For nearly the entire life of RAB, I’ve been a vocal opponent of the new stadium. “Because we won’t tear down Yankee Stadium” was once in our banner. Personally, I have never felt the Yanks absolutely needed a new stadium to stay financially competitive, and it was clear early on that the Yankees were building it as a cash cow.
This morning, in the comments to my post on the various seats for sale from new and old Yankee Stadium, one of our readers accused me of critiquing the Yankees with no perspective or evidence. The perspective I offer is mine. I grew up in Manhattan and have been going to Yankee games with my parents for as long as I can remember. For all of its faults, I loved the old stadium and thought the Yanks could have spent far less to renovate it and maintain its charm than it would cost to build their new park.
As for evidence, I’ve offered up critiques backed with quotes, numbers and first-hand observations. Today, though, Lonn Trost delivered me a golden egg on a silver platter. During a press conference to announce the sale of old stadium merchandise — more on that in a minute — Trost grew defensive over the new stadium.
Now, this isn’t the first time one of the Yankee officials has taken to speaking before thinking. Today, though, Trost showed exactly how and why the Yankees are committed to those fans who are willing to shell out the dough, but not to others. The Yankees have come under fire for their security policies at the new ballpark. They don’t allow fans who don’t have tickets to approach the field level seats during batting practice. That generally means no autographs, fewer baseballs and less of a stadium experience.
In defending that policy today, Trost showed exactly why the Yanks need to revamp at least their public relations efforts, if not their overall attitude toward fans. “There’s an area by the Legends Suite which is not an area that fans can get into,” 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?”
That statement just gets one giant facepalm, and I’ll allow it to speak for itself. In my opinion, that is all the evidence I need to know how the Yankees feel about their new stadium. I will continue to root for the players, and the Front Office continues to make that as hard as possible.
Meanwhile, the Yankees unveiled the memorabilia sale info. Details after the jump.
Right now, you can buy stadium memorabilia via the Steiner Sports website or their auction page. Literally, everything sellable is for sale, and I really want this turnstile.Stadium seats are going for around $2000 a pair. You can nab a spot from the bleachers though for $400. More prices, per the press release:
- 1 ft. x 1 ft. pieces of live sod from Yankee Stadium: $120
- Pairs of Stadium seats: ranging from $1499 – $1999; commemorative single seats: $750
- Final Season Crystals with Genuine Dirt from the original Yankee Stadium: $80
- Original bricks from Monument Park in a glass case with etched Yankees logo: $150
The Yanks bat rack can be yours, and the old bathroom garbage cans are for sale too. Just clean that one out first.
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