Yankees Fans Get A Look At The New Stadium

Players and fans alike arrived at the new Yankee stadium yesterday. Derek Jeter, who was, perhaps fittingly, the first Yankee to hit a ball out of the park (during batting practice) said, "I think everyone was excited to be out there and amazed at how big the stadium is. Everyone is going to enjoy it -- from the coaches, the players and even more importantly, the fans."

The fans, arguably, are the biggest group to convert, with many devoted to the old stadium. Vick Fotia, season ticket holder since 1979, initially told the Post, before entering the new stadium, "I wasn't in favor of this stadium. I love the old one," but then said, "Wow! I'm in love. They did a fantastic job." Well, for $1.5 billion, it better have been fantastic!

Many classic elements, like the frieze, were kept and pitcher Andy Pettite said, "Really, it looks exactly like the old ballpark, when you just look from the dugout. It looks like it's going to play big in left and a short porch in right. That usually works out pretty well for a left-handed pitcher, so I'm hoping that will be the case." And Yankees co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner—who admitted some tickets were overpriced— said of the new park, "I see it as classy. We did our best to bring all the tradition this great franchise has had the last century into this ballpark. At the same time, we made it as nice as we can for our fans. I think this building is very classy, it's going to be here a long, long time, and I think we did a great job. I think everybody in the organization is proud of it."

The Yankees play two exhibition games, today (weather permitting) and tomorrow, before the home opener on April 16. And during tomorrow's game, Captain Chesley Sullenberger will throw out the first pitch.

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By Jen Chung in News on April 3, 2009 10:35 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Wonder Bread and Circus.

GOP

21, 22 thinks it looks good too.

DanielJ

Am I the only commenter who thinks it looks good?

DanielJ

Am I the only commenter who thinks it looks good?

EastRiver

The Yankees and Mets have their own cable television channels and rake in huge amounts of money from everyone that subscribes to basic cable, whether they watch the games or not. They pull in so much that they were willing to build replacement stadiums with fewer seats because gate revenue has become less important. Cable and luxury boxes are where it's at. That said, if the teams had to finance the entire cost of the new stadiums themselves what would it have cost? $50 to $75 million annually in bond interest? Solution. Spend less on player payroll. People talk about player salaries as being the result of the free market. It's not a free market if the team is being subsidized. And if Yankee payroll went from $200 million to $150 would we even notice?

commisioner gordon

Yankee and Shea stadium have done nothing to help their surrounding neighborhoods. The areas around it look like shanty towns. If they were to move out to jersey (e.g. giants/jets), they won't be missed.

Chrisspike

I don't understand why people don't understand why these sports teams get the cities to pay for it. Think about this for a minute without hurting yourself. How many people come to new york, each year from outside the city. Ok. Those people most likely, buy things in new york stores, park in new york parking lots, eat in new york restaurants. You see, when you live in a city who's economy has been reduced to tourism, the city does things to bring people in. If you want to live somewhere that is "locals only" move to the mid-west or stop crying.

GOP

Fallacy. When baseball went on strike that one year, consumer spending on recreation didn't go down. Rather, recreational spending just shifted to other forms of entertainment: movies, amusement parks, etc.

Stadium finance is a form of welfare for the rich, financed by "poor" dollars. I say "poor" dollars because stadiums are usually financed by "sin taxes" and "lotto" -- both consumed by mostly poor people.

Do the research.

http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sauerr/classes/324/public_finance_files/frame.htm

whitecastlerock

What I don't understand is why they needed to build BRAND NEW STADIUMS with TAXPAYER money when they ALREADY HAD STADIUMS IN PLACE?????? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? While we at it, can I sublet your old place in the Midwest?

whitecastlerock

Where is the vomitorium?

JenChungsBaby

First exhibition game at the stadium tonight likely to be rained out.

wcoastpark

I'm a huge baseball fan. That being said, it's insane that any taxpayer money went into funding these monstrosities. What does this say about the state of our society when we let our general infrastructure and public transportation crumble while we subsidize billion dollar monuments to sports?

Steven

Such a waste of money. If the Yankees wanted a new stadium let them pay for it in FULL.

commisioner gordon

These 'throwback' stadium designs is really taking Stadium architecture backwards. There's no progression with sports venue designs in the U.S. anymore.

EastRiver

If you want forward looking design try any other sport besides baseball. They aren't all gems but some are at least innovative. Check out the new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys or the rolling grass field of the Arizona Cardinals. And the crop of new baseball stadiums have added some decent features like wider concourses that also allow a view of the field if you happen to leave your seat. There are only so many things you can do with the constraints a baseball field puts on design - as well as decisions about how many seats to build and number of luxury boxes.

dwayno

Times New Roman?? Ugh. Who's the designer? Is this supposed to be a Baseball Stadium or The Colosseum?

Felix Hoenikker

Lions v. Christians start next year.

maryjr

The Romans didn't need cushions for their fat asses. Like to see what those are going to look like after one season.

colonelcasey

Those seats look like they'll get really hot in the summer too...bleh.

GOP

Seriously. Probably would've been nicer if the seats were a strong mesh (like an Aeron chair). But those cushioned seats are probably for the rich people. Rich people are generally well behaved.