WasWatching.com

April 17, 2008

Curse Jersey Current Bid: $7,100.00

Wow. And, there's still almost a week left of bidding!

Click here to bid or watch the auction.

If you have the money, hey, it's for a good cause!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2008

Span: What Price Shorter Bathroom Lines?

Emma Span ponders the old and new Yankee Stadium via the New York Press:

After spending more than two hours huddled in a jam-packed, dank and filthy bleacher concourse, with miles of bathroom lines and rusty water (God, I hope it was water) dripping onto the crowd, the idea of a new and improved Yankee Stadium does seem slightly more appealing.

It’s just too bad nobody I know will be able to afford to see it from the inside.

“We tried to reflect a five-star hotel and put a ballfield in the middle,” Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost told the AP earlier this year, describing features like a video conferencing room and concierge service. With comments like these, and with their “Yankees Premium” website—promoting the new stadium’s luxury suites as “An Exclusive Experience... For Those With Discerning Tastes... Who Seek The Very Best... Life Has To Offer”—the Yankees seem to be deliberately appealing to ostentatiously wealthy snobs who might or might not enjoy having a baseball game on in the background as they show off for potential clients. What price shorter bathroom lines?

You know, it's kind of interesting in that the Red Sox are playing in a ballpark that opened five days after the sinking of the Titanic (and they're making money there) whereas the Yankees are building their version of the Titanic for a new ballpark in order to make money. Yes, in both cases, the fans have to pay through the nose to get into the games. But, you don't hear too much about Fenway "deliberately appealing to ostentatiously wealthy snobs"? I wonder why that is?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:07 PM | Comments (1)

Odds Botkins!

Much like Horatio Prim and Melody Allen being stuck in the well, it seems like the ghosts of Yankee Stadium will have to watch Yankees games on YES next season - just like most of the income-challenged Yankees fans out there.

Via Steven Marcus of Newsday:

The new baseball structure going up in the Bronx may represent something strange in the neighborhood for the ghosts of Yankee lore. They may not so readily transfer their energy from the old rafters to the new suites and skyboxes.

With their lease on eternity at the old Yankee Stadium endangered, perhaps Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle will opt to become free-agent spirits.

That is one theory.

Dominick Villella, who works for Paranormal Investigation of New York City, has grave doubts that the Yankee ghosts will change addresses.

"I don't think it is possible to move any type of paranormal activity from one building to the next," he said. "It is probably going to be tied to that building. The old stadium is going to retain whatever energy it had. It would be nice if you could take some of the old energy over, but I don't think it is possible."

Villella thinks the current Yankee Stadium undoubtedly has enormous spiritual vibes.

"Babe Ruth's energy is contained as a replay in time," he said, "like a film loop that maybe could happen again and again -- if conditions were right.'' So, when the wind swirls and there is distant thunder, Ruth apparently has lived in the bats of Yankees who have hit dramatic home runs.

Villella said that bringing objects from the legendary players could contain energy to jump-start the new building.

"Bring over things that were associated with the players," he said. "If they leave it at the old stadium, that energy will remain there."

[Yankee chief operating officer Lonn] Trost said the current stadium has undergone many changes over the years and it did not seem to disturb the ghosts.

"We've changed the dirt here as many times as I've cut my hair," he said. "The sod is different, the field is different, the irrigation is different, the lockers look different. Even the rodents are different. The most important things, the championship banners and the fans, we are taking with us."

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:25 PM | Comments (2)

April 15, 2008

The Best Reason To Dig Up That Ortiz Jersey

I’m really surprised at the number of fans and members of the media who are on the Yankees about their efforts to get that Red Sox jersey out of the foundation of the new Yankee Stadium. I’ve seen it referred to as a waste of time and/or money. Some have called the Yankees paranoid and/or stupid. Stuff like this is all over the internet and airwaves.

These people just don’t get it.

The other day, at BaseballThinkFactory.org, I saw something that I believe is being credited to Larry Mahnken on this – and, it’s dead on. The comment: What price would you pay to keep the CHB, RSN, FOX, ESPN, and others from mentioning the buried jersey, over and over, until the Yankees win their first ring in the new Stadium?

If you had a chance to get that thing out of the foundation, you had to go for it – just for this reason alone. If it cost the Yankees $50,000 to make it happen, it’s money well spent...rather than having to hear about it, over and over, etc. - as would be the case.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:01 AM | Comments (1)

April 13, 2008

Dig This: New Yankee Stadium Now Minus One Buried Big Papi Jersey

Via the Post:

The curse has been broken - out of the ground, that is.

A pair of hardhats working at the new Yankee Stadium dropped a dime on the location of a buried Red Sox jersey.

Beantown-loving construction worker Gino Castignoli, who lives in The Bronx, confessed to The Post last week that he buried a Red Sox slugger David Ortiz jersey at the site last summer while working at the stadium.

After reading about the traitorous act in The Post, the two workers approached a construction manager and said they remembered Castignoli, who only worked at the Stadium one day, and thought they knew where he must have placed the shirt.

They led the manager to a service corridor near the site of the planned Legends Club restaurant, behind home plate and toward the third base side.

After the hardhats pointed to the spot, workers brought out jackhammers and dug furiously for five hours, creating a 2-foot- by-3-foot, gravel-filled pit in their search for the tainted threads.

They spotted the jersey at 3:25 p.m. and called Yankee brass. The cursed shirt was about two feet deep in cement.

"They absolutely pinpointed that if it was in the ground, that's where it was," team spokeswoman Alice McGillion said, as she let The Post inspect the now partly buried shirt.

But the team declined to identify its latest heroes.

Said McGillion: "The workers came forward this morning and said that they thought if there was a shirt buried, this is where it was" - on the stadium's lowest level, behind where the field-level seats will be.

After the discovery, the team ordered the work stopped - and left the shirt in the cement in preparation for an extraction ceremony today.

"We want to thank The Post for raising the issue," McGillion said. "The [two] workers were terrific in coming forward. They wanted the shirt out of there."

As it turns out, Castignoli, 46, has been in trouble before. The hulking mason once pleaded guilty to involvement in a $40 million illegal gambling operation with ties to the Gambino crime family.

He was busted in February 2002 during a roundup of mob-connected gambling dens, according to the Brooklyn DA's Office.

But it was the betrayal of his borough that elicited Bronx cheers from many Yankee fans - including the new Boss, Hank Steinbrenner.

"I hope his coworkers kick the s- - - out of him," said George's boy, who now runs the team with his brother Hal.

Other reports say that the Yankees plan to donate the jersey to charity. I'd almost rather see them put it on display somewhere in the Yankees museum that will be down the right field line at the new Stadium. Let it stand as testament to the fact that Yankees fans will leave no stone unturned in an effort to show their support for the team.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:37 PM | Comments (2)

April 12, 2008

Daily News Stadium Site

If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out the site that the Daily News has set up on Yankee Stadium. Click here to see it. It has some really fun features in there.

Lisa Swan from Subway Squawkers got to do the features for the "not-so-great" Stadium moments. Click here to see the one on Howie Spira and how things changed for Big Stein after that.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2008

Sox Tee Buried At New Yankee Stadium?

Via the Post with a hat tip to BaseballThinkFactory.org -

The new Yankee Stadium may be cursed!

A devilish Boston fan working on a concrete crew at the $1.3 billion stadium covertly buried a Red Sox T-shirt under what will become the visiting team's locker room to jinx the Yanks, two construction workers told The Post yesterday.

"In August, a Red Sox T-shirt was poured in a slab in the visitor's clubhouse. It's the curse of the Yankees," one worker said. "Nobody knows about it. It's in the floors, it's buried."

The workers say they now fear that they unwittingly helped hex their beloved Bronx Bombers.

"I don't want to be responsible for sinking the franchise," said a second worker, who witnessed the sabotage. "I respect the stadium."

The Post has withheld their identities because they are not authorized to speak to media.

As for the buried emblem of hated Boston, the Yankees say they aren't the least bit worried.

"It sounds like a tall tale, and it would take more than a Red Sox T-shirt to put a curse on the Yankees," said team spokesman Howard Rubenstein.

The solution here is simple. Get one of those T-shirts that reads: "Boston: There was no curse. You just sucked all these years." - and then have it buried somewhere else in the Stadium. That should balance the whole thing out.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:28 AM | Comments (5)

April 08, 2008

Time For Some New Muzik?

Via Surfing the Mets -

The Mets will have a runoff to determine their new eighth-inning sing-along tune.

The organization received 5 million votes on its Web site after inviting fans to choose from among 10 selections to potentially replace Sweet Caroline. An issue arose, however, when FARK.com readers bombarded the Mets with gag votes for a write-in candidate: Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.

The Astley tune actually won.

Rather than commit to that as the new eighth-inning tune since it probably doesn’t reflect the fan base’s wishes, the Mets will play the top six selections once apiece during the first six games of their home stand. The one that draws the largest crowd response will stick.

The other songs that made the cut, in descending order: Livin’ on a Prayer, Bon Jovi; I’m a Believer, The Monkees; Movin’ Out, Billy Joel; Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond; and Build Me Up Buttercup, The Foundations.

The Mets suggested the Fark tune winning didn’t necessarily result in the runoff, saying the contest rules stipulated Internet voters would “help decide” the outcome.

Funny, I never think of the Mets when I hear Sweet Caroline. But, I do think of the Red Sox when I hear it. More than once, in my life, have I said "Turn that off, it's a Red Sox song!" when I've been somewhere and have heard "Sweet Caroline." It makes sense for the Mets to look for a change here.

What about the Yankees? I think many Yankees fans would like to retire "Cotton-Eyed Joe," no? If so, what would be a good replacement?

Below is one suggestion, from me. It has nothing to do with the Yankees, or baseball, but, I just think it would be cool to hear 50,000 people singing along to it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:02 PM | Comments (2)

April 03, 2008

I Take Back What I Said About The New Yankee Stadium

One month ago, I questioned the "look" of the new Yankee Stadium. At that time, my words were "it’s starting to look more like a mausoleum than a ballpark."

Boy, was I wrong.

Last night was the first time that I've seen the construction site in person since last season. To be honest, when I came off the Eddie Grant Highway and made a right onto Jerome...and then I saw "it"...I thought to myself "Wow! It's majestic!" It truly hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a "That's no moon, it's a space station!" type moment. Very impressive. Jaw dropping when it enters your gaze.

I snapped a few pictures once I was on foot. The better ones follow below.

Click on them to enlarge. The first two are the new digs. The last one is a shot of the current Stadium and some of the work they're doing next to it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:00 PM | Comments (1)

April 01, 2008

Feds Looking Into New Yankee Stadium Deal

Via the Daily News:

FBI agents and prosecutors working in U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia's public corruption unit - the same one that brought down Gov. Spitzer in a prostitution ring scandal - have quietly and slowly been building files on a number of potential corruption cases in the Bronx.

The investigations, centered out of the unit's ninth-floor offices in the federal courthouse in Foley Square, have been going on for about two or so years now, according to our sources - plural - and are focusing on a wide range of cases.

The probes are looking into certain aspects of the new Yankee Stadium deal, the involvement of certain community organizations, the giant water filtration plant under Van Cortlandt Park, a branch of the local legal system and the actions of certain Bronx political figures, we're told.

When or if any of those investigations come to fruition is another matter. But be prepared - and stay tuned.

Now, if only we could get the Feds to look into those deals for Javier Vazquez, Jeff Weaver, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa...

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:46 AM | Comments (3)

March 30, 2008

Time Of Last Dance TBD?

Tomorrow is Opening Day for the Yankees. Currently, on the Yankees schedule, September 21st - the last regular season game scheduled for Yankee Stadium - is listed as "TBD" for the time of the game.

As I have said before, if ESPN turns this game into a 8:05 PM start, that will be a crime. Imagine if the last out of such a game is at 11:00 PM? What cermonies are you going to start then? How long could they last? It's crazy. So, what are you going to do, have the ceremonies before the game? That could be a huge distraction to a game that could be important to the standings. The whole thing is starting to smell.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:06 AM | Comments (2)

March 28, 2008

To PSL Or Not To PSL At New Stadium?

Via Crains -

Tribune Co. is considering personal seat licenses at Wrigley Field as part of a plan to sell the ballpark to the Illinois Sports Facility Authority, Alderman Tom Tunney (44th) said in an interview Friday.

But Cubs management denied that seat licenses were on the table.

Personal seat licenses, or PSLs, are typically one-time fees for the right to buy season tickets, on top of the annual charge for the tickets themselves. PSLs are common among National Football League franchises, including the Chicago Bears, which implemented PSLs to help fund a $606-million revamping of Soldier Field earlier this decade. The Bears’ PSLs currently range from $2,400 to $10,000 per seat.

PSLs are rare for the 30 teams in Major League Baseball, though the New York Yankees recently added them for a new stadium expected to open in 2009.

The Yankees are going PSL? That's not what I last heard. So, I looked now and found this at The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel:

However, the use of PSL's is somewhat controversial, since long-time season ticket holders may resent having to pay an additional one-time "user fee" to have the right to renew their seats. Also, government officials may not react favorably where a team owner seeks to introduce PSL's at a new facility that has also received substantial public funding. These are two key reasons why neither the New York Mets nor Yankees plan to require the purchase of PSL's for their new stadia, even though it is conservatively estimated that by doing so each team could raise more than the Cardinals' $40 million.

Well, for whatever the reason, and to whomever deserves the credit, here's a big THANK YOU for making sure the Yankees don't go the PSL route.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:31 PM | Comments (2)

March 26, 2008

One Way For Season Ticket Holder Relo Plans To Work

Friend of WasWatching.com Sean McNally shared with me today that he's had a half-season package for the Washington Nationals for three years and recently went through their relocation/allocation process.

The Nats started by taking a $150 deposit mid-last-season from all current holders and new customers. Then, those folks were given a 25 (or so) question survey about seating preferences (aisle, section, etc.).

Later, in early December 2007, Sean was assigned his seats. The relo-seats were assigned in decending order - longest term holders down to new customers. Those groups were then divided by type of package: full, half then partial.

According to Sean, his new seats are a little higher up (in the upper deck behind homeplate) than he requested - but, they're roughly the same spot. The new seats are $16 a piece, up from last year's cost of $14 each. All told, Sean said it was a relatively painless process to be relocated in the Nats' new park.

I have to confess, as much as I am a died in the wool Yankees fan, there's a part of me that is jealous of fans who are connected to teams like the Nationals, A's, Twins, etc., who are getting new parks and not being hassled in terms of getting good, affordable, seats (and the like).

There's no way, at all, with respect to the new Yankee Stadium relo-plans (TBA), that Yankees season ticket holders will only see a 14% increase in their ticket prices, and will also sit just about where they request, like the deal Sean got with the Nats.

I just don't see it happening at all.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:51 PM | Comments (1)

March 24, 2008

Will The Yankees Always Draw This Way Now, Going Forward?

The Yankees announced today that they have reached 3.8 million tickets sold for 2008, already, before their first pitch of the regular season.

There's little doubt that the Yankees will draw 4 million fans this year - making it four years in a row that they do four-plus. Next season should be good for another four-mill - with the opening of the new Stadium.

And, you have to wonder how long this will last in the Bronx?

In 1990, the Blue Jays drew 3.8 million - and then followed that up with three years, in a row, of four million. But, once the Jays started playing poorly after the 1994-1995 work stoppage, the fans stopped showing up in Toronto. In fact, from 2000 to 2004, the Jays couldn't even draw 2 million a season.

In 1993, in their first season, the Rockies drew 4.4 million - and then, after a small dip, they were near 3.8 million each season from 1996 through 1998. But, since 2003, Colorado has basically been a team that draws around 2 million a season.

From mid-season 1995 through 2000, you could not get a ticket to an Indians game. They sold out every game. But, since 2003, Cleveland has been lucky to draw 2 million fans a season.

Also, once Camden Park opened in 1992, the Orioles were good for at least 3 million fans each season - many years way past that, in fact. But, around 2005 the bottom dropped out and the team has barely taken in two million fans in each of the last two seasons.

Then again, since 1977, the Dodgers are usually good for 3 million fans (or more) a season.

I'm sure that's the model that the Yankees want to follow. The trick is to make sure that you manage, most of the time, to finish first, second or third - like Los Angeles has done since 1977.

But, the Dodgers have been lucky too - because the N.L. West is nothing like the A.L. East should be this season and in the next five years to come.

Who knows? Maybe, sometime around 2013, we'll be talking about the days "back when" when the Yankees used to sell out all the time...like the fans of the Blue Jays, Indians, Rockies and O's do now...

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:18 PM | Comments (5)

Would You Spend $25 For A Baggie Of Yankee Stadium Dirt?

Via the Post today -

The Yankees and Mets are in secret talks with the city to buy their old ballparks before the wrecking balls hit - so they can plunder them for lucrative memorabilia to peddle to fans, The Post has learned.

A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg confirmed the negotiations but would not say how the deals might go down - specifically, whether the city would hope to get a lump sum from the teams or a percentage of the profits of any sale or auction of items.

"At other stadiums, everything from the scoreboards to the dugout urinals have been snatched up by fans, but Yankee Stadium is in a whole other league of collectibles," said Mike Heffner, president of Lelands.com, which has handled several stadium garage sales.

"Each brick could sell for $100 to $300," Heffner said. "I doubt we'd have any trouble selling every seat in the house for as much as $1,000.

"With its huge fan base, Shea Stadium will also fetch a big payday."

Yankee sources and a Mets spokesman separately confirmed the teams' negotiations with the city but refused to give details, citing their ongoing talks.

While the city owns the two stadiums, experts said the teams are in a far better position to bring in bigger bucks from a sell-off because of the emotion factor.

A tiny baggy of infield dirt from Yankee Stadium could fetch $25, experts said.

Well, that's a lot less than what Big Stein paid Howie Spira, years ago, for some dirt...so, maybe it's a bargain?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:34 PM | Comments (3)

March 22, 2008

ESPN Tribute to Yankee Stadium On March 20th

This clip aired last Thursday. It was pretty good. I'm sharing it, via RedLasso for those who missed it. (Thanks to Eric for sending it to me.) It's 6 minutes long.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2008

NBC 4 To Air Stadium Special 3/22 @ 7 PM

Via the Daily News -

THE LEGACY OF YANKEE STADIUM. Saturday at 7 p.m., Ch. 4

With the old Yankee Stadium entering its final season, the goodbyes are starting early, and if WNBC/ Ch. 4's special tomorrow night may not ultimately be the best, it's got pretty good stuff.

The commentators are familiar and solid: Pete Hamill, columnist Dave Anderson, boxing historian Bert Sugar and former Yankees like Sparky Lyle and Bernie Williams.

One of the most poignant is Bill Werber, who at 99 is the oldest living ex-Yankee. He remembers being on second base and getting driven in by a Ruth home run.

"Legacy" is at its best when it's going where other tributes haven't gone and are not likely to go. For the Lou Gehrig farewell, it doesn't show Gehrig's speech, but quotes a newspaper column written the next day by a reporter who sat next to Gehrig's wife, Eleanor.

Hey, it beats watching re-runs of The White Shadow, right?

Posted by WW Staff at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

Handles For The Stadium

This morning, I found myself wondering “How are we going to make a distinction between the three 'Yankee Stadiums' when we talk about them?"

Will it be “Yankee Stadium I,” “Yankee Stadium II,” and “Yankee Stadium III”?

Or, will it be (working backwards) “Yankee Stadium,” “Old Yankee Stadium,” and “Old Old Yankee Stadium”?

Or, will it be “The Original Yankee Stadium,” “The Middle Yankee Stadium,” and “The Current Yankee Stadium”?

Or, will it be “Stadium A,” “Stadium B,” and “Stadium C”?

Or, will it be “The First Yankee Stadium,” “The Renovated Yankee Stadium,” and “The New Yankee Stadium”?

Or, will it be “Yankee Stadium ‘23,” “Yankee Stadium ‘76,” and “Yankee Stadium ‘09”?

Anyone else have some other ideas?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:47 AM | Comments (4)

March 20, 2008

Will The Yankees Monkey With Full-Season Ticket Holders Next Season?

Richard Sandomir writes about the cost of seats in the new Yankee Stadium. (I wrote about it here, three days ago.) Sandomir's feature includes this:

The e-mail message from [Yanks COO] Trost asked all season-ticket holders if they wanted to upgrade to the deluxe offerings, “for which we have already received an enormous amount of unsolicited requests.” It also began the process of relocating season-ticket holders to similar locations in the new ballpark.

The team has the equivalent of 39,121 full season-ticket holders.

But Trost cautioned in his e-mail message that “the seat location and quantity of games included in all current ticket license plans are subject to change when you relocate to the new Yankee Stadium.” He said by telephone that he was not referring to the slightly smaller capacity of the new ballpark, but the variety of miniticket plans being sold.

Well, here's the interesting thing - in the Yankees letter that came to me, it clearly states:

"Please be aware that the seat location and quantity of games included in all current Ticket License Plans are subject to change when you relocate to the new Yankee Stadium."

...the seat location and quantity of games included in all current Ticket License Plans...

The letter says nothing about the "variety of miniticket plans being sold." It just says, like in the e-mail, the "quantity of games included in all current ticket license plans."

So, which is it when they talk about quantity changes? Is it the "variety of miniticket plans being sold" or is it the "quantity of games included in all current Ticket License Plans"?

Do you trust the official communication sent to ticket holders as a warning, or, will Trost's reported phone conversation stand up in a court of law? Oh, well, at the least, they're not talking about variable ticket prices...yet.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:27 PM | Comments (0)

Bad Company Meets Frank Sinatra?

Via Bloomberg Services -

New York Yankees fans who have dreamed of stepping up to the same plate as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter will get their chance.

The 26-time World Series champions are holding a fantasy camp at Yankee Stadium for the first time in August, allowing fans to don their own pinstriped uniforms and take the field, Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost said in an interview. Pricing hasn't been set. The seven-day camp at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Florida, costs $5,500 a person.

This is final year of the 85-year-old stadium in the Bronx where Hall of Famers Ruth, Mantle and Joe DiMaggio played. The team is moving to a new $1.3 billion ballpark nearby in 2009.

Former Yankees players appearing in the franchise's annual Old-Timers Day game on Aug. 2 will coach and manage participants in the camp on Aug. 4-6, Trost said. In the past, former players Whitey Ford, Rich ``Goose'' Gossage and Reggie Jackson have played in the game.

Now...you, too, can be Billy Crystal for a day, or two...at a certain price!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2008

Yanks To Charge $100+ For Upper Deck Seats Next Season

In case you were wondering, in the "new" Yankee Stadium, the seats in the upper deck, behind home plate, are being called "TERRACE LEVEL OUTDOOR SUITES."

Suites in the upper deck?

In any event, as per the Yankees, for next season, "TERRACE LEVEL OUTDOOR SUITE PRICES START AT $100 PER SEAT/PER GAME." Note that the Yankees say "start" in there.

Presently, those seats, for full-season ticket holders, cost $55 per seat/per game in the Stadium today.

Before the St. Louis Cardinals opened their new park in 2006, ticket prices in the ten prior new homes for baseball teams, since 2000, saw a 50 percent average increase.

Looks like the Yankees are trying to make up for the Cardinals not keeping in step with everyone else.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:29 PM | Comments (3)

New Yankees Stadium Premium Offerings

Click here to learn more. Fancy new digs, huh?

Really, check out the site.

Beautiful pictures of the new place - inside and out.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 06:50 PM | Comments (2)

March 14, 2008

Yankees Ticket Prices

Via the AP -

Top ticket price for a box seat at Yankee Stadium. All seats in this area sold as parts of season tickets in recent seasons, and listed price includes discount for season ticket holders....

2008 $ 250.00
2007 $ 150.00
2006 $ 110.00
2005 $ 90.00
2004 $ 80.00
2003 $ 72.00
2002 $ 62.00
2001 $ 62.00
2000 $ 55.00
1999 $ 50.00
1998 $ 45.00
1997 $ 35.00
1996 $ 25.00
1995 $ 25.00
1994 $ 17.00
1993 $ 16.00
1992 $ 14.50
1991 $ 12.50
1990 $ 12.00
1989 $ 12.00
1988 $ 11.00
1987 $ 10.00
1986 $ 9.75
1985 $ 9.75
1984 $ 9.00
1983 $ 9.00
1982 $ 8.50
1981 $ 7.50
1980 $ 7.50
1979 $ 7.00
1978 $ 6.50
1977 $ 6.00
1976 $ 5.50
1975 $ 5.00
1974 $ 4.00
1973 $ 4.00
1972 $ 4.00
1971 $ 4.00
1970 $ 4.00
1969 $ 4.00
1968 $ 4.00
1967 $ 3.50

Think this is bad? Just wait and see what it will cost next season.

Posted by WW Staff at 09:36 AM | Comments (5)

March 10, 2008

Budget Travel Blog Takes The Tour

Anthony Falcone of Newsweek's Budget Travel Blog takes "A Tour of Baseball's Cathedral" - aka Yankee Stadium. This includes a nice slide show to check out, in case you're interested.

Posted by WW Staff at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2008

Plans Under Way To Knock Down & Sell Off Current Stadium

Via Paul White of USA Today -

Plans to raze Yankee Stadium and auction off some of its contents are being put in place by the team and New York City, but don't make any plans for a big haul of memorabilia.

Once the Yankees are settled into their new Yankee Stadium on the other side of 161st Street in the Bronx next season, the old one across the street will be awaiting the wrecking ball.

The plans were confirmed by a city Department of Parks and Recreation official with knowledge of the plans who couldn't comment because the deal hasn't been signed. The department has operated the ballpark since the city purchased it from the team in 1972. There's no timetable set yet for the demolition of the famed stadium, which has stood near the Harlem River in the Bronx since 1923, nor have details been finalized for the planned auction.

Though details are still being worked out, the Yankees expect the stadium will be replaced by a complex of three fields, one for softball, one with Little League dimensions and one for high school and college games. A running track will ring the field, and 12,000 trees will be planted to form the outline of the old stadium around the facility.

It would not shock me to see some outfit like Steiner Sports make a bundle off stuff from the current Stadium when they take it down. It will much different than when they took the "old" place down after 1973 when, for a few bucks, if you were there at the right time, someone with a blow-torch would rip you off a few seats and even let you pick which numbered seats you could carry away.

File this one under: When it was a game.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:58 PM | Comments (3)

March 03, 2008

The Look Of The New Stadium

See the images below - it's a comparison of what the new Yankee Stadium was supposed to look like, when they announced the deal back in June of 2005, and how it's actually shaping up today.

As you can see, in terms of the “structure” the actual new Stadium is dead-on for what was suggested two-and-a-half years ago. But, the color scheme is not the same. In fact, the actual “new” Stadium really looks drab, as in lacking liveliness or charm - if you ask me.

I suppose that they may have some plans to paint the new place, or something. But, if you look at color pictures of the “first” Yankee Stadium, you see that they color of the new structure is pretty close to what the first place looked like (on the outside). And, I’m pretty sure that’s the look the Yankees are going for with the new place.

Again, to me, it’s starting to look more like a mausoleum than a ballpark.

When I compare this to what the Mets are doing with their new park (with the brick work on the outside) and then also look at parks such as Camden and Arlington, I’m thinking maybe the Yankees should have gone with a different look for their exterior.

Maybe Lou Di Falco was right? What do you think?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 05:20 PM | Comments (7)

February 26, 2008

NYU Commencement At Yankee Stadium

Via the Washington Square News:

For Red Sox fans, it's your worst nightmare: Front and center in Yankee Stadium receiving your diploma.

Is this hell?

NYU Red Sox fans say yes - and it's a reality.

It has been a month since NYU announced its decision to hold this year's commencement at Yankee Stadium, home of what Red Sox and Mets fans consider the Evil Empire. Usually held in Washington Square Park, the ceremony was moved due to renovations.

"If that happens to me, I will cry," said CAS junior and lifelong Sox fan Rachel Chapman. "Graduation is such a community thing, and when you put it in a sports stadium, you're including another community."

But depending on the baseball game schedule, the 2009 graduation could be moved to Citi Field, the new home of the Mets, set to open in April 2009. If the class of 2009 has their commencement in Yankee Stadium, however, there is a chance it could be in the new Yankee Stadium, also opening in April 2009.

"I would rather graduate somewhere that's more neutral, because I've always kind of thought of graduation as a momentous, happy occasion, and I wouldn't really want to associate it with the Yankees," said CAS junior and Mets fan Francesca Basile.

Sox and Mets fans have no problems, whatsoever, flooding Yankee Stadium when the Yankees are playing their favorite team. But, I can see where this could be different.

My college graduation was held at the Felt Forum (at Madison Square Garden) back in the day. At that time, I never thought about the "other" stuff that was held at that location - I was just happy to be done with school and looking forward to working.

Still, as a fellow fanatic of a baseball team, I feel for the Red Sox and Mets fans on this one.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:21 AM | Comments (12)

February 25, 2008

ESPN, Not YES, To Show Last Game At Yankee Stadium

I heard this on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio (1050 AM in NYC) during the drive home tonight.

Since the "last game" at Yankee Stadium this season is a Sunday, ESPN owns the rights to show the game - not the YES Network. What a bummer.

Two concerns: One, they better not turn this game into a Sunday-night game - that would be a crime. The last game at the Stadium deserves to be played in the sun. Secondly, ESPN better air the ceremonies planned for that day as well - or allow YES to pick them up. Imagine if none of that great stuff is captured for all-time sake?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 06:44 PM | Comments (3)

February 24, 2008

Nice Gesture By Yanks Towards Sheppard

I noticed this tucked away at the bottom of a Ken Davidoff feature:

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' venerable public address announcer, recently signed a two-year extension. While he probably won't be ready for Opening Day -- last October's case of pneumonia took a great deal out of him -- Shepherd, believed to be 97, should return about two months into the regular season.

To me, this is like making Bob Sheppard Yankee Stadium Public Address Announcer Emeritus - which, is the right thing to do.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:08 AM | Comments (1)

February 21, 2008

Last Game Of 2008 Already Sold Out

From the Daily News:

The last regular season game at Yankee Stadium is sold out.

Fans scooped up a few thousand tickets online in just 11 minutes Wednesday.

Scalpers quickly started hawking tickets for the historic Sept. 21 game against the Baltimore Orioles, with top seats going for a head-spinning $17,000 a pop.

Even the cheapest bleachers seats at the House that Ruth Built were going for $165 online.

A Yankees spokesman said there just weren't enough tickets for all the fans who want to see the last regular season game at the storied ballpark, which opened in 1923.

"This day won't happen ever again," said Jason Zillo. "It's going to be a celebration."

About three-quarters of the 56,000 seats were spoken for by season ticket holders and owners of ticket plans that included the game.

A few thousand additional tickets went on sale Tuesday to one group of partial ticket plan holders. Those tickets went fast and owners of a different ticket plan scooped up the last remaining tickets yesterday.

With the historic game officially sold out, the action then shifted online where ticket holders tried to hawk them.

Some fans were asking more than $300 for bleacher seats with a face value of $14. Seats next to the on-deck circle were going for up to $10,000.

If you think $17,000 a seat is an insane asking price, just wait until what you see people start asking for the first game at the new place.

Posted by WW Staff at 10:38 AM | Comments (3)

February 20, 2008

In With The New And Keep The Old?

Brent from "The Bronx Block" and Rebecca from "This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes" are looking to Save Yankee Stadium. For information on their project click here.

Me? I think there's a greater chance that Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano finish one-two in the final voting of the 2008 A.L. Cy Young Award race than a change in plans for the "old" Stadium ever happening. But, in case others are interested in such an effort, I'm happy to pass the word on their project.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:35 PM | Comments (3)

February 07, 2008

New Stadium Tab Up To $1.3 Billion

Via Yankees.com -

The location of Yankee Stadium is to change in 12 months, from one side of 161st Street to the other. Not so the identity of the arena in which American sports' most storied franchise conducts its business. Fifty million dollars per year would buy an Alex Rodriguez annually or a Jorge Posada perennially. But the Yankees say they have purchased perfection permanently by rejecting all naming right inquiries.

"You don't re-name the White House or the Grand Canyon," Lonn Trost said Thursday, acknowledging $50 million isn't just a ballpark figure. Moreover, the Yankees COO said the construction cost will exceed the announced $830 million by a half billion. In the name of tradition, the successor to The House That Ruth Built and John Lindsay refurbished will cost $1.3 billion to build.

The cost is for the Yankees to calculate, meet and privately lament. "We'll make it up some way," said Trost.

Trost, who oversees the construction, attributed the increase in the construction figure to the addition of a 58-by-103-foot high definition video screen in center field, construction delays and that the initial estimate didn't reflect the cost of concession areas and all features involved with their operation. But the added expense also may reflect the club's intention to recreate, as much as possible, the building that served Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.

Toward that objective, the Yankees launched a worldwide search for limestone consistent with what was used in construction of the original park, finally finding a comparable product in Indiana. It will afford the new façade a touch of yellow missing in its annually repainted grey predecessor.

I bet it's much easier to spring for that monster HD video screen and the perfect-match limestone when you know it will help reduce your revenue-sharing obligations down the road, under the terms of the baseball CBA. At the end of the day, when it becomes a "use it or lose it" situation, you're going to "use it" every time.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

Bob Sheppard To Be Replaced By Son?

From the Times:

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees’ distinctive public-address announcer since 1951, who missed the division series last October because of a bronchial infection, “is struggling to recover his health,” a spokesman for the Yankees, Howard Rubenstein, said Wednesday.

The team “hopes he can return to the booth,” Rubenstein added.

One of Sheppard’s sons, Chris, a retired navy aviator who is now a New York-based pilot for a major airline, seems to be interested in eventually following in his father’s footsteps. He will get a tryout during spring training at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., Rubenstein said.

Chris Sheppard holds a speech degree from Marquette and taught the subject at Washington High School in Milwaukee. He declined to comment.

Sheppard’s backup at Yankee Stadium has been Jim Hall, a former colleague at St. John’s. Hall succeeded Sheppard as the Giants’ public-address announcer.

This has been going on for a long time now. At 97, and not feeling well, it is time for Bob to step down. It will be interesting to see/hear how his son does down in Tampa during his tryout.

Posted by WW Staff at 12:33 PM | Comments (6)

January 17, 2008

Breaking In The New Digs

Thinking ahead...

Who should throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the first game in the New Yankee Stadium, next season (in 2009)?

Big Stein?
Yogi?
Rudy May?

If you could pick the one person, who would it be?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:33 PM | Comments (6)

January 16, 2008

Good Signs In The Bronx

From the Post -

The House That Jeter Built has a new sign that unmistakably promises great baseball will be played there.

The words "Yankee Stadium," solidly etched in gold-leafed stone, were hoisted by crane onto the team's new South Bronx home this week.

And now there's rock-solid proof that unlike countless other sports teams that have given up stadium-naming rights to big corporations, Yankee tradition is not for sale.

The words appear on the façade of the stadium's 30,000- square-foot Gothic-style Grand Hall, which will be the main entranceway to the new ballpark and is expected to offer retail and restaurant space year-round.

"Yankee" went up Monday, and "Stadium" went up first thing yesterday morning, team officials said.

From the outside, the stadium's elegant limestone and granite façade will have the feel of the 1923 design of the original stadium - the House that Ruth Built - which for now still stands across the street.

Team officials were tight-lipped about the project yesterday, except to say construction is proceeding on schedule for Opening Day 2009.

But the progress on the $930 million stadium is evident: The steelwork appears mostly done, and the dimensions of the ballfield - about the same as the 1923 stadium - are now clear, as are the twin decks of the stands.

The House That Jeter Built has a new sign that unmistakably promises great baseball will be played there.

Whoa, hey, you mean it's not going to be the House That A-Rod Built?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:16 AM | Comments (6)

January 08, 2008

Have Sweet Seats For The ASG? Think Again

Adding on to what I previously reported, via Bloomberg -

New York Yankees season-ticket holders with the best, most expensive seats might lose them for this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The event is being held at Yankee Stadium on July 15, and baseball will hold about 17,000 seats for its business partners. Some fans who pay as much as US$275 a game for field-box seats for the entire season may be relocated to different locations in the 56,935-seat ballpark, even upstairs in seats that usually sell for as little as US$20. Those who don't have a package that includes all 81 home games might be shut out.

"If you have a seat behind the dugout and MLB takes it, how can I sell it to you?" said Lonn Trost, the Yankees' chief operating officer.

Tim Brosnan, MLB's executive vice president for business, said the "custom and practice" at All-Star games is for full season-ticket holders to be "accommodated with a choice of seats," without being guaranteed their usual spot.

I guess even the "haves" can become the "have nots" when a bigger and badder "have" comes along...

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:42 PM | Comments (2)

January 04, 2008

Let The Yankees Season Ticket Seller Beware

On the Yankees site, in their 2008 Season Ticket Licensee Renewal Letter, it reads:

Yankees Secondary Ticket Marketplace: StubHub has been selected by MLB as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB.com and the Yankees. Commencing for the 2008 season, you may post Yankees Tickets for resale on StubHub through www.yankees.com with no restrictions on resale price. For more information, please visit www.yankees.com.

Resale of Ticket(s): Any direct or indirect sale, resale, auction, assignment or transfer (collectively, "resale") of Tickets must be done in accordance with applicable law. Any resale or attempted resale in violation of applicable law violates this License. New York State law prohibits the resale of any Ticket(s) within one thousand five hundred feet from the physical structure of the Stadium under penalty of law. No Ticket(s) may be used for advertising, promotion (including contests, giveaways or sweepstakes), or other trade or commercial purposes without the express written consent of the Yankees. Any violation of the License shall give the Yankees the unrestricted right to revoke this License, terminate this License and/or cancel the Ticket Account immediately. The Licensee is absolutely responsible for any violation of the License and should safeguard the Ticket(s) so that the License is not violated. The Yankees reserve the right to investigate violations of the License. The failure of the Licensee or any person in possession of the Ticket(s) to cooperate with any investigation constitutes a violation of the License.

These two policies, as a combination, concerned me a bit. So, I contacted a high ranking party in the Yankees Ticket Operations department and asked them:

If a Yankee season ticket holder were to sell their tickets on StubHub and then the person who buys them sells them “within one thousand five hundred feet from the physical structure of the Stadium,” would the season ticket holder then lose their license? Or, would the Yankees work with StubHub to verify that the tickets were sold by the season ticket holder and then they (the season holder) would be relieved of what happens with the ticket after the sale?

And, this was their answer to me:

The Licensee is absolutely responsible for any violation of the License and should safeguard the Ticket(s) so that the License is not violated.

So, if you're a Yankees season ticket holder, and you're thinking of selling some of your tickets this season on StubHub, you may want to think twice about it - because, if the person who buys your ticket (with your account number printed on it) does something bad with it, the Yankees are keeping you on the hook for it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:13 PM | Comments (6)

January 02, 2008

Parking At The New Stadium? You May Need A Loan

Unless, of course, you're a VIP. From the Daily News:

The Yankees and hundreds of their VIPs will get free valet parking for the next 40 years, courtesy of New York taxpayers.

The startling revelation of yet another subsidy for the richest team in baseball is buried deep in the fine print of a $237 million tax-exempt bond offering that city officials quietly issued the week before Christmas.

The documents say a $70 million state subsidy for parking improvements for the new Yankee Stadium (slated to open next year) has been earmarked for a new 660-car valet parking garage where virtually all the spaces will be reserved for the free, year-round use of the Yankees and their VIPs.

Game-day parking prices for the general public will more than double from $14 last year to $29 in 2010. They could hit $35 by 2014.

As previously reported, if you want to drive to the new Yankee Stadium, you're going to have to pay through the nose.

Again, I weep for the future.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:58 AM | Comments (2)

December 23, 2007

'08 All-Star Tickets & Season Tickets At The New Stadium

Some information that you may find helpful and/or interesting...from the materials that came with my '08 season ticket bill:

Regarding season tickets at the new Stadium, for those who already have season tickets...as per the Yankees...

"Early in 2008, you will receive an official New Yankee Stadium Relocation Package which will detail our relocation policies and procedures, your relocation status as a Ticket Licensee and complete information about seating opportunities at the new Yankee Stadium."

I noticed, for what I think is the first time ever, a "Ticket License Seniority Date" on my invoice - along with my account number. My date is "3/1/2001." Looks like the Yankees will be tying "seniority" into the "relocation" process.

Regarding the "2008 All-Star Summer", for those who already have season tickets...as per the Yankees...

"The Yankees are please to host the 2008 All-Star Summer including the 79th Major League Baseball ("MLB") All-Star Game. For five action packed days, baseball's biggest stars will descend on New York City for what will truly be a magical experience for the players and all Yankees fans. The All-Star events, which will be held at the Stadium, begin on Friday, July 11, 2008 with the opening of the DHL All-Star FanFest (which will be held at the Jacob K. Javitis Center), followed by Taco Bell All-Star Sunday (featuring XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game,) on Sunday July 13, 2008, Gatorade Workout Day (featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby), on Monday, July 14, 2008, and conclude with the 79th MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2008."

"MLB and the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer Full Season, A Plan, and B Plan Ticket Licensees the opportunity to purchase a license, for Tickets, equal to the quantity of Ticket(s) in said Ticket Licensee's Ticket Account, not necessarily in the same seat locations (subject to availability), for the All-Star events scheduled to be held at the Stadium. All-Star events consist of the following: the DHL All-Star FanFest (to be held at the Jacob K. Javitis Center), the Taco Bell All-Star Sunday, (featuring the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, the Gatorade Workout Day (featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby) and the 79th MLB All-Star Game."

Regarding DHL All-Star FanFest Tickets...

"All Ticket Licensees, regardless of plan type, must purchase a strip or strips of Tickets for all MLB All-Star events to held at the Stadium (i.e. the same seat location and the same quantity of strips for all All-Star events) and each strip will include 2 DHL FanFest Tickets. For example, if you purchase two (2) All-Star events strips of Tickets, you will also purchase four (4) FanFest Tickets. There is no exceptions to this policy."

For those with "C Plan through I Plan, the 20-Game Flex Plan and new 2008 Full Season, A Plan, and B Plan Ticket Licensees," again, "MLB and the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer" them a chance to purchase tickets prior to them going on sale to the general public - with limits on what can purchased. (For example, these groups can only buy two tickets, max, for the Workout Day or All-Star Game.)

The information from the Yankees also referenced the "Scheduled Final Regular Season Game."

"As an existing B Plan, D Plan through I Plan, and 20-Game Flex Plan Ticket Licensee (2007 season and prior)," you'll be invited to a pre-sale to buy two-tickets, max, for the game on September 21, 2008. Anyone with the Full Season, A Plan, or C Plan is not eligible for the pre-sale since these plans already have the game of September 21, 2008 in their plan.

On the bright-side, the materials from the Yankees also state, regarding your tickets:

"StubHub has been selected by MLB as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB.com and the Yankees. Commencing for the 2008 season, you may post Yankees Tickets for resale on StubHub through www.yankees.com with no restrictions on resale price. For more information, please visit www.yankees.com."

Click here to see the Yankees regular season schedule for 2008. Note that the Yankees consider Opening Day, Old-Timer's Day, the last three regular season home games, and all games against the Red Sox and the Mets as "premium games."

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:07 PM | Comments (0)

December 18, 2007

Yanks Future: Artificial Players & Artificial Fans?

In an exchange of e-mails between a friend and I this morning, regarding the Yankees ticket price increase for next season, I found myself writing:

The days of going to 9 games [at Yankee Stadium], or more, a year, are out for me. Sad. I can't afford it. At this rate, I'll be lucky to be there for 3 or 4 games a year.

Thinking about it some more, I’m starting to wonder if Yankee Stadium will become like the Titanic when it set out to sea – with all the rich people staying on top, living the high-life, and all the poor people jammed into the bowels of the ship, crammed in there, huddled, and wondering what it’s like for the affluent folks in the nice parts of the vessel.

Seriously, since the Yankees are “reversing the bowls” in their new Stadium – meaning there will be more seats on the bottom level as opposed to the upper deck, which is the opposite of the current Stadium where there are more seats in the upper deck than at field level - will the new Stadium have all the rich people on the first level and the poor people jammed into what few seats will be there in the upper deck?

Worse, when you factor in the current demand for Yankees tickets, and the lure of the new Stadium, will the average to less-than-average income person even be able to buy Yankees tickets come 2009?

You know, not too long ago, Jacobs Field in Cleveland had 455 straight sellouts from June 12, 1995 through April 4, 2001. Further, the Indians actually sold all 81 home games before opening day during three separate seasons. Needless to say, there was a time when getting a ticket to a baseball game in Cleveland was a hard thing to do.

I was actually in Cleveland, during the season in 1999, on a business trip with a friend – and our meetings were scheduled not far from “The Jake.” On the taxi ride from the airport to our meeting, I asked the cabbie if it was, indeed, impossible to get a ticket to the game (that night). He asked me if the first inning was important to me. When I asked him why, he said “If you want to scalp tickets, you’re going to need a loan from the bank. But, if you’re willing to miss the first inning, by that time, the scalpers are willing to then sell the tickets at face value or less – rather than risk not selling the tickets at all.”

Thinking about this today – is this what it’s going to come down to in the Bronx after 2008? Is the only way that you’ll be able to afford decent seats to a Yankees game will be if you’re willing to scalp after the first inning is already played?

Worse, I don’t think that the Yankees care that they’re forcing the “everyday diehard fan” out of being able to go to a game. There will be enough well-to-do people, celebrities, corporations, etc., willing to buy tickets for games at the new Stadium – so, at the end of the day, the Yankees will still get their revenue. But, I will suggest this: There will be a change in the atmosphere at the new Stadium. With the “died in the wool” fans relegated to the few seats affordable and available in the upper deck and/or bleachers, and the majority of the seats filled with “Milli Vanilli type” poser-fans, going to a Yankees game, after 2008, will have an artificial feel to it.

It's funny: Many people like to say that the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is vain, sensitive, insecure...and, overcoached and artificial.

Is this the Yankees future? Artificial players and artificial fans?

To quote the Chez Quis Maitre D' in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, "I weep for the future."

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:14 PM | Comments (11)

November 19, 2007

Sox Brass Sweating New Stadium?

From the Boston Globe:

The Red Sox, who already have the most expensive tickets in baseball, are raising prices again, this time by 9 percent, in an effort to keep up with a familiar target: the Yankees.

Beyond that is the challenge of competing with the new Yankee Stadium, which is set to open in 2009. That will bring even more revenue to the Yankees, with likely increased ticket prices and far more seats than Fenway can hold.

"We held ticket prices last year at least on all the non-premium seats," Lucchino said. "And on some of these categories, we've held them at the same price for several years, especially the bleacher seats and the lower-price seats.

"It was our view that this was time. It seemed appropriate to make some changes, increases. We're also aware that there will be some major changes within our division. The Yankees are about to go into a new ballpark in 2009, and I believe they will have a gigantic increase, allowing them to do what they're able to do."

The Yankees are about to go into a new ballpark in 2009, and I believe they will have a gigantic increase, allowing them to do what they're able to do..

Before the Cardinals opened their new park in 2006, ticket prices in the ten prior new homes for baseball teams, since 2000, saw a 50 percent average increase. The Cardinals average ticket price went up 12.1 percent - and they still had great revenue.

Is Lucchino right? Will the Yankees increase tickets by 50%?

Man, that would hurt - seeing a $100 price-tag for a regular season ticket (for one seat in the Loge). But, it means it's going to make Lucchino nervous, maybe it's worth it? (Yes, I'm just kidding.)

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:15 PM | Comments (4)

October 29, 2007

Ducat's Anatomy

Time Out New York has a nice feature today on where your Yankees ticket money goes...note that 28% of it goes to teams other than the Yankees.

Considering how the Yankees draw, and the price of their tickets, that's a lot of dough going out the window.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:07 PM | Comments (3)

October 04, 2007

Sheppard May Miss LDS

From the AP -

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' public-address announcer since 1951, could miss the team's postseason home opener Sunday night.

Sheppard wasn't at the final homestand of the season because of laryngitis, and as of Wednesday it wasn't clear whether "The Voice of God'' will recover by the weekend. If Sheppard isn't back, longtime backup Jim Hall will be behind the mike.

Sheppard doesn't like to give his age, but a former Yankees official confirmed last year that Sheppard was born on Oct. 12, 1910.

Isn't laryngitis usually a short-lived irritation? Sheppard is 97. There could be more going on here than is being reported. I hope that I'm wrong on this one.

Losing Scooter and Sheppard in the same year just doesn't seem fair.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:54 AM | Comments (2)

The Freddy Sez Story

From the Christian Science Monitor:

In baseball there are fastballs, curveballs, and ... oddballs - fans so involved with their teams that they become part of the lore.

At Yankee Stadium, Freddy Schuman, aka Freddy Sez, will be walking around with his frying pan and a spoon letting fans bang away, in hopes of inspiring the Bronx Bombers.

It was during Mr. Schuman's childhood that he used to go into "mama's" kitchen on New Year's Eve, banging on the pots and pans to wake up the whole neighborhood. Then, in 1988 when the Yankees were in the middle of a long slump, he suggested to the team management that they let him roam the stadium with a sign to encourage fans to make some noise and possibly inspire the players.

The first year, he mainly got children interested in banging his frying pan. But by 1996, after plenty of television coverage and newspaper stories, he says, "I was on the map."

On the map is an understatement. In 2000, Rudolph Giuliani, New York mayor at the time and a longtime Yankees fan, brought the World Series trophy to the hospital when Schuman was ill. Mr. Giuliani took him to Arizona on a chartered jet for the 2001 World Series. He's been in World Series parades. He has a frying pan in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame. The former truck driver, who was once homeless, has written a book about his first five years as "Freddy Sez" and is included in a MasterCard commercial.

"I am just a quiet guy," he says.

The fans generally adore Schuman. Longtime Yankees fan Bruce Garrison remembers banging Schuman's pan and then watching Darryl Strawberry hit three home runs in one game. "Freddy's always got a positive message," says Mr. Garrison.

Back in May of 2006, the Times did an excellent feature on Freddy as well.

Maybe, someday, someone will do a story on zealot Yankees bloggers who like to provide laconic commentary?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:43 AM | Comments (2)

October 02, 2007

Dogs And Dummies At The Ballpark

This morning, I was listening to Mark Patrick and Buck Martinez, on X-M Radio MLB Home Plate, lament about some fan in the stands (of the Padres-Rockies play-in game last night) who brought his dog to the contest (and who was somewhat distracting during certain camera angle shots).

Hearing this reminded me a Yankee Stadium experience that I had around 20 years ago. I’m pretty sure that it was 1987. But, it could have been 1986 as well? For sure, I know that it was after 1985 and before 1988.

Back at that time, I was a recruiter for a small savings bank in New York City – just a pup, only out of college for a couple of years. This was at a time where companies didn’t frown upon employees getting gifts from vendors, etc. And, I used to get stuff from head-hunters all the time – looking to establish a relationship with me and get some job searches that I might be doing for the bank.

One guy gave me two tickets to a Yankees game – again, around 1987. There were very good seats – field level on the first-base side, near home plate. I took my dad to the game. When we got there, we noticed a guy sitting over to our left – who decided to come to the game pretty much dressed in full Yankees uniform.

Now, while that might seem odd to some – it’s the not the story here. The guy also had a ventriloquist dummy with him – also dressed in full Yankees uniform – and the dummy was sitting in his own seat (next to the guy that brought him). And, during the game, the guy and his dummy would talk to each other.

True story – I swear.

At first, when my dad and I saw this, I laughed and made one of those "Only at Yankee Stadium!" comments to my father. But, as the game went on, this sighting reached the status of "O.K., stop staring at him now" because it became more and more distracting as the guy and his dummy, both in their Yankees uniforms, kept talking to each other throughout the game.

The next day, the guy who gave me the tickets called me. He asked if I enjoyed the game. He asked if the seats were good. I told him that we had a good time and that the seats were awesome – and thanked him again for the gift.

Then, just before we got off the phone, he said to me: "Steve, I just have one more question that I have to ask. Was the guy with the dummy there?"

I laughed and told him "Yeah, he was there" and then asked how he knew about it – since I never mentioned it on our call. He then told me that those were company tickets that he gave me – and, that, all his clients who had used them in the past had commented afterwards about the guy with the dummy.

Thinking about this now, I wonder how many thousands of Yankees fans are out there now who all share this same story – about the guy at the game with ventriloquist dummy, with the dummy having his own seat, both dressed in their Yankees uniforms?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:20 AM | Comments (2)

October 01, 2007

Yanks: New Stadium Not Going To Look Like Times Square

From the Times -

The Yankees are never known for missing opportunities to make money. Yet when they decided to build a new stadium, they declined the potential riches that could come from selling the rights to the name.

“The dollars we passed were incomparable,” said Lonn Trost, the Yankees’ chief operating officer. “Having said that, you wouldn’t rename the White House, you wouldn’t rename Grant’s Tomb and you wouldn’t rename the Grand Canyon. This is Yankee Stadium, and this will always be Yankee Stadium.”

But as they look ahead to the new Yankee Stadium, which will open in 2009, the Yankees have found an alternate way to collect some of the money they might have made from naming rights. They will announce today that they have hired the Creative Arts Agency to market partnerships to corporate sponsors.

“It’s an opportunity for a company to partner with the Yankees and say, ‘We support the Yankees’ decision to keep the stadium as Yankee Stadium,’ ” said Mike Levine, the co-head of CAA Sports.

Trost acknowledged that because of the history of the name Yankee Stadium, a rights deal might have backfired for the company that put its name atop the marquee of the new ballpark.

“If we were foolish enough to have sold it, any company that would have taken the name would have been injured by it,” Trost said.

Knowing that, he said, the partnership with CAA will help the Yankees benefit financially by offering expanded sponsorship deals to companies in the new ballpark. Trost and Levine said specific plans were still in development, but there would be no advertising on uniforms, which is against Major League Baseball rules, and Trost stressed the ballpark would not be cluttered with corporate logos.

“We don’t want to make it look like a carnival or a rodeo,” Trost said. “This will be done intelligently and will not ruin the image of Yankee Stadium.”

Lonn, you mean, like not putting ads on the back of the drag mats that the grounds crew uses during the 5th inning to groom the infield (while doing the YMCA dance)?

Oh, wait, that's right.....

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:46 AM | Comments (7)

September 19, 2007

Yanks Set Attendance Record

From the Journal News -

The Yankees have set a franchise record for paid attendance at Yankee Stadium. The team announced today that fans have purchased 4,262,761 tickets this season, breaking last season's mark of 4,243,780.

This marked the third straight year that the Yankees have drawn at least 4 million fans. The Toronto Blue Jays are the only other team to have done that, drawing 4 million-plus from 1991-93.

The Yankees are leading the majors in total home attendance with 4,000,924 over 76 games. They also are No. 1 in average home attendance at 52,644, selling out 45 games so far.

They average 52,600 a game. Man, that's crazy. Just crazy. Then again, I'm going to a game this week. So, I guess I'm just adding to it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:52 PM | Comments (4)

The Last Game In 2008

From the Daily News:

The House That Ruth Built will close at the end of the 2008 season, but the schedule that MLB built doesn't seem to realize that.

Next season will serve as a six-month homage to Yankee Stadium, as baseball's cathedral will celebrate its 86th and final year. But when the regular season concludes, the Yankees won't be there. They'll be in Boston, playing the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sept. 28.

Preliminary copies of the 2008 schedule have been distributed to all 30 major league teams, giving clubs an opportunity to request changes.

According to sources, the Yankees had assumed that they would finish the season at home, and they had planned a host of festivities around the event. Yankee officials declined to comment on the schedule, citing the fact that the official schedule had not yet been released.

Katy Feeney, MLB's senior vice president of scheduling and club relations, said that, to her knowledge, the Yankees had yet to file a complaint with the league. But one source said the Yankees are believed to be lobbying for a change in the schedule.

What, the Yankees aren't going to be in the post-season next year? To me, that would be the last game in Yankee Stadium history.

But, I know where this is going. The Yankees probably want to do something like the Braves, Tigers and Orioles did when they closed their old places...by bringing people back from the past, etc. And, you can't really do that during the post-season.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:33 AM | Comments (1)

The Nine Times It's Been Party Time In The Bronx

Sean Forman, over at the Stat of the Day blog, created a list of all 90 batters who made the final out in a World Series. (His list doesn't show the walk-off hits or the series that ended on baserunning plays.)

I took his list and sliced it down to just batters who made final outs in a World Series that was won by the Yankees. That list is below. (Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the list.)

As you can see from my list, there's just been 9 times where the Yankees have been able to celebrate a World Series victory on their home field: 1927, 1938, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1977, 1996, and 1999.

Think about that: 17 out of 26 times, where the Yankees won the World Series, the winning celebration happened on the home field of their opponent.

It's probably why that bunt pop-up to Mike Torrez in 1977, the foul pop to Charlies Hayes in 1996, and that flyball to Chad Curtis in 1999 stand out in my mind so much...as those are the only three "final outs" for Yankees rings in my lifetime that happened at Yankee Stadium.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:06 AM | Comments (2)

September 12, 2007

53 And A Half Weeks Left For The Old Digs

From the AP -

Yankee Stadium is set to host its final regular-season game on Sept. 21, 2008, with New York playing Baltimore.

Shea Stadium will hold its regular-season wrapup a week later, on Sept. 28 against Florida.

The Yankees and Mets recently received schedule drafts for the 2008 season from the commissioner's office. The Yankees also will host the All-Star Game.

Both New York teams are moving into new ballparks in 2009.

I plan on being at the Stadium a week from this Friday - to see the Yankees host the Jays. It's going to be strange now...knowing that game will mark the one-year countdown to the last game to be played in this Stadium.

Of course, if the Yankees make the post-season next year, then it really won't be the "last game" on September 21, 2008.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:13 PM | Comments (1)

The Yankees Prank Proposal

Have you seen this one yet? (I understand that it's been linked to via various sites and blogs recently.)

It reminded me of the prank that was pulled at the Stadium back on August 30th of last year.

I guess the lesson here is: Don't believe everything that you see in the stands up in the Bronx!

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2007

$25 To Park At New Digs?

Ben Kabak at RAB has the story.

This is probably connected to the loss of new spots.

If there's some smart person in Fort Lee, N.J., with a parking lot, they'll offer parking there for fans in the Garden State, for less than that, and will run shuttle buses to and from the Stadium. Ditto anyone with a lot on the other side of the Macombs Dam Bridge in Manhattan.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 07:58 PM | Comments (2)

August 24, 2007

Looks Like The Made It

According to the Yankees site, postseason ticket payments are due in full by Wednesday, September 12, 2007.

They wouldn't sell tickets unless they were going to make it to October, right?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:08 PM | Comments (4)

August 07, 2007

Missing Signs

Do you know the big Bank of America sign that’s at Yankee Stadium in back of the right field bleachers? In the last 32 years, that sign space has been used by many different advertisers. If I recall correctly, the first sign in that big space was for Manufacturers Hanover – and it was fashioned like a N.Y. License Plate (at that time) with an orange background and blue lettering. Anyone else remember this sign? Anyone remember what types of signs were used there in between Manny Hanny and BOA?

If no one can remember any of them, what does that say about the cost effectiveness of advertising at Yankee Stadium?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:45 PM | Comments (8)

August 04, 2007

New Stadium Says Cha-Ching To Yanks

From CNNMoney.com -

From 1997 to 2005, growth in [Yankee] stadium revenue far outpaced the rise in attendance. Annual attendance rose 58%, from 2.6 million to 4.1 million, whereas ticket and luxury-suite revenue soared 202%, from $52 million in 1997 to $157 million in 2005. The new stadium will boast more than three times as many luxury boxes as the old, and as a result, ticket-and-suite revenues are projected to soar to $253 million when the new ballpark opens in 2009.

They will probably be much higher. The $253 million figure in the prospectus assumes attendance in 2009 of 3.4 million, which is the equivalent of 79% of the new stadium's 53,000- person capacity over 81 regular-season home games. Given that the Yankees sold 90% of their tickets last year, 88% in 2005, and are on pace for another 90% showing in 2007, it's hard to imagine ticket sales sagging when the new stadium opens. Also, the ticket-and-suite figures don't include two other sources of stadium revenue - concessions and sponsorships - that Levine expects will get a boost from the new ballpark. The Yankees' current concessionaire, Centerplate Inc., obtained 9.6% of its 2006 sales - the equivalent of $62 million - from its contract with the Yankees, according to SEC filings. Hal Steinbrenner tells Fortune that the Yankees are considering handling concessions on their own in the new stadium. Were the Yankees to go that route, the team could conceivably net $30 million annually on gross concession sales of $100 million, estimates former Yankees marketing director Joseph Perello.

As for sponsorships, Levine says the Yankees are not planning to sell traditional naming rights: "It's going to be called Yankee Stadium." Nevertheless, according to the bond prospectus, the team's lease with New York City (which will own the new stadium) stipulates that the Yankees keep "all cash and receivables" related to "naming rights" and "advertising" and specifically raises the possibility of the Yankees' selling naming rights "for parts of the stadium." In other words, fans may enter a building called Yankee Stadium but find themselves sitting in the Bank of America bleachers or purchasing snacks at the Pfizer food court. Perello, now a sports consultant, thinks the Yanks could collect $50 million to $75 million a year in sponsorship dough this way.

Great news for the Yankees. Just don't tell Scott Boras what kind of spending power the Yankees will have come 2009.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:57 AM | Comments (2)

August 03, 2007

Steinbrenner Stadium?

You know, the Yankees have not always played in “Yankee Stadium.” In their history, the team has played home games at Hilltop Park, the Polo Grounds – and even Shea Stadium. Therefore, it’s not like the team has a 105-year tradition of playing exclusively at “Yankee Stadium.”

Would it be the end of the world if the team decided to call the new digs (that are presently under construction) “Steinbrenner Stadium”?

Think about it: Steinbrenner has owned the team longer than anyone else. Colonel Jacob Ruppert owned the team in some fashion for 30 seasons. Big Stein has 35 seasons to his credit. The Dan Topping, Del Webb, and Larry MacPhail group is the only one close to Ruppert and Steinbrenner – and they had the team for 19 seasons.

George Steinbrenner, to date, has owned the Yankees for one-third of the team’s history. And, they’ve been great years – including World Series rings and all sorts of team and league attendance records. Doesn’t someone like that deserve to have a stadium named after him?

Further, by naming the new Yankees ballpark “Steinbrenner Stadium,” you somewhat preserve the legacy of the old Yankees ballpark in that the name “Yankee Stadium” will forever be associated with the exact location found south of 161st Street and west of River Avenue.

At the least, doesn’t the idea deserve some consideration? To be candid, I’m not 100% sure how I would feel about such a decision. But, if someone told me today that it was being thought about, I would understand why…it’s not a wild and unwarranted notion – at least to me.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:35 PM | Comments (17)

August 02, 2007

What The Devil? [Says David Puddy]

River Avenue Blues details how the Yankees are not allowing face-painters into the Stadium these days. Hearing this, it makes me wonder if Yankee Stadium is now using digital surveillance photos to analyze facial characteristics, etc., in order to try and spot/stop bad guys.

It's either that, or, the team is about to ink a sponsorship deal with Maybelline to be the official Kabuki paint of the New York Yankees and they're getting into the practice of banning anyone trying to get in who is not using Yankees-sanctioned make-up? (Yes, I'm kidding.)

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:12 PM | Comments (3)

An Approved Secondary Yankees Ticket Market

From the Times - with a hat tip to The Griddle:

Major League Baseball once frowned on scalping, the resale of tickets among fans and sidewalk entrepreneurs. On Thursday, professional baseball will announce plans to get into the business.

In a nod to the growing strength of Internet ticket exchanges, the league has entered into a revenue-sharing agreement with StubHub, an online market owned by eBay that acts as a middleman in the resale of tickets to entertainment events. Under the five-year deal, all 30 baseball team Web sites and MLB.com will direct fans who want to sell their tickets or buy tickets from other fans to Stubhub.com.

The deal caps a growing trend over the last several years to legitimize the secondary ticket market. Most of the league’s teams participate in ticket resale from their own Web sites and within rules and regulations dictated by teams and state laws. The deal not only embraces the activity and validates the secondary ticket market, but gives Major League Baseball a share of the revenue from sales.

“The taboo of the secondary ticket market has been all but eliminated,” said David M. Carter, assistant professor of sports business at the University of Southern California’s business school. He said that baseball and other professional sports franchises are asking: “Why not capture some of the revenue that for years has been left on the table to scalpers?”

Several teams have also openly criticized the use of StubHub in the past. Last season, the New York Yankees revoked season tickets of fans who used StubHub, saying it violated the contract that the ticket holders had with the team. The Yankees even went so far as to ask its flagship radio station, WCBS, to turn down ads from StubHub, and security guards at Yankee Stadium regularly questioned fans arriving with StubHub envelopes.

A New York state law passed in 2005 essentially legalized reselling by allowing ticket holders to sell their seats for a maximum of 45 percent over face value.

Fewer than a dozen states still have antiscalping laws on the books. StubHub itself has lobbied extensively to repeal such provisions.

So, in a way, it looks like Pinstripe Marketplace is now a reality - finally. Meanwhile, more than 100 Yankees season-ticket holders had their privileges revoked in 2006 after they were caught reselling tickets online. Those people must be feeling somewhat steamed today. And, I would not blame them.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 01:05 PM | Comments (2)

August 01, 2007

The Curse Of Shawn Green?

Here's something on why the Bleacher Creatures were told to keep it down at the Stadium - from Bostonsucks.net -

For the past few weeks Yankee Stadium security has banned all insulting or derogatory chanting from the bleachers. The banning spawned from an incident when the Yankees were playing the Mets and someone made an anti-Semitic remark to the Mets Jewish right fielder, Shawn Green. A letter was sent to the Yankees and thus the end of ’fun’ in the bleachers.

I haven't found anything that would back up this suggestion. But, if true, given all the things that have been said to players, etc., from those in the bleachers, through the years, I'm surprised that it took someone this long to write a letter. Then again, maybe letters have been sent in the past and this one was the one that the Yankees decided to take action on? It's one of those things that we'll probably never know...for sure.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 12:55 PM | Comments (11)

July 31, 2007

2008 All-Star Game Logo

From mlb.com -

Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees and the City of New York today unveiled the official logo of the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008, during the final season at Yankee Stadium. Today's unveiling took place at an afternoon press conference at Yankee Stadium.

Those in attendance prior to New York's game against the Chicago White Sox to discuss 2008 All-Star Summer were the Mayor of New York, the Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg; MLB President & Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy; Yankee executives Hal Steinbrenner, Randy Levine and Lonn Trost; past Yankee All-Stars Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry; and veteran Yankee All-Stars Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui.

The official logo of the 2008 All-Star Game is traditional and simple in nature, symbolic of the Yankee franchise, and incorporates the club's signature pinstripes and the architectural element of the famed Yankee Stadium façade. The colors of the 2008 Midsummer Classic will reflect the club's navy and white.

Pretty boring logo, no? Then again, it's better than the one from 1977.

Click here to see all the logos from the past.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 04:36 PM | Comments (6)

July 23, 2007

A View From The Top

I thought this was a pretty cool picture of the Stadium. I "liberated" it from a Reuters report about the increasing costs of the new digs.

This is pretty much where I sat, behind the plate, upper-upper-deck, for the "Getcha Tokens Ready!" game. It was a great section to be in - in terms of the view and the surrounding fans - for a game of that excitement.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 02:37 PM | Comments (6)

July 12, 2007

The Yankees Fan Monty Hall Paradox

From New York Magazine -

YANKEE STADIUM, Where to Go...

...To Catch a Foul Ball

Megafan Zack Hample, who has personally brought home 3,000-plus balls from major-league games, recommends monitoring the aisle behind field-level sections 43 to 73 (first-base side) and 36 to 62 (third-base side). For balls that fly straight over the backstop, try sections 609 to 630 on the upper deck.

...To Get a Souvenir

Stand in the front of sections 332 to 344 and 339 overlooking the outfield during batting practice, address players by their first name while wearing the cap of whatever team they play for, and say “Please” in their native language (usually English, Spanish, or Japanese).

...To Avoid the Mayhem

Box seats for a minor-league Staten Island Yankees game are $13.

...To Pay As Much As You Possibly Can

Luxury Suite 332: $8,000 for twenty seats and three passes for the players’ parking lot. Add $2,500 if it’s a Mets or Red Sox game or opening day, $1,000 for dinner, and $2,500 (Joe Pepitone) to $30,000 (Whitey Ford) for a former Yankee to watch the game with you, for a max cost of $41,500.

...To Catch a Home Run

According to Greg Rybarczyk of HittrackerOnline.com, 49 Yankee Stadium home runs landed in left-field seats last year; 106 landed in right. For the best shot at one, sit on the aisle between bleacher sections 39 and 41, the destination of 21 homers.

...To Check Your Bag

The Yankees are the only major-league team that doesn’t allow anything larger than a handbag into their games, and they don’t provide checking services. Instead, go to Stan’s Sports World (850 River Ave., nr. 158th St.). Cost: $10.

OK, regarding the "To Pay As Much As You Possibly Can" item above...So, if you and 19 of your friends are willing to spend two grand each, you can catch dinner, a Yankees game, and some face time with a former Yankees star. Or, your entire group (of 20) can take that money and go to 153 Staten Island Yankees games. Yeah, one hundred and fifty three.

Which would you rather do?

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)

Yanks Season Ticket Holder, Hoping To See The All-Stars Next Year?

You better start looking for a scalper.

From the Star-Ledger -

The official launch of the planning for the Yankee Stadium All-Star Game will come July 31, when the 2008 All-Star logo will be unveiled. The logo will be displayed in a prominent place in Yankee Stadium, as planners from Major League Baseball, the team and New York City arrange the logistics of holding a massive event in an 85-year-old ballpark and the most crowded city in America.

But the planning process has been under way for more than two years, since the Yankees first asked the commissioner's office to host the game.

"This is one of the most unique opportunities we've had," said Marla Miller, who oversees the coordination of the All-Star Game for the commissioner's office. "And it also comes with its own unique set of challenges."

One of those challenges was holding the game while construction was under way on the Yankees' new ballpark nearby. That meant scouting hotels, bus routes and venues for the All-Star FanFest, All-Star Gala and other ancillary events.

At the Stadium, season-ticket holders and suite-holders will be displaced, as Major League Baseball takes 17,000 seats and all of the luxury suites for the game.

For that reason, [Yankees' CEO Lonn] Trost said, the Yankees are looking into whether they can seat people in the black "batter's eye" seating sections in center field. Baseball and its broadcast partners will also need 60,000 square feet of parking space in Lot 14 across from the media and players entrance to park 35 trailers. That means some parking might have to be transferred to the Major Deegan Expressway service ramp near that lot. And that would affect the bus routes.

"It makes your head spin, thinking about all of it," Trost said.

Note that one part: At the Stadium, season-ticket holders and suite-holders will be displaced, as Major League Baseball takes 17,000 seats and all of the luxury suites for the game.

I would bet that the players are going to eat up around 1,000 seats too. And, who knows how many FOX will want for this one?

Bottom line, if you're "Joe Fan" and you want to go to the 2008 All-Star Game, get ready to sit in the upper-upper-deck and pay a fortune for it.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:22 AM | Comments (9)

July 07, 2007

Creatures Told Ssssssh! (By Yanks)

From Lisa Kennelly yesterday -

I spent yesterday's game in the stands with the Bleacher Creatures, the diehard fans who sit in right field and come to almost every home game. I'm not kidding, they said 50-60 games a year.

Anyway, what the Creatures are known for is the first inning Roll Call, where they chant each player's name until he acknowledges them with a wave. After that, they break into "Box Seats Suck!"

But as of last Friday, they are no longer allowed to say that. The Creatures told me a security guard informed them of a zero tolerance policy regarding "sucks", and anyone who chants it will be tossed. Obviously they're a little displeased with this.

I've been busy with this Chinese press conference today but I'll snoop around and try to find out why the crackdown. I suspect it's fallout form Alex Rodriguez's wife's "**** You" t-shirt from last week, but it might be, as one Creature told me, just because some fans got a little too offensive and there were complaints.

I suspect that the Bleacher Creatures will come up with something to replace what's been taken away.

By the time the new Stadium opens, the bleachers may have a totally different feel...no more "sucks," "gladiator" or "Tiajuana" stuff, etc.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 08:56 AM | Comments (8)

July 05, 2007

New Digs Loses Some Parking Spots

From Metro -

The Yankees may make more money than any team in baseball, but it pays for that privilege. Its profit margins, in fact, look razor-thin.

Now the city may follow that business model in financing the $281 million project to construct and rehab parking garages for the Yankees’ new stadium.

Since 2005, the city has looked for a developer to build four garages, but it received only two responses to its request for proposals. One was tossed as untenable.

In April, the city turned to its remaining candidate: Community Initiatives Development Co., a not-for-profit that would qualify for $190 million in triple tax-exempt bonds from the city. That lowers the cost of borrowing for a private entity by about $2 million a year, or $90 million over the life of the 40-year bonds.

Rebecca Asser of the city’s Economic Development Corporation told Community Board 4 last month,“The original RFP presented a plan that wasn’t really economically viable and would have required the city contributing [additional] money. ... So we tried to make the plan a little bit more viable.”

The revised deal subtracted one garage, or 1,865 spaces. The extra parking was no longer necessary after the city teamed with the MTA on a $90 million new Metro-North station.

For a ballpark that should have at least 10,000 parking spots, losing any amount is bad news for those who like to drive to the game.

Where did I come up with 10,000? Their plan - at first the spots were to increase from 6,995 to 10,310. Now it looks like it will be 8,445. That's not a very large increase - just about 20%.

That's not really an improvement at all.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 09:06 AM | Comments (5)

May 11, 2007

Season Ticket Holders Can Now Exhale

From Bloomberg.com -

New York's two Major League Baseball teams won't sell licenses to fans who want to buy season tickets at their new ballparks because they have already secured financing and don't want the fan backlash.

Yankees President Randy Levine and Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon said in separate interviews that their clubs won't join at least 17 other major U.S. sports franchises in selling personal seat licenses when their new baseball stadiums open in 2009. The licenses require fans to pay a one-time fee for the right to buy season tickets.

``We had a visceral feeling it would not be well received by our fan base, which was confirmed by our market research,'' said David Howard, the Mets' executive vice president of business operations.

Levine declined to discuss why the Yankees don't plan on selling seat licenses.

$40 Million

The Yankees and Mets might be passing up at least $40 million each in revenue by not selling licenses, said Max Muhleman of Private Sports Consulting Inc., who developed the program for 15 other pro sports teams. Both clubs would have been able to charge more than the baseball average of $3,000 to season-ticket holders, he said.

``New York would be one of the safest and most enthusiastic seat-license markets in the whole country,'' said Muhleman, 70. ``The New York market is a very high-passion sports market and tickets are regarded as a very valuable commodity.''

So far, none of the nine major professional sports team in the New York market have sold seat licenses.

Whew!

The key here is the Mets, and, to an extent, the other New York market pro-teams. There's no way the Yankees could sell seat licenses when no one else is doing it here. But, should someone break ranks on this, then watch and see how quiclky the Yankees follow that lead.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at 11:53 AM | Comments (2)

May 10, 2007

Just Be Glad Yanks Don't Force You Listen To "Cotton-Eyed Joe" Too

From the Times -

The most patriotic moments at Yankee Stadium can also be the most confining.

Seconds before “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” are played, police officers, security guards and ushers turn their backs to the American flag in center field, stare at fans moving through the stands and ask them to stop. Across the stadium’s lower section, ushers stand every 20 feet to block the main aisle with chains.

The national anthem has long been a pregame staple at sporting events. But after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Major League Baseball directed teams to play “God Bless America” before the bottom of the seventh inning at every game. Baseball scaled back the next season, telling teams they needed to play the song only on Sundays and holidays, which is still the case.

Only the Yankees continue to play “God Bless America” at every home game. They are also the only ones to use chains to prevent fans from moving during both songs, which concerns some civil liberties advocates.

“Mr. Steinbrenner want