
DUH!

[Jim Vaz]

The Yankees are involved in a full blown, large scale, self-inflicted indentity crisis. The old stadium was a bigger component of this franchise than their current ownership/management calculated. The team struggling makes matters worse. Of course there's no such things as curses, but when you make bad decisions, like the Red Sox selling Ruth, it's sure going to seem like a curse. Lots of great American companies have gone through periods where they seem to be pushing all the wrong buttons, and when that happens, it's usually followed by a boardroom shakeup. The Yankees should address the most obvious of their problems, pick a couple of scapegoats to ax, apologize to the fans and make things right. They can start with the pricing and work from there. The patrons that are sitting in those expensive seats probably feel conspicuous, successful people aren't exactly the toast of the town right now.


:applaud::applaud:
Dead on accurate!

And I'm sure if the team was playing well the Stadium issues would glare a lot less, but they can't be masked as well.

[ribant]

:applaud::applaud:
Dead on accurate!

And I'm sure if the team was playing well the Stadium issues would glare a lot less, but they can't be masked as well.

Accurate assesment of an accurate assesment.

All of the gripes about food, food prices, ticket prices, moats, and security can be fixed if the brass decides to do so.

Where it gets interesting is the Yankee business model is based on high revenues driving high overhead. The Steinbrenner family has a bad jones for signing the most expensive guys out there, whether or not it makes sense.

Next year will be very interesting

[GordonGecko]

New review on the Times:

"The new park does not have it, and is not set up for it. Everywhere else the Yankees play, fans congregate behind the dugouts for autographs, straining to get just a little bit closer to the players. Not here. Not in a ballpark with a concrete moat encircling the first nine rows or so, almost from foul pole to foul pole, patrolled by a fleet of security guards.

That’s the part that is so perplexing. The Yankees had a chance to look at every other park that came before theirs – Seattle, Anaheim, Colorado, Pittsburgh, so many fabulous examples – and this is what they chose."

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/new-home-new-atmosphere/

[Strawman]

To buy Martinis and expertly cut steaks from a butcher. Isn't that why everyone goes to the ballpark?
DUH!
Personally, I pay my $1200/per so I can browse the Peter Mex paintings....and then escape all the trashy Yankee fans with their garish "team" gear and all those tacky "Jeter" jerseys by disappearing to the other side of Levine's moat.

Oh waitress, can you freshen this drink for me darling? Did the Yankees just score a touchdown - can you ask the referee for me? Thanks dear. Love these seats.

[Jim Vaz]

New review on the Times:

"The new park does not have it, and is not set up for it. Everywhere else the Yankees play, fans congregate behind the dugouts for autographs, straining to get just a little bit closer to the players. Not here. Not in a ballpark with a concrete moat encircling the first nine rows or so, almost from foul pole to foul pole, patrolled by a fleet of security guards.

That’s the part that is so perplexing. The Yankees had a chance to look at every other park that came before theirs – Seattle, Anaheim, Colorado, Pittsburgh, so many fabulous examples – and this is what they chose."

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/new-home-new-atmosphere/

bottm line is they need to just bite the bullet here and open the area up to all fans for batting practice. They really lost touch with a huge part of the fan experience and if enough people call them out on it they will have to change it. Once that last person goes back into the the club house then the security can usher everyone back out and then check over peoples ticket to verify if they sit in those seats. Its really not that hard a concept.

[Strawman]

New review on the Times:

"The new park does not have it, and is not set up for it. Everywhere else the Yankees play, fans congregate behind the dugouts for autographs, straining to get just a little bit closer to the players. Not here. Not in a ballpark with a concrete moat encircling the first nine rows or so, almost from foul pole to foul pole, patrolled by a fleet of security guards.

That’s the part that is so perplexing. The Yankees had a chance to look at every other park that came before theirs – Seattle, Anaheim, Colorado, Pittsburgh, so many fabulous examples – and this is what they chose."

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/new-home-new-atmosphere/
Great comment from that NYT article:

I was watching a close game on TV the other night and the Yankees were threatening. All the fans were on their feet–stomping and cheering–but they were separated from the action by 30 feet of empty seats and the concrete moat. I can’t imagine the stadium has the same feel as the old one.

[Jim Vaz]

Personally, I pay my $1200/per so I can browse the Peter Mex paintings....and then escape all the trashy Yankee fans with their garish "team" gear and all those tacky "Jeter" jerseys by disappearing to the other side of Levine's moat.

Oh waitress, can you freshen this drink for me darling? Did the Yankees just score a touchdown - can you ask the referee for me? Thanks dear. Love these seats.

Somehow I envision you as Judge Smails with your pinky pointing up in the air. :laugh

http://www.extrememortman.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/Judge%20Elihu%20Smails%20caddyshack.jpg
THIS IS OUR AREA, LEAVE AT ONCE YOU FILTHY SWINE!

[Robbyb26]

I was at Lonn Trost Field last night, and it's sad that they couldn't even sell out for a Yankee - Red Sox game. The home field advantage is gone in NY. They spent 100 years building the greatest fan base in sports, and now they alienate most of us. Make us feel like second class citizens. Shame on them, and shame on those who sit in the 1st class cabins and leave in the 6th inning of a 4-3 game! Did anyone notice anyone leaving at Fenway. No! That place was still full! Meanwhile at your 5 star hotel that they use for baseball sometimes, the real fans are stuck in the stratosphere, and any of the REAL bleacher creatures that are still left, are further away from the game than the people working the hot dog stands outside. Does anyone remember the 1st two games of the 95 ALDS. If game 5 was at Yankee Stadium, there is no way Seattle wins...How about game 6 in 96. Game 7 03! That place was electric..Call it ghosts, Mystique and Aura or whatever you want. I believe it had to do with 50,000 + fans raising the noise, raising the energy of the players, and intimidating the opposing team. Especially the pitchers. Ask Byoung Yong Kim about that sometime. Congratulations Lon, Randy, and Georges two bozo sons, you managed to ruin the whole Yankee culture with your disgusting luxury suites, and your catering to the fat pig clientele that have ruined the whole country!
Thats it..THE CURSE OF THE PIG!! And the red sox own you now! Congratulations!

[scooterfan]

Even the Yankee apologists on this board have stopped defending the stadium. Lonn Trost and Randy Levine are destroying the Yankee "Universe."

[RationalNYYfan]

Even the Yankee apologists on this board have stopped defending the stadium. Lonn Trost and Randy Levine are destroying the Yankee "Universe."

Myself included. Some of the stuff that's happened lately, especially the Paul O'Neill incident, is just not worth defending anymore.

[CharlesM]

Being a lifelong Yankee fan, I really hope my feelings about the new park change in time. Right now I am not feeling it. They built a monument to excess, not to the New York Yankees and baseball. This feels like the Yankee Stadium Eddie Bauer Edition.

If I hear one more person say "It's just like being in the old stadium!" or "It's a replica of the old stadium" I'm going to spit. I was never even in the old stadium (the original stadium) and I know it is nothing close to the old stadium. Take away the "frieze" and is it REALLY still just like the old stadium?

Please get rid of that stupid multi-media video strip that circles the entire facing of the upper deck!!! Between the outfield video boards, loud music and lack of any quiet time, does there really have to be utter sensory assault at all times???

I'm all for capitalism, but if these ticket prices remain as is...I mean, talk about class segregation. Talk about justified fodder for the Yankee-haters.

Corporate naming rights to the stadium in the near future is inevitable, which will be disgusting. In the battle between integrity and money, the outcome is usually predictable.

[Jim Vaz]

Myself included. Some of the stuff that's happened lately, especially the Paul O'Neill incident, is just not worth defending anymore.

If you don't mind me asking, what was the "Paul O'Neill incident?

[GordonGecko]

If you don't mind me asking, what was the "Paul O'Neill incident?

Paul O'Neill was kicked out of Yankee Stadium during batting practice and his wife was booted from the wife's room.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/04/2009-05-04_yankees_put_squeeze_play_on_media_at_the_new_st adium.html

Visiting announcers were also kicked out of a broadcast booth

[RationalNYYfan]

The stadium is beautiful and majestic and I do like it. But everything else about the organization isn't working right now.

[mandrake]

As a Mets fan, one would think that I would be loving this Yankee bashing, but I am not. To start with, there is no curse on the New Yankee Stadium. Yankees management just got very greedy and then were blindsided by an economy that some of us were talking about one year ago. I caught flack when I said last summer that MLB was stuck in 1929 again, and that 1933 may not be far behind. Yes, I got some snide remarks back then for being a wet blanket.........

Before everyone trashes the beautiful new Yankee Stadium, does anyone want to look at the fact that when the Yankees moved over to the Original Yankee Stadium in the booming 1923 economy, their attendance dropped (yes dropped) by 25% from their 1920-1921 levels at the Polo Grounds :
1920 Polo Grounds 1,289,422 1921 Polo grounds 1,230,696 (Ruth was out for a large part of 1922 and attendance was 1,026,134) and when the original YS opened, the greatest stadium of all, they drew 1,007,066 and they dropped to 697,267 by 1925. Did they panic? Did they say "why didn't we stay at the Polo Grounds". Did they say "This place is cursed".

NYS: They overpriced seats. They catered to the elite and well heeled. They made a mistake(s). Why is it that Citi Field is a work in progress according to the pom pom squad, but the New Yankee Stadium is the house of horrors ?
These are probably the same folks who ran around a week ago hiding from the swine flu ! (BTW, I was on cable channel 12 last week saying you don't need to take tamiflu......ouch, hurt my arm patting myself on back again):mad:

[Jim Vaz]

Being a lifelong Yankee fan, I really hope my feelings about the new park change in time. Right now I am not feeling it. They built a monument to excess, not to the New York Yankees and baseball. This feels like the Yankee Stadium Eddie Bauer Edition.

If I hear one more person say "It's just like being in the old stadium!" or "It's a replica of the old stadium" I'm going to spit. I was never even in the old stadium (the original stadium) and I know it is nothing close to the old stadium. Take away the "frieze" and is it REALLY still just like the old stadium?

Please get rid of that stupid multi-media video strip that circles the entire facing of the upper deck!!! Between the outfield video boards, loud music and lack of any quiet time, does there really have to be utter sensory assault at all times???

I'm all for capitalism, but if these ticket prices remain as is...I mean, talk about class segregation. Talk about justified fodder for the Yankee-haters.

Corporate naming rights to the stadium in the near future is inevitable, which will be disgusting. In the battle between integrity and money, the outcome is usually predictable.

Well those are not going away. Those are just a part of sports now and I actually don't mind them and like that look.

The bottom line is they need to fix the seating and the pricing. Once they fix that gross mistake they will see the place filling up more and more of your blue collar fans being a part of the place again.

[MarcianoNY]

Paul O'Neill was kicked out of Yankee Stadium during batting practice and his wife was booted from the wife's room.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/04/2009-05-04_yankees_put_squeeze_play_on_media_at_the_new_st adium.html

Visiting announcers were also kicked out of a broadcast booth

The whole Paul O'Neill thing is just unconscionable. The Yankee-media relations are becoming more and more MSG-like, which makes me sick to say the least. Either Levine/Trost hired a bunch of incompetents to run security, or they just don't give a damn how much of a joke they're making of the Yankees' public image.

[RationalNYYfan]

The team won't change unless the fans do something about it. I really want to take action here and get the real fans into this stadium.

[toefer]

Paul O'Neill was kicked out of Yankee Stadium during batting practice and his wife was booted from the wife's room.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/04/2009-05-04_yankees_put_squeeze_play_on_media_at_the_new_st adium.html

Visiting announcers were also kicked out of a broadcast booth

Was he kicked out of the stadium, or just told to leave the batting cages? I thought he was hanging out in the batting cages under the field, and they told him to leave that area.

~~~

I also don't like the ribbon-board thing going around the stadium. I thought it was going to be used to show stats for the pitcher/batter, and things like that, but I guess it's just for advertising. Nothing quite like seeing 40 Pepsi logos encircling the stadium.

I think open concourses are obviously the current trend in stadiums, and they make sense. I just hate how they affect how the seats look. Who will sit a mile away up in the upper-deck if they can walk down and watch the game standing behind first base on the field-level concourse? Even when the Yankees sell out every seat, the place will still look empty, due to the thousands of people standing in the concourses for a better view.

For that reason, I kind of miss the whole tunnel design for walking out into the actual seating area of a stadium, because it made people sit in their seats and fill up the place, if they wanted to see the game.

[MarcianoNY]

Well those are not going away. Those are just a part of sports now and I actually don't mind them and like that look.

The bottom line is they need to fix the seating and the pricing. Once they fix that gross mistake they will see the place filling up more and more of your blue collar fans being a part of the place again.

Generally I don't have a problem with the technology but the Times article is right in that it is insulting to New York fans to be told when to "make some noise," etc. You expect that in other cities but no real Yankee fan appreciates it, although with the clientele they're trying to draw these days, who knows. I mean maybe a blaring, seizure-inducing LED is the only thing that will distract you from your blackberry long enough to know that Mariano Rivera is one strike away from closing out a Yankees win over the Sox.

[GordonGecko]

Was he kicked out of the stadium, or just told to leave the batting cages? I thought he was hanging out in the batting cages under the field, and they told him to leave that area.
He was kicked out of the batting cages and clubhouse/field areas. If he was kicked out of the building I bet you would have seen a real fan riot

[RationalNYYfan]

Perfect:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/slashed_ticket_prices_allow_lesser?utm_source=a-section

[MarcianoNY]

He was kicked out of the batting cages and clubhouse/field areas. If he was kicked out of the building I bet you would have seen a real fan riot

In an unrelated note:
Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 games for Failed Drug Test

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4148907

Looks like the Yankees Championships aren't the only "tainted" ones. Man am I glad we didn't sign this guy.

[toefer]

In an unrelated note:
Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 games for Failed Drug Test

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4148907

Looks like the Yankees Championships aren't the only "tainted" ones. Man am I glad we didn't sign this guy.

When I first saw that, I assumed the drug wasn't a performance enhancing drug... more of a mind relaxing one, if you know what I mean.

~~~

The only way I can accept Paul O'Neill being booted from the cages, is if current players complained. If it's anyone's decision to make whether old players can wander through the restricted areas of the stadium, it should be the current team, not the people in the front office.

And somehow I doubt anyone on the team actually minded Paulie being there.

[MarcianoNY]

When I first saw that, I assumed the drug wasn't a performance enhancing drug... more of a mind relaxing one, if you know what I mean.

~~~

The only way I can accept Paul O'Neill being booted from the cages, is if current players complained. If it's anyone's decision to make whether old players can wander through the restricted areas of the stadium, it should be the current team, not the people in the front office.

And somehow I doubt anyone on the team actually minded Paulie being there.

I'm sure the front office would've been ok with O'Neill being there, it's just the fact that they're pawning responsibility for decisions like this on people who are either incompetent or are intimidated into behaving like mindless puppets for fear of losing their jobs.... And higher up the chain, the Steinbrenners are pawning off responsibility to Levine and Trost, who really don't give a damn about anything except for the bottom line. Same goes for the ticket re-entry thing. Apparently the apple does fall far from the tree sometimes, because there's no way Georgie would've tolerated this garbage. Heads would be rolling by now.

[brooklyndodger14]

from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6942538.html

Title: Inflatable humanoid forms
Document Type and Number: United States Patent 6942538

Abstract: A method for using one or more inflatable three-dimensional humanoid figures for use in background scenes associated with still photography, motion pictures and video productions which are low in cost, lightweight, easy to use, easy to store, easy to transport and provides a greater range of viewing angles. It is also envisioned that this invention can be used for corporate conventions requiring the illusion of a large number of participants, in advertising and other functions where the illusion of large numbers of people enhance the overall objective of the functions.

They can fill thousands of these in minutes using the hot air that comes from any Randy Levine or Lonn Trost press conference.

Now THAT'S GREEN THINKING! :rolleyes:

http://www.renzamusings.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/otto.jpg

http://www.inflatablecrowd.com/Main/Images.html

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[soup]

Perfect:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/slashed_ticket_prices_allow_lesser?utm_source=a-section

"They certainly are caught up in their history," said Her Preeminence the Contessa Lady Persephone-Fontlesbury du Wadicourt, whose 19-times-great uncle was given his lands, coat of arms, and title by King Philip VI for his role as a footman at the Battle of Crécy, and whose castle doubles as a national museum. "Witness the monument garden and those retired numbers. And the statuary! Really, it's all a bit ostentatious, if I'm honest."

:rofl::rofl:

[yankees650B]

Being a lifelong Yankee fan, I really hope my feelings about the new park change in time. Right now I am not feeling it. They built a monument to excess, not to the New York Yankees and baseball. This feels like the Yankee Stadium Eddie Bauer Edition.

If I hear one more person say "It's just like being in the old stadium!" or "It's a replica of the old stadium" I'm going to spit. I was never even in the old stadium (the original stadium) and I know it is nothing close to the old stadium. Take away the "frieze" and is it REALLY still just like the old stadium?

Please get rid of that stupid multi-media video strip that circles the entire facing of the upper deck!!! Between the outfield video boards, loud music and lack of any quiet time, does there really have to be utter sensory assault at all times???


i agree all when it was being built we heard how the bullpens were in their pre renovated locations but their no where near there.and also that sorry excuse for a flag pole makes me sick. they built the most modern looking ballpark in baseball for a team that supposedly holds tradition so close. yeah right.

[yankees650B]

i'm sorry but how do these even compare. the one has so much detail and is both more majestic and i think potentially more intimidating. the new one is just so plain and simple on the outside not decorative at all like the old. you also can't see the medallions at all, what a same.

[RationalNYYfan]

I respect your opinion, yankees650b, but I think that the sudden disgust in the organization is causing a lot of Yankee fans to project a bit of unfair hatred onto the stadium too. Let's first set a couple things straight: NYS is not OYS. Comparisons are expected, but the architecture is meant to encompass two completely different eras in baseball history. (I agree with you that the OYS facade has a more decorative look to it, but I also think that the NYS facade is very intimidating). I also want to mention that, no matter how disgusting and greedy this organization can be, the stadium is and will always be The Palace of Baseball. (At least in my mind). Like most palaces though, it was built for the nobility and not the commonfolk.

[Tullydew]

i'm sorry but how do these even compare. the one has so much detail and is both more majestic and i think potentially more intimidating. the new one is just so plain and simple on the outside not decorative at all like the old. you also can't see the medallions at all, what a same.



Im still waiting for your PM about your tickets.

For someone who said they are having trouble getting rid of their tickets, you would think you would respond!!

[yankees650B]

Im still waiting for your PM about your tickets.

For someone who said they are having trouble getting rid of their tickets, you would think you would respond!!
sorry about that. my tickets are on stub hub there in terrace section 331 row3 theres two seats and when you click details it says nice seats with good fans. there on for $20 each for tonight's game.

[yankees650B]

I respect your opinion, yankees650b, but I think that the sudden disgust in the organization is causing a lot of Yankee fans to project a bit of unfair hatred onto the stadium too. Let's first set a couple things straight: NYS is not OYS. Comparisons are expected, but the architecture is meant to encompass two completely different eras in baseball history. (I agree with you that the OYS facade has a more decorative look to it, but I also think that the NYS facade is very intimidating). I also want to mention that, no matter how disgusting and greedy this organization can be, the stadium is and will always be The Palace of Baseball. (At least in my mind). Like most palaces though, it was built for the nobility and not the commonfolk.

i understand but shouldn't the Yankees and other ball clubs try and recreate that ""golden" era in baseball history. over the past few years baseball has taken many hits most recently Manny Ramirez and a rod. i never liked the designs of the new stadium and i wouldn't call it a palace, its more like an office building or a bank of baseball.

[Yankeefan3783]

As a Mets fan, one would think that I would be loving this Yankee bashing, but I am not. To start with, there is no curse on the New Yankee Stadium. Yankees management just got very greedy and then were blindsided by an economy that some of us were talking about one year ago. I caught flack when I said last summer that MLB was stuck in 1929 again, and that 1933 may not be far behind. Yes, I got some snide remarks back then for being a wet blanket.........

Before everyone trashes the beautiful new Yankee Stadium, does anyone want to look at the fact that when the Yankees moved over to the Original Yankee Stadium in the booming 1923 economy, their attendance dropped (yes dropped) by 25% from their 1920-1921 levels at the Polo Grounds :
1920 Polo Grounds 1,289,422 1921 Polo grounds 1,230,696 (Ruth was out for a large part of 1922 and attendance was 1,026,134) and when the original YS opened, the greatest stadium of all, they drew 1,007,066 and they dropped to 697,267 by 1925. Did they panic? Did they say "why didn't we stay at the Polo Grounds". Did they say "This place is cursed".

NYS: They overpriced seats. They catered to the elite and well heeled. They made a mistake(s). Why is it that Citi Field is a work in progress according to the pom pom squad, but the New Yankee Stadium is the house of horrors ?
These are probably the same folks who ran around a week ago hiding from the swine flu ! (BTW, I was on cable channel 12 last week saying you don't need to take tamiflu......ouch, hurt my arm patting myself on back again):mad:

Very well said Mandrake.

[Edgar.Martinez]

NYS is kinda like your mom's new boyfriend that you don't really like.

[Yankeefan3783]

I really like the stadium, the real problem are the guys running it who have no clue how to deal with the real fans. I'd like to see 52,000+ at the stadium, and I'm sure it will get very loud and sound a lot like RYS.

[threeyoda]

This is what they should do at NYS:



Dugout to Dugout

Also the Yanks are upgrading tickets to Legends seats.

[yankees650B]

this is what the new Yankee Stadium should have looked like. this is what they should have done during the original 1973 renovation. it provides the necessary amenities while also keeping to tradition.

[Gehrig27]

this is what the new Yankee Stadium should have looked like. this is what they should have done during the original 1973 renovation. it provides the necessary amenities while also keeping to tradition.

That's great; here's my personal preference.

[shaneslatts]

Personally, I pay my $1200/per so I can browse the Peter Mex paintings....and then escape all the trashy Yankee fans with their garish "team" gear and all those tacky "Jeter" jerseys by disappearing to the other side of Levine's moat.

Oh waitress, can you freshen this drink for me darling? Did the Yankees just score a touchdown - can you ask the referee for me? Thanks dear. Love these seats.

Ouch man...thats rough but spot on.
Between the moat, the way the creatures are pushed even further away from the field, the fact that the place just isnt as loud as the old place, etc, etc..., well...either the Yankees fix this nightmare or there will be some very very upset folks when they start to bring down the real Yankee Stadium across the street

[ChineseDemocracy]

BTW Slatts, I liked your little write-up.

[threeyoda]

Ouch man...thats rough but spot on.
Between the moat, the way the creatures are pushed even further away from the field, the fact that the place just isnt as loud as the old place, etc, etc..., well...either the Yankees fix this nightmare or there will be some very very upset folks when they start to bring down the real Yankee Stadium across the street

I agree with you except the last scentence about angry fans. Also, the creatures are 3-5 feet closer to the field

[dpcv8]

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/files/2009/05/photo1.jpg

The "crowd" during the national anthem for a huge game with the defending AL champs - clearly the market is speaking loudly to Levine and Trost.

That never happened at the beautiful mecca of American sports across the street, now sadly being destroyed.

You never went to a Yankee game in the 1980s did you?

[dpcv8]

The whole Paul O'Neill thing is just unconscionable. The Yankee-media relations are becoming more and more MSG-like, which makes me sick to say the least. Either Levine/Trost hired a bunch of incompetents to run security, or they just don't give a damn how much of a joke they're making of the Yankees' public image.

They're becoming more MSG like to ease the transition to when Dolan buys the team after George dies.

[GordonGecko]

This is what they should do at NYS:

Dugout to Dugout

Also the Yanks are upgrading tickets to Legends seats.

The green arrow is where my 4 seats are at Dodger Stadium. I paid an average of $7.60 per ticket in the second biggest city in the United States and their #1 team.

Same tickets at New Yankee Stadium.... $75 each. (+$20 if you buy day of game)

[DiggerODell]

NYS is kinda like your mom's new boyfriend that you don't really like.

Yeah? Just think how poor old dad feels about him :rolleyes:

[RationalNYYfan]

The Yankees are upgrading some tickets to Legends Seats for one reason only, and it isn't because they are being generous...

[toefer]

As a Mets fan, one would think that I would be loving this Yankee bashing, but I am not. To start with, there is no curse on the New Yankee Stadium. Yankees management just got very greedy and then were blindsided by an economy that some of us were talking about one year ago. I caught flack when I said last summer that MLB was stuck in 1929 again, and that 1933 may not be far behind. Yes, I got some snide remarks back then for being a wet blanket.........

Before everyone trashes the beautiful new Yankee Stadium, does anyone want to look at the fact that when the Yankees moved over to the Original Yankee Stadium in the booming 1923 economy, their attendance dropped (yes dropped) by 25% from their 1920-1921 levels at the Polo Grounds :
1920 Polo Grounds 1,289,422 1921 Polo grounds 1,230,696 (Ruth was out for a large part of 1922 and attendance was 1,026,134) and when the original YS opened, the greatest stadium of all, they drew 1,007,066 and they dropped to 697,267 by 1925. Did they panic? Did they say "why didn't we stay at the Polo Grounds". Did they say "This place is cursed".

NYS: They overpriced seats. They catered to the elite and well heeled. They made a mistake(s). Why is it that Citi Field is a work in progress according to the pom pom squad, but the New Yankee Stadium is the house of horrors ?
These are probably the same folks who ran around a week ago hiding from the swine flu ! (BTW, I was on cable channel 12 last week saying you don't need to take tamiflu......ouch, hurt my arm patting myself on back again):mad:

It's a tough comparison to make, and I admit I don't know much about back then to really compare. What were the ticket prices like in YS compared to the Polo Grounds?

Also, in '23, the Yankees ran away with the pennant, finishing 16 games ahead of 2nd place Detroit, and 37 games ahead of Boston. Maybe fans got a little bit bored with all the winning, and decided to skip a lot of the mid-season games.

In '25 Ruth missed a big chunk of the season due to his "bellyache heard round the world", so it's no wonder attendance took a huge hit.

[shaneslatts]

BTW Slatts, I liked your little write-up.

Thanks man. :happy: Maybe I'll find it and move it back over here

[joeybigblue]

have to be changed. I don't care what the postings say that RF is not as deep as Renovated Yankee Stadium's RF. I seen guy hit Homers of the end of the bat playing there. NYS can not be a bandbox.

[shaneslatts]

Hey Guys,
How is everyone, better yet where IS everyone? I saw that the Sox were in town, and I couldnt believe how quiet it was here. Know what? It seemed pretty quiet across the street too. Even Babe was mentioning it to me(sorry, but the Babe says he ain't leavin, he says he would rather wonder around in rightfield and in the narrow Concourses over here while he still can.) He does like to hang around home plate and look around alot too.Oh, by the way..Joe D, Lou and the Mick aint goin across the street either. Babe said to me, 'Hey, keed, I always liked a simple hotdog or maybe eight of em, then a few beers. That place across the street is to hoity toity for me. Not my style. I would rather just stay here with my buddies, this joint has been our home for too long, aint movin me out of here, no sir ree. Im the Babe, not some king wanna be like that hank guy. And anyway, I had a better year then he did"

Ya know, I read in a paper that blew in here (thanks Grantland Rice) that the new place couldnt even sell out for the red sox. Man, I HATED those guys. There was just no way I would let them beat my boys here. You guys were so LOUD here it was unreal. Good thing they built me strong back in the day.
Hey, by the way, that expansion joint thing? It wasnt my fault that when they remodeled me in the 70s that they took alot of stress off that joint. I stopped it from falling as long as I could, and when there was nobody there, I let it drop. If I would have known George was gonna cry about it so much, I would have let it down gently. Gee, what do you expect from an eighty five year old lady, huh? Well, anyway , when Babe first got wind of the newplace, it was right after my boys had the sox 3 games to zip in the playoffs. Babe comes stormin up to me and says "hey, look at what they wanna do!"(he swiped some info from Hanks office) I was like no way Babe, they WOULDNT...The Babe said to me, hey, dont worry old girl, I'll make sure they dont win this one, or any others. Not as long as I got a say-so"
After that series, I guess I was in denial for a while, I kinda forgot. I mean everyone was still comin in, they mowed my grass, the boys were on the field, but Babe, man he can hold a grudge, know what I mean?
Anyway, on the aniversary of the Babes death , I look across the street, and theres a bunch of suits over there, along with George with shovels and stuff. I thought maybe they were gonna announce that they were gonna give the kids a real nice park over there, and then spend some cash to make me really really beautiful again. Like I was brand new, like in 23, ya know? Babe just shook his head at me.
And then it sunk in, I was gonna be replaced
They started bringing in this prefab limestone and to me, in what seemed like a few seconds, the new place was done. Next thing you know, they are having a 'final game ceremony" and Yogi is here and all..(Mick was tryin to say hi, but it was so loud you couldnt hear him Yog)
Anyway, I wake up one morning, and they are taking all my monuments away. Those were my TREASURES. What has that cheap immitation done to get MY prized jewels, anyway. THAT was a bad day. I'm never gonna forget that one. Then they knocked a hole in my wall, next to gate 2, so that steiner and co can get my stuff out easier. Then they peeled my grass out.
I was feelin really abused, know what I mean?
Well anyway everybody, Im sure it wont be long now. While some of you fat cats are eatin suchi across the street where my kids used to play(ya know, on off days, I really liked watchin the kids play over there, the Babe used to watch too. You know how he loved kids) I will be torn into, sold off bit by bit. It's not easy watching your own funeral, ya know?
Anyway, I just wanted to say bye to you all. Lots of your dads are here as well, and wanted to say bye too. Nope, they aint comin across the street either. Slatts, you dad says hi by the way.
Bottom line is that Babe and the Boys have decided to stay here, at his house. Babe said to tell you all that he would rather stay here, and when Im all gone play with the kids in the park that will be here. He aint steppin foot in the new place, out of honor to me. Now THATS a friend, right?
Lou by the way is stayin in 'his room' downstairs. He says he aint comin out till Im all gone. He just dosent want to look at what they will do to me, and hey, I understand how he feels. He was standing at home plate where he gave his farewell speech when they knocked a hole in me. Thats enough for me he said. Babe tried to console him like he did so many years ago, but this was too much for even Lou I guess. He went down the dugout steps and is sitting in his room. Im sure once I'm all gone and the kids are on the field he might come out, but who knows? Hes a pretty sensitve guy
Anyway, maybe in like fourty years when they knock down this 'house that Lon built" and build a new place where the Boys are, they MIGHT come back. Till then , the Babe says to tell you all "Sorry keeds, but the curse is reversed."
To all who loved me, I say THANK YOU, it was a joy. To all of you that just wanted a place to have a martini with your corporate friends, and to all of you fans who seem almost glad to see me go, I say this :You might be excited about the place across the street now, but soon, sooner then you think, your gonna look over where I used to be and say "What did we do, and why did we let this happen'
See ya in 2069,
Yankee Stadium
PS. I wish you guys could all come back

[idontknowthirdbase!]

from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6942538.html

Title: Inflatable humanoid forms
Document Type and Number: United States Patent 6942538

Abstract: A method for using one or more inflatable three-dimensional humanoid figures for use in background scenes associated with still photography, motion pictures and video productions which are low in cost, lightweight, easy to use, easy to store, easy to transport and provides a greater range of viewing angles. It is also envisioned that this invention can be used for corporate conventions requiring the illusion of a large number of participants, in advertising and other functions where the illusion of large numbers of people enhance the overall objective of the functions.

They can fill thousands of these in minutes using the hot air that comes from any Randy Levine or Lonn Trost press conference.

Now THAT'S GREEN THINKING! :rolleyes:

http://www.renzamusings.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/otto.jpg

http://www.inflatablecrowd.com/Main/Images.html

Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

Brilliant post!!!

[mandrake]

Sorry, I'm tired and I need sleep. But before I do, I will try to copy this post I put in the YS thread. Maybe I should title it " How The Yankees allowed me to turn $30 on Stubhub into $700 worth of tickets"

Long Story Alert about 5/7/09

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had 2 tickets baseline box for Mets-Phils.But my wife says she is getting some nursing award and wanted me to go with her. Fine. Unable to sell tickets for decent price, I give them away. Fine. Then my wife said awards nite is postponed. The tickets are gone. Sulking, and feeling sorry for myself, I look at stubhub and see tickets hitting rock bottom for Yankees game. I purchase 2 tickets field level sec 130 row 26 for $15 each. Yippee !! I ask my dad if he wants to go as he can't recall when was the last decade he went. I send an email to the Yankees stating that I see a Wheelchair area behind sec 130 and ask if my dad and I can sit there so my dad does not have to use stairs or get up and down for others in the row.

I get a reply from the Yankees management and it says for me to call this number when I reach whatever gate I arrive at and someone will meet me to discuss. I show up at Gate 4, show one of the 'helpers' outside the email.....they immediately lead me in to Guest services, who call the 'honcho' on the phone. Two well dressed professional people show up, introduce themselves and act like I am their long lost best friend. The person in charge is a lady who takes us on a personal tour of the Yankees Museum (via private elevator ride, of course) and then back to the lobby where she tells me my seats were now in SECTION 120 and leads us there and tells the staff that we will be sitting directly behind home plate in that DAP row. The curtain gets closed behind us so the great unwashed don't bug us
and we enjoy the game in our new $350 seats. A staff member named Theresa stays with us for the game. She is pleasant and knowledgeable and aks me if I have been to the new Mets park. I said yes and she said she will be going there soon. She also said she disliked the name Citi and wished the Mets would have reused the Polo Grounds name since she recalled when the Mets played 'across the river'. My dad and I laughed out loud at her suggestion, and she didn't get the joke.

I can not begin to tell you how well we were treated there all night. I told the 'honcho' that I wished I could use her name and tell the world what she did for us, but she politely asked that I don't use it in print or online. I would love to tell my story in full on Fatso Francesa's show, but he would cut me off and start kissing the Red Sox @$$ again.

The Yankees treated us so well, that even my dad rooted for them tonite. He said it would be rude to root against people who took care of us. This is from a person who still whines about the Dodgers losing to the Yankee's in the 1941 WS on a passed ball.....yet he could put aside 70 years of Yankee hating because of how nice the Yankees treated us.

The Yankees will make the new Stadium work. The employees are going out of their way to help. Obviously, a lot of people were in the legends seats that probably did not pay for them, as I did NOT pay for my $350 seats either.

Who would have thought there was so much love in Da Bronx?????

[GordonGecko]

Sorry, I'm tired and I need sleep. But before I do, I will try to copy this post I put in the YS thread. Maybe I should title it " How The Yankees allowed me to turn $30 on Stubhub into $700 worth of tickets"
Hey Kev great story it just goes to show you that you can still get really good treatment at Yankee Stadium. I never thought I'd say this but I think I overcharged you for the 4/30 game even if it was at about my cost! It's crazy how prices for Yankees tickets have crashed. I can't believe it, I may actually lose money on my Yankees season tickets this year. How times have changed

[YankeeStadium1923]

Hey Kev great story it just goes to show you that you can still get really good treatment at Yankee Stadium. I never thought I'd say this but I think I overcharged you for the 4/30 game even if it was at about my cost! It's crazy how prices for Yankees tickets have crashed. I can't believe it, I may actually lose money on my Yankees season tickets this year. How times have changed
Look on the upside of things.....At least you can have your shoes shined in the new WIDE concourses of Generic ballpark!

[mandrake]

Hey Kev great story it just goes to show you that you can still get really good treatment at Yankee Stadium. I never thought I'd say this but I think I overcharged you for the 4/30 game even if it was at about my cost! It's crazy how prices for Yankees tickets have crashed. I can't believe it, I may actually lose money on my Yankees season tickets this year. How times have changed

No, I don't feel overcharged at all ! I asked to see the Angels on their first trip into the NYS, well before the season even started ! I'm happy with the deal, especially since the tickets were hand delivered to me at Citi Field !
Can't beat that with a stick.

Now, let's see what tickets are doing when the Chisox come rolling into town in August (hint hint)

Also , it was VERY interesting to hear the NYS employees side of the story. Some of the points I discussed with several employees were : old time field level fans getting priced out, fans verbally abusing employees, what to do about fans buying $5 tickets and immediately clogging the field level concourses.

The Yankees are well aware of every issue discussed here on BF. They are working on things , but they are trying to avoid chaos too. I can not believe that I am in the position of defending the Yankees, but they are trying to do the right thing now. I truly feel that if this was ten years ago, a healthy George would NEVER have let this happen to start with.

I actually was asked about my overall experiences at Citi Field and how it compared to NYS. While we were on tour in the Yankees Museum (and my dad was looking for a Joe Gordon baseball - believe it or not there isn't one yet) the 'honcho' asked me if I ever saw the Yanks on the road and I mentioned Anaheim. She asked me a few questions about the Big A and how the overall game experience compared. Folks, the Yankees are trying to make things right !!! Don't confuse a rocky start with the new Stadium and the franchise's new found attitude. They hear you.

[Strawman]

You never went to a Yankee game in the 1980s did you?
Well yeah I did actually - plenty of 'em. Hell, I was at the Pine Tar game. Box seats were packed - I was there.

But I'm also not sure if Levine and Trost were aiming for the worst of the 80s, either.

[Strawman]

Hey Kev great story it just goes to show you that you can still get really good treatment at Yankee Stadium. I never thought I'd say this but I think I overcharged you for the 4/30 game even if it was at about my cost! It's crazy how prices for Yankees tickets have crashed. I can't believe it, I may actually lose money on my Yankees season tickets this year. How times have changed
On both sides of town, the experts in the baseball business over-estimated the demand created by new stadiums. It's not really there. Mets have a little more, perhaps, because they're replacing Shea - while the Yanks have the much harder job of replacing the beloved (and still standing) real Yankee Stadium.

But NY isn't like most of the other cities with new stadiums either. There are more entertainment opportunities here, even in a recession. And hi-def cable package is looking pretty recession-friendly to a lot of middle class New York metro area folks.

So it's no surprise you can grab seats real cheap in the crashing secondary market - or that both teams will have to cut prices for the insanely priced areas (again, Yanks more than Mets).

[SparkyL]

No, I don't feel overcharged at all ! I asked to see the Angels on their first trip into the NYS, well before the season even started ! I'm happy with the deal, especially since the tickets were hand delivered to me at Citi Field !
Can't beat that with a stick.

Now, let's see what tickets are doing when the Chisox come rolling into town in August (hint hint)

Also , it was VERY interesting to hear the NYS employees side of the story. Some of the points I discussed with several employees were : old time field level fans getting priced out, fans verbally abusing employees, what to do about fans buying $5 tickets and immediately clogging the field level concourses.

The Yankees are well aware of every issue discussed here on BF. They are working on things , but they are trying to avoid chaos too. I can not believe that I am in the position of defending the Yankees, but they are trying to do the right thing now. I truly feel that if this was ten years ago, a healthy George would NEVER have let this happen to start with.

I actually was asked about my overall experiences at Citi Field and how it compared to NYS. While we were on tour in the Yankees Museum (and my dad was looking for a Joe Gordon baseball - believe it or not there isn't one yet) the 'honcho' asked me if I ever saw the Yanks on the road and I mentioned Anaheim. She asked me a few questions about the Big A and how the overall game experience compared. Folks, the Yankees are trying to make things right !!! Don't confuse a rocky start with the new Stadium and the franchise's new found attitude. They hear you.

Well - if they are reading this - the best thing that they have done so far is not making the field concourse private. If they ever revert back to the original plan of restricting access - that one thing alone would make me terminate my ticket plan.

Other than bringing the ticket prices back to Earth, the other two suggestions I have is:

1) Open up the upper Legends Suite resturaunt to all ticket planholders at a reasonable price (I want a replacement for the Pinstripe Pub and the Sports Bar is not it . . . )

2) Loosen up access to non-premium seating areas during BP

[stadiumbuilder]

8 more 4-baggers in last night's game.

[mandrake]

Well - if they are reading this - the best thing that they have done so far is not making the field concourse private. If they ever revert back to the original plan of restricting access - that one thing alone would make me terminate my ticket plan.

Other than bringing the ticket prices back to Earth, the other two suggestions I have is:

1) Open up the upper Legends Suite resturaunt to all ticket planholders at a reasonable price (I want a replacement for the Pinstripe Pub and the Sports Bar is not it . . . )

2) Loosen up access to non-premium seating areas during BP

Devils advocate questions:

What do they do if 3,000 fans decide to stand in the field level concourse? What about 5,000 or even 10,000? Where does it become a safety issue?
What if the concourse becomes mobbed? Where is the line drawn between unrestricted access and comfort, or even safety ?

[GordonGecko]

Devils advocate questions:

What do they do if 3,000 fans decide to stand in the field level concourse? What about 5,000 or even 10,000? Where does it become a safety issue?
What if the concourse becomes mobbed? Where is the line drawn between unrestricted access and comfort, or even safety ?

I think it's probably self limiting. When you get 4 or 5 deep that means A) it's a must see game and B) you can't see anything and people either move to a less crowded spot or go to their seats because they don't want to miss anything

[schnu]

Someone called into Francesa yesterday and made an analogy that made sense to me on the premium seats.

The Yankees are trying to sell a unique experience & just like first class on an airplane, they really don't want to move people up from coach into the premium cabin.

Its over the top because the Yankees don't see it as just a ball game & they rather not sell the seats than sell them for $100.

Francesa didn't want to believe it but it makes sense - for those seats its not about the ballgame.

And that's at the detriment to the rest of the stadium and the look on TV. Its not just a little off-putting to see those seats empty - its disturbing and gives the appearance that the Yankees can't draw people a la the Pirates, Islanders, etc.

[metfan61]

Sorry, I'm tired and I need sleep. But before I do, I will try to copy this post I put in the YS thread. Maybe I should title it " How The Yankees allowed me to turn $30 on Stubhub into $700 worth of tickets"

Long Story Alert about 5/7/09

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had 2 tickets baseline box for Mets-Phils.But my wife says she is getting some nursing award and wanted me to go with her. Fine. Unable to sell tickets for decent price, I give them away. Fine. Then my wife said awards nite is postponed. The tickets are gone. Sulking, and feeling sorry for myself, I look at stubhub and see tickets hitting rock bottom for Yankees game. I purchase 2 tickets field level sec 130 row 26 for $15 each. Yippee !! I ask my dad if he wants to go as he can't recall when was the last decade he went. I send an email to the Yankees stating that I see a Wheelchair area behind sec 130 and ask if my dad and I can sit there so my dad does not have to use stairs or get up and down for others in the row.

I get a reply from the Yankees management and it says for me to call this number when I reach whatever gate I arrive at and someone will meet me to discuss. I show up at Gate 4, show one of the 'helpers' outside the email.....they immediately lead me in to Guest services, who call the 'honcho' on the phone. Two well dressed professional people show up, introduce themselves and act like I am their long lost best friend. The person in charge is a lady who takes us on a personal tour of the Yankees Museum (via private elevator ride, of course) and then back to the lobby where she tells me my seats were now in SECTION 120 and leads us there and tells the staff that we will be sitting directly behind home plate in that DAP row. The curtain gets closed behind us so the great unwashed don't bug us
and we enjoy the game in our new $350 seats. A staff member named Theresa stays with us for the game. She is pleasant and knowledgeable and aks me if I have been to the new Mets park. I said yes and she said she will be going there soon. She also said she disliked the name Citi and wished the Mets would have reused the Polo Grounds name since she recalled when the Mets played 'across the river'. My dad and I laughed out loud at her suggestion, and she didn't get the joke.

I can not begin to tell you how well we were treated there all night. I told the 'honcho' that I wished I could use her name and tell the world what she did for us, but she politely asked that I don't use it in print or online. I would love to tell my story in full on Fatso Francesa's show, but he would cut me off and start kissing the Red Sox @$$ again.

The Yankees treated us so well, that even my dad rooted for them tonite. He said it would be rude to root against people who took care of us. This is from a person who still whines about the Dodgers losing to the Yankee's in the 1941 WS on a passed ball.....yet he could put aside 70 years of Yankee hating because of how nice the Yankees treated us.

The Yankees will make the new Stadium work. The employees are going out of their way to help. Obviously, a lot of people were in the legends seats that probably did not pay for them, as I did NOT pay for my $350 seats either.

Who would have thought there was so much love in Da Bronx?????


Great story, you scored bigtime but I get the feeling that if the game was even close to a sellout as the Yankees had projected, you probably wouldn't have got the time of day. Maybe I'm being cenacle but I the Yankees had a fan friendly mindset from the get go, they wouldn't have this mess on their hands.

I'm going to keep an eye on stubhub to score some unwanted Yankee tickets soon.

[Ralphw]

Its time to face it...
This new stadium is all wrong,

The home field advantage is gone... the big upperdeck bowl full of rabid stomping fans overhanging the field was the most intimidating feature in OYS.

They ruined it, Grave mistake. The stupid stuffed seats near the field can be fixed, but the open air concourses and the ridiculous upper decks being so far from the field can't. The sound used to funnel down to the field, now it just goes everywhere. its gone.... finished... over.
face it the powers that be have put the dollar ahead of the game. This new stadium will never have that feel.

pitchers used to have to fight through the fan noise to concentrate on the batter, not now and never again.

The sight of the upper deck porch hanging over right field was vintage Yankees and its gone.

To me this has been the biggest mistake in modern sports history.

The old stadium was as much a part of the Yankees as Mantle and Ruth and Gehrig.

very sad.

[Strawman]

Its time to face it...
To me this has been the biggest mistake in modern sports history.


Nobody has said it better - that's exactly what this is.

[Coach Bombay]

I really don't understand it.

I've been to the NYS 2x, and it's a great place to watch a game, and I thought the crowd was really into it. Stadium gets loud when the team actually gives them something to cheer about.

[MarcianoNY]

Its time to face it...
This new stadium is all wrong,

The home field advantage is gone... the big upperdeck bowl full of rabid stomping fans overhanging the field was the most intimidating feature in OYS.

They ruined it, Grave mistake. The stupid stuffed seats near the field can be fixed, but the open air concourses and the ridiculous upper decks being so far from the field can't. The sound used to funnel down to the field, now it just goes everywhere. its gone.... finished... over.
face it the powers that be have put the dollar ahead of the game. This new stadium will never have that feel.

pitchers used to have to fight through the fan noise to concentrate on the batter, not now and never again.

The sight of the upper deck porch hanging over right field was vintage Yankees and its gone.

To me this has been the biggest mistake in modern sports history.

The old stadium was as much a part of the Yankees as Mantle and Ruth and Gehrig.

very sad.

The thing is you an hear the creatures loud and clear on TV. The other day you could hear them chanting "a-hole" at someone wearing a sox jersey clear as a bell, but you don't get a sense anything is happening in the rest of the stadium. So I'm not totally buying the argument that the acoustics in this stadium are dead; my guess is when/if they make things right with the fans and fill the seats up, it'll sound like a Yankee game. Maybe not the same, but still rockin.

[tomzpc]

The whole Paul O'Neill thing is just unconscionable. The Yankee-media relations are becoming more and more MSG-like, which makes me sick to say the least. Either Levine/Trost hired a bunch of incompetents to run security, or they just don't give a damn how much of a joke they're making of the Yankees' public image.

I don't understand why anyone is bothered by this. O'neill is part of the media now and the media isn't allowed there. He isn't part of the team.
And why in the hell should his wife have access to the wive's lounge? Should they allow the wives of every former Yankee player to hang out there? This is just typical NY media reaction IMO when it should be a "non-story".

[MarcianoNY]

I don't understand why anyone is bothered by this. O'neill is part of the media now and the media isn't allowed there. He isn't part of the team.
And why in the hell should his wife have access to the wive's lounge? Should they allow the wives of every former Yankee player to hang out there? This is just typical NY media reaction IMO when it should be a "non-story".

He's Paul O'Neill, Yankee Legend. Not some d-bag from the Daily News that bashes the Yankees every time they open their mouth. That's why. There are exceptions to every rule. The point is they have people in charge who either know nothing about baseball, don't care, or are too scared to lose their jobs to use common sense. They probably would've kicked Phil Rizzuto or Bobby Murcer out too.

[tomzpc]

Sorry, I'm tired and I need sleep. But before I do, I will try to copy this post I put in the YS thread. Maybe I should title it " How The Yankees allowed me to turn $30 on Stubhub into $700 worth of tickets"

Long Story Alert about 5/7/09

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had 2 tickets baseline box for Mets-Phils.But my wife says she is getting some nursing award and wanted me to go with her. Fine. Unable to sell tickets for decent price, I give them away. Fine. Then my wife said awards nite is postponed. The tickets are gone. Sulking, and feeling sorry for myself, I look at stubhub and see tickets hitting rock bottom for Yankees game. I purchase 2 tickets field level sec 130 row 26 for $15 each. Yippee !! I ask my dad if he wants to go as he can't recall when was the last decade he went. I send an email to the Yankees stating that I see a Wheelchair area behind sec 130 and ask if my dad and I can sit there so my dad does not have to use stairs or get up and down for others in the row.

I get a reply from the Yankees management and it says for me to call this number when I reach whatever gate I arrive at and someone will meet me to discuss. I show up at Gate 4, show one of the 'helpers' outside the email.....they immediately lead me in to Guest services, who call the 'honcho' on the phone. Two well dressed professional people show up, introduce themselves and act like I am their long lost best friend. The person in charge is a lady who takes us on a personal tour of the Yankees Museum (via private elevator ride, of course) and then back to the lobby where she tells me my seats were now in SECTION 120 and leads us there and tells the staff that we will be sitting directly behind home plate in that DAP row. The curtain gets closed behind us so the great unwashed don't bug us
and we enjoy the game in our new $350 seats. A staff member named Theresa stays with us for the game. She is pleasant and knowledgeable and aks me if I have been to the new Mets park. I said yes and she said she will be going there soon. She also said she disliked the name Citi and wished the Mets would have reused the Polo Grounds name since she recalled when the Mets played 'across the river'. My dad and I laughed out loud at her suggestion, and she didn't get the joke.

I can not begin to tell you how well we were treated there all night. I told the 'honcho' that I wished I could use her name and tell the world what she did for us, but she politely asked that I don't use it in print or online. I would love to tell my story in full on Fatso Francesa's show, but he would cut me off and start kissing the Red Sox @$$ again.

The Yankees treated us so well, that even my dad rooted for them tonite. He said it would be rude to root against people who took care of us. This is from a person who still whines about the Dodgers losing to the Yankee's in the 1941 WS on a passed ball.....yet he could put aside 70 years of Yankee hating because of how nice the Yankees treated us.

The Yankees will make the new Stadium work. The employees are going out of their way to help. Obviously, a lot of people were in the legends seats that probably did not pay for them, as I did NOT pay for my $350 seats either.

Who would have thought there was so much love in Da Bronx?????

Great story Kevin! Thanks for sharing it.

Very cool that you have been able to spend some time with your dad in these new ballparks. I know that you're enjoying it and I'm willing to bet that it means the world to him buddy!

[Ralphw]

I really don't understand it.

I've been to the NYS 2x, and it's a great place to watch a game, and I thought the crowd was really into it. Stadium gets loud when the team actually gives them something to cheer about.


To me it sounds like going to the Mall at Christmas time and feels like it too.

[RationalNYYfan]

To me it sounds like going to the Mall at Christmas time and feels like it too.

A friend of mine (he's a Sox fan) told me that when he went to OYS for the first time, he wasn't just intimidated...he was terrified.

Well he got to see the Sox play at the new Stadium earlier this week, and he said he was 'wowed' not because of how intimidating the place was, but because it looked so damn expensive. And that's that.

[shaneslatts]

Its time to face it...
This new stadium is all wrong,

The home field advantage is gone... the big upperdeck bowl full of rabid stomping fans overhanging the field was the most intimidating feature in OYS.

They ruined it, Grave mistake. The stupid stuffed seats near the field can be fixed, but the open air concourses and the ridiculous upper decks being so far from the field can't. The sound used to funnel down to the field, now it just goes everywhere. its gone.... finished... over.
face it the powers that be have put the dollar ahead of the game. This new stadium will never have that feel.

pitchers used to have to fight through the fan noise to concentrate on the batter, not now and never again.

The sight of the upper deck porch hanging over right field was vintage Yankees and its gone.

To me this has been the biggest mistake in modern sports history.

The old stadium was as much a part of the Yankees as Mantle and Ruth and Gehrig.

very sad.

Well said. Yankee Stadium was a link from the past to the present. It was the one thing that all the Yankees had in common. From Ruth to Jeter. The noise, the buzz, it was all there. And when the Yankees had the talent on the field, like the late 90s team as an example, the Stadium itself was overly intimidating to opposing teams, especialy at playoff and world series time. Players from other teams knew they were coming into the 'House that Ruth Built" and even though it might not have been said, the "feeling" of of not only playing aganist the team on the field, but also playing aganist the "ghosts' was in the back of their minds. It was much, MUCH more then just a 'home field advantage' That is now gone. The "link" is broken.
And it cant be fixed. Sad indeed.

[Robbyb26]

Jeez...The giant obnoxious screen is already starting to to break!

Sorry so big..

[Ralphw]

what the heck is that?

its not too big... its waaaay too big

[Lafferty Daniel]

Its time to face it...
This new stadium is all wrong,

The home field advantage is gone... the big upperdeck bowl full of rabid stomping fans overhanging the field was the most intimidating feature in OYS.

They ruined it, Grave mistake. The stupid stuffed seats near the field can be fixed, but the open air concourses and the ridiculous upper decks being so far from the field can't. The sound used to funnel down to the field, now it just goes everywhere. its gone.... finished... over.
face it the powers that be have put the dollar ahead of the game. This new stadium will never have that feel.

pitchers used to have to fight through the fan noise to concentrate on the batter, not now and never again.

The sight of the upper deck porch hanging over right field was vintage Yankees and its gone.

To me this has been the biggest mistake in modern sports history.

The old stadium was as much a part of the Yankees as Mantle and Ruth and Gehrig.

very sad.

Kinda reminds me when the Celtics moved from The Garden to the Fleet Center.

[Ralphw]

was just thinking that

[Ralphw]

here ya go bud

http://ralphw.net/IMG_1736.JPG

[mandrake]

Kinda reminds me when the Celtics moved from The Garden to the Fleet Center.

The Fleet Center? Is that where the NBA champoins played last season???

[CoreyNYC]

Wow someone is a Yankee/Steinbrenner suckup/apologist.

People should be patient regarding the Yankees fixing things but the Mets should have had everything perfect from day 1. Hypocritical much?

Sorry, I'm tired and I need sleep. But before I do, I will try to copy this post I put in the YS thread. Maybe I should title it " How The Yankees allowed me to turn $30 on Stubhub into $700 worth of tickets"

Long Story Alert about 5/7/09

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had 2 tickets baseline box for Mets-Phils.But my wife says she is getting some nursing award and wanted me to go with her. Fine. Unable to sell tickets for decent price, I give them away. Fine. Then my wife said awards nite is postponed. The tickets are gone. Sulking, and feeling sorry for myself, I look at stubhub and see tickets hitting rock bottom for Yankees game. I purchase 2 tickets field level sec 130 row 26 for $15 each. Yippee !! I ask my dad if he wants to go as he can't recall when was the last decade he went. I send an email to the Yankees stating that I see a Wheelchair area behind sec 130 and ask if my dad and I can sit there so my dad does not have to use stairs or get up and down for others in the row.

I get a reply from the Yankees management and it says for me to call this number when I reach whatever gate I arrive at and someone will meet me to discuss. I show up at Gate 4, show one of the 'helpers' outside the email.....they immediately lead me in to Guest services, who call the 'honcho' on the phone. Two well dressed professional people show up, introduce themselves and act like I am their long lost best friend. The person in charge is a lady who takes us on a personal tour of the Yankees Museum (via private elevator ride, of course) and then back to the lobby where she tells me my seats were now in SECTION 120 and leads us there and tells the staff that we will be sitting directly behind home plate in that DAP row. The curtain gets closed behind us so the great unwashed don't bug us
and we enjoy the game in our new $350 seats. A staff member named Theresa stays with us for the game. She is pleasant and knowledgeable and aks me if I have been to the new Mets park. I said yes and she said she will be going there soon. She also said she disliked the name Citi and wished the Mets would have reused the Polo Grounds name since she recalled when the Mets played 'across the river'. My dad and I laughed out loud at her suggestion, and she didn't get the joke.

I can not begin to tell you how well we were treated there all night. I told the 'honcho' that I wished I could use her name and tell the world what she did for us, but she politely asked that I don't use it in print or online. I would love to tell my story in full on Fatso Francesa's show, but he would cut me off and start kissing the Red Sox @$$ again.

The Yankees treated us so well, that even my dad rooted for them tonite. He said it would be rude to root against people who took care of us. This is from a person who still whines about the Dodgers losing to the Yankee's in the 1941 WS on a passed ball.....yet he could put aside 70 years of Yankee hating because of how nice the Yankees treated us.

The Yankees will make the new Stadium work. The employees are going out of their way to help. Obviously, a lot of people were in the legends seats that probably did not pay for them, as I did NOT pay for my $350 seats either.

Who would have thought there was so much love in Da Bronx?????

No, I don't feel overcharged at all ! I asked to see the Angels on their first trip into the NYS, well before the season even started ! I'm happy with the deal, especially since the tickets were hand delivered to me at Citi Field !
Can't beat that with a stick.

Now, let's see what tickets are doing when the Chisox come rolling into town in August (hint hint)

Also , it was VERY interesting to hear the NYS employees side of the story. Some of the points I discussed with several employees were : old time field level fans getting priced out, fans verbally abusing employees, what to do about fans buying $5 tickets and immediately clogging the field level concourses.

The Yankees are well aware of every issue discussed here on BF. They are working on things , but they are trying to avoid chaos too. I can not believe that I am in the position of defending the Yankees, but they are trying to do the right thing now. I truly feel that if this was ten years ago, a healthy George would NEVER have let this happen to start with.

I actually was asked about my overall experiences at Citi Field and how it compared to NYS. While we were on tour in the Yankees Museum (and my dad was looking for a Joe Gordon baseball - believe it or not there isn't one yet) the 'honcho' asked me if I ever saw the Yanks on the road and I mentioned Anaheim. She asked me a few questions about the Big A and how the overall game experience compared. Folks, the Yankees are trying to make things right !!! Don't confuse a rocky start with the new Stadium and the franchise's new found attitude. They hear you.

[Rob R]

Love this thread. A place for some Mets, Sox and pretend "Yankee fans" to express their "outrage" over NYS and hopefully keep them from trolling in the NYS thread.

I have my own issues with NYS - as to be expected with any new park - (as I and others discuss in NYS), but outrage? Last time I looked, they did a great job incorporating the old with the new at NYS, with far better amenities and comforts. Plus, my family and good friends are healthy and I still have a job, so no outrage here.

[Lafferty Daniel]

The Fleet Center? Is that where the NBA champoins played last season???

Fleet Center/TD Bankwhatever....you know what I mean.

[Lafferty Daniel]

Love this thread. A place for some Mets, Sox and "pretend" Yankee fans to express their "outrage" over NYS and hopefully keep them from trolling in the NYS thread.

Oh c'mon now Rob. Some legit concerns have been raised here. You know I like the design of NYS, but I also feel that the Yankees brass needs to do a better job making the stadium more fan friendly. Hopefully the Yankees brass and other teams can learn from this.

[Rob R]

Oh c'mon now Rob. Some legit concerns have been raised here. You know I like the design of NYS, but I also feel that the Yankees brass needs to do a better job making the stadium more fan friendly. Hopefully the Yankees brass and other teams can learn from this.

As they've been raised in the NYS thread and you aren't seeing a majority of Yanks fans posting here, that's for sure.

And to be quite honest, I've been treated exceptionally well at the stadium and the same way fans couldn't afford $500 prime seats, they wouldn't be able to afford $1,200 seats, but a good time can be had for a reasonable price at NYS. If people choose to make their lives miserable by focusing on things that they can't, aren't, or will never be able to do, that's their prerogative, but I choose to live a healthier life. It's not like some complainers were able to afford first row seats behind the plate before or attend BP in the recent past. Do I love the segregation? Of course not, and I've expressed this, but this will happen at any park to an extent. But outraged? Sorry. There's far too many other important things to be outraged about, that affect the quality ours and our family's lives.

[Ralphw]

Thats Great I'm glad you had a great day at the ballpark, but the yankees will never be able to "fix" what is really wrong with the new park. The perfect model of the park that they should of stuck to is being dismantled and sold one piece at a time across the street.


all the seats could be 2 bucks each and that still would not fix it.

[threeyoda]

Its time to face it...
This new stadium is all wrong,

The home field advantage is gone... the big upperdeck bowl full of rabid stomping fans overhanging the field was the most intimidating feature in OYS.

They ruined it, Grave mistake. The stupid stuffed seats near the field can be fixed, but the open air concourses and the ridiculous upper decks being so far from the field can't. The sound used to funnel down to the field, now it just goes everywhere. its gone.... finished... over.
face it the powers that be have put the dollar ahead of the game. This new stadium will never have that feel.

pitchers used to have to fight through the fan noise to concentrate on the batter, not now and never again.

The sight of the upper deck porch hanging over right field was vintage Yankees and its gone.

To me this has been the biggest mistake in modern sports history.

The old stadium was as much a part of the Yankees as Mantle and Ruth and Gehrig.

very sad.


I resepect your opinion but come on! It's time to move on. Times change and architecture and technology evolve. The old Yankee Stadium was amazing and had the WOW-factor when it opened. But was it as loud as RYS. As I've seen, attendence dropped from 1922 to 1923 by 5,000. The original Yankee Stadium was just another baseball field except for the triple decks. Much of it's intimidation came from the success of the team and the events that happened there. Same goes for the Boston Garden, Fenway, or MSG. When they opened, they were just another arena or stadium. The teams that played there and the events that happened there made the names of that place go in the history books. If the Islanders were the ONLY team that ever played at MSG and they didn't allow any events (concerts, boxing) to take place their, would it be as famous? No.

If Joe Louis never boxed at Yankee Stadium, or the Giants never played there would it be as famous? If Billy Joel didn't have a show there, or the Yankees had the fate of the Cubs, would Yankee Stadium be as famous?

[Ralphw]

If Joe Louis never boxed at Yankee Stadium, or the Giants never played there would it be as famous? If Billy Joel didn't have a show there, or the Yankees had the fate of the Cubs, would Yankee Stadium be as famous?
with all due respect as well.....

What do you think?


Of course it would


Just listen to the other players and managers who have played there(NYS) so far, Its obvious the new place is lacking the intimidation factor of the big upperdeck hovering over the field and the sparse seating(seats not fans) in the areas near the field. Its different now.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5isaNbeoJaN573Q43AH7kIJk0J9oQD97VTF4O4

its just big over priced concession stand with a ballgame in the middle.. surrounded by a fake yankee stadium. And not a very good fake at that.

BTW.. I could not be a bigger Yankee fan. been a fan since the 70s. so there are real fans in this thread.



and so it goes...... Hopefully this team will get it going and start building some new history in this park ,but its the end of the Yankees we all grew up with.

[Rob R]

Oh c'mon now Rob. Some legit concerns have been raised here. You know I like the design of NYS, but I also feel that the Yankees brass needs to do a better job making the stadium more fan friendly. Hopefully the Yankees brass and other teams can learn from this.

And again, the loudest "complaints" are coming from a couple of Mets fans, Sox fans, and an obvious pretend Yankee fan and those who've yet to attend a game here. It's more "seeing the Yanks in their cornflakes" than anything else. I suppose you'd have to be a Yankee fan to know that this is predictable and far from shocking. That's not to say there aren't some legitimate complaints, but just look how many of them have taken over the other thread as well. And you'll see that some reasonable Mets fans are making the best arguments in defending NYS.

I also forgot to mention the Yanks fans who thought that even the idea of building a new stadium was sacrilegious, prior to NYS even being built, will never be happy with NYS.

[NYBase]

For all the crap the new stadium is getting in this thread... the fan experience is actually a lot better than it ever was. I use to see usher vs. patron fights at the old place. I don't miss that.

[Ralphw]

For all the crap the new stadium is getting in this thread... the fan experience is actually a lot better than it ever was. I use to see usher vs. patron fights at the old place. I don't miss that.


Don't get me wrong, It was time to do something. The old stadium was a pig sty. I just think they could have done a lot more with the design of stands to keep the feel of the old place.


all the other stuff,, the pricing,,, the rules,,,the greed,,,whos allowed where,,etc. will change and evolve as time goes by. The shape of the stands will not.

[yankees650B]

the stadium just looks like crowds of people standing on top of each other. maybe that's unclear, what i mean is that there is no distinction from the second deck to the bleachers it;s just a crowd of people. there should be b;blue facing on the second deck and the grandstand in stead of the metal fence like stuff. if you look at old pictures of the original stadium the facing of the second deck looks like the subway platforms around new york, i think it was intentional. even the color of some above ground platforms have a similar green color that to the oys.

[Robbyb26]

here ya go bud

http://ralphw.net/IMG_1736.JPG

Thanks man!!

[Ralphw]

Cool pics,,, you might be right??? hard to say

Man ....The Loge Level.... spent a few rainy nights sitting there back in the 80s

Then after the rain delay was over we would move down to the dugout area after most everyone left..... those days are gone...

too bad

[yankees650B]

Cool pics,,, you might be right??? hard to say

Man ....The Loge Level.... spent a few rainy nights sitting there back in the 80s

Then after the rain delay was over we would move down to the dugout area after most everyone left..... those days are gone...

too bad

i used to do the exact same thing, one of the last games i went to last season i had tickets in the upper deck and it poured. we stood on the field concourse and when play resumed we went right down to the field level not the way lower but it was still a great seat. i definitely miss that.

[Rob R]

This was the biggest outrage:

Taking this
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241/fafafooey69/oys22.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241/fafafooey69/Old_Yankee_Stadium_Postcard.jpg

and turning it into this

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241/fafafooey69/3769_800px-yankee_stadium_exterior.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241/fafafooey69/YankeeStadiumugh.jpg

[YankeeFanBx]

I saw my first game in 1965 at Yankee Stadium, I loved that stadium from my first step inside.
I feel the same about the new stadium, I love it, and will forever cherish going to the first major league game played there.
It's time to move on, hate the new park if you will, for whatever reasons you have, but this is Yankee Stadium.
I love it, it's not ideal, but it will only get better.

[Ralphw]

Absolutely

[Aviator_Frank]

This was the biggest outrage

I dunno. I think that huge Longines Official Time monstrosity has got to be right up there in terms of blatantly defacing a piece of architecture. At least the escalator tower sort of matched the facade. Well, at least in color.

[Rob R]

I dunno. I think that huge Longines Official Time monstrosity has got to be right up there in terms of blatantly defacing a piece of architecture. At least the escalator tower sort of matched the facade. Well, at least in color.

I agree with that awful Longines digital clock was an eyesore and to a lesser extent, that black band with "Yankee Stadium" in white letters that encircled the upper exterior. What were they thinking?

But, to me, not as bad as that escalator tower, if only because it was permanent. And ugly, IMO. Other than the frieze, was anything more distinct than the front (Gate 4) of Yankee Stadium?

[Ralphw]

I agree with that awful Longines digital clock was an eyesore and to a lesser extent, that black band with "Yankee Stadium" in white letters that encircled the upper exterior. What were they thinking?

But, to me, not as bad as that escalator tower, if only because it was permanent. And ugly, IMO. Other than the frieze, was anything more distinct than the front (Gate 4) of Yankee Stadium?

I wonder if when they take it apart if we will get to see it again......

[Rob R]

I wonder if when they take it apart if we will get to see it again......

Wow. That would be interesting AND eerie.

[The Monument]

I wonder if when they take it apart if we will get to see it again......

We will not get to see it again. It is gone. It is not hiding behind the escalator tower. It was removed and the space that was left was replaced with the escalators. See www.ys-stadiumphotos.com

[applenut]

For all the crap the new stadium is getting in this thread... the fan experience is actually a lot better than it ever was. I use to see usher vs. patron fights at the old place. I don't miss that.

uh.... staff is pretty much all the same.... not sure what having a new stadium has done for that.

[Ralphw]

We will not get to see it again. It is gone. It is not hiding behind the escalator tower. It was removed and the space that was left was replaced with the escalators. See www.ys-stadiumphotos.com

:mad:
been looking for that picture all night... Thanks

[Philtration]

How many times, on this very site, was a poster told to get over his obsession with Tiger Stadium?
“Let it go” he was told over and over.
“Embrace Comerica” everyone said.
“It was time” was the response to his posts.
He hated the new park because it was not Tiger Stadium and too many posters could not understand why he preferred the decrepit and outdated place over what appeared to be a very good new park.
“They are never going back to the old place” was the advice given to him.

When the Chicago stadium was replaced everyone cried that things would never be the same.
The history was gone.
The closeness was gone.
The noise was gone.
The Bulls won titles in 91, 92 and 93 and the old stadium was closed in 94.
The United Center opened and people complained that it was bigger and less intimidating than the stadium was and they were right but the Bulls won titles in 96, 97 and 98 in their new home and no one complained about it again.
The old place was spent and its time had come.
The new building is far more comfortable to see a game and a new history has already started.
I loved Comiskey Park and I miss going there but to be honest, U.S. Cellular is a far more comfortable place to see a game and I love it now.
The same thing happened with Soldier Field. The shock of it not being the old place has worn off and I accept the new one for what it is. A great stadium.

The new Yankee Stadium will be fine if they correct a few things. U.S. Cellular Field has shown that you can start with a bad park and turn it around and NYS is not starting in the same hole that the Cell did.
While U.S. Cellular was a rough draft for the current stadium when it opened, NYS is much closer to the finished product.
The ticket prices are insane and they will have to swallow their Yankee pride on that one but the building itself does not need an over haul by any means.
Just some tweaks.
If they stop with the whole royalty vs. the peasants mentality that they created it will be a lot better right away.

Let the Yankees win a championship there and people will see things in a different light.

[ChineseDemocracy]

If anyone has seen stadiumbuilder's Super 8 footage of the renovation, you'll remember how eerie it was seeing Gate 4 GUTTED the way it was.

These pictures are amazing. Amazing in the sense that we didn't have too many pictures of the renovation, especially from these points of view.

Poor frieze.

[soup]

We will not get to see it again. It is gone. It is not hiding behind the escalator tower. It was removed and the space that was left was replaced with the escalators. See www.ys-stadiumphotos.com

those pictures are heart-wrenching

[NYBase]

uh.... staff is pretty much all the same.... not sure what having a new stadium has done for that.

no it is not. they've kept some of the beer vendors... remember centerplate is gone and many of the new employees are part of legends hospitality.

people are definitely nicer... don't know what you've seen.

[Vinzo]

I saw my first game in 1965 at Yankee Stadium, I loved that stadium from my first step inside.
I feel the same about the new stadium, I love it, and will forever cherish going to the first major league game played there.
It's time to move on, hate the new park if you will, for whatever reasons you have, but this is Yankee Stadium.
I love it, it's not ideal, but it will only get better.

I agree with you.My grandfather took me to my first game in 1963 and I remember seeing Mantle play and have so many memories since then that will always stay with me.We as fans,true fans,not the fairweather fans or the fly by night fans or what have you,have to make this OUR stadium.Change can be hard.Letting go of the past is not always easy.If we are going to support the Yankees because we are fans of baseball and we love our team then we can send the message to the Yankee management that we want this to be a fan friendly stadium - not for the rich and famous - but for those who want to see the best team in baseball play the game.It's so early in the season yet and I'm sure that the Yankee organization is feeling out what is going on right now.I hope they make serious efforts to improve on the issues that bother us - the real fans.It's not the building that makes the difference, it's the people.Let's go Yanks!

[mandrake]

Wow someone is a Yankee/Steinbrenner suckup/apologist.
People should be patient regarding the Yankees fixing things but the Mets should have had everything perfect from day 1. Hypocritical much?

The problems that the Yankees currently have with their beautiful new stadium is nothing physical. They over priced seats and it backfired. They intend on fixing it, but they have to think things out and fix it in a fair way. They are drawing over 44k per game, so somebody is going to the Stadium.
Nobody is priced out of the stadium. Some people got shafted on locations, I agree. But the seats were expensive last year behind the plate too, and not many fans on BF were sitting there on a regular basis. Do yourself a favor and go there with an open mind and take it all in.

Citi field is great. I love the place. I love the seats. The Mets have treated me well, beyond my widlest dreams.(Wait until Sunday's game coming up!!!) My issue with them is there needs to be more Mets stuff. The Yankees have a monument park, the Mets need something comparable. The Yanks have Babe Ruth plaza, the Mets need Gil Hodges Plaza. The Yanks have a museum worthy of Cooperstown; the Mets need one too. The Yankees brag about their tradition, the Mets seem to shy away from their pre Wilpon history. We have discussed ad nauseum the JRR, Dodgers shirts in stores, etc,etc, and the total lack of Mrs Payson and the Giants heritage.

I am still waiting for someone, anyone, who will take some time and put down the pom poms and tell me what the heck the "47" store has to do with the Mets. (1969, 1986, I can see).

[nymdan]

I am still waiting for someone, anyone, who will take some time and put down the pom poms and tell me what the heck the "47" store has to do with the Mets. (1969, 1986, I can see).
47 is the name of a company.
http://www.nineteen47.com/

[mandrake]

47 is the name of a company.
http://www.nineteen47.com/

Thanks. I never heard of them before!

[Philtration]

We will not get to see it again. It is gone. It is not hiding behind the escalator tower. It was removed and the space that was left was replaced with the escalators. See www.ys-stadiumphotos.com

Damn. that was pretty sad.
Those pics really show how much of the original Yankee Stadium was saved.
Not very much at all.

The real Yankee Stadium has been gone for over 30 years.

[mandrake]

And you'll see that some reasonable Mets fans are making the best arguments in defending NYS.


Hey, I hope I made the list as a reasonable Mets fan. I was called a Yankees suckup/Steinbrenner apologist on here for trying to be reasonable.

The one thing that stands out the most on my Thursday trip to YS was the question/answer part with the Yankees 'honcho' while my dad was checking out the Babe Ruth era in the Museum. She seemed really interested in what I had to say, and she was the one asking the questions and I was trying my best to respond. I felt that once she felt comfortable that I was semi-knowledgable, she was pumping me for my opinions (i.e comparing YS with Anaheim Stadium). Unreal feeling. I hope I did a decent job presenting the fans side of things, even though I lean to the other side of town. :happy:

[Ralphw]

The problems that the Yankees currently have with their beautiful new stadium is nothing physical.).



ok go sit in the back row of pretty much any upper section and see how much of the field you can see

[MarcianoNY]

We will not get to see it again. It is gone. It is not hiding behind the escalator tower. It was removed and the space that was left was replaced with the escalators. See www.ys-stadiumphotos.com

Wow... depressing.

[toefer]

Wow... depressing.

Did you guys crash that site? It's not loading for me.

[applenut]

no it is not. they've kept some of the beer vendors... remember centerplate is gone and many of the new employees are part of legends hospitality.

people are definitely nicer... don't know what you've seen.

Sorry, but you are wrong, staff is larger, so there are more people but the majority of the same people are back. Centerplate is gone but its not like those who work at the stadium go away with Centerplate.... Nearly everyone was reofferred their position. You'd be surprised how many of the stadium employees have worked there for years and years. A lot of them use to work a both Shea and Yankee Stadium until recently when they started having more overlapping homestands.

[applenut]

The problems that the Yankees currently have with their beautiful new stadium is nothing physical. They over priced seats and it backfired. They intend on fixing it, but they have to think things out and fix it in a fair way. They are drawing over 44k per game, so somebody is going to the Stadium.
Nobody is priced out of the stadium. Some people got shafted on locations, I agree. But the seats were expensive last year behind the plate too, and not many fans on BF were sitting there on a regular basis. Do yourself a favor and go there with an open mind and take it all in.

Citi field is great. I love the place. I love the seats. The Mets have treated me well, beyond my widlest dreams.(Wait until Sunday's game coming up!!!) My issue with them is there needs to be more Mets stuff. The Yankees have a monument park, the Mets need something comparable. The Yanks have Babe Ruth plaza, the Mets need Gil Hodges Plaza. The Yanks have a museum worthy of Cooperstown; the Mets need one too. The Yankees brag about their tradition, the Mets seem to shy away from their pre Wilpon history. We have discussed ad nauseum the JRR, Dodgers shirts in stores, etc,etc, and the total lack of Mrs Payson and the Giants heritage.

I am still waiting for someone, anyone, who will take some time and put down the pom poms and tell me what the heck the "47" store has to do with the Mets. (1969, 1986, I can see).

Actually there are a lot of PHYSICAL problems with the stadium that will be and should be addressed

[Strawman]

Actually there are a lot of PHYSICAL problems with the stadium that will be and should be addressed

Yeah like the hideous moat - fill that sucker in, it's an eyesore and an attack on the regular fans.

[Ralphw]

Yeah like the hideous moat - fill that sucker in, it's an eyesore and an attack on the regular fans.


how disturbing is that... the actual seperation of the regular fan from the elite upper crust??????

how dare we try to get good seats...


its really an insult

[Strawman]

how disturbing is that... the actual seperation of the regular fan from the elite upper crust??????

how dare we try to get good seats...


its really an insult
And it's filled with jack-booted security to keep the classes to their proper station.

No more autographs for the kiddies...

[Ralphw]

And it's filled with jack-booted security to keep the classes to their proper station.

No more autographs for the kiddies...




thats not good at all......

[NYBase]

Sorry, but you are wrong, staff is larger, so there are more people but the majority of the same people are back. Centerplate is gone but its not like those who work at the stadium go away with Centerplate.... Nearly everyone was reofferred their position. You'd be surprised how many of the stadium employees have worked there for years and years. A lot of them use to work a both Shea and Yankee Stadium until recently when they started having more overlapping homestands.

I clearly remember mass hirings in the winter. It is common knowledge by now that many employees at the stadium are almost too nice.

Dude... If they are rude to u I dunno what you are doing at the stadium to deserve it.

No point in discussing this further since you have your mind made up they are all a-holes.

[Rob R]

Hey, I hope I made the list as a reasonable Mets fan. I was called a Yankees suckup/Steinbrenner apologist on here for trying to be reasonable.

The one thing that stands out the most on my Thursday trip to YS was the question/answer part with the Yankees 'honcho' while my dad was checking out the Babe Ruth era in the Museum. She seemed really interested in what I had to say, and she was the one asking the questions and I was trying my best to respond. I felt that once she felt comfortable that I was semi-knowledgable, she was pumping me for my opinions (i.e comparing YS with Anaheim Stadium). Unreal feeling. I hope I did a decent job presenting the fans side of things, even though I lean to the other side of town. :happy:
Made the list? You top it! ;)

I agree with you, whatever improvements that have to be made are either trivial, or unrelated to the structure itself, but customer service based.

Yes, I would like to see some physical tweaks that can be made and there are some things that I'm not 100% fond of that won't be corrected, i.e. a more ornate frieze, but by and large, the Yanks and HOK got it right. They did a nice job of incorporating the old with the new, while keeping the look and feel of NYS distinct to the Yankees. Even without the tributes, there is no mistaking which team plays there.

And despite some of its faults, however minor and correctable, I can't say that there are many other, if any, ballparks that are as impressive.

[Rob R]

uh.... staff is pretty much all the same.... not sure what having a new stadium has done for that.

Maybe a change in philosophy came along with the new stadium, such as, "If you don't treat the customers right, you'll be out of a job."

Say what you will about NYS, but once at the ballpark, the service and kindness of the staff for the most part has been exemplary. Sometimes they're too freakin nice.

And believe it or not, this isn't a defense, because the New Yorker in me doesn't always like to be killed with kindness till I puke. Being served with a little arrogance and flair can be entertaining, and is SO New York.

[scooterfan]

Game 6 of the 1977 World Series is running on MLB Net and the "physical" beauty of Yankee Stadium is overwhelming. The upper deck dominated the stadium beautifully. The new stadium took it on the chin this week. We heard a million complaints this week about the lack of upper deck overhang. This is a common theme from all the visiting teams who tour the stadium for the first time.

I bet YES executives are glad that Saturday is here and Mike Francesa is off for the weekend. He opened up a can of whupa$$ this week that no baseball team has ever experienced on its flagship. Wow. But he has the juice to get away with it because he's Mike Francesa. The most powerful sports commentator in the history of New York.

It's hard not to notice the customer service improvements at Yankee Stadium in SOME quarters. But, I don't think it'll continue. The Yankees don't have the money to maintain these new people in such large numbers. Next year expect layoffs and paycuts for a lot of these nice new people. A lot of the nasty old regulars are still there. Their insults have been replaced with silent stares. They're not as nasty verbally, they're just mute. The new, friendly people will be the first to go because they're getting paid more. The Yankees have lots of bills to pay so this huge staff of course will be cut.

[mandrake]

The best thing about the RF UD at RYS was that it provided target practice for George Brett ! 1976 3 run hr in ALCS game 5, 3 hrs in a row off Catfish in 1978 ALCS game 3, and one of the all time jacks in MLB playoff history in 1980 off the Goose in his prime. Somehow, Brett was never afraid of RYS and said if he had played 81 games a year in RYS or Tiger Stadium, he would have hit 500 hrs. I guess he was not 'scared' of the RF stands.

Francesa could be fired tomorrow and nobody would care. He is a self serving buffon who actually said 'we' once when talking about the Dallas Cowboys when his buddy was coaching there. Phil Mushnick picked it up in the Post.

A few years ago, during his 'know it all' college picks, fatso was saying that the USC-UCLA game would be a farce and should not be on TV. :blah:
A blow out folks, watch the SEC game on CBS:blah:
Well, final score UCLA 13 USC 9, costing Trojans a shot at the crown. HAHAHA. So I listen to Fatso on the following Monday to see if he A) ignored it or B) said he was wrong. Ta da........he chose C) "I told you guys that rivalry games were scary. No matter what the records, you can get your head handed to you.:blah: What the heck????????

If you are going to use somebody to argue your side, pick someone better than ol fatso.

[Rob R]

Game 6 of the 1977 World Series is running on MLB Net and the "physical" beauty of Yankee Stadium is overwhelming. The upper deck dominated the stadium beautifully. The new stadium took it on the chin this week. We heard a million complaints this week about the lack of upper deck overhang. This is a common theme from all the visiting teams who tour the stadium for the first time.

My, what an exagerration, if I ever heard one. ONE visiting manager - Terry Francona - said that about the overhang. One. Speaking of Francona, did you hear how he raved about NYS, how gorgeous it is, and how it looks like OYS, or only stopped at his overhang comment, that I don't believe he meant as a knock?

I bet YES executives are glad that Saturday is here and Mike Francesa is off for the weekend. He opened up a can of whupa$$ this week that no baseball team has ever experienced on its flagship. Wow. But he has the juice to get away with it because he's Mike Francesa. The most powerful sports commentator in the history of New York.

OK, I've been tempted to write this, but I know you'll disagree vehemently. If you know anything about NY and its baseball culture/media, you'll know that 99.9% of knowledgeable sports fans do NOT take Francesa seriously, do NOT believe he is anywhere near being an expert of the game, DO believe that he's less knowledgeable than Mad Dog was, DO believe that he's lazy and doesn't learn about the teams he's covering or talking about (he had no idea who Melancon was, or who Hughes was in the past, even though Baseball America had him rated #1 prospect) and DO believe that he's nothing more than a Bill Parcells shill who sensationalizes things to boost his ratings (which aren't exactly glowing).

You quote Francesa as gospel to prove your hatred of whatever, not knowing that he's not taken as a serious journalist in NY. Where I do agree with you is that the Yanks can't be happy that he's disparaging them on their own network, as the Sox wouldn't if somebody on your NESN did likewise. Your thinking Francesa is influential, says more about you than the point you're trying to drive home.

It's hard not to notice the customer service improvements at Yankee Stadium in SOME quarters. But, I don't think it'll continue. The Yankees don't have the money to maintain these new people in such large numbers. Next year expect layoffs and paycuts for a lot of these nice new people. A lot of the nasty old regulars are still there. Their insults have been replaced with silent stares. They're not as nasty verbally, they're just mute. The new, friendly people will be the first to go because they're getting paid more. The Yankees have lots of bills to pay so this huge staff of course will be cut.

Come on man, fess, up. You really never have been to NYS. That's OK, we won't hold it against you. This is just the latest of many reasons (others even more obvious) why I know you haven't gone.

You mean to tell me, that you went to the game and actually took note that employees from last year, who were, in your words, nasty and insulted fans in the past, are now at NYS, as disgruntled as ever, but are holding back their anger, an anger that has reached boiling-point levels? So, instead of insulting you, these people now shot silent stares at you?? Are you really that paranoid or something?? And every one of them did likewise to you and others?? Did you think, "Hey, there's those nasty Yankee Stadium workers, Harry and Sue from RYS and now they are here! How are they going to insult everyone now?! Oh, no, they're only silently staring at us! I know they still hate us and they're dying to hurl insults at me!

Yeah right, scoots. Try again.

And if there is the very remote possibility that you went to a game, may I suggest that you enjoy the game and try not to think about people dying to hurl insults and staring at you? Only trying to help - I care, brother, I really do care.

[scooterfan]

MLB Net is now running the 18 strikeout Guidry game from 1978. And they're using the WINS radio feed. Fran Healy did color on Yankee radio from 1978-1981 and he and Scooter had great chemistry. I'm not sure why they don't use the WPIX audio, but they use their graphics. The same is true with the Righetti no hitter. The game was on sportschannel yet when they sold the game they used the WABC audio.

Sorry Mandrake, say what you want about Mike Francesa...but when he says something, everybody hears it because every sports voice in New York pales in comparison.

[scooterfan]

I went to the second game of the year. Like I said, I've been to many of the new ballparks and this stadium is similar to all the others. Don't go by my word...listen to all the fans who call WFAN, and read all the blogs. Go by their take. They're not impressed. And if they were impressed, there wouldn't be THOUSANDS of tickets on sale at stubhub, craigslist and ebay for well under face value.

If you're a high level executive for one of the New York teams and you get word that Mike Francesa is ripping you, the first thing you do is turn on the tv or the radio and find out what he's complaining about. Compare Mike's ratings to 1050's. Compare YES's ratings from 1-6 compared to SNY or MSG. Mike has power. And he has a 5 year deal. Sure, Raissman loves Dog, and Mushnick hates everybody, but the bottom line is that MIke's critics are jealous of him and would love his forum. Sure, there's a lot to criticize Mike..like his arrogance, but why can't anyone stop him? Michael Kay has been opposite him for years and ESPN can't get anywhere near him. And how come SNY and MSG would love to have him?

[Rob R]

I went to the second game of the year. Like I said, I've been to many of the new ballparks and this stadium is similar to all the others. Don't go by my word...listen to all the fans who call WFAN, and read all the blogs. Go by their take. They're not impressed. And if they were impressed, there wouldn't be THOUSANDS of tickets on sale at stubhub, craigslist and ebay for well under face value.

If you're a high level executive for one of the New York teams and you get word that Mike Francesa is ripping you, the first thing you do is turn on the tv or the radio and find out what he's complaining about. Compare Mike's ratings to 1050's. Compare YES's ratings from 1-6 compared to SNY or MSG. Mike has power. And he has a 5 year deal. Sure, Raissman loves Dog, and Mushnick hates everybody, but the bottom line is that MIke's critics are jealous of him and would love his forum. Sure, there's a lot to criticize Mike..like his arrogance, but why can't anyone stop him? Michael Kay has been opposite him for years and ESPN can't get anywhere near him. And how come SNY and MSG would love to have him?

I don't care about Francesa's arrogance, it's his total lack of knowledge, laziness and lack of credibilty that I'm talking about, and why any sports fan in NY does NOT take him seriously.

The only power that Mike has, is his ability to wash Parcells' footballs on a regular basis.

Sorry, but of the fans that call WFAN, most of the complaints I'm hearing about the physical stadium itself is from mostly whining Mets fans and CF. Most NYS complaints are the typical, "We regular fans are being shut out" nonsense that has been going on from the beginning of time. People who can't afford $1,200 couldn't afford $300 seats, so it comes off more sour grapes than anything else. It's like the Chevy owner who can't stand "All thos b*stards" that drive Mercedes.

Look, I'm not thrilled with the blatant segregation of NYS, CF and ALL parks, and I've voiced my own complaints about this. But to nitpick about some of the things I'm hearing about NYS is sometimes futile and often comes off as disingenuous.

[scooterfan]

Rob, your immaturity is astounding and expected. You took the week off and this site really got out of control. The Yankee Stadium critics had a great week. You have a lot of catching up to do. There are a lot of blogs out there that could use your help because criticism of the stadium reached a fever pitch this week and by Thursday even Michael Kay said the Yankees couldn't get out of the bronx fast enough.

I asked many of the young security force who patrol the aisles the costs of the tickets and other questions. Nobody knew nuthin. They weren't nasty as they always were, they just didn't say anything. Lots of Idunnos. Mute. Sure, they didn't bark back like in previous years, and a few of them smiled, but I'd hardly call them friendly if someone says "I dunno know" even if they have a smile on their face. The people who patrol the aisles are the same people who worked at the stadium last year. They're all under 35 and many of them live in the Bronx.

There have been changes in the stadium customer service staff which explains the improvements. Demographic changes in terms of hiring more professional, educated people. This costs money. Money the Yankees don't have. They still need to pay for the stadium, and of course they're still paying Kei Igawa so look for a more trimmed down staff next year.

[Rob R]

If you're a high level executive for one of the New York teams and you get word that Mike Francesa is ripping you, the first thing you do is turn on the tv or the radio and find out what he's complaining about. Compare Mike's ratings to 1050's. Compare YES's ratings from 1-6 compared to SNY or MSG. Mike has power. And he has a 5 year deal. Sure, Raissman loves Dog, and Mushnick hates everybody, but the bottom line is that MIke's critics are jealous of him and would love his forum. Sure, there's a lot to criticize Mike..like his arrogance, but why can't anyone stop him? Michael Kay has been opposite him for years and ESPN can't get anywhere near him. And how come SNY and MSG would love to have him?

Another thing. You are aware that Frances's shtick is wearing thin, especially since Mad Dog left, and that he's losing ratings, are you not? And that because of this, they're considering another sidekick (Max Kellerman?), right?

[Rob R]

Rob, your immaturity is astounding and expected. You took the week off and this site really got out of control. The Yankee Stadium critics had a great week. You have a lot of catching up to do. There are a lot of blogs out there that could use your help because criticism of the stadium reached a fever pitch this week and by Thursday even Michael Kay said the Yankees couldn't get out of the bronx fast enough.

I asked many of the young security force who patrol the aisles the costs of the tickets and other questions. Nobody knew nuthin. They weren't nasty as they always were, they just didn't say anything. Lots of Idunnos. Mute. Sure, they didn't bark back like in previous years, and a few of them smiled, but I'd hardly call them friendly if someone says "I dunno know" even if they have a smile on their face. The people who patrol the aisles are the same people who worked at the stadium last year. They're all under 35 and many of them live in the Bronx.

There have been changes in the stadium customer service staff which explains the improvements. Demographic changes in terms of hiring more professional, educated people. This costs money. Money the Yankees don't have. They still need to pay for the stadium, and of course they're still paying Kei Igawa so look for a more trimmed down staff next year.


Blah blah blah more of the same blah blah blah.

And your disingenuous posts have become even more disingenuous since then. I'm immature because I expose you and counter every one of your misrepresentations? And your "rebuttal" to what you cannot or are unable to respond to is typical - I'm either immature or a fanboy. I suggest you come to the table more prepared.

And, you can find negative comments about anything - even Jonas Salk, the Mona Lisa, and Mother Theresa, if that's what your hellbent at, as you obviously are with all things Yankees.

[NYBase]

Up until this site I didn't know Francesa was important. I guess I'm not into talk-radio.

[scooterfan]

Max Kellerman has been off 1050 for months and so far there's been no sign of him at WFAN. He's been the one contacting them.

And in the first three ratings books since Dog left Mike has maintained his edge in the male 25-54 demo. He destroys 1050. The last book showed some erosion but I attribute that to the locals doing nothing in the NFL playoffs and no interest in the Knicks. His spring book will be good.

I miss Russo. He knows his baseball. He's a baseball savant. But Mike has been better solo than I expected. Russo incidentally opposed the new Yankee stadium.

[Rob R]

Max Kellerman has been off 1050 for months and so far there's been no sign of him at WFAN. He's been the one contacting them.

And in the first three ratings books since Dog left Mike has maintained his edge in the male 25-54 demo. He destroys 1050. The last book showed some erosion but I attribute that to the locals doing nothing in the NFL playoffs and no interest in the Knicks. His spring book will be good.

I miss Russo. He knows his baseball. He's a baseball savant. But Mike has been better solo than I expected. Russo incidentally opposed the new Yankee stadium.

Again, I am not dismissing anyone's love for Francesa the entertainer, but to consider him a credible source of anything related to sports is a HUGE stretch. That he beats 1050 means nothing to me. Jerry Springer used to beat The MacNeil/Lehrer Report on a regular basis.

[Rob R]

Russo incidentally opposed the new Yankee stadium.

LOL..is that a surprise? He despised the Yankees almost as much as you! But, at least he tried to learn about sports, wasn't as lazy as Mike, and was somewhat ( a teeny bit) more credible because of this.

[Ralphw]

just returned from the Mets pirates game.... My wife's boss gave her 2 tics
field level right behind the dugout..
really nice stadium.

did notice much more loose feel to it, you could definatley sit in good seats if you wanted until someone came to claim them... not looking at the stubs like at Yankee stadium. I saw this one lady move from seat to seat as the people came to sit in thier seats.

also I don't know if its designated or not but you could smoke in the stair area behind the centerfield food court..and not be worried about being booted.
very nice stadium,,, at least as nice as YS if not nicer and elitist at all..zero


very fan friendly and very nice to move around in no feeling of being cramped.

[Rob R]

just returned from the Mets pirates game.... My wife's boss gave her 2 tics
field level right behind the dugout..
really nice stadium.

did notice much more loose feel to it, you could definatley sit in good seats if you wanted until someone came to claim them... not looking at the stubs like at Yankee stadium. I saw this one lady move from seat to seat as the people came to sit in thier seats.

also I don't know if its designated or not but you could smoke in the stair area behind the centerfield food court..and not be worried about being booted.
very nice stadium,,, at least as nice as YS if not nicer and elitist at all..zero


very fan friendly and very nice to move around in no feeling of being cramped.

Glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm going to pay a visit soon.

By the way, speaking of elitist, did you happen to look at the area behind the backstop? Not to say NYS is any better, but that area is pretty blatant/in your face.

Also, I'm not sure if I'd want to keep confronting people sitting in my seat, that I paid for.

[Strawman]

Glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm going to pay a visit soon.

By the way, speaking of elitist, did you happen to look at the area behind the backstop? Not to say NYS is any better, but that area is pretty blatant/in your face.

Also, I'm not sure if I'd want to keep confronting people sitting in my seat, that I paid for.
Rob - it's blatant, I agree and despise it - but it's like 1/10th the size of the inside-the-moat section at NYS.

Mets have already opened up one of their "exclusive" clubs, btw - not because they're interested in the average joe, but because it was mostly empty (suspect this will happen at both parks, maybe with some cover charges).

[Rob R]

Rob - it's blatant, I agree and despise it - but it's like 1/10th the size of the inside-the-moat section at NYS.

Mets have already opened up one of their "exclusive" clubs, btw - not because they're interested in the average joe, but because it was mostly empty (suspect this will happen at both parks, maybe with some cover charges).

We are in disagreement for the first time in a while. lol.

If you capture overhead shots of what you call the moat, yes, it looks obvious. But from the stands, it's barely noticeable (not that it makes it right), and looks like a walkway. I sit behind a "moat" in the field level seats, and in all sincerity, it hardly catches my eye and I'm aware that it's there. Somebody who isn't as aware, would have no clue.

The CF clubs and seats behind backstop is considerably more of an advertisement for the rich, telling the "regular" folk, "Don't even consider it."

[jimmyjimjimz]

why is there no "Outrage over Citi Field" thread? Why do you people LOVE picking on the Yankees?

[YankeeFanBx]

Game 6 of the 1977 World Series is running on MLB Net and the "physical" beauty of Yankee Stadium is overwhelming. The upper deck dominated the stadium beautifully. The new stadium took it on the chin this week. We heard a million complaints this week about the lack of upper deck overhang. This is a common theme from all the visiting teams who tour the stadium for the first time.

I bet YES executives are glad that Saturday is here and Mike Francesa is off for the weekend. He opened up a can of whupa$$ this week that no baseball team has ever experienced on its flagship. Wow. But he has the juice to get away with it because he's Mike Francesa. The most powerful sports commentator in the history of New York.

It's hard not to notice the customer service improvements at Yankee Stadium in SOME quarters. But, I don't think it'll continue. The Yankees don't have the money to maintain these new people in such large numbers. Next year expect layoffs and paycuts for a lot of these nice new people. A lot of the nasty old regulars are still there. Their insults have been replaced with silent stares. They're not as nasty verbally, they're just mute. The new, friendly people will be the first to go because they're getting paid more. The Yankees have lots of bills to pay so this huge staff of course will be cut.

Does any knowledgeable baseball fan really listen to Mike Francesca, or football fan or basketball fan or hockey fan? I don't think so and if they do, what does he say that means anything?
Dick Young was the last NY sports demagogue, Francesca couldn't carry his pencils and why people listened to Young is beyond me.:twocents:

[Ralphw]

Does any knowledgeable baseball fan really listen to Mike Francesca,

God I can't stand that guy. who the hell does he think he is .... its painful to listen to and worse to watch.

He needs to clean the tobacco stains off his mike again......nasty


I'll put the FAN on in the mornings sometimes when I can't stand Mike and Mike anymore, but other than that I like espn....
I miss Max and really don't like Cowherd at all...

Michael K has some good guests on and is pretty informative....but when LaGrecca goes off with the hockey stuff I gotta turn it off...

Nothing wrong with hockey.... just not my thing...

My up and coming favorite is BT Brian Tierney, 10-12,,, hes a very passionate baseball fan and Yankee fan like me. seems like a good guy.

also I'm really pissed they moved Warner Wolf on Saturday mornings to 6am. Love the historic stuff this guy comes up with, he's seen a lot in his career..



BTW what the heck is the Acela Club??? I had access to it today at Citi but didn't go...

[RationalNYYfan]

why is there no "Outrage over Citi Field" thread? Why do you people LOVE picking on the Yankees?

To put it simply, the Yankees aren't being picked on. There are die-hard Yankee fans here that genuinely have concern for the way this stadium is being run right now. There isn't an Outrage over Citi Field thread because there isn't nearly as much to be upset about.

[scooterfan]

Yankee apologists were loving Mike Francesa 10 years ago when the Yankees were winning and he was riding on the freeway firing up the Pink Cadillac. Now that the Yankees are embarrassing themselves on and off the field and Mike's telling it like it is.....just like everyone else, Mike's the bad guy. Ha ha.

The bottom line is that Mike is at the top of his field. He's the #1 sports talk show host in America. He's heard on the radio up and down the eastern seaboard and his show is available in over 50 million homes nationwide on cable and satellite.

I don't know why Met fans hate him. If the Met organization wasn't so incompetent he wouldn't have a chance to make fun of them. Sure, he loves doing it because the Mets give him so much fodder, but when the Mets win his ratings go up, so he gets pi$$ed when they lose because it hurts his ratings.

No one in New York has ever heard of Kellerman or Brandon Tierney because no one listens to 1050. And in some places can even hear it. If 1050 didn't have a conglomerate like Disney pumping money into it the station would have been off the air long ago.

[Ralphw]

Yankee apologists were loving Mike Francesa 10 years ago when the Yankees were winning and he was riding on the freeway firing up the Pink Cadillac. Now that the Yankees are embarrassing themselves on and off the field and Mike's telling it like it is.....just like everyone else, Mike's the bad guy. Ha ha.

The bottom line is that Mike is at the top of his field. He's the #1 sports talk show host in America. He's heard on the radio up and down the eastern seaboard and his show is available in over 50 million homes nationwide on cable and satellite.

I don't know why Met fans hate him. If the Met organization wasn't so incompetent he wouldn't have a chance to make fun of them. Sure, he loves doing it because the Mets give him so much fodder, but when the Mets win his ratings go up, so he gets pi$$ed when they lose because it hurts his ratings.

No one in New York has ever heard of Kellerman or Brandon Tierney because no one listens to 1050. And in some places can even hear it. If 1050 didn't have a conglomerate like Disney pumping money into it the station would have been off the air long ago.

I could care less about ratings.... I'm just tellin ya what I like.
and I think Francessa is an egomaniac.

[mandrake]

1050 Radio(nee WHN) has always had a terrible signal. It is not a clear channel station, meaning its broadcast is limited because there are other stations on 1050 on AM. Right now, I can go sit in my car and listen to 670 AM and listen to the Chisox, or put on KMOX - the legendary St Louis station where I once listened to Jack Buck do baseball and Dan Kelly do hockey, 1000 miles away. I live 65 miles north of the Empire State Building and it is difficult listening to a crackiling and fading 1050. That is why people listen to 66 FAN and that is why FAN moved from 1050 to 660 back around 1988.

Russo, on XM 144, is still a blabbering fool at times. To his credit, he will talk to callers that disagree with him. In fact he seems to thrive when people call in to argue. Fatso wants you to kiss his ring if you call. If you dare disagree with him, he gives the 'cut' signal and after you are disconnected, he may even insult you. I could never understand why Parcells gave that fat slob the time of day, unless he manipulated him for good press coverage.

Don't forget he was fired on CBS TV , and the main reason was that too many viwers thought he was too arrogant.

To tie this in to NYS, maybe fatso should do a game from the moat ....well he would probably get stuck in the moat.

[scooterfan]

Mike wasn't fired from CBS. They wanted him to leave the studio and be a sideline reporter and he told them thanks but no thanks. I'd take Mike over Seth Davis any day of the week and you guys would too.

[mandrake]

Mike wasn't fired from CBS. They wanted him to leave the studio and be a sideline reporter and he told them thanks but no thanks. I'd take Mike over Seth Davis any day of the week and you guys would too.

Well if you want to be Fatso's press agent, that is your call. Mike was demoted off the CBS NCAA show during the tournament, in fact right before the Final Four. He quit when he was demoted and heard rumors that he was getting canned. He went on radio and said he was quitting on April 1, 1993. The fool did it on his own holiday !

He was also canned when his butt kissing show with Parcells, Around the NFL, lasted only 8 months. So much for his " I have inside information" schtick.

He also lost out to Dennis Miller, of all people, when ABC tried to revive ratings for Monday Night People. The ABC folks did not think America wanted to look at him ! Funny how the country wanted to look at Madden, but not Fatso. Maybe ABC could see through his act.

Scooterfan, you may disgree about NYS vs RYS, etc. and you have every right to do so. I just think you shouldn't carry the water for that blob. I really think someone in Yankees upper level mgmt did something to slight Fatso, so he is on his I Love the Red Sox rampage to get even.

[Ralphw]

I give him 1 more year tops....

Write it down

[scooterfan]

[QUOTE=

Scooterfan, you may disgree about NYS vs RYS, etc. and you have every right to do so. I just think you shouldn't carry the water for that blob. I really think someone in Yankees upper level mgmt did something to slight Fatso, so he is on his I Love the Red Sox rampage to get even.[/QUOTE]

Yes, upper management indeed did something...they put a bad product on the field. Mike's a pi$$ed off Yankee fan. Most of us are. A lot of Yankee fans loved listening to Mike's tirades this week. For the past decade Mike has refused to talk about the bloated payroll, the elephant in the room. Now, he's talking about it and the 80 million dollar infield.

Of course Mike is arrogant. Just like Stern, Imus and O'reilly. If they weren't they wouldn't be successful and we wouldn't be talking about them. Are we talking about Richard Neer?

Phil Hughes got rocked again. Cashman will probably lose his job this year and next year when he's looking for a job in the second division away from the bright lights of the big city he can thank his non-trade of Santana and this one transaction will explain why he went from baseball's penthouse to the outhouse. Cashman should take Girardi and the Steinbrenner idiots right there with him.

[jimmyjimjimz]

To put it simply, the Yankees aren't being picked on. There are die-hard Yankee fans here that genuinely have concern for the way this stadium is being run right now. There isn't an Outrage over Citi Field thread because there isn't nearly as much to be upset about.

isn't there like a billion obstructed seats @ Citi Field?

I thought someone on here said the ribbon board @ Citi Field causes obstructed views.

[Ralphw]

Cashman should take Girardi and the Steinbrenner idiots right there with him.


BINGO


this team needs a major shakeup... has for years

[jimmyjimjimz]

BINGO


this team needs a major shakeup... has for years


how can Cashman take Hal and Hank with him if Hal and Hank own the team?

I do agree that they need to change SOMETHING, but I don't think it's Cashman. I think they should get rid of Randy Levine and Lon Trost 1st. I don't like them at all. At least I like Cashman.

[the stadium guy]

If anyone has seen stadiumbuilder's Super 8 footage of the renovation, you'll remember how eerie it was seeing Gate 4 GUTTED the way it was.

These pictures are amazing. Amazing in the sense that we didn't have too many pictures of the renovation, especially from these points of view.

Poor frieze.

Hello all,

Just to clear something up.....:reporter:

That super 8 footage was taken by me. stadiumbuilder just brought this small oversight to my attention. Honest mistake, I'm sure.

Brad

[Ralphw]

how can Cashman take Hal and Hank with him if Hal and Hank own the team?

I do agree that they need to change SOMETHING, but I don't think it's Cashman. I think they should get rid of Randy Levine and Lon Trost 1st. I don't like them at all. At least I like Cashman.



this team has been stale at the worst times... no clutch... for 5 years

[ChineseDemocracy]

Hello all,

Just to clear something up.....:reporter:

That super 8 footage was taken by me. stadiumbuilder just brought this small oversight to my attention. Honest mistake, I'm sure.

Brad

Absolutely correct, my mistake. It's hard to keep track of usernames, I sincerely apologize.

[Mary Ellen]

BTW what the heck is the Acela Club??? I had access to it today at Citi but didn't go...

It is that glass wall in left field. Really nice and great view of field. You may want to try it next time. Food is very good too.

[Ralphw]

It is that glass wall in left field. Really nice and great view of field. You may want to try it next time. Food is very good too.


Yeah I saw that from my seat... cool.

I think that stadium (citi field) is by far the coolest of the new stadiums......

It pains me to say that being a yanks fan,,, but the yankees were kind of stuck trying to recreate yankee stadium so the unique things at city like the bridge were out of the question, the only thing i noticed that kind of made me wonder were the black plastic in the big Citi field sign and the batter's eye kinda looks a little rough. But all and all in my first visit there I was very impressed. Met fans should be very happy they have such a great stadium now. The way they did the food courts is awesome. Nice place.

[Mary Ellen]

Ralphw - I think you will get used to NYS. CF is nice, I am getting used to it myself. I am visiting NYS this summer.

It seems both clubs thought they were doing the right thing with the new stadiums which are both great new venues. However, most NY fans of either team would rather have a winning team. A new stadium trails way behind on my priority list.

[Ralphw]

Ralphw - I think you will get used to NYS. CF is nice, I am getting used to it myself. I am visiting NYS this summer.

It seems both clubs thought they were doing the right thing with the new stadiums which are both great new venues. However, most NY fans of either team would rather have a winning team. A new stadium trails way behind on my priority list.

yeah I'm getting tired of the blowouts like last night

[brooklyndodger14]

An open letter to Boss: Please, fix Yankee Stadium

Dear Boss:

I realize it's been quite a while since we've been able to have a lengthy dialogue - I've missed those “whaddayou want, Madden” phone calls - but they tell me you still read your mail every day and that this is the best way to communicate with you. So through this medium I respectfully offer my two cents on your $1.5 billion new stadium.

I was glad you were able to make it up here for Opening Day and the new stadium's unveiling - I won't get into the trouncing the Indians gave your team that day to christen the place - but I wish it would have been possible for you to have said a little more than “it's beautiful.”

I say this because, if you'd been able to stay around awhile longer to witness all the empty seats and the disenfranchised common fans - thanks to the overpricing of everything in the place by your COO Lonn Trost - you'd have surely agreed that once you get past the old-timey frieze encircling the upper deck, the beauty of the new stadium is only skin deep.

So consider this a letter on behalf of the modest income common fan, Boss, the ones you always championed in the past - the bus drivers, bartenders, construction workers, cops, firemen, secretaries and even journalists - who made up the core of your Yankee constituency and to whom Trost is now essentially saying:

“You can still come into our ballpark because we have to provide a certain amount of modestly priced tickets, but you must know your place, which is the upper deck. We don't want you in our high-priced restaurants and we don't want you getting anywhere near our players or our rich friends.”

Remember when you were a kid, Boss, and your dad, Henry, brought you to your first Cleveland Indians game in old Municipal Stadium? What do you remember most about that day? Standing along the rail next to the dugout during batting practice, watching the players close-up and maybe getting an autograph or two on your scorecard? Can't do it in your ballpark, Boss, the ballpark you built and Trost overpriced. That's because you need a ticket for those “legend suite” $2,500 seats - now slashed to $1,250 - that rim the stadium from foul pole to foul pole. They're the ones so easy to spot on TV, Boss, because they're mostly empty and separated from the $300-$400 “field level” seats (also mostly empty) by what they call the “moat.” (The running joke among Yankee employees is that Trost plans to fill the moat with water and live alligators to further insulate his rich friends from the unwashed masses.)

Sadly, Boss, your ballpark is a monument to the rich and is the epitome of wretched excess. Take the scoreboard, or rather should we call it the “ad-board” engulfed by the $14.3 million jumbotron? Never has there been a bigger waste of space than the 59-x-101 foot TV screen that'll show A-Rod's new nipples in High Def but barely a glimpse of something as relevant as the batter's count: God forbid, should you try to find that piece of information anywhere (hint: it's at the very bottom of the tiny auxiliary scoreboards underneath the huge ad billboards in right and left field).

And once again, there is no out-of-town scoreboard in your new palace, Boss. Just those mostly-useless flashboards with confusing team logos instead of team names that stay up for a couple of seconds, then move on to another set of scores, all the while giving you the baserunner diagram that also disappears in a flash. In between innings, there are no scores anywhere - just more ads. But then, only the fans care about what the count is, Boss, or what the Red Sox or Mets are doing. The rich folks in the suites, Trost's revenue generators, are too busy socializing over their martinis and $54 steaks to bother about such trivial pursuits.

And speaking of food, Boss. It's strictly pedestrian short-order stuff for the common fan in the upper deck. No restaurants for them. Not a place anywhere upstairs where the common fan can take the family for a moderately priced sit-down meal before the game. Trost will tell you this is what the Mohegan Sun restaurant in center field is for, but that would be the restaurant that costs $100 a seat - or $400 for a family of four before you order any food (it also juts out and obstructs the view of the Bleacher Creatures). Just another brilliant stroke on Trost's part.

At least the fans in the upper deck can see Monument Park, supposedly the most beautiful visual feature of the new Stadium. Sadly, however, nobody else can.

In Trost's wisdom, Monument Park was moved to center field without any consideration given to the fact that it would now be an impediment to the batters' eyes. As a result, a blue wall had to be constructed in front of it that obscures the monuments from the view of three-quarters of the ballpark, making it look like a giant dumping ground. People now call it “Monument Cave.”

So Boss, if it looks on television like the new stadium is much quieter and lacking the electricity of the old one, it's not just because the team has been stinking up the joint these first couple of weeks. It's because your real fans, the ones you've always championed, are watching at home - just like you. And if it seems like this Yankee team is lacking in chemistry, it might have something to do with that “state-of-the-art” clubhouse Trost built for the players that can double as an airplane hangar: It looks more like the waiting area in Grand Central Station than a baseball clubhouse. In that respect, it's probably a good thing Trost installed those computers in every player's locker - e-mail is about the only way for them to communicate with each other. (As one veteran Yankee told me: “You think you guys have trouble finding anyone around here. We have trouble finding anyone.”)

But this is what happens, Boss, when you put someone in charge of the stadium who knows nothing about baseball and has no connection with the common fan. Trost wanted no part of anyone with expertise in stadiums. This was his baby and no one was going to interfere. Maybe now, you will, Boss.

As one marketing exec with expertise in stadiums and arenas said to me: “The programming philosophy between the Yankees and their stadium and the Mets and Citi Field is as decidedly different as to whom they're catering to. Citi Field is a much more intimate setting for the fans, and there's clearly a lot more there for the common fan.”

Is this really the legacy you envisioned for yourself, Boss?

Your pal,

Bill Madden

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_madden_an_open_letter_to_boss__please_fix_your_ stadium.html?page=1#ixzz0F6d7y5PH&B


Dennis
BrooklynDodger14

[Ralphw]

good writeup

I may get used to it but I will never think of it as Yankee Stadium and that is the saddest thing of all..

They may as well just get it over with and sell the naming rights for it, because its not Yankee Stadium the house that Ruth built.

Thats my oppinion, flame away if you must, but i just can't talk myself into liking this place. There is too much to dislike. I am glad I had the chance to see Citi Field. They did it right over there.

Its almost sleezy the way they are blatantly trying hold the game itself hostage with the fan paying the ransom.

sickening

[yankees650B]

good writeup

I may get used to it but I will never think of it as Yankee Stadium and that is the saddest thing of all..

They may as well just get it over with and sell the naming rights for it, because its not Yankee Stadium the house that Ruth built.

Thats my oppinion, flame away if you must, but i just can't talk myself into liking this place. There is too much to dislike. I am glad I had the chance to see Citi Field. They did it right over there.

Its almost sleezy the way they are blatantly trying hold the game itself hostage with the fan paying the ransom.

sickening
i completely agree, though i am a Yankee fan and will always stay one i don't think i could ever like the new stadium. your right it is not Yankee stadium and it is most definitely not a palace or a cathedral. the new Yankee stadium is no different than any other stadium in baseball, no greater but maybe worse than others.

[Ralphw]

i completely agree, though i am a Yankee fan and will always stay one i don't think i could ever like the new stadium. your right it is not Yankee stadium and it is most definitely not a palace or a cathedral. the new Yankee stadium is no different than any other stadium in baseball, no greater but maybe worse than others.

Yankee Stadium was a one of a kind special place and its over.

this is the New Yankees,, Just like New coke,,,, remember that? real hit eh?

[hbwriter]

who'd have thunk it? this is turning into one of the biggest busts in baseball history--and it is what it is--there is no real way out of it.

Yankee Stadium is simply the laughing stock of baseball--it is surreal.

[Strawman]

who'd have thunk it? this is turning into one of the biggest busts in baseball history--and it is what it is--there is no real way out of it.

Yankee Stadium is simply the laughing stock of baseball--it is surreal.
One thing you can't say about Bill Madden - he's NOT anti-Yankee and anti-Steinbrenner.

That's the kiss of death from a pro-ownership writer. Clearly, Trost and Levine should pay with their jobs for what they've done to the greatest location in the history of professional sports - and our New York heritage.

[Ralphw]

who'd have thunk it? this is turning into one of the biggest busts in baseball history--and it is what it is--there is no real way out of it.

Yankee Stadium is simply the laughing stock of baseball--it is surreal.

and the worst part of all is there it sits empty and full of history waiting to be taken down.. how the hell did this happen.


with Brandon Steiner and his calculator, but don't get me started on that one.........who annointed this guy to be the broker of Yankee history?

the guy will be a billionaire when its all said and done. wonder how many tics he has on the "other side".



I miss the Boss

[Greg B.]

An open letter to Boss: Please, fix Yankee Stadium

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_madden_an_open_letter_to_boss__please_fix_your_ stadium.html?page=1#ixzz0F6d7y5PH&B


Wow.

Hope the Boss does get to see it. Maybe Madden printed off a copy and stuck it in an envelope to mail to George.

[Robbyb26]

Yankee Stadium was a one of a kind special place and its over.

this is the New Yankees,, Just like New coke,,,, remember that? real hit eh?

Good call Ralph...I've been saying that same thing to my friends...Except we can't just switch to pepsi like last time...I mean, I can't root for the mets.

[Ralphw]

Good call Ralph...I've been saying that same thing to my friends...Except we can't just switch to pepsi like last time...I mean, I can't root for the mets.

Thats funny you say that,,, as we were walking around yesterday at CF My wife said "maybe I'll become a Mets fan" I was shocked..and she was kidding, but they treat all fans the same or so it seems.

[hbwriter]

When I interviewed Arnold Hano ("A Day in the Bleachers") recently, he called it "The House That Ruthlessness Built." Is that a great line or what?

the interview:
http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-podcasts/71-the-pop-culture-road-trip-with-chris-epting/3036

This has become a slap in the face to fans everywhere - "The Schlock Heard 'Round the World" - fans need to rebel a bit - stay away from the place in droves - make a statement - choose one big TV game and nobody show up - can you imagine the power of a 100% empty stadium on national TV?

[Ralphw]

When I interviewed Arnold Hano ("A Day in the Bleachers") recently, he called it "The House That Ruthlessness Built." Is that a great line or what?

the interview:
http://webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-podcasts/71-the-pop-culture-road-trip-with-chris-epting/3036

This has become a slap in the face to fans everywhere - "The Schlock Heard 'Round the World" - fans need to rebel a bit - stay away from the place in droves - make a statement - choose one big TV game and nobody show up - can you imagine the power of a 100% empty stadium on national TV?

think its doable?

what about the people who already paid...

[hbwriter]

Ralph--anything is doable - just look at that new ballpark - who would ever have imagined that?

I see these posts on that NYDaily News article today - the masses are furious and rightfully so - a taxpayer funded ballpark? this monument to ludicrous excess? gimme a break.

"We went to opening day and, of course, were in the upper deck. As a further reminder of how the Yankee organization has NO RESPECT for the common fan, the only refreshments available for us from the walking vendors was beer (@ $9,00 a pop) and cotton candy. That's it!!! No hot dog vendors, peanuts, cracker jacks - nothing! Just beer and cotton candy."

"Wanna see the Yankees play for a price that respects 90% of the fan-base in a fan friendly environment? Drive 5 hours to Camden Yards. For $40 I got tickets 10 rows back from the 3rd baseline. My daughter got Mariano Rivera's autograph and was allowed to run on the field with the Oriole mascot before the game. It's disgusting that if I go to see the Yankees at home a 1/2 hour from where I live, I'm going to spend hundreds more, be treated like a potential criminal by stadium security, be excluded from autograph signings and batting practice, and then watch the team get pummeled by the Cleveland Indians. I'm 40 years old and I've been to 10-15 games a year every year since I was about 8. I've been to the new stadium once and I won't be going back. Even if I wanted to I could hardly afford to. The rabid fans who invented the 2-strike clap have been replace by suit-wearing business men who are too busy talking on their cell phones to even pay attention to the game"

"The most expensive seats at Comerica park in Detroit are $72. These are for the seats directly behind home plate! So why would anyone pay $1,250 for a seat at Yankee Stadium???? You could fly to Detroit and watch a three-game series for less than the cost of one $1,250 Yankee Stadium ticket!"

[Ralphw]

Ralph--anything is doable - just look at that new ballpark - who would ever have imagined that?


well, I guess thats for another thread somewhere....... if it ever got legs I would be part of it...

[CoreyNYC]

One thing you can't say about Bill Madden - he's NOT anti-Yankee and anti-Steinbrenner.

That's the kiss of death from a pro-ownership writer. Clearly, Trost and Levine should pay with their jobs for what they've done to the greatest location in the history of professional sports - and our New York heritage.

Countdown to Rob calling Madden a Mets fan with an agenda and/or irrelevant in 3...2...1...

[David Atkatz]

I miss the Boss

Don't miss the Boss too much.

He's the one who fought for years and years for a new Stadium.

He never gave a $h*t about the old one.

[threeyoda]

just returned from the Mets pirates game.... My wife's boss gave her 2 tics
field level right behind the dugout..
really nice stadium.

did notice much more loose feel to it, you could definatley sit in good seats if you wanted until someone came to claim them... not looking at the stubs like at Yankee stadium. I saw this one lady move from seat to seat as the people came to sit in thier seats.

also I don't know if its designated or not but you could smoke in the stair area behind the centerfield food court..and not be worried about being booted.
very nice stadium,,, at least as nice as YS if not nicer and elitist at all..zero


very fan friendly and very nice to move around in no feeling of being cramped.

When I went to Citi, they checked my tickets every time I went back to my section. After getting food, after going to the bathroom. At NYS they didn't check my ticket once. It's the same at YS...you can walk around and not feel cramped.

[Ralphw]

Don't miss the Boss too much.

He's the one who fought for years and years for a new Stadium.

He never gave a $h*t about the old one.

you are correct on that,,, I guess I should of put that somewhere else. I meant the current state of the actual team....wrong topic.

[Yankeefan3783]

Don't miss the Boss too much.

He's the one who fought for years and years for a new Stadium.

He never gave a $h*t about the old one.

But he always cared about the image of the Yankees, and this is not the image he envisioned.

I've said this many times, but I like NYS. The issues stated by Madden are 100% legit and I agree with most of them though. The good news is that these issues can be fixed. The first thing to do is fire Trost and Levine (I have no idea who to replace them with, but whatever). The moat is here to stay, but what they should do is lower the price so those Yankee fans who could afford $400 seats can sit in there, and open up every restaurant and bar to everyone, regardless of their ticket. All fans should also be allowed to go down to field level during BP. The Yankees could implement these changes today if they wanted, but obviously there's people in the hierarchy keeping it from happening.

[scooterfan]

Countdown to Rob calling Madden a Mets fan with an agenda and/or irrelevant in 3...2...1...

First Francesa, now Madden. The Yankee fan base is disintegrating. One of my favorite pastimes was going to Yankee Stadium around 8 games a year. Even though I'm 30 and not a kid anymore I'd still get excited each spring time for my first game of the year. Now this has been ripped away from us. Although criticism of this stadium arrived later than I had expected, it's occurring now and like many, many Yankee fans I have lost enthusiasm for the team and don't think I'll ever get it back.

The Yankee fan base is a large one, and a lot of young guys like Rob have an endless supply of passion for the team no matter how inept they are on the field and in the front office, but there are also a lot of guys like myself who have absolutely had it.

[Rob R]

OK we get it. The Yankee organization is catering to the elite. We have concerns and hopefully it will get fixed. The public speaks, which is a good thing.

But is this any different than any other ballpark, only on a relatively larger, NY, per capita income, scale? Can the "common guy" afford premium seats on the lower level for a family of four in Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, Boston, Florida, Texas, Los Angeles, hell, all major league parks?

Where was the outrage when Fenway Park had the highest average cost per seat by a considerable amount, up until this year? Where's the uproar that the common fan has to be lucky to find a available seat at Fenway, and if they do, their entire week's or two week's paycheck will go towards it, and I'm talking about MOST if not all of Fenway's seats?

When has the "common fan" sat at these premium seats period? Is a Delta Club seat at $700 more affordable to John and Mary Doe and their little kiddies? "Oh, wow, NYS is $1,200 per seat and $4,800 total! Let's take little Johnny and Beth to Citi Field instead and pay $2,800 for a day at the ballpark! And the fries are a dollar cheaper! Whoopee!" Come on folks, get real.

Not that it makes it right, but this is in fact a business and ALL sports owners are driven by greed; not only the Yankees.... ALL. Don't let a dunk tank or some idiot in a moose costume shooting toys into the crowd fool you.

NYS may have taken it to another level, but at least the outcry might bring about changes. Not only for Yankees fans, but fans of all baseball teams. Thank the Yankee fans and media for that when it happens.

That said, there are more good, affordable seats at NYS, with GREAT views, than in many ballparks. But yeah, Trost and other teams in all sports are deserving of these complaints.

[hbwriter]

Rob--good points but I think there is more to this than the extreme elite-catering that is happening. It's an overall attitude - look how they treated Paul O'Neil the other day. I heard firsthand accounts about how the Angels broadcasters were not allowed to watch the game from an empty broadcast booth. Look how the media are being given the shaft - how much the team now charges a local TV station to plug in (up to 5 times what other places charge)

This is hyper-arrogance being practiced at virtually every level of the organization - the stadium is simply a symptom of the disease - not the disease itself

--

and by the way, in Anaheim, my 11.50 face value season tickets (GREAT seats - four of them) were BUY ONE GET ONE FREE until two or three years ago. So when there is a will to cater to the fan there is a way - a comparable seat in the new Yankee is about $90--nearly TEN TIMES AS MUCH--the Yanks have had their butts handed to them in this ballpark for years in the post season - Artie Moreno could have tripled my seats and it would be worth it - but he chooses not to.

[scooterfan]

Always with the sophomoric references to the Mets and the Red Sox. Why are you obsessed with these two teams? They didn't spend 45 million on Kei Igawa. They don't have an 80 million dollar infield. They weren't charging 2600 to sit behind the dugout. And they didn't demolish the House That Ruth Built. Accept it Rob, the new stadium is a bust in every way and it has damaged the franchise, and the franchise is in huge trouble and believe it or not the stadium has nothing to do with it.

I thought this team would make the playoffs, but I now have my doubts. The team is old, boring, and perpetually injured. Rivera, Jeter, and Pettite are playing like guys aged 35 to 40 play and the rest of the team except for Damon isn't playing much better. Cano had a great start but he's now back to his old ways. Can't get a hit in a big spot, easily pitched to in late innings, vulnerable to the high fastballs way outta the strikezone. Hate to say it but Cano can't hold Pedroia's jock.

[Rob R]

Rob--good points but I think there is more to this than the extreme elite-catering that is happening. It's an overall attitude - look how they treated Paul O'Neil the other day. I heard firsthand accounts about how the Angels broadcasters were not allowed to watch the game from an empty broadcast booth. Look how the media are being given the shaft - how much the team now charges a local TV station to plug in (up to 5 times what other places charge)

This is hyper-arrogance being practiced at virtually every level of the organization - the stadium is simply a symptom of the disease - not the disease itself

I hear you and I'm in no way defending the Yankees. Their FO has taken a hit and rightfully so. But, hopefully, this has left such a blemish that they have no choice but to right it. But, I've heard similar nightmarish stories at other parks. Sometimes the rules and regulations go overboard, but this can be fixed, and I believe will, because its become an embarrassment.

Most of the blame should and will go to Trost and the sooner they address his arrogance and severe misjudgments, the better. There is no doubt in my mind that the Yankee org will be forced to. Growing pains, to say the least.

[toefer]

OK we get it. The Yankee organization is catering to the elite. We have concerns and hopefully it will get fixed. The public speaks, which is a good thing.

But is this any different than any other ballpark, only on a relatively larger, NY, per capita income, scale? Can the "common guy" afford premium seats on the lower level for a family of four in Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, Boston, Florida, Texas, Los Angeles, hell, all major league parks?

Where was the outrage when Fenway Park had the highest average cost per seat by a considerable amount, up until this year?

Well, in all fairness, what were the actual prices?

Last year Boston might've led the league with a $50/ticket average, but the Yankees, at $41, weren't exactly far behind (and the Cubs were even closer, at $43).

Now the Yankees are the clear front-runner, with their average of $72, compared to 2nd place Boston's.....$50 (they raised ticket prices by 0.3% this year).

If you look specifically at the average "premium" ticket, the Yankees make a mockery out of the rest of the league.

Avg premium ticket at NYS: $510.
Avg premium ticket at Fenway: $162.
Avg premium ticket in MLB: $96

The average is largely skewed by the Yankees (and in part, by the Cubs and Red Sox); there are plenty of teams where the average premium ticket is ~$65 or less.

Source (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fteammarketing.com.ismmedia.com%2F ISM3%2Fstd-content%2Frepos%2FTop%2FFan%2520Cost%2520Index%2FM LB%2FMLB%2520FCI%252009.pdf&ei=_AUHSprpOpLhtgehj8mBBw&usg=AFQjCNHdxkR0rDxUWP6cIbw2qP_Z4LW8cA) -- Note: it's a PDF file

[Rob R]

Always with the sophomoric references to the Mets and the Red Sox. Why are you obsessed with these two teams? They didn't spend 45 million on Kei Igawa. They don't have an 80 million dollar infield. They weren't charging 2600 to sit behind the dugout. And they didn't demolish the House That Ruth Built. Accept it Rob, the new stadium is a bust in every way and it has damaged the franchise, and the franchise is in huge trouble and believe it or not the stadium has nothing to do with it.

I thought this team would make the playoffs, but I now have my doubts. The team is old, boring, and perpetually injured. Rivera, Jeter, and Pettite are playing like guys aged 35 to 40 play and the rest of the team except for Damon isn't playing much better. Cano had a great start but he's now back to his old ways. Can't get a hit in a big spot, easily pitched to in late innings, vulnerable to the high fastballs way outta the strikezone. Hate to say it but Cano can't hold Pedroia's jock.

Sophomoric? How about it's the truth. What shots did I take at the Mets and your beloved Sox? Talk about sophmoric, what does Jeter, Cano vs Pedroia, etc. have to do with this conversation, Sox troll? And speaking of the Sox, does Manny, Ortiz, Nomar, Nixon, Mueller, Tek, and Wakefield (yes, Wake) on roids taint their championships? Do you think Theo's refusal to trade Buchholz (whom he didn't want to include) for Santana was a huge mistake? What about the signing of Renteria, whom they were still paying last year? Or Crisp? Or Lugo? Or out-bidding everyome for Dice-K by over 30 mil? Just asking.

Please stop trolling and find a new hobby, OK, Fisk?

[Rob R]

Well, in all fairness, what were the actual prices?

Last year Boston might've led the league with a $50/ticket average, but the Yankees, at $41, weren't exactly far behind (and the Cubs were even closer, at $43).

Now the Yankees are the clear front-runner, with their average of $72, compared to 2nd place Boston's.....$50 (they raised ticket prices by 0.3% this year).

If you look specifically at the average "premium" ticket, the Yankees make a mockery out of the rest of the league.

Avg premium ticket at NYS: $510.
Avg premium ticket at Fenway: $162.
Avg premium ticket in MLB: $96

The average is largely skewed by the Yankees (and in part, by the Cubs and Red Sox); there are plenty of teams where the average premium ticket is ~$65 or less.

Source (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fteammarketing.com.ismmedia.com%2F ISM3%2Fstd-content%2Frepos%2FTop%2FFan%2520Cost%2520Index%2FM LB%2FMLB%2520FCI%252009.pdf&ei=_AUHSprpOpLhtgehj8mBBw&usg=AFQjCNHdxkR0rDxUWP6cIbw2qP_Z4LW8cA) -- Note: it's a PDF file

The Yankee average is also skewed because of those ridiculous $2,500 (now $1,200) seats. As for Fenway, I wish anybody luck in finding a premium seat for less than $500 dollars or so. By in large, there are a heck of a lot more affordable seats at NYS than Fenway, that are a heck of a lot more comfortable, with much better sightlines.

[Edgar.Martinez]

Actually the next series against the Yankees in Fenway, there are several premium seats all under $500. You can get behind-dugout seats, 4 rows back for about 370 bucks.

There's no justifying the Yankee organization's greed.

[Rob R]

There's no justifying the Yankee organization's greed.

No there isn't. Nor every club's.

[hbwriter]

By in large, there are a heck of a lot more affordable seats at NYS than Fenway, and a heck of a lot more comfortable, with much better sightlines.
----

I think that's true--but the bigger issue is what the Yanks did to the in-stadium fan experience as a whole - they surgically removed the unity and tribal insanity - THAT is what that stadium will miss the most

Ever wonder why Staples Center in LA cannot truly rock as one entity? The lower bowl is separated from the (vertigo-inducing) nosebleeds by THREE FAT LAYERS of suites and restaurants - it's three different environments functioning separately at all times.

By design, the Yanks removed there (imo) most valuable asset - the collective tribal hum and thunder

[hbwriter]

No there isn't. Nor every club's.

----

I repeat - not the Angels - please don't lump them in with all this riff-raff--we are spoiled in that park

[scooterfan]

If a team with financial resources has a chance to acquire the top pitcher in baseball, you go head and do it. On the Santana trade Omar whupped Cashman's and THeo's a$$.

You may say I'm a troll for pointing out that Pedroia is better than Cano, most will say I'm a realist. When it comes to steroid talk Yankee fans need to keep their mouths shut, just like most teams. We have no idea who was doing what so the argument's a moot point anyway. Did Luis Gonzalex cost the Yankees a championship? Did Clemens and Stanton give them championships? But we do know there's no Aaron Boone home run without Giambalco's 2 home runs in Game 7.

[Rob R]

Blah blah trollling blah blah yadda yadda trolling blah blah blah.

Go away Sox troll :waving

[scooterfan]

Ever wonder why Staples Center in LA cannot truly rock as one entity? The lower bowl is separated from the (vertigo-inducing) nosebleeds by THREE FAT LAYERS of suites and restaurants - it's three different environments functioning separately at all times.

By design, the Yanks removed there (imo) most valuable asset - the collective tribal hum and thunder


You're right, the Forum was a better venue. But the Lakers have Kobe. The Yankees don't have an equivalent to Kobe, nor does any other team in baseball. Kobe's on another level just like Tiger. If the Yankees had a Kobe like player who dominated maybe they could get away with charging so much money.

[Edgar.Martinez]

If a team with financial resources has a chance to acquire the top pitcher in baseball, you go head and do it. On the Santana trade Omar whupped Cashman's and THeo's a$$.

You may say I'm a troll for pointing out that Pedroia is better than Cano, most will say I'm a realist. When it comes to steroid talk Yankee fans need to keep their mouths shut, just like most teams. We have no idea who was doing what so the argument's a moot point anyway. Did Luis Gonzalex cost the Yankees a championship? Did Clemens and Stanton give them championships? But we do know there's no Aaron Boone home run without Giambalco's 2 home runs in Game 7.

scooter, you really need to give up on the Yankee bashing haha. and this is coming from a Red Sox fan...:p

[hbwriter]

If the Yankees had a Kobe like player who dominated maybe they could get away with charging so much money.

----

Baseball's different - you don't have impact players like basketball - one guy cannot dominate a baseball team - way more of a team/chemistry sport vs. a superstar sport - look at who wins divisions/series now -- more wild cards and smaller markets than ever

[scooterfan]

Go away Sox troll :waving

Ignore me and I will!! You respond to everything I write. Chill, don't get so bothered when I tell the truth.

[jerseyyankeefan]

The place is terrific, and the fixable prpblem is the pricing and the exclusivity of certain seats/area. There's nothing they can do about the CF obstruction view seats, but for $5 it is great deal, because those folks could simply walk up a few steps and watch from the CF porch/bar area. MP was not done well and there's not much they can do to fix that.

Hopefully, over time, the Yankees will listen about the ticket prices. Even is a good economy, $2500 to watch a regular season baseball game is just silly. Until they do, we just have to keep an eye out for season ticket holderrs selling a game here and there for below face value.

[Rob R]

No there isn't. Nor every club's.

----

I repeat - not the Angels - please don't lump them in with all this riff-raff--we are spoiled in that park
Correction. Most. Good for the Angels, I wish more teams took their lead.

Off topic- By the way, I listened to your podcast with the gentleman who spoke about the Polo Grounds. It was AMAZING. Would love to hear more of your interviews, and will be purchasing your latest book.

[yankees650B]

the purpose of building the new stadium should have been to reverse the destruction of the old stadium after the renovation. the new stadium should have captured all that was great about the pre renovated stadium while also keeping the unreplacable energy from the 76-09 stadium. however the Yankees organization failed. they have built a monstrosity filled with padded seats, suites and overpriced distractions. with the exception of the open concourses there is nothing good about the new Yankee stadium as far as the fans go.

[Rob R]

Ignore me and I will!! You respond to everything I write. Chill, don't get so bothered when I tell the truth.

I'm not the type to ignore anyone, whether they are trolls, morons, etc. It's not that important or devastating to me.

Truth? You wouldn't know it if it hits you in the face; you're too busy focusing on trolling with your non-sequiturs and irrelevant comments. I suggest that you chill from up there in Mississippi North, better known as Boston.

[scooterfan]

scooter, you really need to give up on the Yankee bashing haha. and this is coming from a Red Sox fan...:p

You're right, Mike Francesa and Bill Madden are better at it anyway.

[hbwriter]

Off topic- By the way, I listened to your podcast with the gentleman who spoke about the Polo Grounds. It was AMAZING. Would love to hear more of your interviews, and will be purchasing your latest book.

--

R--Thanks so much for taking the time to hear it - wasn't he something?

[Rob R]

Actually the next series against the Yankees in Fenway, there are several premium seats all under $500. You can get behind-dugout seats, 4 rows back for about 370 bucks.



$370? Prove it. Buy two. One for me, one for you, on me.

[jerseyyankeefan]

good writeup

I may get used to it but I will never think of it as Yankee Stadium and that is the saddest thing of all..

They may as well just get it over with and sell the naming rights for it, because its not Yankee Stadium the house that Ruth built.

Thats my oppinion, flame away if you must, but i just can't talk myself into liking this place. There is too much to dislike. I am glad I had the chance to see Citi Field. They did it right over there.

Its almost sleezy the way they are blatantly trying hold the game itself hostage with the fan paying the ransom.

sickening


Go to a game at the new place and it feels like Yankee Stadium and the home of the Yankees...its like Yankee heaven. I was ready to hate it, but its is such an upgrade that you're almost overwhelmed.

From what I've been told, if someone blindfolded you and dropped you at Citifield, you'd have almost no idea the Mets play there.

[jerseyyankeefan]

the purpose of building the new stadium should have been to reverse the destruction of the old stadium after the renovation. the new stadium should have captured all that was great about the pre renovated stadium while also keeping the unreplacable energy from the 76-09 stadium. however the Yankees organization failed. they have built a monstrosity filled with padded seats, suites and overpriced distractions. with the exception of the open concourses there is nothing good about the new Yankee stadium as far as the fans go.

The padded seats feel real good though...

[Rob R]

Off topic- By the way, I listened to your podcast with the gentleman who spoke about the Polo Grounds. It was AMAZING. Would love to hear more of your interviews, and will be purchasing your latest book.

--

R--Thanks so much for taking the time to hear it - wasn't he something?

He was truly a delight, as is your interviewing style. It's amazing how clear and detailed his memory of events is, considering his advanced years. What a likable person.

[Edgar.Martinez]

$370? Prove it. Buy two. One for me, one for you, on me.

just go on stubhub...

[jnakamura]

But is this any different than any other ballpark, only on a relatively larger, NY, per capita income, scale? Can the "common guy" afford premium seats on the lower level for a family of four in Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, Boston, Florida, Texas, Los Angeles, hell, all major league parks?


It's not just "premium seats" in the lower levels, but ANY seats. At Dodger stadium you can get front row Field and Loge level seats down in the corners for $50 and $25 respectively. Those same seats in NYS are $150 and $60. That's a huge difference.

[yankees650B]

Go to a game at the new place and it feels like Yankee Stadium and the home of the Yankees...its like Yankee heaven. I was ready to hate it, but its is such an upgrade that you're almost overwhelmed.

From what I've been told, if someone blindfolded you and dropped you at Citifield, you'd have almost no idea the Mets play there.
where were your seats at the game? i thought the same thing the first 2 minutes i sat in my seats in almost the exact location they were in the old then when i felt like i have the only one clapping in my section and really looked around i realized that Yankee stadium was dead and this was unfortunately the Yankees new home. as a person who went to the old stadium many times especially last season this stadium does not do the old stadium justice at all.

[hbwriter]

Rob--kind of you to say, thanks - at 87, he is sharper than most anyone I know - what a glorious baseball mind he is -- and still full of fire -- not sure if you saw the LA Times piece I did on him a couple of years ago (straying way off topic here)

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/27/magazine/tm-bleachers35

[Rob R]

just go on stubhub...

You're correct. $372 was the cheapest (only 2 seats), but most were in the $500 range, up to $715. Can a "common" family of 4 afford this? That's my point, and it wasn't specific to the Sox.

And yes, you can get lucky and find a person looking to dump tickets under market value (or isn't looking to rip you off) in every stadium.

I owe you a game.

[yankees650B]

The padded seats feel real good though...
was it worth what you paid? that is not what baseball is about. gee how did fans sitting in the old wooden seats survive? maybe they had the same thing past players had, a backbone. those players didn't cry every time they tweaked something and fans didn't mind moving their heads to see the infield or put up with a stadium without a martini bar, how did hey survive. i wish baseball was what it was like in it's golden age but the opening of the new yankee styadium insured that that will never happen in new yok.

[yankees650B]

my post got kinda lost, but this is what i truly believe. the purpose of building the new stadium should have been to reverse the destruction of the old stadium after the renovation. the new stadium should have captured all that was great about the pre renovated stadium while also keeping the unreplacable energy from the 76-09 stadium. however the Yankees organization failed. they have built a monstrosity filled with padded seats, suites and overpriced distractions. with the exception of the open concourses there is nothing good about the new Yankee stadium as far as the fans go.

[Ralphw]

Bottom line is there is no defending the way the Yankee FO is trying to cash in....

the "We'll be RICH!!!!" thinking is disgusting.


Disgusting....... and a big turn off..


they are depriving kids of the real baseball experience we all had. the chance to be upslose and personal with a bigleager during BP

[Rob R]

Rob--kind of you to say, thanks - at 87, he is sharper than most anyone I know - what a glorious baseball mind he is -- and still full of fire -- not sure if you saw the LA Times piece I did on him a couple of years ago (straying way off topic here)

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/27/magazine/tm-bleachers35
Thanks Chris; printing it out as we speak. (Sorry folks for straying off topic again, but if you're a baseball buff, I highly recommend hbwriter's works).

[Edgar.Martinez]

You're correct. $372 was the cheapest (only 2 seats), but most were in the $500 range, up to $715. Can a "common" family of 4 afford this? That's my point, and it wasn't specific to the Sox.

And yes, you can get lucky and find a person looking to dump tickets under market value (or isn't looking to rip you off) in every stadium.

I owe you a game.

dont tease me! haha

[Edgar.Martinez]

my post got kinda lost, but this is what i truly believe. the purpose of building the new stadium should have been to reverse the destruction of the old stadium after the renovation. the new stadium should have captured all that was great about the pre renovated stadium while also keeping the unreplacable energy from the 76-09 stadium. however the Yankees organization failed. they have built a monstrosity filled with padded seats, suites and overpriced distractions. with the exception of the open concourses there is nothing good about the new Yankee stadium as far as the fans go.

IMO i disagree. I think that it would be wrong to try to replicate the true Yankee Stadium. The thing that made that building so special were the events that happened in it, and the legends who played there. I'm not even a Yankees fan and I'll be sad when they tear down that place. I think any baseball fan would. Yes, even us Sox fans. I think it is time to move on though, and begin a new era. The stadium is beautiful, and I'm sure the organization will have no problem turning it into a success story. Once the team starts picking it up and ticket prices drop a bit, it has the potential to be everything that the original Yankee Stadium was, and maybe then some. Who knows? That's the great thing about baseball.

[hbwriter]

R--for some reason, that sort of OT is okay by me :)

hey, to fellow Baseball Fever folks - that article Rob is referring to actually IS a bit on topic because it harkens back to the days when the game was actually built (in part anyway) around the fans. If you've never read Arnold Hano's great "A Day in the Bleachers" it is an exquisite book. I'll share this image I took of him the day I wrote this article - he and my son - just two fans in the bleachers, soaking up baseball (Rob shoot me an email when ya get a sec - chris@chrisepting.com)

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg185/hbwriter/PALS.jpg

[Rob R]

dont tease me! haha


Hey, there's nothing better than a Yanks and Sox fan attending a game together. As much as we seem to hate one another, we are very much the same in our passion and ARE extremely knowledgeable (as they say - and it's true). It's the trolls (on both sides) that are despicable.

I was at a Nats game, and the first batter up got a double. The next batter grounded to the right side and moved him over. The fans BOO'd that he made an out! You NEVER hear or see that in NY and Boston.

If you're ever coming down to NY give me a holler. I go to Boston on biz as well.

[Edgar.Martinez]

Hey, there's nothing better than a Yanks and Sox fan attending a game together. As much as we seem to hate one another, we are very much the same in our passion and ARE extremely knowledgeable (as they say - and it's true). It's the trolls (on both sides) that are despicable.

I was at a Nats game, and the first batter up got a double. The next batter grounded to the right side and moved him over. The fans BOO'd that he made an out! You NEVER hear or see that in NY and Boston.

If you're ever coming down to NY give me a holler. I go to Boston on biz as well.

haha that sounds like a deal. im holding you too that, Rob!

and yeah, thats pretty ridiculous. well since it IS Washington, maybe their fans are just learning the game too? :hide:

[Rob R]

haha that sounds like a deal. im holding you too that, Rob!

and yeah, thats pretty ridiculous. well since it IS Washington, maybe their fans are just learning the game too? :hide:

Most definitely, if it meets our schedules, I'm all for it.

Hey, some of my best "friendships" started off on the wrong foot. I suppose, you start to take better notice of that person and realize that you may have been wrong, and/or there are very good qualities to them. Some of my close buddies are Sox fans, even if they don't shower. :P

[Rob R]

It's not just "premium seats" in the lower levels, but ANY seats. At Dodger stadium you can get front row Field and Loge level seats down in the corners for $50 and $25 respectively. Those same seats in NYS are $150 and $60. That's a huge difference.

Not that I doubted you, but I went to the Dodger site just to look at their overall seating. Premium seating behind the plate is $500, along the baseline, $225. In the outfield, some field level seats that are $100 at NYS are $75 at Dodger Stadium. Still not very affordable for the so-called "common" man and their family. What Dodger Stadium seems to have over NYS is a wider range of seating and prices, and Yankee loge (now called main) is $60 ($40 for terrace) as opposed to DS $20.

But, an informed person should do some research when buying tix at NYS. They'll find out that the greatest value in all of sports just might be the bleachers at $12 or $5 (obstructed). Not only is the view amazing and closer to the field than RYS, but you can roam around as you please, even take in a game from the field level concourse behind home plate, if they choose. Even the terrace at $40 and upper terrace at $20 is a relative bargain and what one might expect to pay for a sporting outing.

I have a partial in the field level, but I have to tell you, the greatest values are in the cheaper seats.

[Edgar.Martinez]

Most definitely, if it meets our schedules, I'm all for it.

Hey, some of my best "friendships" started off on the wrong foot. I suppose, you start to take better notice of that person and realize that you may have been wrong, and/or there are very good qualities to them. Some of my close buddies are Sox fans, even if they don't shower. :P

haha, scooterfan - take notice..

[MarcianoNY]

I have a partial in the field level, but I have to tell you, the greatest values are in the cheaper seats.

Yeah, IMO opinion the bleachers were one of the best values in the old stadium; nonexistent legroom, lack of amenities, and all. Other than the obstructed seats, which could and should have been avoided (but hey, it's a $5 admission fee to Yankee Stadium), the bleacher experience looks to be better in every way. Can't wait to catch my first game there next month. Everybody talks about how regular people can't afford to go to the ballpark; well no s&*t if you think you're gonna bring your 3 kids and sit in the Rudy Giuliani boxes. If you're willing to think outside the box there are options.

[Rob R]

haha, scooterfan - take notice..

And what does scutterfan have to do with a post to you? Some kind of internet tag team going here?

[Edgar.Martinez]

oh god no. He's going a little bonzai on the Yankees bashing. Even I'm not that bad haha

[Rob R]

Yeah, IMO opinion the bleachers were one of the best values in the old stadium; nonexistent legroom, lack of amenities, and all. Other than the obstructed seats, which could and should have been avoided (but hey, it's a $5 admission fee to Yankee Stadium), the bleacher experience looks to be better in every way. Can't wait to catch my first game there next month. Everybody talks about how regular people can't afford to go to the ballpark; well no s&*t if you think you're gonna bring your 3 kids and sit in the Rudy Giuliani boxes. If you're willing to think outside the box there are options.

Bingo. As if they were able to afford seats in the Guiliani section before this year.

I'm not defending the Yanks - they took this to new levels in many ways, but they hardly stand alone. Maybe if we had a playpen and see-saws behind center field, people won't think they're getting ripped off?