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I've Got A Bad Feeling About This
2008-07-24 15:00
by Cliff Corcoran

Just received via email:

Dear Yankees Ticket Licensee,

We have reached another important milestone in our move from Yankee Stadium to the new Yankee Stadium across the street. Your Relocation Program Guide for the New Yankee Stadium (the "Guide") is in the process of being printed and you can expect to receive your Guide in the near future. The Guide will outline the seat relocation program, explain the criteria to be used to assign seat locations, detail ticket prices and ticket license options, and serve as your introduction to the new Yankee Stadium.

I'm expecting a rude introduction as the Yankees Guide me out of the room. Anyone have a reason to think different?

Comments (51)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2008-07-24 15:24:06
1.   Schteeve
I think Steve Lombardid did a riff on this a month or so ago, maybe check out what he had to say.
2008-07-24 15:32:59
2.   kylepetterson
Dear Yankees Ticket Licensee,

Think back to the last time you were at a game at Yankee Stadium. Did you notice that huge building going up across the street? That's the new Yankee Stadium, and that bitch ain't cheap. So, as should be obvious, we're going to need some extra cash. We're going to be sending you a Guide detailing your relocation to your couch so that we can charge someone with more money some ungodly amount for the seat you currently reside in at the Stadium. This should free plenty of your money to be spent on Yankees licensed merchandise that we will be selling at the new Yankee Stadium you cannot afford to attend games at.

Welcome to the real world, son,

Signed

The New York Yankees

2008-07-24 15:34:32
3.   Schteeve
Dear The New York Yankees,

I live in Chicago, so the joke is on you!

Love

P.S. I'm still waiting for that thirty dollar refund for the Igawa t-shirt, you jerk.

2008-07-24 15:35:24
4.   Todd Drew
Cliff,
You may be correct, but I continue to have faith. I was able to keep my seats for the All-Star Game and I heard that MLB fat-cat-types sucked up a bunch of tickets for that.
2008-07-24 15:42:42
5.   JL25and3
I have a flex plan, not a season ticket. I'm already figuring I won't be able to get seats, and if I do they'll be terrible. I hope I'm wrong, but basically I'm expecting that I'll be shut out.
2008-07-24 15:57:00
6.   murphy
from what i understand, the mets SCREWED their fans (no guide at all, the ONLY people who have ANY dibs on citi field tickets are FULL season ticket holders), i have no reason to expect the yanks to do any better.
2008-07-24 16:02:09
7.   Chyll Will
You know what's odd? I drove around the new stadium and it just looks and feels like it doesn't belong there. It's a humongous monument, and like a lot of the monuments around New York and other big cities in the U.S., (Washington, DC especially) it look very misplaced. So in that sense, it's not odd for monuments' sakes... but it is for a stadium.

Oh, and they will NOT be prepared to deal with all the new traffic. Not one bit.

2008-07-24 16:08:31
8.   JL25and3
7 Good point about the traffic. They're already not equipped to deal with the traffic they've got. Even though it's only across the street, the new stadium is in a somewhat denser, more congested location.
2008-07-24 16:15:46
9.   vockins
8 Real Yankee fans take the train.
2008-07-24 16:18:45
10.   Chyll Will
9 Deyain't ready for that either >;)
2008-07-24 16:21:45
11.   vockins
10 True.
2008-07-24 16:36:30
12.   monkeypants
7 8 Will there really be more traffic? We're talking about a stadium with 4,000 fewer seats, which should lessen traffic to a degree. Yes, they are providing more parking spaces--but that may only mean diverting overflow parking out of the neighborhood and into the new lots.

More important than the number of cars will be how they manage the traffic flow. The biggest problem now is access to the highway, especially after the game. The real challenge will be to expedite this.

2008-07-24 16:44:46
13.   JL25and3
12 Well, for starters, there aren't any new lots yet.

Bad as the access and the congestion are now, the area south of the current Stadium actually has more room and better access to the highway than to the north.

Of course, closing down most of the parking lots has made the current traffic a lot worse, so when they do reopen them, it might improve the situation. On the other hand, the mall they're building to the south is only going to increase the traffic even more.

2008-07-24 16:46:45
14.   Chyll Will
12 Brand new stadium ---> more people, regardless of available seating. I expect there to be a lot more phans than fans the first year at least. Foot traffic will be a helluva lot different as well, with the stadium being on the other side of the street and the subway entrances remaining on the opposite side (for now). I don't have much faith in the city's TCD to handle the changing traffic and pedestrian patterns, honestly.
2008-07-24 17:04:19
15.   Jen
Cliff, aren't your tickets in the bleachers? I don't think you'll have much to worry about. Especially if you've had the tickets for a few years. I know they're cutting down on the number of seats in the bleachers but I would think that those that haven't had their tickets all that long would be the ones to move first. I also seem to remember them saying the bleacher and regular upper tier seats would not be increasing in price next season. I just hope I'll be able to get seats next to my friend. We got our ticket plans around the same time (within a month) so I'm optimistic about that.

As for parking I don't know what I'm going to do. Last I heard they're charging $25 next year. The current $17 is bad enough. Working in Central Jersey and living in North Jersey doesn't leave too many public transportation options.

2008-07-24 17:13:35
16.   monkeypants
14 "Brand new stadium ---> more people, regardless of available seating"

How so? They are averaging 52,667 so far this year and 52,739 in 2007. Both figures are greater than the seating capacity of the new stadium. It seems to me that the number of fans can only go down the first year.

Now, that said, the traffic may be worse next year, for the reasons everyone has cited.

2008-07-24 17:43:40
17.   tommyl
Dear Bleacher Creature,

Unfortunately we idiotically put a sports bar somewhere in center field. This sports bar will block your view of half the field. Do not worry though, we will provide TVs so you can watch the game, just like you're really there! Oh, we're jacking up the price too.

Yours Sincerely,

The Yankees

2008-07-24 17:58:51
18.   Chyll Will
I'm thinking he novelty factor is going to attract more than a few moneyed visitors and "attention whores" for lack of a better term, at least for the first season. Those attendance numbers will be important to somebody; MLB wouldn't be all that thrilled with the aspect of reduced attendance at their strongest moneymaking venue; something their advertising partners will certainly exploit at their next bargaining agreement.

But you're right, I'm looking way too deep and my math is inconceivable (and moot); the traffic will suck even more for the reasons we all stated. I honestly don't care about attendance figures since I can't even afford to go to games now. Did I mention that the stadium reminds me of the War Department Building?

http://tinyurl.com/65gnny

2008-07-24 18:18:57
19.   Mr OK Jazz TOKYO
Are they really discussing Bonds? Really??? PLEASE PLEASE sign him! I dream of A-Rod and Bonds back to back in the lineup!
2008-07-24 18:19:11
20.   tommyl
On a positive note, IPK is dealing so far...
2008-07-24 18:19:24
21.   tommyl
Oh, and he's facing Mighty Matt!
2008-07-24 18:20:05
22.   monkeypants
19 Dream on...won't happen, or I'm an, er, monkey's uncle.
2008-07-24 18:24:56
23.   Mr OK Jazz TOKYO
22 don't crush my dreams...Bonds and A-Rod, two greatest players of my generation (along with Pujols) on the Yankees..having watched Gardner, Christian, Betemit, Molina...how can a 43 year-old Bonds NOT be better than them?? Imagine when he hits his first tater...
2008-07-24 18:27:10
24.   monkeypants
23 Oh, he'd be better...still won't happen. Anyway, any HRs he might hit for the Yankees will only make it harder for A-Rod to break the record as a Yankee.
2008-07-24 18:29:00
25.   Mr OK Jazz TOKYO
24 A-Rod will still crush that record if he stays off the DL. in 96 they signed Strawberry who was considered in much the same way as Bonds today..why not take a 2-month chance? there is really zero to lose...
2008-07-24 18:41:23
26.   ChrisS
20 I think that IPK is a heackuva lot better than some fans think. Especially those that are willing to ship him out any and every trade scenario. As of right now, his total baseball resume is more important than 8 ML starts at 23.
2008-07-24 18:42:35
27.   mehmattski
IPK and Mighty Matt have quite the duel going on so far. Too bad the game is only 7 innings...
2008-07-24 18:55:58
28.   ChrisS
27 What!?

6IP, no hits, no walks, no runs for IPK. I was hoping to wake up to a AAA no-no tomorrow.

2008-07-24 18:59:17
29.   mehmattski
28 Hey, no jinxing for you, with only 77 pitches there's a chance Kennedy comes out for the seventh!
2008-07-24 19:09:03
30.   mehmattski
And that's that for IPK's no-no... He had allowed no hits and no walks and struck out seven through 6 2/3 innings. Chris Basak booted a grounder that would have ended the shortened game, and then the next hitter ripped a double that tied the game.
2008-07-24 19:09:37
31.   Chyll Will
25 Cocaine + Cancer = HGH +/- Steroids? >;)

But seriously, I think the circumstances were a tad different. As far as we know, Barry hasn't smoked his career away on narcotics, nor do I suspect he's gearing up for a return by smoking independent leagues.

That said, The only concern I have for Bonds is if he's in actual playing shape by the time they go for that playoff push. I honestly don't see him being a problem on a team that is a legit contender, and if he were the team reserves the right to cut bait.

Also, Alex oughta appreciate the media diversion during the push... now if only Cash can catch Boston passing Manny thru waivers again (three-ring circus!!!)

2008-07-24 19:14:27
32.   tommyl
30 True, but it doesn't matter. The kid has an ERA close to 2 in AAA, he Ked 7 and walked none. Without the errors it would have been a 7 inning perfecto. That's showing you deserve to be back in the majors.
2008-07-24 19:16:07
33.   tommyl
31 Haha, that would be a pretty sick 3-4-5, still as much baseball sense as it makes, I can't seem to bring myself to want Bonds on this team. Manny on the other hand...you might be able to talk to me about that.

As for Strawberry, that's totally different. He hurt himself by taking drugs, and he was always praised as a great teammate. That's not like Bonds at all, who has been universally hated by every single team he's been on.

2008-07-24 19:16:37
34.   mehmattski
32 And he should have gotten through those seven innings with just 86 pitches. If he could have that kind of control in the majors, there's the starter the Yankees desperately need. But, in his first 8 MLB starts, Kennedy hasn't shown that kind of control.

Hopefully this start makes Cashman think twice about trading for Jarrod Washburn, though.

2008-07-24 19:17:47
35.   tommyl
34 He showed it last year, he didn't show it this year. Look, the kid tanked to start the year, I'm not denying that, but 8 starts for a rookie screams small sample. Its the equivalent of a hitter hitting .200 or so after 8 games.
2008-07-24 19:23:01
36.   tommyl
Oh man, bases loaded, full count against Duncan. Let's go Eric!
2008-07-24 19:25:39
37.   mehmattski
Kennedy's out for the eighth! Wow.
2008-07-24 19:27:04
38.   mehmattski
37 Just kidding, Gameday was just slow to update.
2008-07-24 19:28:59
39.   Chyll Will
32 Tommy, you're a physicist, right?
2008-07-24 19:34:15
40.   Chyll Will
39 Well at any rate, this is for all the scientists and resident debunkers, courtesy an aspiring filmmaker >;)

http://tinyurl.com/5oyfdg

2008-07-24 19:40:00
41.   tommyl
39 Yah, why?
2008-07-24 19:52:51
42.   monkeypants
25 You're right...zero risk. Still won't happen.
2008-07-24 20:00:31
43.   monkeypants
25 Regarding A-Rod and the HR record: it's not so certain that A-Rod will "crush" the record, regardless of the DL.

He's 32 and has about 540 HRs. He needs another 330 HRs to break the record. Let's say he hits another 30 this season (which is about impossible). he would still need to sock 300 to break the record. That's an average of 50/year for the next six years--or 50 HRs at age 38.

For his career he has averaged 44 HR/162 games. At that pace, he would need seven full seasons to break the record, barely.

If he declines at all, he will break the record at age 41 or 42. Break it? I think he will. Crush the record? Not likely, unless he discovers Barry Bonds' special batting secrets.

2008-07-24 20:10:25
44.   Travis08
43 Is he trying to break Bonds's record or Sadarahu Oh's? Bonds has 762 homers, 222 more than A-Rod.
2008-07-24 20:11:00
45.   Travis08
That should be 223.
2008-07-24 20:14:26
46.   Just fair
Good news about IPK's outing. The way he burned his bridges earlier this year, though, I think he might get another start or two at The Office. Girardi was none too happy with him back when the boys were under 500. He's gotta continue to earn it. But that's just me.
2008-07-24 20:23:09
47.   SF Yanks
Well, the Rays lost, so that's good.
2008-07-24 21:12:54
48.   monkeypants
44 45 Holy smokes, what happened to my brain on that one???

I use-ta-kinda be good at math, really.

2008-07-24 21:28:30
49.   Chyll Will
48 Sorry, I must have jinxed you with my Amazing Attendance Construction™ widget (left it set on "stun") >;)
2008-07-25 05:35:58
50.   OldYanksFan
If any of you have hard drugs around, ya better grab them before reading this:
Yankees' talks on Seattle lefty Washburn still hot
by Ed Price/The Star-Ledger

"A person familiar with the Seattle Mariners... said a possible trade of lefty Jarrod Washburn to the Yankees has "got legs" and predicted "something will happen there."

"... but the Mariners aren't sold on Igawa. One area of need for Seattle in in center field, and while the Yankees have put Double-A Trenton's Austin Jackson off-limits, Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera could be discussed."

Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2008-07-25 08:45:55
51.   Yankee Mike
I actually already have my ticket location for next year. My front row upper deck seat (Tier Box, Sec 5) equated to the "Terrace Level Club" section.

In June they called me and gave me a choice...take the Terrace Club Level at 2 1/2 times the price or decline it and get put in the "regular" upper deck and get assigned at random.

Not wanting to risk getting sent out to right field, I took it.

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