Yanks Set 2009 Season Ticket Prices

Via the AP -

Even seats behind the outfield fence will be costly at the new Yankee Stadium.

The front part of the area behind the outfield in right and left will cost $100 and $75 per game next year as part of season-ticket plans at the $1.3 billion ballpark.

But behind those four sections of seats, and to the rear of the bullpens closer to center field, are nine sections of bleachers priced at $12, the same as the cost this season in the final year of the 85-year-old ballpark.

The Yankees put season ticket prices on their Web site Friday along with a seat locator that shows views from each location. They also mailed relocation brochures to season-ticket holders.

The Yankees said Friday the remainder of the field-seats level seats cost from $75-$325 as part of season tickets, while main-level seats go for $45-$100. The highest deck is split into two areas, with terrace seats going for $40-$65 and grandstand selling for $20 and $25.

In a sign most of the best seats will be sold as season tickets, only the least expensive category of field seats and the two least expensive levels of main seats are being made available for partial plans. The Yankees are charging $5-$10 more per seat for partial plans than they are for season tickets. Individuals game prices haven’t been set.

I looked for the information that’s supposed to be on the Yankees site, but, I couldn’t find it at all. Maybe it’s buried in there somewhere?

Update, 8/29/08, 10:47 pm EST: I found the info on the Yankees site. It looks like my season ticket seats, which were $37 each in 2001 and $75 each this season, will be either $75 or $100 each next year…as I’m right on the line between two shades of green on the main level. Of course, this assumes that I get to keep that location, thereabouts, in the new Stadium.

If my seats in the new Stadium end up in the same area as this current Stadium, and the price for next season is the same as this season, I will personally send the Brothers Steinbrenner a thank you card.

Is it just me, or, in the new Stadium, does the new “upper deck” look like there’s hardly any seats up there at all?

August 29, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | Leave a Comment

At The Stadium & Gotta Go? Then You Better Be In The Know

By now, I’m sure that you’ve heard the story about the Sox fan who was tossed from Yankee Stadium on Tuesday for making a bathroom run during the playing of ‘God Bless America.’ If not, here it is, via the UPI -

A New York Yankees fan says he might sue after he was allegedly ejected for trying to use the Yankee Stadium men’s room while a patriotic song was playing.

Bradford Campeau-Laurion told WCBS-TV in New York Thursday that the seventh-inning stretch seemed like an opportune time for a pit stop during Tuesday’s game against Boston. However a police officer allegedly blocked his departure until the traditional recording of “God Bless America” was finished playing.

Campeau-Laurion said when he protested that his priority at the moment was the rest room, two officers pinned his arms behind him and gave him the bum’s rush out the gate.

“He shoved me out the front gate and told me get out of their country if I didn’t like it,” Campeau-Laurion said to the television station.

A police spokesman told WCBS that Campeau-Laurion was abusive and appeared to be drunk, which Campeau-Laurion and the person he was attending the game both denied.

The Yankees have a policy that prohibits fans from wandering around when “God Bless America” is playing, but the American Civil Liberties Union said having the police throw someone out for simply wanting to use the bathroom probably crossed the line, WCBS said.

Note that this story says he’s a “New York Yankees fan” - but, I’ve read in many other places that he’s a fan of the Boston Red Sox.

So, the Yankees have this “policy” - and it’s not something new…I shared it here back on May 10, 2007.

At the end of the day, it’s their house and they can make the rules. And, if you want to hang out there, you have to play by those rules…I suppose.

Earlier this year, my six-year old daughter had her first “belt ceremony” at the dojo that she attends. The sensei there is also a member of law enforcement. Before the ceremony, he played a recording of Whitney Houston singing the National Anthem. And, he preceeded this by announcing “We’re going to play the National Anthem. It’s going to be sung by Whitney Houston - before she got messed up on crack. It’s required that everyone here, students and guests, turn, face the flag, remove your hats, and pay respect to the flag while this song is being played. If you can’t do that because of some religious, political, or whatever belief, you can leave now.”

And, everyone complied. Again, it’s his dojo and he’s the sensei - so, he can make the rules…and you better follow them if you want to be in there. This is no different than what the Yankees are doing. If the Sox fan doesn’t like it, go watch a game in Fenway Park.

August 29, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 7 Comments

Opening Before The Opener

MetsBlog reports that the Red Sox and Mets will play a two-game set, for kicks, next season at Citi Field just before Opening Day.

The Yankees will probably now opt to do the same. Bummer.

I wonder who they would play? Probably some National League team that trains in Florida. Too bad that the Dodgers left Vero Beach….

And, I wonder how both the Mets and Yankees will handle these exhibitions…if they open up 2009 on the road?

August 27, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 3 Comments

April 16, 2009 - First Day For New Digs?

Via the Daily News -

Mark calendars for the grand openings: The Yankees and Mets will inaugurate their new stadiums just two days apart next spring.

The Mets will play their first game at Citi Field on Tuesday, April 14, against the San Diego Padres, according to Major League Baseball’s draft preliminary schedule for 2009. The new Yankee Stadium will open on April 16 with a game against the Cleveland Indians.

Details of next year’s openers were disclosed to The Associated Press on Thursday by baseball officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the teams nor the commissioner’s office have made any announcements.

The Yankees may have one or two exhibition games at their new $1.3 billion ballpark before the official opener. The Mets also may schedule exhibition games at $800 million Citi Field but have not made any decisions yet.

Maybe I’m being a baby about this, but, I truly hope that the Yankees don’t have any exhibition games in the new place before the Opener. Yes, I know other teams have done it. But, to me, it just takes away from the “first game” experience. The people who go to the game on Opening Day 2009 should be the people who get to see the inside of the Stadium, during a game, for the first time. But, then again, that’s just me.

August 15, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 2 Comments

New Stadium Worth ~$400 Mill A Year For Yanks

Via Crain’s New York Business - with a hat tip to Neil Best:

The [Yankees'] revenues—already the highest in the sport, at an estimated $327 million last year—are poised to double almost immediately. This quantum leap will be driven by factors ranging from higher prices for tickets and hot dogs to increased revenues from the YES Network for game telecasts. There will also be new revenue sources, such as leasing out the new stadium for concerts.

“We do expect a good increase in revenue,” is all team President Randy Levine says.

More likely, the team will sell tickets for all or nearly all of the new stadium’s 52,325 seats for every game next year, just as the team has done at the current stadium for the past four seasons. Plug in the $74 average ticket price implied in the team’s 2009 projections, and the team’s seat and suite revenues should reach about $312 million next year.

The team also stands to collect another $70 million in annual revenues from operating the concession stands, based on the amount the current vendor, Centerplate Inc., says it generated from selling hot dogs and other essentials last year. The new stadium also will feature more places to buy food and shop for memorabilia.

So, that’s $380 million a year - and that does not include any YES revenue.

Remember that when the Yankees come out and say they need money have no choice but to go the PSL route…

August 5, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 5 Comments

Old-Timers’ Day 2008

Two huge thumbs up to the Yankees organization today for an Old-Timers’ Day extremely well done.

I’ve seen most of the Yankees Old-Timers’ Days since 1975. And, I cannot remember one better than today’s event.

The only way it possibly could have been better would have been if Bernie Williams, Don Mattingly, Roy White, Sparky Lyle, Scott Brosius and Mike Stanton could have been there. Kay Murcer too. And, maybe, if there was a way, to get Dave Righetti, Joe Torre, and Lou Piniella there…but, I know that’s being greedy.

In any event, today’s ceremony and game were excellent. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to watch this one. In fact, if the YES network was smart, they should replay this one a few times over the winter. It’s worth watching again.

August 2, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 6 Comments

Commercializing The Stadium Experience

Via Tyler Kepner -

The Yankees are not selling the naming rights to their new stadium, but they have found a way to sell plays on the field. Since the All-Star break, every time a Yankees pitcher records a strikeout, the P.C. Richard whistle plays over the loudspeakers as part of a sponsorship deal.

I have to confess…last night was the first time that I picked up on this…when Jose Veras whiffed Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, back-to-back, in the 8th inning. My first reaction was “I’m not really hearing this, am I?” It just seemed so….tacky.

Then again, is it any different from Mel Allen calling homeruns a “Ballantine blast!,” or, Bill White telling a player “This Bud’s for you!” or John Sterling plugging Benihana during a Hideki Matsui At-Bat? Sure, those things are during a Yankees broadcast…and not heard at the Stadium.

However, what happens at the Stadium is part of the broadcast…and it seems like it’s more about the broadcast these days than about those who get to attend a game at the Stadium…as far as the Yankees are concerned.

So, we might as well get used to stuff like this…in this new Yankeeland of ours…

July 30, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 3 Comments

Yanks To Have Record Number Of Alum @ Old-Timers Day

Via the Yankees site -

The New York Yankees announced today that 15 first-time Old-Timers will attend the 62nd annual Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 2.

Among the newcomers are seven members of the 1996 World Championship club, including Yankees Special Assistant to the General Manager Tino Martinez, Pat Kelly, Jimmy Key, Graeme Lloyd, Ramiro Mendoza, Jeff Nelson and Tim Raines. Baseball’s all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson will also make his first Old-Timers’ Day appearance at Yankee Stadium, along with current pitching coach Dave Eiland, former manager Buck Showalter and former coach Jeff Torborg. The first-timers are rounded out by Don Baylor, Tony Fernandez, Wayne Tolleson and current YES Network broadcaster Al Leiter.

Joining the rookie Old-Timers on the baselines will be over 50 additional former Yankees, including at least one player from each of the last 16 Yankees World Championship teams since 1947. This year’s ceremonies will mark the largest number of Yankees alumni in uniform for Old-Timers’ Day in the history of the event.

It’s interesting to see Don Baylor’s name on this list. In his 1989 autobiography (written with Claire Smith), entitled “Don Baylor - Nothing but the Truth: A Baseball Life,” Baylor wrote that he felt like he was treated like a piece of trash in New York. And, if I recall correctly, he also wrote that he would never autograph a picture of himself in a Yankees uniform - because he didn’t want to acknowledge being on the team. I guess he’s had a change of heart…with the passing of time.

July 22, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 2 Comments

Yanks Embarrassed By Post, Change Sunscreen Ban

Via the Post with a hat tip to BBTF -

Yankee fans are seeing - and turning - red over a ban on sunscreen, which Stadium security guards say was widely expanded in the last few weeks.

Security guards collected garbage bags full of sunblock at the entrances to Yankee Stadium over the sweltering weekend, when temps hit 96 degrees and the UV index reached a skin-scorching 9 out of 10 - a move team officials said was to protect the Stadium from terrorism.

The team contends that sunscreen has long been on the list of stadium contraband, but there is no mention of it on the Yankee Web site.

Four weeks ago, Stadium officials decided that sunscreen of all sizes and varieties would not be permitted, a security supervisor told The Post before last night’s game.

“There have been a lot of complaints,” he said. “We tell them to apply once and then throw it out.”

For fans who bring babies or young children to cheer on the home team, the guard had suggested they “beg” to take the sunblock in.

Seeing the giant bag full of confiscated sunscreen Saturday, one steaming Yankee fan asked whether he could take one of the tubes and apply it before heading into the park.

“Absolutely not,” the guard told him. “What if you get a rash? You might sue the Yankees.”

The Stadium does sell 1-ounce bottles of Arizona Sun SPF 15 for $5 - a huge markup that makes its beer seem cheap.

Dermatologists said that, security concerns or not, leaving 56,000 fans unprotected from potential skin cancer is “very dangerous.”

“This is especially bad for children, as their younger skin is particularly sensitive,” said Dr. Babar Rao, a specialist at the Skin and Cancer Center of New York. “Sunblock needs to be reapplied every two hours, even if you are not swimming in the ocean or pool.”

Major League Baseball even has a skin-cancer prevention program called “Play Sun Smart.”

An hour after being asked about the sunscreen ban, Yankee spokesman Jason Zillo told The Post that the rules would be changed to permit 3-ounce containers.

I’m all for ballpark security in a post-9/11 world. It’s very important. There are few terrorist targets quite like 55,000 New Yorkers in an extremely concentrated area, with limited exit routes, attending an event known as America’s Pastime. To be honest, at times, I’ve worried about my safety being in such a venue. Therefore, I have no issue with Stadium personnel checking me out before I go into a game - and having reasonable limits on what I can bring into the ballpark. After all, it’s for my own safety.

But, telling people that they cannot take in a small tube of sun-block and then charging them five bucks for a one-ounce bottle inside the Stadium makes the Yankees look really bad here. Good job by the Post for exposing this story. And, smart move by the Yankees for now changing this utterly stupid and suspect policy.

July 22, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 4 Comments

Beware Buying “Print At Home” Tickets From Don’t Knows

Did you catch the John Deutzman report last Thursday on MyFoxNY about counterfeit Yankees tickets?

Some kid from Long Island bought a bunch of Yankees tickets, back in March, off eBay, for the Red Sox/Yankees series recently played at the Stadium. If I recall correctly, he bought them off an eBay seller named “Lee Irving” (who had a very positive seller rating). They were “print at home” tickets and not the actual tickets that you get from the Yankees.

As it turned out, the kid couldn’t make it to the games. So, he sold the tickets to a broker in Massachusetts who runs bus trips for Red Sox fans to come to Yankee Stadium. However, when the tour guys arrived at the game, they were informed that the tickets were counterfeit.

According to the Deutzman report, a updated check on the eBay seller showed that the guy (Lee Irving?) had his rating drop - quite a bit - since March with many people leaving comments that he was selling counterfeit tickets.

Here’s what Deutzman found out: The seller registered with eBay using a bogus mailing address. And, he was photo-copying the black-and-white “print at home” tickets and selling the same game-tickets to multiple parties.

Now that tickets (albeit “print at home” ones or “real” tickets) have bar-codes on them, the minute they are scanned at the Stadium, that “seat” is marked gone. So, in this case, the first person to show up with the ticket (from the bogus seller) got into the Stadium. And, every person after that, with the dupe-ticket and the same bar-code, got flagged as having counterfeit tickets.

In this story, the Massachusetts broker worked with the Yankees and got his tour people into other seats for the game. And, Deutzman worked with eBay to get the Long Island kid his money back - even though it was way past eBay’s policy on helping out. And, the kid then gave the money back to the Sox tour broker.

Still, there’s a warning out of this story…and it’s this: If you’re going to buy Yankees tickets from someone, and they’re the “print at home” kind, make sure that you truly know the person that you’re buying from…or else run the risk of falling prey to the photo-copy scam that this guy on eBay was running. It’s easy money for these crooks. Reportedly, this guy (Lee Irving?) made thousands of dollars selling these Yankees tickets - and he has yet to be found.

July 20, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | Leave a Comment

Last Call For Current Yankee Stadium Vendors?

Rich at Home Run Derby just sent me this link. That’s using your head.

Now, let’s hope that the kid gets to keep his job.

July 17, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | Leave a Comment

2008 All-Star Game

Good game. Hey, watching the American League in this one was almost like watching the Yankees play this season - with all those wasted At Bats with runners in scoring position.

According to my unofficial clock, this one ended at 1:37:27 AM ET - the day following the day that it started. And, yes, I watched the whole thing. I really feel bad for all the people who went to this game. By the 11th inning, it looked like 20,000 people had left the Stadium. Come the 15th inning, it looked like there was maybe 15,000 fans remaining at the park. I’m not sure that I can blame people for leaving - it being as late as it was…and so many people probably having to get up for work the next day. Still, when you paid as much money as most people had to pay for these All-Star tickets, it would be nice if you were able to see the end of the game.

O.K., here come a bunch of thoughts on this one…

I’m not sure that I was thrilled to see that footage of Mo Rivera teaching Doc Halladay and Scott Kazmir how to grip his cutter.

Shame on FOX for not saying/showing anything about Bobby Murcer until the bottom of the 11th inning - when many people probably left the broadcast. They could have done it much earlier in the game.

Nice job by Terry Francona to take A-Rod and Jeter out of the game in the way that he did - and too bad it back-fired on A-Rod…with the fans not giving him a big hand (like they did later when Jeter came out of the game).

I’m sooooo glad that Mariano Rivera did not end up having a poor showing in this game. And, I’m sooooo glad that David Wright did not end up having a good showing in this game. Having either one of those things happening at the last All-Star game at this Yankee Stadium would just not be right.

It was interesting to see (son) Hal and (daughter) Jennifer with Big Stein before the game - with no sign of (son) Hank. Maybe they all thought it was best to leave Hank at home?

I really thought that FOX could have done a better job at showcasing the Stadium during their broadcast of this event. After all, “the Stadium” was one of the biggest stars in this show - and they treated it like any other “Game of the Week” broadcast in terms of what you saw on your T.V.

I mean, they had the blimp there…and it was daylight just about up to the first pitch…would it have killed FOX to show at least one aerial shot of the two Stadiums, side-by-side, in the sun?

Lastly, was it just me, or, was the pre-game ceremony for this one a little lacking? It really didn’t feel…well, it didn’t feel as special as the pre-game ceremony before the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

I mean no disrespect to the Hall-of-Famers who were there…but, I felt like baseball did a poor job with respect to getting certain Hall-of-Famers to attend. Sure, I realize that guys like Red Schoendienst, Bobby Doerr, George Kell, Duke Snider and Stan Musial are old. So, I can excuse them for not being there. But, no Tom Seaver? No Sandy Koufax? No Joe Morgan? No Nolan Ryan? No Johnny Bench? No Carl Yaztrzemski? Heck, even no Carlton Fisk or Sparky Anderson? Something’s fishy here…

But, it was funny to see Wade Boggs there wearing a Yankees hat. Betcha some fans in Beantown are not too thrilled with that one.

That’s it for now. I have to get up in five hours. See you…I was going to say “tomorrow” but that would be Thursday (now). So, see ya “later.”

July 16, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 15 Comments

Tribute Planned For Big Stein Tonight

Via Sam Borden:

There will be lots of cheers at Yankee Stadium tonight, starting with the ones for the Hall of Famers who will be honored in a pregame ceremony and, of course, for the players who will be part of the All-Star Game. Then, at some point during the evening, there will be a planned tribute to George Steinbrenner, and the sold-out crowd will presumably stand and cheer again.

It will be a deserved ovation. Steinbrenner, like the Stadium itself, is as big a star as any this year, and commissioner Bud Selig has said that one reason he wanted the All-Star Game here was to pay tribute to what Steinbrenner has meant to the game. It’s an understandable sentiment; no one would deny that he has meant a lot, and every year it seems that someone brings up Steinbrenner’s name as a candidate to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Two years ago, I suggested that Cooperstown should add Big Stein to their ledger. Nothing has changed, for me, on that position.

It’s nice to hear that George will be at the game this evening. I hope the fans give him an ovation that lasts for 10 minutes - or more. Rock the house for the Boss, ya’ll. It might be the last chance to give him a huge thank you. Don’t miss it.

July 15, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 16 Comments

2008 All-Star Game Homerun Derby

I have to admit that I’ve been rooting for Josh Hamilton for a while now. Back in 2000, a year after he was the first overall pick in the Amateur Draft and a year before his off-the-field issues began, he signed a baseball for me. Being appreciative of this kind act from Josh led to my keeping tabs on his career. Naturally, I was troubled when he his career went down an ugly path starting back in 2001. And, I was happy to see him comeback from that in 2006.

So, it was a thrill to see the show that Josh Hamilton (and, don’t forget 71-year old Clay Counsil too!) put on during the first round of the Homerun Derby this evening (at Yankee Stadium). Sure, yes, it was just a BP session on prime-time T.V. But, it was electric.

Obviously, I never saw Babe Ruth hit. And, I missed seeing Mickey Mantle hit. (I was five during Mickey’s last season.) But, tonight, I think - thanks to Hamilton’s show - I got a chance to see what the Babe and Mick’s homeruns must have looked like at Yankee Stadium…back in the day.

Yeah, I know, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi have hit some long homeruns at Yankee Stadium. Ditto Reggie Jackson. And, I know that visiting players such as Manny Ramirez, Jose Canseco, Jim Thome, Fred McGriff, Ken Griffey Jr., George Brett, Mark McGwire, David Ortiz, and Carlos Delgado have hit some long homeruns at Yankee Stadium. But, it seems, at least to me, that those guys have hit homeruns that have gone 450 to 480 feet, at best. This evening, Hamilton was blasting them high up and off the wall behind the bleacher seats in right-center field…in excess of 500 feet.

Simply amazing.

In the end, Josh Hamilton did not win the Homerun Derby today. But, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a winner. I think a lot of people will remember the show that he put on during that first round. And, it didn’t hurt that he did it at what will be the (first and) last Homerun Derby at the House that Ruth Built.

Betcha even the Babe was looking down on this one with a smile.

July 14, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 9 Comments

When The Other Guys Danced

The Game On bloggers at USATODAY.com have crafted a list of the top five opponent post-season feats at Yankee Stadium. Click here to see the list.

What do you think about this list? Any that you would take off or add? At first blush, I don’t see any - either way.

July 14, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 3 Comments

2008 All-Star Futures Game

The announced attendance for the Futures Game at the Stadium yesterday was 48,383. Yet, by many reports, the Stadium was only half-filled for the game. Where was everybody? It’s a shame that New York sports fans didn’t do a better job of representing for this one, no?

July 14, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 8 Comments

Lonn Trost & The New Yankee Stadium

Kevin Manahan, in the Star-Ledger, has an interesting feature today on Lonn Trost and the new Yankee Stadium. Here’s some highlights:

“Here it is,” [Lonn Trost] says, flipping it open. “Some front-row seats will cost $2,500, but 55 percent — more than half — of the seats will be $45 or less. Ninety-one percent will cost $100 or less. We made sure that 24,500 seats will not have a price increase. What you pay here, you’ll pay there.”
…

“Look, we can’t lose the next generation of Yankee fan because a father can’t afford to take his kid to a game.”

Trost, a Monroe resident who raised his two children in North Brunswick, is the steward of the new Yankee Stadium now under construction and opening next season. He has been entrusted by owners George, Hal and Hank Steinbrenner with veto and approval power on the $1.2 billion project, and he might be the perfect guy to oversee the replacement of Major League Baseball’s most storied stadium.

July 13, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 3 Comments

Stadium To Have Closing Ceremony In November?

Via mlb.com -

The All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium is fewer than two weeks away, but it will by no means be the last of the tributes that will be paid to the old Bronx yard on 161st Street and River Avenue in this, its 85th and final season.

In addition to ceremonies at the final regular season game scheduled to be played on Sept. 21 against the Orioles, a gala celebration is being considered in November as the final event before the scene shifts across the street to the new Yankee Stadium, Hal Steinbrenner told MLB.com in an interview in his Legends Field office.

“There’s going to be things at the actual game, but we’re also looking to have a closing ceremony in November,” said the 39-year-old youngest son of George Steinbrenner, the team’s patriarch and principal owner since 1973. “We’re strongly considering it and it will be a very nice event.

“We’re working on it right now. We’re talking to people and some big names in terms of what they want to do. And it may be music, it may be a comedian, it may be an emcee. There will certainly be a lot of videos and things like that. And, of course, bringing back the old Yankees. That’s something we’ve always done.”

Boo.

Boo to the Yankees on this one.

Smells like just another attempt to milk the fans for some more money. The last regular season game should be when they have the closing ceremony, etc.

Sure, I understand that’s a little strange if you’re going to play again in October. But, as of now, playing in October is not looking good for the Yankees.

Tell you what…if New York goes through with this and has a closing ceremony in November…I hope it’s twenty degrees and snowing that day. It would serve them right for trying to squeeze every last buck out of this thing.

July 4, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | Leave a Comment

Hope Yanks Don’t Follow G-Men’s Lead Block

At lunch-time today, I caught some of Mike Francesa on YES (around 12:30 pm). He was going on and on about the football Giants decision to sell personal seat licenses. I have to confess…before hearing Francesa…I had no idea that the Giants had made this call.

To the point Francesa made today: It’s insane to ask some 65-year old fan who has been going to Giants games since 1961 and who has managed to secure six field level season seats at the 45-yard line (as a result of his fan tenure) to now fork over $120,000 just for the right to buy these seats in the future. Basically, you’re just forcing this guy out.

I just hope that the government in New York stays on the Yankees case about not selling personal seat licenses. If not, the new Stadium will truly be stocked - but not with blue collar or middle-class fans. And, that just doesn’t seem right.

June 27, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 7 Comments

You Gotta Be Kidding Me

My buddy Phil just gave me a heads-up on this one. Some banana is selling tickets for the last regular season home game at Yankee Stadium on Stub-Hub. They’re wheelchair seats behind the wall in left-field. The asking price? One million bucks per ticket. I mean, seriously, com’on. When I hear stuff like this…I cannot blame the Yankees for taking tickets away from some people.

June 25, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 3 Comments

Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy Set

You may have heard about the Yankee Stadium Legacy card series from Upper Deck - as there have been some promos about it during some YES broadcasts. But, just in case you have missed it, I thought I would post somethng on it now.

It’s a 6,661 card set, with one card representing every Yankee home game ever played in Yankee Stadium (plus a few extras for Papal visits, boxing, etc.). The cards are inserted into various Upper Deck baseball products, and will continue into next year so that the 2008 MLB season is included.

Marty Appel, who was the Yankees publicist for many years and who remains close to the team now (and therefore is a bit of a historian when it comes to the Yankees), told me that this is the largest card set ever produced (Guinness Book worthy) and an amazing research project.

Is it impossible to collect the full set? Well, it’s certainly a challenge.

In any event, I’ve been told that fans can also register the codes on the back of the cards at the Yankee Stadium Legacy website to be included in a Yankee Stadium Dream Trip sweepstakes - tickets to the All-Star Game, the last regular-season 2008 game and the first 2009 home game.

Baseball cards have sure come a long way, huh? When I was a kid, we used to clothespin them to the spokes of our bicycle tires. But, I’m sure some of you did the same - or, you’ve heard that one from other people too.

But, here’s another neat trick from my past. Circa 1974-75, when I has in Junior High, some of my friends and I had a thing for the “Tater Tots” at our school cafeteria. The problem was: When they were offered, they would go fast. So, if you weren’t on the front part of the lunch line, you were at risk to lose your shot at the tots.

So, this is what we used to do - once in a while. We would pool all the doubles and duds from our baseball cards and stack them. And, if we were on the back of the lunch line, one of us would throw the stack of cards up into the air - so that it would rain baseball cards. And, when those in front of us, on line, would then scatter to scoop up the cards (as Junior High scavengers were prone to do) we would then move ahead in the lunch-line queue and better our chances to get those beloved tots.

Gotta stop here…just thinking about those tots is making me hungry.

June 2, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | Leave a Comment

Yankee Stadium Tour Photos

As promised, here are some pictures from our Yankee Stadium tour experience yesterday.

June 1, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 7 Comments

Getting Inside

Today, the family and I did something that I have always wanted to do…we took the tour of Yankee Stadium. Man, if you’ve never done it, and you’re a Yankees fan, what are you waiting for?

I actually got to hang, stretched out, with my hands secured to the roof of the Yankees dugout - just like you see the players do sometimes before a game. Dream.come.true.

More pictures to come at a later date.

May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 4 Comments

Now, This, Could Be Fun

Via the Yankees site: Fans to pick games for Yankees DVD. (Hat tip to BTF.)

Me?

I’m voting for:

1976 ALCS Game 5
July 4, 1983 - Dave Righetti’s no-hitter
1995 ALDS, Game 2
2000 World Series, Game 1
2003 ALCS, Game 7

That’s one each for the ’70’s, ’80’s, ’90’s and ’00’s - plus the Boone homer. How about you?

May 28, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 3 Comments

The Camden Yankees

Via the Canadian Press:

The gates swing open, and thousands immediately rush inside. They dart across the landscape like a swarm of blue and white locusts, brashly making themselves at home in a place they don’t belong.

They are fans of the New York Yankees, converting Camden Yards into their own version of Yankee Stadium.

Through Wednesday, nearly half the crowd at the home of the Baltimore Orioles will be wearing Yankees hats and jerseys while cheering the visitors.

For many, the approximate 3 1/2-hour drive down I-95 from New York to Camden Yards is a sound economic decision - even if it means staying at a hotel, eating at restaurants and paying ticket-scalper prices to get in the ballpark.

John Trush came from New Jersey with his wife, daughter and her boyfriend to see Monday’s afternoon game. Trush paid US$150 each for tickets marked at $48 and considered it a bargain.

“It’s worth it. I’m in the 10th row behind the Yankees dugout,” Trush crowed. “Same ticket at Yankee Stadium is $600, and next year it’s going to be $850. So trust me, I’m not complaining about the price here.”

The Yankees’ official website lists the top ticket price this year at $400, but those seats are rarely available on game days. Next year, when the team moves into a new $1.3-billion ballpark, the Yankees will charge $500 to $2,500 for seats near home plate in the first five to eight rows.

Camden Yards used to be filled to capacity with Orioles’ supporters, but the fan base has wilted in the wake of 10 straight losing seasons.

Yankees fans are more than willing to fill those empty seats.

Wearing Yankees hats and shirts, Mike and Judy Wood made the trip from Lewisbury, Pa., on Monday to see their first game at Camden Yards. They bought their tickets at an Orioles Store in York, Pa., for $57 each.

“Not bad at all,” Mike reasoned. “Last game I saw at Yankee Stadium, I paid $200 each.”

I have to say…I’m thinking about this in the future. It’s a two-hour train ride (via Amtrak) from where I am in New Jersey to Baltimore. (Although the round-trip fare could run you about $160.) With traffic, it takes me at least 90 minutes to drive to the Stadium…most times closer to an hour and 45 minutes, each way. So, it terms of time traveling…it’s close to a push.

It’s just a matter of the cost of a ticket at Camden, plus the train, versus the cost of a ticket at the Stadium, plus gas and parking…

…but, because of the prices at Yankee Stadium, it’s at least worth noodling over someday.

May 27, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 8 Comments

Stadium Comparison

I thought this was interesting - an old and new Stadium Comparison from the Yankees official site:

Comparison	Current		New

Opening Day	1923		2009

Field Dimensions	Left Field 318'	Left Field 318'
		Left Center 399'	Left Center 399'
		Center 408'	Center 408'
		Right Center 385'	Right Center 385'
		Right Field 314'	Right Field 314'

Seating Capacity	56,886		52,325
				(Including Standing Room)
   
Seat Width	18" to 22"	19" to 24"
Legroom Bet Rows	29.5"		33" to 39"
Cup Holders	N/A		In all general bowl seating
   
HP To Backstop	72' 4"		52' 4"
Private Lux Suites	19		56
Party Suites	XXX		410

Avge Concourse 	17'		32'
Rest Fixture Ratio	1 per 89 Fans	1 per 60 Fans
Family Restrooms	N/A		12
   
Stores (Sq Feet)	Approx 6,800	Total Approx 11,560
				Main Store 5,825
				Collectible/Art 1,735
				Home Plate Store 2,435
				Great Hall Store 1,565

Video Scoreboard	25' by 33'	59' high by 101' wide

It doesn’t seem all that “more roomy” to me in terms of the seats and leg-room (in some spots). But, the bigger concourse areas seem pretty good.

May 19, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 1 Comment

NHL Game At Stadium Dead?

Via Newsday -

The idea of the Rangers closing down Yankee Stadium in November with an outdoor NHL game isn’t dead, but it isn’t as likely as it once was.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, in a conference call with reporters this week, cited “a variety of issues” with the proposed game at Yankee Stadium, among them the ongoing construction of the new Yankee Stadium and what Bettman called “winterization issues.” Those refer to old pipes that traditionally have gone unused after the end of the baseball season and might not support a sellout crowd for a hockey game in November.

“There are some winterization issues, because it is an older stadium,” Bettman said. “As I sit here today, I don’t know whether or not they can be resolved.”

A Yankees spokesman did not return messages on the subject. The Rangers also had no comment.

Well, I suppose this is better than saying the game was on, having 50,000 hockey fans show up, and then tell them 5 minutes before the start of the contest that the game was being called because of the weather.

May 17, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 2 Comments

SI Readers: Cards & Sox Fans Smarter Than Yanks Fans

Sports Illustrated has put together some MLB Ballpark Rankings based on results taken from an online survey of baseball fans in March. (Hat tip to MetsBlog.)

According to the results, fans at Yankees games have the 3rd highest “Fan IQ” in baseball - behind the fans in St. Louis and Boston.

Then again, these same fans voted that there are 14 neighborhoods surrounding big league ballparks that are worse than that around Yankee Stadium. So, you have to wonder about the results of this survey.

May 1, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | Leave a Comment

Yanks Say No To The Pope Of Sayreville

Via SI:

SI.com: Is there an event or a stadium you haven’t performed at that you would like to at some point?

Bon Jovi: I would have liked to have played Yankee Stadium, but I never had the chance because they would never give anyone the license to do that. I would like to play the halftime at the Super Bowl I haven’t done that yet.

Maybe it will happen in the new place Jon…just wait and see.

April 28, 2008 | Filed Under Yankee Stadium | 2 Comments