Rob Neyer offers his take on the new Yankee Stadium.

I actually did “LOL” when I read this one comment left by one of his readers regarding the difference between the new Yankee Stadium and the last one:

The real difference: The old stadium was “The Warriors.” The new stadium is “Walt Disney presents The Warriors…on Ice!!!”

Funny stuff.

I went to the first regular-season game ever at the new Yankee Stadium. And, I went to a number of games there in 2010 and 2011. This year, to date, I have gone once and plan on going at least another three times.

I went to games at the last Yankee Stadium so many times that I’ve lost count. For sure it was probably at least a hundred times. Maybe closer to 150?

In any event, I have grown to really like the larger and open concourses and better restrooms at the new Stadium. And, the staff there is much more friendly than at the old Stadium. But, the new place is way too expensive and it just does not have the feel of the old Stadium. Neyer hits on this when he writes:

I’ve had a bit stronger reaction, perhaps because I’m not predisposed toward the franchise. Yankee Stadium is perfectly serviceable, but upon my first visit this week I was actually disappointed. Disappointed with its lack of character. Disappointed with its lack of charisma. Disappointed with its lack of gravitas.

The only major league ballparks that I’ve attended are the first Yankee Stadium (back in 1973), Shea Stadium, the last Yankee Stadium, and the new Yankee Stadium. So, I cannot compare the new Yankee Stadium to anything else but the last Yankee Stadium.

Soon, I would like to visit Citi Field, Camden Yards and Citizens Bank Park to get some perspective. And, if possible, I would love to see games at Comerica Park, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Safeco Field, PNC Park, Wrigley Field and AT&T Park. (I’m on the fence with Fenway Park. The baseball history nut in me wants to see it. But, I’ve heard that it’s not a comfortable place to watch a game. And, the Yankees fan in me would have a hard time sitting there with all those Red Sox fans, I suspect.)

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Better late than never.  I just found this great post from a year ago.  Wonderful photos!

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“Bald Vinny” is hanging them up. I guess he doesn’t want to be the next Freddy Sez?

I went to the last Friday home game this season – the one that was called just after it was scheduled to start and then rescheduled for Sunday night (against the Red Sox). And, I parked in the River Avenue garage.

While I was inside the Stadium, someone stuck a hard flyer under my windshield wipers (in the garage) – which I didn’t notice until I pulled out of the garage (after the game was called).

Of course, since it was raining, and I was driving in the South Bronx, in the dark, I didn’t elect to pull it off my car – and the damn thing stuck to my windshield during the whole ride home.

The next morning, I noticed that most of it had emulsified into pulp stuck on my car – but, there was still enough of it left for me to tell that the flyer had BaldVinny.com and SwishersWishes.com (or something like that) on it.

In the end, it left a mark on the windshield – that’s still there now. (I guess I can try and Windex if off or something.)

So, I suppose that will be my final “Bald Vinny” Stadium memory…at least until I figure out how to get that ink stain off my windshield.

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Here’s the ones before tonight -

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Yanks have only lost one of these in my lifetime. I hope they maintain that this evening.

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Great find by Dan Epstein with a h/t to BBTF -

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Via Chad Jennings -

The New York Yankees will hold a special pregame ceremony on Friday, September 23, to honor the 50th anniversary of Roger Maris setting a then-Major League record with 61 home runs in 1961.

The Yankees ask that fans take their seats by 6:20 p.m. with ceremonies slated to begin at 6:30 p.m., prior to the Yankees-Red Sox game scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m.

Joining the Yankees for the day’s celebration will be the families of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, as well as former teammates.

The group will be introduced as part of an on-field ceremony emceed by actor Billy Crystal. In addition, Roger Maris bat as well as the 61st home run ball on loan from the Baseball Hall of Fame will on the field during the ceremony. Following a video tribute, the Yankees Foundation will present a donation to the Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo, N.D.

Cheryl Howard, daughter of Yankees All-Star catcher Elston Howard who was a teammate of Maris from 1960-66, will sing the national anthem.

This is a nice treat for the fans who will be there this evening. I just hope it doesn’t rain during the ceremony.

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Via the AP -

Officials in the Bronx are hoping to put a hotel and conference center on the site of one of Yankee Stadium’s parking garages.

Condos, shops and a high-end penthouse restaurant are all part of the plan.

The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. on Monday invited developers for proposals.

The site to be developed is at River Avenue and 153rd Street, bordering the park where old Yankee Stadium stood.

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said developers and hotel operators have expressed interest in such a hotel for years.

Chuck Lesnick, vice president of the agency that manages the stadium garages, said he hoped visiting baseball teams as well as tourists would be attracted to the hotel.

This is the best idea that I’ve heard since someone suggested opening up a chain of Chuck E. Cheese’s in Somalia.

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Via Bryan Hoch -

Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit came the last time the Rays were in town, and they’ll celebrate it all over again on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the press release from the Yankees, asking fans to be in their seats by 3:45 p.m. ET:

YANKEES TO CELEBRATE DEREK JETER’S 3,000TH CAREER HIT WITH A SPECIAL PREGAME CEREMONY ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

The New York Yankees tonight announced that a special pregame ceremony celebrating Derek Jeter’s 3,000th career hit will be held prior to Saturday’s game between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. Gates will open two hours prior to first pitch at 2:00 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early and be in their seats by 3:45 p.m.

On July 9, 2011, Jeter became the 28th player all time—and at 37 years, 13 days the fourth youngest—to reach the 3,000-hit plateau with a third-inning solo home run off Tampa Bay’s David Price. Jeter would finish the game 5-for-5 with the game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning. He joined Wade Boggs as the only two players to hit a home run as their 3,000th career hit, and became only the second player to record at least five hits in the game in which they recorded their 3,000th hit (also Craig Biggio).

And, more:

Details of today’s #DJ3K ceremony being kept under wraps even to Jeter. Says no one has told him a thing.

Shame the game is on FOX today. I don’t know why the Yankees wouldn’t wait for Sunday so that they could show the whole thing on YES. I wonder what surprises they have in store for Jeter?

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Yankees had a moment of silence before tonight’s game for Hideki Irabu.

Made me wonder if they did the same for Rod Scurry.  But, then I looked and saw him died in the off-season.

They may have done one for Steve Howe.  I seem to recall that  – but, it could be my mind playing tricks on me.

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As promised, here are some pictures that I took when I was at the game yesterday.

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Left the house at 10 AM this morning to attend the Yankees game. Decided to set this one up as a “chron job” to publish at 6 PM.

Probably won’t be checking the blog until later tonight. In any event, use this post, if you want, to discuss the events of the day.

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No word if Lynyrd Skynyrd’s That Smell was also being played over the Stadium PA…

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Sean Hartnett laments about the new Yankee Stadium -

And that’s exactly why I’ve never entirely fallen in love with the new ballpark. When viewing it from the outside you are overcome by the impressive original design that is a throwback to the days of Babe Ruth. Once you turn the corner though, you gaze upon the Hard Rock Café which looks entirely out of place. It’s almost like the building is going through an identity crisis on whether to be a historic landmark or a kitschy tourist trap.

Once you’re inside, the stadium becomes even more contradictory with itself. I enjoy viewing the large banners of past Yankee legends and the shot of Reggie Jackson inside the Great Hall but right above Reggie is the Tommy Bahama Bar. Similar to the Hard Rock, I don’t like seeing another resort-type distraction on the way to my seats and what are we trying to get away from? We’re at a ballpark where you should be able to forget about your troubles anyway.

Passing by the various suites, you’re struck with the unwelcome feeling of class hierarchy that exists throughout the stadium. None worse so than the Legends Suite seating that separates your ‘average Joe fans’ from privileged high society via a ‘concrete moat.’ Even kids hunting for autographs and foul balls are turned away by guards (I’m sorry stadium security) if they don’t possess tickets within the field sections. It’s a shame that your regular kid won’t have the chance to chat with one of their heroes pre-game, a shot at a foul ball or come away with a prized autograph. These were experiences that I took for granted as a boy at the old stadium.

As for a franchise that is obsessed with their own history, there is an embarrassment of replaying modern day Yankee classics with empty seats in the lower section. The clientele that are lucky enough to sit there prefer to hang out inside the indoor club and lounges. Wouldn’t it be nice to open up the unclaimed front row seats for fans after the 7th inning? It would save public face and allow average fans a more enjoyable experience.

The whole centerfield situation is what really hinders the new stadium most. Adding to the obstructed seats and shrunken Monument Park is the monstrous 5,925 square foot, 1080p HD scoreboard. Is it a beautiful screen? Yes… but maybe too beautiful as it’s too distracting for first-time visitors and diverts fans from the interesting moments between pitches.

That combined with the loud noise constantly being pumped throughout the stadium doesn’t allow fans to generate an atmosphere of their own. The message board continually prompts you to ‘do this, cheer for this, look at this.’ It’s little wonder why the Yankee Stadium crowd is listless compared to the fans at Citi Field who attempt to create their own colorful ambiance.

I remember the feeling when I first entered old Yankee Stadium as a 7-year old boy in 1992. We may hold memories of our childhood with heavy nostalgia but there was a real aura about that place. The Yankees weren’t a winning ballclub at that time but the fans were lively and into the game. There was a charm there that somehow didn’t make its way across the street to the new stadium.

At the age of seventeen, I first became a Yankees’ partial season ticket plan holder in 2002. I continue to renew my plan but now I come more for the product on the field rather than the ballpark experience itself. It should be an equal ratio as baseball is the kind of sport where the venue genuinely matters.

Me? I’m warming up to the new Stadium.

It’s not the old place – never will be the old place. Different fans below the upper-deck (thanks to ticket prices). Different crowd feel (thanks to the new layout of the seats – with the non-field level seats further from the field).

Why is it growing on me? Maybe it’s because my kids are really into the new Stadium? After all, this is “their” Stadium – just like the last one was “my” Stadium and the first one was my father’s Stadium.

How about you? Like the new digs? As much as the old one? More, less?

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I’ve been a Yankees season ticket holder since 2001. Every season for the last 11 years, I buy the full 81-game package (2 seats) and split it nine ways with eight other parties. We each get 9 games – making sure that we all get at least one game for each month of the season and (when possible) one game for each day of the week. (Everyone gets at least one Sunday game, one Saturday game, one Friday game, etc.)

In the last Stadium, the seats were in the Loge, Section 15, not far from first base. And, in the current Stadium, they’re in a similar spot in the Main Level. (Both times under cover – which is sweet when the sun is blistering or when it’s raining.)

But, I’m thinking about not renewing my Yankees season tickets for 2012.

Why? It’s the cost. When I started this in 2001, the tickets were $37 each and parking at Yankee Stadium was around $10 per game. This season, the tickets are $80 each and parking at Yankee Stadium is closer to $40 per game. When you’re looking at $200 to sit and park as opposed to $84 to sit and park per game, that’s a big difference. And, of course, this doesn’t include the cost of eating and drinking these days inside the Stadium.

Also, lately, it seems like there’s an advantage to buying tickets on the secondary market if you’re willing to see games against non-premium teams/draws and wait until close to game-day to purchase the seats – since sellers are anxious to unload the tickets and willing to let them go under face value.

There are two things holding me back pulling the plug.

One is my “package-mates.” More than half of them are interested in doing the split with me next year. And, some of these folks have been doing this with me for a long time. I don’t want to pull the rug out on these guys – even though there’s never been any promise to anyone what this situation with the tickets is a guaranteed right or a long-term deal.

The second is my ego. I like saying “I’ve been a Yankees season ticket holder since 2001.” And, I like it when I sell my tickets to someone I know and then they tell me, after attending the game, “Your seats are great.” Also, I see the look in my kids’ eyes when I tell them that I might not renew the seats again next year – even though I also promise them that we’ll still attend as many games each season, in the future, as we do now.

Now, I know that the ego is a dangerous thing – in many, many, ways. So, I try and keep that in check and look at this objectively.

And, I know that, while most of “package-mates” have said they’re in for next season, every year it seems like we have to replace two parties (or so) because they dropped out or were not invited back. Therefore, this thing has always been a house of straw as opposed to a house of bricks – and capable of getting blown down in any given season.

I’m really on the fence with this one. If you were me, what would you do?

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It was nice to see Sweet Lou.  And, the hands for Torre and Bernie were impressive. 

Gotta be truthful: My eyes started to well up a bit seeing Whitey and Yogi standing out there, together.  Not sure how much longer we have with both of them.

The video tribute for Geno was first rate.  Great job on that one – especially getting guys like Donnie and Rags to contribute.  And, how impressive were the current Yankees getting him that truck?  Ballplayers make a ton of money these days…but when it  allows them to pony up and do something like that, it’s awesome.

Great to see the current players – Giambi too – enjoy this one so much.  Sad that Jeter had to miss this one.  But, you could see Jorge step up and be the ring master for the team.  Call me crazy, but, I think Posada would make an excellent Yankees manager someday.  And, if he’s allowed to do it somewhere else, it will be like when they let Piniella get away.

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Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the photo.

Seriously, a fun game to attend. And, I’m not just saying that because they had my 9-year old daughter on the 59′ X 101′ HD video screen in center field dancing to YMCA…

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Per Chad Jennings, tonight’s first pitch scheduled for 10:30 PM.  The fans who have been sitting in Yankee Stadium for the last 3 1/2 hours, or more, for this game to start deserve a Croix De Steinhouse pin or something.

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My son had a Little League game this evening.  So, we were out of the house at five-thirty and didn’t get home until close to eight.  When we got in, I turned on the Yankees game and it was the bottom of the 4th inning.  A-Rod was just in the process of striking out.

I had some work things that I needed to address – since I logged off at five today.  And, we had to get the kids tucked away in bed, etc.  By that time, it was close to eight-forty-five.  I took another peek at the Yankees game and it was the top of the 6th inning.  Colon was just in the process of giving Juan Rivera an IBB.  Sure, the bases were then loaded - and it was a one-one game – but the Yankees were just a DP away from getting out of it.

In any event, my wife and I wanted to watch the finale of House – which we had recorded.  As a result, I gave up on the Yankees game until I had another chance to tune in.

That would come just before ten o’clock.  When I switched to YES, I saw Yankee Stadium looking like a ghost town.  Seeing all those empty seats in the bleachers and the field level, and without knowing what the score was, I figured something terrible had happened – and it was a blow-out in the Jays favor.

Frank Francisco was warming for the Jays and it was the top of the 9th inning. 

And, then, they showed the score:  7-3, Jays.

WTF?

A four-run game at 10 pm?  That’s not a huge hole or a late hour?  Where the heck was everyone?  It’s pretty warm out now – and not raining.  I don’t get it?

I wanted to see the Yankees come back and tie this one in the 9th.  I wanted to see it because I’m a Yankees fan.  But, tonight, even more, I wanted to see it so that all those who left this game before it was over would be kicking themselves after they heard about the comeback.

But, it didn’t happen.  Gardner did his job.  And, Granderson had that loud foul.  But, that was all that the Yankees could muster in the end.  Too bad.

And, it’s too bad about what’s become to the Yankee Stadium crowd.  They get there late.  They leave early.  And, in between, half of them are inside doing things other than watching the game.  Add all that to the fact that the upper decks are farther from the field, which means less surround sound at the games, and it’s a totally different ballgame than it was at the old Stadium.

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Via the AP –

Waiters who serve the higher-priced seats at Yankee Stadium claim in a lawsuit that their tips are being withheld.

The suit names Volume Services America, which ran food services in the old stadium, and Legends Hospitality, which runs them in the new stadium. It was filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday. It seeks unpaid wages and other damages.

Menus in the seats’ cup holders say “a 20 percent service charge will be added to the listed prices. Additional gratuity is at your discretion.”

The lawsuit says the workers did not receive any of the 20 percent service charges.

A spokeswoman for the Yankees told the New York Daily News it hasn’t seen the lawsuit but that all its employees are paid in strict accordance with their union contract.

Thirty years ago, a somewhat demented old man once told me: You want a good tip? Buy twin beds. You’ll never get screwed.

Looks like the Yankee Stadium wait staff is not getting a good tip and getting screwed at the same time. Go figure.

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Since “Raf” asked, I figured I would do a post on my trip to Monument Park at the new Yankee Stadium on Friday, April 29th.

In the two years and handful of months of the new Stadium, this was my first trip to “Monument Cave.”   I had been to Monument Park at the old Stadium a few times – the last one being during a Stadium tour in 2008.

I was surprised how quick and easy we got into the Cave.   We were there about 80 minutes before the first pitch and walked right in – no waiting in line, whatsoever. 

Going in, you do feel like you’re entering the basement of the Stadium.  But, once you come out into the Cave…er, I mean, Park.. it’s pretty cool.   For sure, it’s nice to peek over the wall and get the view of the field that you would have if you were playing center field. 

Monument Park seemed a lot smaller in the new Stadium compared to the old Stadium.  Perhaps that’s because the retired numbers are right in front of the monuments and plaques now and they used to be on the walk into the old one?  And, it seemed like the plaques in the new Park were too high up on the wall.  Maybe they want all that space below them for future plaques?  Interestingly, the monster plaque for Big Stein didn’t seem as big/gross in person as it does on TV.

But, even with all that, Monument Cave didn’t seem as bad as I expected.  Once you were inside it, you forget, sort of, that you’re in “the Cave” and you can enjoy walking around, checking it out, doing pictures, etc. 

My son, who just turned seven, enjoyed the trip.  It was his first time in “the Cave” too.   I hope to get my nine-year old daughter out there later this season.

I still wish that Monument Park wasn’t hidden out behind the center field wall and not visable within the sight-lines of the Stadium when watching the game from the stands or on TV (like you could see it at the last Stadium).   But, again, one you’re out there, checking it out, it’s not that bad. 

A little small.  Plaques could have better placement.  But, not terrible. 

I would not go out there every time I go to the Stadium.  Heck, I may not go out there again after I get my daughter out there.  But, I’m glad I got in there for the first time last Friday.

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This the first pitch of the Yankees game of April 29, 2011.
Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the photo.
Where is everyone?

First Pitch Yankee Stadium April 29, 2011

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All of a sudden, the shock of having to pay $10 for a Hot Chocolate at Yankee Stadium on April 3rd doesn’t seem so bad.  Via the Post -

A Brooklyn woman says she got the shock of her life at Yankee Stadium when she stepped on a metal plate and was jolted by so much electricity, she had to be hospitalized.

Portia Walton, 54, says that she got juiced as he was heading to the ballpark on April 4 to watch the team face the Minnesota Twins.

“I felt tingling on my ankles,” she told The Post. “I was saying, ‘Oh my God! Oh my God!’ ”

Walton said she was in an outdoor dining area outside the Stadium’s Hard Rock Cafe when she put her foot on a metal hatch that had a power cord sticking out of it. The cord was being used to power some lights in a nearby tent. Walton, who describes herself as a multimedia artist, said she first started feeling electricity and then heard crackling like an electric transformer. Next thing she knew, stadium guards had rushed to her aid.

“I started getting a headache,” she said. “I couldn’t get myself together. I was shocked that I was shocked.”

The Flatbush woman said she was first taken to an aid station in the Stadium. She was then treated at the emergency room at Lincoln Hospital, according to hospital records.

Yesterday, she said, she was still suffering from headaches, memory loss, tingling and post- traumatic stress disorder.

Walton has hired attorneys Matthew Blit and Les Levine, who plan to file a $2 million suit against the Yankees and the Hard Rock.

“It was a jury-rigged system that was not safe for the public. They obviously didn’t care much about the risk — they care more about selling their expensive skyboxes,” Levine said.

Yesterday, a metal plate had apparently been put over the spot where Walton was shocked, Levine said.

Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion said, “A woman on the 4th alleged that she got a shock. We had EMTs check her out. We insisted that she go to the hospital, and as far as we know she was treated and released.”

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Tracy Ringolsby the other day wrote about the recent failures around the Cleveland Indians -

And to think, for a seven-year stretch from 1995-2001, the Indians were what other teams wanted to be. They were a homegrown champion. Six times, they advanced to the postseason. They surpassed three million fans in a season six times. In 1995, they won their first AL pennant in 41 years.

The fans responded. The Indians set what was then a major league record with 455 consecutive sellouts from June 12, 1995, to April 4, 2001. The ticket demand was so strong that in three of those seasons, the Indians sold every available ticket before Opening Day.

Now look at them.

Related, Andy at B-R.com also mentioned the issue the Tribe has now getting fans to come out to the ballpark.

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Gone are the B, D and 4 trains. Now, we have the grey, pinstriped, and “Subway” trains – if I recall them, correctly, from today’s game.

What a bummer. What’s next? “New York, New York” sung by the Lobel’s Steak Sandwich Singers after a Yankees win?

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This was not Iris Gaines, it’s safe to assume…

Lady In Luxury Suite, Yankee Stadium, April 3, 2011 - Looking For Joe D Maybe?

Click on thumbnail to enlarge image.

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If you stand on the southwest corner of River Avenue and 161st Street, at the site of the old Yankee Stadium, there’s a viewing hole in the contruction site fence. And, looking in, today, this is what I saw, below.

Pretty cool, with the old “bat” in the background.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the image.

Inside Grounds @ Old Yankee Stadium 4-3-11

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Hard to believe the same parking garages were charging $13 to park in 2006. But, it’s true. That’s quite an increase in just 5 years.

And, it’s worse if you use the Yankees on-line advance parking site. Then, it will cost you $40.55 to park once you add the taxes and handling fee:

Parking Subtotal:                          $31.71
Service Fee:                                $5.55
NY State Sales / Parking Tax (10.375%):     $3.29  

Total Charges:                             $40.55

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They’ve finally posted this bad boy at Yankees.com.

September 23rd: Roger Maris 61st – 50th Anniversary Tribute (Ceremonies begin at 6:15 p.m. ET)

Should be a good one.

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So, I’m watching Patrick Wilson sign the national anthem before the Notre Dame-Army game at Yankee Stadium tonight and he’s wearing a Yankees jacket – and it didn’t look like it just came out of a box. Attaboy.

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