Yankee Stadium BP policy relaxed

by Ed Valentine on May 15, 2009 6:00 AM EDT in News Comment 10 comments

Sorry, Lonn Trost. You don't make a habit of intentionally ticking off your fans, and it seems the Yankees have come to their senses.

Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for the Yankees, said that after the team received complaints, it looked at the policy at the old Yankee Stadium. There, fans who had any field-level seat could watch batting practice.

“We liberalized the policy even more,” she said. “This is part of living in a new home and making adjustments. It’s only been a month.”

Hooray for some common sense.

0 recs | Comment 10 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Read More: yankee stadium, New York Yankees

Comments

But they still are keeping the seats ...

that cost $1,200 free of us riff-raff for their wealthy clientele that fill that section.

by .ryan on May 15, 2009 8:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I know

at least you can get to the dugouts for autographs, though. It’s progress.

by Ed Valentine on May 15, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's not how I read it, Ed ...

The seats that will be open for batting practice are in Sections 103-111 in RF, and Sections 129-136 in LF.

If you take a look at the seating chart here, that doesn’t even come close to the dugouts.

How, then, are the fans going to get autographs? Particularly when the players usually don’t even head out that way?

by .ryan on May 15, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right, actually

It’s still some progress, but not enough. Still a definite ‘class’ system in place, and that stinks.

by Ed Valentine on May 15, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

is not filling those seats, which is still a problem. As I’ve said before, even when those folks show up for a game they are not usually the type to get there early to watch BP. It is an improvement, but these changes will come incrementally if at all

"I don't want one of those guys who'll drive in two but let in three every game." Casey Stengel

by tnredneckyankeesfan on May 15, 2009 10:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Fire Lonn Trost

Very few things are as manifestly disturbing and revealing as the elite’s disdain for the middle class. As far as the lower class is concerned, if they could they would have them all quarantined or bumped off. I can just picture the Yankee brass in a meeting saying, “We have to find a way to keep those low-grade middle-income motherfuckers away from the box seats area and not allow them anywhere near the players”. Dear Yankee management: Drop dead!!!!

by chambliss76 on May 15, 2009 11:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's difficult to imagine how

the Yankee brass could blunder into such a PR nightmare as this, given the current mood prevailing in the country regarding the wealthy “elite”. Haven’t they been paying attention for the last year? Or are they so insulated from reality that they just don’t care about the opinions of the average Joe.

by FrankDiscussion on May 15, 2009 2:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Insulated from reality

That’s a great way to put it. I doubt much of anything will change with the premium seating this year … but next season some things have to change. If they continue this way all season it will be embarrassing. I know it’s early, and it’s been cold, but here are some stark numbers.

2008 — Avg. attendance 53,069 (92.3% capacity).
2009 — avg. attendance 44.540 (85.1% capacity).

The new Stadium doesn’t even hold 53,000, and you know darn well those 8-9,000 empty seats every night are not just because of the weather.

by Ed Valentine on May 15, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hate trost because of what he said about the legends suite seats:

On Tuesday, he said: “If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?”

by Shaffi3 on May 15, 2009 5:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Regards Trost's comments,

if you buy a house you are most likely to have neighbors. At times, those neighbors may be likely to intrude a bit into your space, albeit temporarily. Kids playing ball in the front yard, some noise from a pool party. As a good neighbor you learn to tolerate the temporary inconvenience for the collective good of the community.

Obviously this logic has escaped the Yankee brass. For them it appears to be more important for some self-centered Wall Street suit to not be disturbed then it is for some kid to get a close-up of Derek Jeter, perhaps an autograph from Johnny Damon. Speaking from my own experience, these memories stick with you for life. I still recall getting autographs from Jim Palmer and Doyle Alexander, Paul Blair and Brooks Robinson (I grew up in Baltimore). IMO this is far more important then the privacy of any self-proclaimed Wall Street “elite”.

This concludes my rant for the night.

by FrankDiscussion on May 15, 2009 5:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs