Yankee Stadium [II]

[DM23MVP]

obstructed view from rear of sect 238

Obstruction? LOL Where? The last foot of the warning track? That's a better view than just about every bleacher seat in the old stadium.

[yankees82]

Not bad at all... that wasn't a $5 dollar seat was it?

couldnt tell u. i wasn't sitting there, just passing through the general area.

[scooterfan]

You're not fooling anyone, you're not a Yankee fan, you may have been at some point in your life, mainly during the championship years, so nobody really cares what you have to say. Go cry somewhere else.

Actually you're wrong. I was a bigger fan during the mid 80s at a very young age than I was during the "championship years." From 1985-1988 the Yankees were essentially on the same plane as all the other teams in major league baseball. Everything changed with the huge MSG contract beginning in 1989 and by the mid 1990s it was expected that the Yankees were going to be competitive every year because of their growing cable television financial advantage.

With the financial resources the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees and mets have there is absolutely no reason for these teams not to be competitive, and because the Yankees are financially in a league of their own, not making the playoffs, or not going deep into the playoffs is an embarrassment. If you are a fan of these teams you shouldn't beat your chests when they win 90 games because it is expected. Yankee fans bristle when the subject of payroll comes up but it's a fact of life, and this competitive imbalance has destroyed baseball in a lot of cities.

[DM23MVP]

Photo credit to Andrew Harts :P

[donut726]

Actually you're wrong. I was a bigger fan during the mid 80s at a very young age than I was during the "championship years." From 1985-1988 the Yankees were essentially on the same plane as all the other teams in major league baseball. Everything changed with the huge MSG contract beginning in 1989 and by the mid 1990s it was expected that the Yankees were going to be competitive every year because of their growing cable television financial advantage.

With the financial resources the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees and mets have there is absolutely no reason for these teams not to be competitive, and because the Yankees are financially in a league of their own, not making the playoffs, or not going deep into the playoffs is an embarrassment. If you are a fan of these teams you shouldn't beat your chests when they win 90 games because it is expected. Yankee fans bristle when the subject of payroll comes up but it's a fact of life, and this competitive imbalance has destroyed baseball in a lot of cities.

yes, a team that made the playoffs almost every year during the past decade sucks so much. if you don't like the team now, don't call yourself a fan. go follow a small market team if you don't like the way things are going.

now, back to our scheduled discussion on Yankee Stadium

[baseballman1243]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA at DM23MVP

[locke40]

This pic reminds me of the B-17 flyover shot from game one of the 1943 World series. Of course without the B-17 flying over lol.

I wonder if they will ever bring back the slow flying, low altitude flyovers. The F-16's are cool and all, but they just move too fast!!

New Yankee Stadium Flyover.jpg

[toefer]

Well then, I guess that's a good thing, since it's not supposed to be a clone of the old one(s).

I agree, but some people seem to act like it is.

[DM23MVP]

Actually you're wrong. I was a bigger fan during the mid 80s at a very young age than I was during the "championship years." From 1985-1988 the Yankees were essentially on the same plane as all the other teams in major league baseball. Everything changed with the huge MSG contract beginning in 1989 and by the mid 1990s it was expected that the Yankees were going to be competitive every year because of their growing cable television financial advantage.

With the financial resources the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees and mets have there is absolutely no reason for these teams not to be competitive, and because the Yankees are financially in a league of their own, not making the playoffs, or not going deep into the playoffs is an embarrassment. If you are a fan of these teams you shouldn't beat your chests when they win 90 games because it is expected. Yankee fans bristle when the subject of payroll comes up but it's a fact of life, and this competitive imbalance has destroyed baseball in a lot of cities.

The last time I checked, money doesn't win baseball games, as teams like the Rays, Marlins, etc. have proven over the past 10 years. Every team has 25 players, 9 guys playing at one time (10 in the AL), and guess what? They're all human beings too. It doesn't matter how much money they make.
Yes, with the money the Yankees spend, they should be good, and they are, no team has been more successful over the past 14 seasons than the Yankees, so as a fan, you should have absolutely nothing to cry about. You actually prefer the Yankees of the 80's, that still had the highest payroll in baseball, but never made the playoffs? Hey, I love those years too, I grew up during those years, I idolized Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly, & Rickey Henderson, but I wouldn't trade the past 13 seasons for that in a million years.
Your competitive balance argument is out the window, small market teams, can and do win, and the one's that don't will win someday. And the ones that take the Yankees money and don't invest it back into their teams don't deserve to win because every team's owners are millionaires many, many times over, if they want players, they can afford to sign them too. So stop being bitter and crying, and just enjoy watching baseball games, if you can't enjoy it, don't watch, or watch minor league games.

[Coach Bombay]

So, where you able to roam around the stadium today? We had a discussion early last week about being able to go to every section in the park (concourses) without being stopped, because they have gates between the great hall and the field level consurse. So can the bleacher creatures roam to the field or main level concourses? Can the people in the grandstand go down to the main level and field level?

Where these put to use?

[Gehrig27]

And the ones that take the Yankees money and don't invest it back into their teams don't deserve to win because every team's owners are millionaires many, many times over, if they want players, they can afford to sign them too. So stop being bitter and crying, and just enjoy watching baseball games, if you can't enjoy it, don't watch, or watch minor league games.

Exactly, like how we gave the Marlins more money through the luxury tax than they spent on their teams entire payroll. Wasn't the late owner of the Twins wealthier than Steinbrehnner? People don't understand that being the most succesful sports franchise in the largest city in the country-the epicenter of the media and wealth of our nation-tends to generate quite an attraction with many people including the very wealthy; we are therefore able to pull in even more money, add the YES network and the fact that so many players want to come to New York because it's the YANKEES. Point is: it's the Yankees money, generated by their past success and if you have the money, spend it and invest in your own product (like every business). Notice how we don't hear complaints about the Yankees when their mere presence as a visiting team generates sell outs and revenue (they all hate us but boy oh boy do they love to spend their money to see us play). Maybe if these small market teams (that seem to have quite alot of success the past eight years) invested their money into their team with the same dedication that we do they might actually be competitive. But enough of my rambling before I get too worked up

[DM23MVP]

Exactly, like how we gave the Marlins more money through the luxury tax than they spent on their teams entire payroll. Wasn't the late owner of the Twins wealthier than Steinbrehnner? People don't understand that being the most succesful sports franchise in the largest city in the country-the epicenter of the media and wealth of our nation-tends to generate quite an attraction with many people including the very wealthy; we are therefore able to pull in even more money, add the YES network and the fact that so many players want to come to New York because it's the YANKEES. Point is: it's the Yankees money, generated by their past success and if you have the money, spend it and invest in your own product (like every business). Notice how we don't hear complaints about the Yankees when their mere presence as a visiting team generates sell outs and revenue (they all hate us but boy oh boy do they love to spend their money to see us play). Maybe if these small market teams (that seem to have quite alot of success the past eight years) invested their money into their team with the same dedication that we do they might actually be competitive. But enough of my rambling before I get too worked up

I know, I get all worked on this subject too, I'm so sick of hearing about competitive balance. It's a two way street, who says that the Yankees should have to spend less to have competetive balance? The other teams should have to spend more!

[jimmyjimjimz]

So, where you able to roam around the stadium today? We had a discussion early last week about being able to go to every section in the park (concourses) without being stopped, because they have gates between the great hall and the field level consurse. So can the bleacher creatures roam to the field or main level concourses? Can the people in the grandstand go down to the main level and field level?

Where these put to use?

are you kidding me?

those are the gates that seperate the bleachers from the rest of the stadium?

they didn't think anyone would try to jump over them or walk around them?

I'd probably be able to jump over them, but I'd probably pull a muscle in my leg. Whenever I try to jump over something, I pull a muscle in my leg, lol.

[Coach Bombay]

are you kidding me?

those are the gates that seperate the bleachers from the rest of the stadium?

they didn't think anyone would try to jump over them or walk around them?

I'd probably be able to jump over them, but I'd probably pull a muscle in my leg. Whenever I try to jump over something, I pull a muscle in my leg, lol.

Well someone on here supposedly found out they weren't going to separate everyone from the field level concourse, I'm just double checking to see if that was true. If they where to use those gates, I'm pretty sure they would have a few security guards in front of them as well.

[toefer]

I know, I get all worked on this subject too, I'm so sick of hearing about competitive balance. It's a two way street, who says that the Yankees should have to spend less to have competetive balance? The other teams should have to spend more!

I know this is off-topic, so I don't really want to keep it going, but...

The problem is some teams can't spend more. How much money an owner is personally worth is irrelevant. If a team is run like a business, the amount of money they spend each year shouldn't be much more than the money they bring in (and, ideally, should obviously be less). An owner who is personally worth $1 billion shouldn't spend $200m of his own money, that he knows he can't re-coup, just to have a shot at winning a World Series in a given year.

The Yankees spend a lot because they make a lot. Other teams might not spend all that they make, but they're not making anywhere near what the Yankees make, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

The small market teams that have done well in recent years seems to rely on getting lucky, and having a good group of young players. It's not something you can really repeat consistently.

The best argument against a salary cap is just to look at sports that have them, and realize that even though there might appear to be more parity within the league (a nice overused word over the last few years), the champions ultimately end up being the same teams over and over. Patriots, Spurs, whatever.

If a team builds up a sort of "dynasty", the good players might take a pay-cut just to go play for that team (to keep the payroll under the cap), just so they can finally get a championship. Once that sort of thing happens, it seems hard for any other team to fight it, if they are constrained by a salary cap.

I think what the success of some small market teams each year shows is that the clubhouse culture matters. Having a team of rookies and no-names that play well as a team gives an organization just as great a chance to win as an assembled group of All-Stars (and the egos that come with them).

I'm sure there is a great overlap between the people who mocked the Yankees for missing the playoffs last year, and the people who constantly complain about a salary cap. And apparently they don't realize their hypocrisy.

[toefer]

Oh, and to post something on topic...

For the people who have attended games so far, what is the scalping situation like outside the stadium?

Even though I despise people who try to make money doing it, I can't say I haven't relied on them in the past to get into some games.

[donut726]

this gallery is f'n awesome

http://picasaweb.google.com/SkyFOXHD...ayApril162009#

photo courtesy of Chris (SkyFOXHD) on PicasaWeb

here's a desktop image i made based on one of the pictures in the gallery

[RichardLillard1]

Was that Ruth's bat laying across home plate? Can anyone tell me the significance of it?


Richard

[RayNY]

Was that Ruth's bat laying across home plate? Can anyone tell me the significance of it?


Richard

Yes.

It's just ceremonial stuff. I think they chose Jeter because he is the captain (?)

[CoreyNYC]

You're not fooling anyone, you're not a Yankee fan, you may have been at some point in your life, mainly during the championship years, so nobody really cares what you have to say. Go cry somewhere else.

Yeah Scooter. You are way to honest and knowledgeable to be a Yankee fan like the post 1996 crowd!

[NewYorkMantle]

Photo credit to Andrew Harts :P

grow up dude

[DM23MVP]

I know this is off-topic, so I don't really want to keep it going, but...

The problem is some teams can't spend more. How much money an owner is personally worth is irrelevant. If a team is run like a business, the amount of money they spend each year shouldn't be much more than the money they bring in (and, ideally, should obviously be less). An owner who is personally worth $1 billion shouldn't spend $200m of his own money, that he knows he can't re-coup, just to have a shot at winning a World Series in a given year.

I agree, but like the old adage goes, you have to spend money to make money. Every team gets a luxury tax check every year from teams like the Yankees, even if they only put that amount back into free agency, they'd be better off than they were the year before. Winning teams make more money than losing teams, look at the Rays, when have you ever seen Tropicana Field completely sold out? Although the Rays took the "spread the seeds watch them grow" route to building a winning team, they still have a team that can generate them the type of income to continue signing free agents, and possibly to fund a new stadium one day, all because they gave their fans a reason to go to the ballpark. Now we'll wait and see what approach they take from here out, will they take the Marlins approach and cut their ties with their homegrown starts once they reach free agency, or will they commit to being a contender in baseball's toughest division every year, if they do the latter and show their fans a commitment to providing them with a quality product, they can't lose.

[atdy17]

[QUOTE=DM23MVP;1496682]

I know this is off-topic, so I don't really want to keep it going, but...

The problem is some teams can't spend more. How much money an owner is personally worth is irrelevant. If a team is run like a business, the amount of money they spend each year shouldn't be much more than the money they bring in (and, ideally, should obviously be less). An owner who is personally worth $1 billion shouldn't spend $200m of his own money, that he knows he can't re-coup, just to have a shot at winning a World Series in a given year.
QUOTE]

I agree, but like the old adage goes, you have to spend money to make money. Every team gets a luxury tax check every year from teams like the Yankees, even if they only put that amount back into free agency, they'd be better off than they were the year before. Winning teams make more money than losing teams, look at the Rays, when have you ever seen Tropicana Field completely sold out? Although the Rays took the spread the seeds watch them grow route to building a winning team, they still have a team that can generate them the type of income to continue signing free agents, and possibly funding a new stadium one day, all because they gave their fans a reason to go to the ballpark. Now we'll wait and see what approach they take from here out, will take the Marlins approach and cut their ties with their homegrown starts once they reach free agency, or will they commit to being a contender in baseball's toughest division every year, if they do the latter and show their fans a commitment to providing them with a quality product, they can't lose.

The rays approach is to all sign them when there young. If you take a look at there lineup there all are in multi-years contract with the rays.

[DM23MVP]

The rays approach is to all sign them when there young. If you take a look at there lineup there all are in multi-years contract with the rays.

That's what I said, they spread the seeds and watched them grow, meaning they built their core from within, much like the Yankees did in the early '90s. Now they have fans coming to the ballpark so they can afford to be players in the free agent market, granted they benefited from a weak economy that made players like Pat Burrell a lot cheaper than he should've been, but either way, they were still buyers on this years free agent market. Not all teams have that type of fortune where a group of players from their farm system can produce like the Rays did last year, but it proves that it can be done. Now they have the vehicle with young talent and finances to continue to build a world class franchise via free agency and trades. What they do with it from here out is up to their ownership group, but they certainly can compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, & Dodgers type teams in the league if they continue to put that newly found revenue back into the product on the field.

[SparkyL]

Was that Ruth's bat laying across home plate? Can anyone tell me the significance of it?


Richard

That was the bat that Ruth used to hit the first HR on opening day in 1923. I thought that was the coolest part of the "ceremonies."