There's a Web site entitled The Yankee Stadium Insider. Over a piece about next year's ticket prices appears this headline: "Soon, I Won't Be Such A Stadium Insider."I have to admit, I have never been a huge fan of Mushnick's work, but perhaps this can stem the tide. He obviously knows a quality blog when he sees one. Ha!
Getting my fingers all inky, reading "The Yankee Stadium Insider" in the hard copy of an actual mainstream media publication got me feeling a bit guilty. I have a blog called "NYY Stadium Insider", but I sold my season tickets for this season. To make up for it, I have been watching the games very closely on TV and have been posting videos when strange things happen on the broadcast (see yesterday's post, for example). Basically, I have replaced what used to be my "Stadium Insider" posts with "Yankee Media Critic" posts. I've turned into the blogger Yankee fan version of Phil Mushnick. To be honest, the blog has gained a lot more traction since I started posting more analysis and funny videos. However, I started the blog as an outpost for my adventures attending Yankee games, and I have to admit that I miss that.
As for my days as a season ticket holder, I am definitely still feeling priced out. As I mentioned back in December, tickets in my section went up 47% from $17 per ticket to $25. For that reason, I was forced to sell my entire strip of 46 games (plus the all-star game). I sold it for face value, and I had plenty of interest off of a Craigs List ad back in the winter. I made the choice to purchase the plan from the Yankees and then sell it in all together to give myself some more time to decide about next year.
Since then, information from the Yankees about 2009 tickets has been sparse. There was an article in March on ESPN.com that mentioned ticket prices for my section would remain the same (check out the quote at the very end by Lonnie Trost). However, that article also mentioned that relocation packets would be out in April and it is mid-July without receiving one. Therefore, I am forced to take the information from that article with a huge grain of salt.
I have come to the conclusion that if tickets are the same price as they were this year ($25 per seat, per game for the 46 games), then I will DEFINITELY purchase the tickets for next season when the invoice comes. Even knowing that my tickets will most likely not be directly behind home plate like they are now because of the decreased number of rows in the upper deck. I will still buy the tickets if Lonnie is true to his word and tickets remain the same price. Any increase and I will have to reconsider.
I have no illusions that prices will remain the same for too long, even if they are the same next year. However, I have been dreaming of a new stadium for so long that I must have season tickets if the opportunity presents itself, even if my girlfriend doesn't approve. In my mind, selling this year's tickets in order to save up for next year was the best way to accomplish that.
The disappointing part of all of this has been going to so few Yankee games this year. I live on the Upper East side only 12 minutes away from the stadium by subway. I could easily purchase tickets to many of the games from Craigs List for way below face value on most nights, but not sitting in my seats in Tier Section 1 just isn't the same.
Ok, back to being the Phil Mushnick of Yankee blogs.
Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums!
