Stadium Banner Guy To Be Shut Out?

Via the Daily News -

Joe Morante is hoping to keep one Yankee Stadium tradition alive.

For the past eight seasons, Morante, 56, has been rotating hand-painted signs to transform a patch of the old Stadium’s upper-deck facade into a miniJumboTron.

But with a brand-new stadium set to open next year, Morante fears that his front-row tier seats will be gone – and with them, the beloved banners.

“I’m just looking for a little consideration,” said Morante, a high school teacher from Cold Spring Harbor, L.I. “I need to keep my rail location or else I’ll block people.”

Unlike the average fan, who shows up at games with nothing more than a bag of peanuts or a baseball glove, Morante and his crew haul about 15 signs with the biggest one weighing more than 30 pounds.

Atop a massive “GO YANKEES” banner, Morante alternates a roster of 18-foot-long signs. There is “MO TOWN” for a Mariano Rivera inning or “CAPTAIN CLUTCH” for Derek Jeter at-bats.

Known in the Stadium as Banner Boy, Morante’s creations have been featured in countless publications and highlight reels.

During the 2001 playoffs, his “GET BIN LADEN” sign was a big hit.

“I feel I have some effect, like I’m the 10th man,” Morante said.

Along with most other season-ticket holders, Morante has filled a preference questionnaire as part of the Yankees relocation program.

He realizes he may have to pay more or move to a less central location. He has not been informed of any decision.

“We are not going to talk about any individual cases,” a Yankees spokeswoman said.

The team’s guide to transferring ticket plans states that licensees of half-season plans, like Morante, “will not receive reasonably comparable seat location assignments.”

Morante said he even called a few Yankee officials to see if his application can get a second look.

“I said, ‘Just put me on the rail,’” he recalled. “I hate to feel like I step in front of the line.”

Other fans said Morante has earned his (pin)stripes and should be allowed a front-row view.

“Of course, why not? They should give him consideration,” said Frank Pasqualino, 52, a 25-year season-ticket holder known as Frankie the Yankee among the faithful.

Whatever happened to that rule – I think it started back in 1993 – that said fans could not hang banners at Yankee Stadium? I guess that became a non-issue once fans no longer wanted to show signs or hang banners getting on the Yankees or Big Stein…

I wish Morante luck with this one. I know how I would feel if I were him…

But, it would not shock me to see the Yankees “box” him out of the location that he had…either by price or demand, etc.

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