Post by MSBNYY on Apr 9, 2009 7:56:04 GMT -5
I posted this review in facebook, so some of you may have read it, but by Tom's request and suggestion, I'm doing it again here at Heckle House. Might make a good topic here in the main section.
=========================================
I got a sneak peek at the new Stadium a few weeks ago, and I was in there for the workout day and explored, but the true test came last weekend when the Yanks played the Cubs in 2 exhibition games, and I got to see what it would be like to actually watch a game there.
My initial thoughts is that there are good things, and bad things about the place. I don't hate it, but I sure don't love it.
The first problem with the place is something that was forfeited a few years ago when they decided not to build on the same location. The place, the building, the field--none of it has any significant history. The Yankees did not put together 26 championship runs there. No magic ever happened there. No perfect games. No no hitters. Nothing. This field is barren and slapping a Yankee Stadium sign on it doesn't change that. No one can ever look at that field and say Babe Ruth played there. The continuity, even with the renovation in the 1970s, of the old Stadium was something that just can't be rebuilt.
As someone who has been to literally hundreds of games there over the year, I have a bigger attachment than most Yankee fans to the original place. But long before I discovered the bleachers, back when I was a kid listening to Phil Rizzuto call Don Mattingly homers, I had an appreciation for the history of that building. From the moment I walked into the old Yankee Stadium as a kid, I knew this was a special place and loved each and every time I walked through the tunnel and saw that field. It meant something. I appreciated the history, and even in the late 1980s, when they were talking about moving to Jersey, I dreaded the end of the greatest ballpark ever. I probably wouldn't feel that much different even if I never set foot in the bleachers, but the fact that I DID see so many great moments, adds to the nostalgia of the House that Ruth Built.
The new place isn't the House that Ruth Built. That alone is a terrible black mark on the building.
It's common talk that when a new player comes to the Yankees, he has to earn his pinstripes. That basically means he has to contribute to the team in some fashion that he finally "feels" like a Yankee. It may not be one moment, but it happens. Some players are lucky. They are homegrown talent, came up through the system and simply earn their pinstripes by making the big club and staying there. Other players come from other teams, but fit in with what being a Yankee is all about. The average fan can relate to that player, and likes the way they do things. Paul O'Neill was like that. And still others may start off on a bad side, but again, through attitude and maybe a clutch moment here and there, or a championship, they earn their pinstripes. See Martinez, Tino. Others can play for years and never earn their pinstripes. Jason Giambi and ARod are two examples of that.
This new place in some ways, is like a free agent signing. This new Stadium has to earn its pinstripes. The only way that can happen is with a World Series championship. Will that happen? Maybe. The team isn't bad, despite yesterday's dismal opener. It seems like a better team. But that's what this Stadium needs.
But the bottom line is that a stadium needs to be a place where you can simply watch and enjoy a baseball game. There are problems with this place that makes watching a game more difficult. The first is that I can't see the bottom of the big screen for that game. $1.5 billion and they couldn't raise that TV to a point where you can see the whole thing from any seat? Or at least put the scoreboard at the TOP of the screen so everyone can see it. Instead, I'm forced to look at the manual scoreboard in leftfield, which is much smaller and harder to see.
I also want to know the count at any time. There is only one spot in the main area of the new place where you can see that. I don't know why they spent all that money to have screens across the stadium, if it's all going to be advertisements. If they wanted ads, get banners and spend money in other areas. I want to know not just the count, but the batting averages of the players hitting. And there was no visible spot from my vantage point to tell who was even pitching.
You can see plenty of pictures of the old place. It had a warmer feel to it than this place. I think one big problem are the unpainted, gray metallic benches I now sit on. In the old place, they were blue. I think simply painting those benches would change the cold, unwelcoming feel of the bleachers. In fact, they should paint every metallic area, including the upper deck, Yankee blue.
I hate the Bleacher Cafe--THAT is what's blocking the view of the scoreboard. It stands above the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, which is a complete waste of space. Yes, it's cool on the inside, but it would be cooler if it didn't block people's views of the game. Who is the idiot that chose to build that monstrosity in that spot? You aren't even allowed inside without spending $95 for a ticket or having a special VIP pass to get in, which can only be obtained if you are a field level season ticketholder and pay an additional $750 per ticket. The view is cool the first time you see it, and the design inside with baseball cards on the ceiling is awesome. But honestly, they should have saved the money because the thing isn't worth it. I would much rather it not be there. It doesn't just block the views of people in the bleachers.
Getting in and out of the place has also become tougher. The gate is a pretty big walk from the train. We now have to enter the section from the top, and deal with a security guard checking tickets. I'm guessing the security guy will get to know me in time, but it's a pain in the neck. Plus, a lot of people bottleneck the area, and I've really only found one somewhat easy way to get to my seat. For a place that is supposed to be 63 percent larger, there are a lot of stop gaps that makes it difficult to move.
Another person I spoke to who hated the place felt it was uninviting and had a Staten Island Yankees type feel. I agree with that to an extent. He also said that he's moved apartments and jobs, and it never felt this way. I guess my answer to that is when you move apartments, offices, or change jobs, usually, you are choosing where you end up. This isn't the case with Yankee Stadium, where we were forced out of a place we all loved, and got put into a place we didn't want.
I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of bad things about the new place, but like I said, it's not ALL bad.
Entry into the place is actually more pleasant. As of now, my gate actually has pretty much no line. That's much better than the ridiculously long wait in some of the other gates. I guess it's only a matter of time before people realize that entering in Gates 4 or 6 is no big deal, but as of now, entry is a bit easier. Also, security is much nicer in the place. It's nice to go in there and not be patted down like a criminal. The fact that anyone can walk anywhere means they have to treat everyone the same.
The view from my seat, at least ON the field, is better. Gone is a blind spot in left center that plagued my section for years. The field itself is also very nice.
The Great Hall is a nicely built area. Of course, what is it other than a big space with lots of kickass banners?
That big screen, the 80 percent I can see, is the best TV on the planet.
The facade going around the Stadium is a nice touch, and I like the display of lineups on one of the screens.
Beer in the bleachers is back, and that's nice, but when you don't drink, that doesn't affect me much. But I am very happy about it because so many people I know do drink, and I always felt that the Yankees were dead wrong to ban it. It's one thing for me to CHOOSE not to drink, but to hell with anyone who tells me I CAN'T drink. There's a big difference to me. I don't like having my rights trampled, and I'm thrilled that the Yankees finally did the right thing there. Now if they can just let us chant what we want, we'd be in business.
So basically, long note/blog, but there's a lot to say. Probably missed a lot, but there's space for more later.
=========================================
I got a sneak peek at the new Stadium a few weeks ago, and I was in there for the workout day and explored, but the true test came last weekend when the Yanks played the Cubs in 2 exhibition games, and I got to see what it would be like to actually watch a game there.
My initial thoughts is that there are good things, and bad things about the place. I don't hate it, but I sure don't love it.
The first problem with the place is something that was forfeited a few years ago when they decided not to build on the same location. The place, the building, the field--none of it has any significant history. The Yankees did not put together 26 championship runs there. No magic ever happened there. No perfect games. No no hitters. Nothing. This field is barren and slapping a Yankee Stadium sign on it doesn't change that. No one can ever look at that field and say Babe Ruth played there. The continuity, even with the renovation in the 1970s, of the old Stadium was something that just can't be rebuilt.
As someone who has been to literally hundreds of games there over the year, I have a bigger attachment than most Yankee fans to the original place. But long before I discovered the bleachers, back when I was a kid listening to Phil Rizzuto call Don Mattingly homers, I had an appreciation for the history of that building. From the moment I walked into the old Yankee Stadium as a kid, I knew this was a special place and loved each and every time I walked through the tunnel and saw that field. It meant something. I appreciated the history, and even in the late 1980s, when they were talking about moving to Jersey, I dreaded the end of the greatest ballpark ever. I probably wouldn't feel that much different even if I never set foot in the bleachers, but the fact that I DID see so many great moments, adds to the nostalgia of the House that Ruth Built.
The new place isn't the House that Ruth Built. That alone is a terrible black mark on the building.
It's common talk that when a new player comes to the Yankees, he has to earn his pinstripes. That basically means he has to contribute to the team in some fashion that he finally "feels" like a Yankee. It may not be one moment, but it happens. Some players are lucky. They are homegrown talent, came up through the system and simply earn their pinstripes by making the big club and staying there. Other players come from other teams, but fit in with what being a Yankee is all about. The average fan can relate to that player, and likes the way they do things. Paul O'Neill was like that. And still others may start off on a bad side, but again, through attitude and maybe a clutch moment here and there, or a championship, they earn their pinstripes. See Martinez, Tino. Others can play for years and never earn their pinstripes. Jason Giambi and ARod are two examples of that.
This new place in some ways, is like a free agent signing. This new Stadium has to earn its pinstripes. The only way that can happen is with a World Series championship. Will that happen? Maybe. The team isn't bad, despite yesterday's dismal opener. It seems like a better team. But that's what this Stadium needs.
But the bottom line is that a stadium needs to be a place where you can simply watch and enjoy a baseball game. There are problems with this place that makes watching a game more difficult. The first is that I can't see the bottom of the big screen for that game. $1.5 billion and they couldn't raise that TV to a point where you can see the whole thing from any seat? Or at least put the scoreboard at the TOP of the screen so everyone can see it. Instead, I'm forced to look at the manual scoreboard in leftfield, which is much smaller and harder to see.
I also want to know the count at any time. There is only one spot in the main area of the new place where you can see that. I don't know why they spent all that money to have screens across the stadium, if it's all going to be advertisements. If they wanted ads, get banners and spend money in other areas. I want to know not just the count, but the batting averages of the players hitting. And there was no visible spot from my vantage point to tell who was even pitching.
You can see plenty of pictures of the old place. It had a warmer feel to it than this place. I think one big problem are the unpainted, gray metallic benches I now sit on. In the old place, they were blue. I think simply painting those benches would change the cold, unwelcoming feel of the bleachers. In fact, they should paint every metallic area, including the upper deck, Yankee blue.
I hate the Bleacher Cafe--THAT is what's blocking the view of the scoreboard. It stands above the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, which is a complete waste of space. Yes, it's cool on the inside, but it would be cooler if it didn't block people's views of the game. Who is the idiot that chose to build that monstrosity in that spot? You aren't even allowed inside without spending $95 for a ticket or having a special VIP pass to get in, which can only be obtained if you are a field level season ticketholder and pay an additional $750 per ticket. The view is cool the first time you see it, and the design inside with baseball cards on the ceiling is awesome. But honestly, they should have saved the money because the thing isn't worth it. I would much rather it not be there. It doesn't just block the views of people in the bleachers.
Getting in and out of the place has also become tougher. The gate is a pretty big walk from the train. We now have to enter the section from the top, and deal with a security guard checking tickets. I'm guessing the security guy will get to know me in time, but it's a pain in the neck. Plus, a lot of people bottleneck the area, and I've really only found one somewhat easy way to get to my seat. For a place that is supposed to be 63 percent larger, there are a lot of stop gaps that makes it difficult to move.
Another person I spoke to who hated the place felt it was uninviting and had a Staten Island Yankees type feel. I agree with that to an extent. He also said that he's moved apartments and jobs, and it never felt this way. I guess my answer to that is when you move apartments, offices, or change jobs, usually, you are choosing where you end up. This isn't the case with Yankee Stadium, where we were forced out of a place we all loved, and got put into a place we didn't want.
I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of bad things about the new place, but like I said, it's not ALL bad.
Entry into the place is actually more pleasant. As of now, my gate actually has pretty much no line. That's much better than the ridiculously long wait in some of the other gates. I guess it's only a matter of time before people realize that entering in Gates 4 or 6 is no big deal, but as of now, entry is a bit easier. Also, security is much nicer in the place. It's nice to go in there and not be patted down like a criminal. The fact that anyone can walk anywhere means they have to treat everyone the same.
The view from my seat, at least ON the field, is better. Gone is a blind spot in left center that plagued my section for years. The field itself is also very nice.
The Great Hall is a nicely built area. Of course, what is it other than a big space with lots of kickass banners?
That big screen, the 80 percent I can see, is the best TV on the planet.
The facade going around the Stadium is a nice touch, and I like the display of lineups on one of the screens.
Beer in the bleachers is back, and that's nice, but when you don't drink, that doesn't affect me much. But I am very happy about it because so many people I know do drink, and I always felt that the Yankees were dead wrong to ban it. It's one thing for me to CHOOSE not to drink, but to hell with anyone who tells me I CAN'T drink. There's a big difference to me. I don't like having my rights trampled, and I'm thrilled that the Yankees finally did the right thing there. Now if they can just let us chant what we want, we'd be in business.
So basically, long note/blog, but there's a lot to say. Probably missed a lot, but there's space for more later.
