Getting used to the new place

by Travis G on Apr 4, 2009 12:38 PM EDT in Yankee Stadium

That was a surreal game last night. I was sitting there in the third inning thinking, 'Wow. This is the new Yankee Stadium. I've lived my whole life watching the old one 81 times a year. Who's stadium is this? It looks like one of those new-fangled ones that teams out west are always building.'

But by the middle innings, I started getting used to it. And then it struck me that for most of us, this is the last Yankee Stadium we'll ever see. If this one lasts 75 years like the previous one, this will be the Yankees home for the rest of our lives.

Anyway, the crowd wasn't too loud, but that was mostly due to the weather and the insignificance of the game (I'm sure). But Pete Abraham brings some disturbing news:

The highly-touted manual scoreboards set inside the wall in right field and left field are almost useless. The numbers are too small to see from the stands. The out-of-town scoreboard is in right field now. Only four games at a time, however.

... you can’t see the retired numbers in Monument Park like you used to be able to. There should be somewhere where everybody can see them. Retired numbers should be celebrated, not hidden away...

The Yankees, unfortunately, didn’t change the in-game entertainment very much. The same old lame YMCA, etc....

... it won’t be a very intimidating park for opposing players. The fans are not on top of the field like they used to be.

As far as the field goes, the infield seemed extremely fast (especially considering the rain). Those first two grounders the Cubs hit rocketed past Jeter and Cano.

The ball carried extraordinarily well to left-center field. Several fly balls that looked like 'cans of corn' sent fielders almost to the warning track. Only time will tell if these are real characteristics or just flukes (or perhaps something about different camera angles).

Homeruns clanged off each of the foul poles. The baseball gods were with the Yanks last night, let's hope they stay there.

Another game today at 1 p.m. on YES. What are your thoughts on the new place?

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Lonn Trost

Saw him talking to Francesa this morning, and he mentioned that a reporter had been complaining about the retired numbers. Now I know who it was. Personally, I could care less about the retired numbers.
Gotta disagree w/Pete on another point, even though I have not been inside the Stadium.
Home plate is 20 feet closer to the backstop, so how are fans farther away? Also, the right field wall is lower (8 feet high), so fans out there are more in the action … more like Fenway in that regard.

by Ed Valentine on Apr 4, 2009 2:55 PM EDT reply actions

I too found myself getting used to it...

…then they would flip to a wide shot, and I’d be like, “Oh yeah..” And for all the talk that park wouldn’t be TV-friendly, it looked pretty nice to me.

As far as Pete Abe’s observations- he is certainly entitled to his opinions, but I am starting to like them less and less. He seems to be crossing over from reporter to crotchety old fan with a press pass…

I’ll reserve most of my judgements for when I get out there in late-April— but as far TV goes, which is how I’ll be watching most of the games— works for me!

by NumberSeven on Apr 4, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions

TV friendly

I did see the fact that the shots from behind home plate are through the screen. It doesn’t bother me, but I bet the YES folks hate it.

by Ed Valentine on Apr 4, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m not a fan at all of the new stadium. It was definitely not built with the common fan’s interest at heart…4,500 less seats for what’s already one of the hottest tickets around? Of course, more luxury boxes though for people who think a saftey squeeze is another term for the heimlich manuever…

by Ozone on Apr 4, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions

Seats

I am not happy about the fact that there are fewer seats. Lonn Trost said he wasn’t really happy about it, either. His explanation, though, was comfort. The seats are bigger, there is more space between them and more leg room than in the old stadium. I love that, but I still wish they could have found a way to keep the other 5,000 or so seats.

by Ed Valentine on Apr 4, 2009 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Why are you quoting Pete Abe? He’s such a whiny tool. I used to read him now and again but he’s been off my radar for a long time now. He’s managed to turn a sweet gig into a platform of negativity.

The new Stadium is very nice and the Yankees like it and if they’re happy they’ll win more games. I think they did take the fans into consideration and where they haven’t they are reconsidering it. It’s tough to reduce prices in sections where others have already paid the top price. Hopefully they will tweak some things and retool others.

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided." -Casey Stengel

by bxgrl1 on Apr 4, 2009 5:04 PM EDT reply actions

new stadium

it is laughable that anyone could be fooled into thinking that this stadium “was for the fans.” gimme a break – take away 5000 seats and add a ton more luxury boxes? 11,500 feet worth of merchandise sales? over a dozen full service restaurants? come on! this stadium is for the execs of corporate america, not the true yankee fans. from what i’ve seen, the view from the $25 seats is horrible compared to the old stadium…it looks miles farther away because the upper decks aren’t closer to the field like they were with the old stadium. also, doesn’t anyone realize the clear divisions in price brackets/seating? it’s like steinbrenner himself enjoys separating the common fan from the rich with this new garbage. they could’ve easily done a more vertical layout with the upper deck like the old stadium and instead went with a more slanted setup to make you have to spend big bucks if you want to be able to see the player’s numbers.

also, it’s pretty sad that the yankees organization had to go begging to the city for funding and yet that $370 million is so that the players can have touch screen computers in their lockers and so we can have thousands more square feet of shopping space for overpriced merchandise that real fans buy on river ave.

i’m a huge yankee fan. i’ve grown up with them from the age of 5. i love the team forever, but this new stadium is really a dagger in my heart…maybe in a decade i’ll feel differently but right now i’m not so pleased.

by goyanks69 on Apr 5, 2009 3:12 AM EDT reply actions

The old yankee stadium was a thing of the past. All new parks that are being built now have fewer seats with more “extras”(resturaunts, stores, etc) I was there for the first game and made it around the entire place and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. All fans are now closer to the action. They did a fantastic job. I was at the last game in the old stadium and I feel your pain. But honestly, with all the money that the yankees make every year, What did you think their stadium would be like? Their huge corporate fanbase comes from all their success.

by WestHavenYankeeFan on Apr 5, 2009 11:35 AM EDT reply actions