Saturday, August 30, 2008

Down on the farm: Another Alan Horne injury update



As many of you know, former top prospect Alan Horne has had a trying season at best down at Scranton. There was the biceps tear, and the recovery. Then, upon his return to Scranton Wilkes-Barre, he just never felt right. The Yankees sent him down to Tampa where he continued to get lit up.

Finally, Alan can rest easy, as he has some reasons for his "dead arm". He has rotator cuff damage.

Cue Bill Horne - Alan's father:
Alan met with Dr. James Andrews yesterday and after a complete hands-on exam and a review of MRI-X-Ray pictures he did a successful scope on Alan's shoulder. He said there was a partial tear of the rotator cuff that he cleaned up along with some fray, but was very specific that it was not considered a typical repair where you actually have to tie anything down. Also there was some fray along the labrum which he cleaned up saying that because nothing was considered a complete repair that Alan's recovery should go well. Dr. Andrews went on to say that the issues going on with Alan's shoulder this year would surely prohibit his arm from working the way it can and should, but that this will put him back on track. I would tell you that Alan was very up-beat with Dr. Andrews during this time and is very positive about his recovery. Thank all of you for your support.
on the recovery time:
Dr. Andrews said look for 4 months down and then start his throwing program--that may put him a little behind at the start of ST but then he went on to say he felt confident Alan would catch up. He went on to say you know everybody's body heals differently, he would re-evaluate Alan as time went along but he looked for it to be a good recovery and a full one. He didn't address velocity specifically, just that he expected a full recovery. Personally, I look for good things ahead.
I'd like to thank Bill for checking in at the forums, especially during these rough times. We here at NYYSI would like to wish Alan a speedy recovery and hope to see him in a Yankee uniform sometime in the future.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Friday, August 29, 2008

Deciphering the relocation guide - what it means for former "B" plan (half season) licensees

I just finished my first pass through the relocation guide for season ticket holders, and here are some quick highlights (and lowlights) for fellow former "B" plan holders:

- The "B" plan will no longer be named the "B" plan. It is the 41 game plan. Those 41 games are 5 fewer games than this year's 46 game weekday "B" plan.

- The former B planners will be second fiddle in the highly complicated pool process for determining new seat locations. Full season and "A" plan holders will get first priority.

- The Yankees essentially guarantee that former B planners will NOT have reasonable comparable tickets in the new Stadium. Basically, they will sit us wherever they can after considering the questionnaire that must be filled out by September 10.

- Once you fill out the questionnaire, your invoice will be generated based on your responses. The seat location on your first invoice will likely be the best seats you will get.

- From what I can gather from the materials, it seems that the invoice will be paid in installments, instead of all up front. This is likely due to invoices being sent out way earlier than the usual December time frame.

- The 41 game will be VERY different from the former B plan. This plan will now include opening day (FANTASTIC NEWS) and will alternate every other game from then on. So, you will have game 1, game 3, game 5, game 7, game 9, etc. etc. This is actually an improvement since it includes weekends as well. So, what we will almost definitely lose in seat location (I am currently RIGHT behind home plate in section 1) we will gain in better games.

- Prices are the same this year, meaning that what was Tier Reserved MVP tickets will be a season ticket holder price of $25 per ticket. The former Tier Reserve seats (upper deck in the outfield) remain at $20. The good news is, if you get bumped all the way into the outfield, at least you will be paying less.

All of the above information is my interpretation of the very detailed and confusing relocation guide (also sent to season ticket holders by mail). If it seems like something I wrote above doesn't make sense, that is very much a possibility. Feel free to leave a comment on this post letting me know how much this blog sucks or how much I suck. I love to see the friendly remarks.


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Yankee Relocation guide close to going live on Yankees.com

Update (8/29) As seen in the comments below by a not so friendly tipster, a couple of the below-mentioned links are actually live. Peep the comments and thanks for the kind words about the site.



A tipster over at the NYYSI forums has alerted me to this page that he found in Google cache. The page, which is set to go live here at an unspecified date offers a bit more insight into the relocation process, but not much.

At the top of the page, we can see that it says:
Click Here to fill out the relocation questionnaire
Questionnaire must be submitted by September 10,2008
To give fans any reasonable amount of time, they are going to need to go live on this site VERY soon.

Finally, there is this small print:
Opting Out of the Relocation Program
You are not required to participate in the Relocation Program. Licensees may seek to license Plans, subject to availability, as well as tickets to individual Games, outside of the Relocation Program. However, due to the limited inventory of tickets and anticipated demand for tickets under the Relocation Program, you are strongly encouraged to participate in the Relocation Program. Any tickets licensed outside of the Relocation Program will likely result in your receiving a less desirable seating location than had you participated in the Relocation Program.

Failure to Respond by the Invoice Date
If you fail to accept or decline your assignment in the manner described in this Guide by the due date reflected on the invoice accompanying your assignment, you will have no right to license a Plan through the Relocation Program.
Unfortunately, the invoice date is not available anywhere on that cached page.

It looks like there will be a "3-D seat selector" featured on that page as well, so you should be able to check out the view from your likely worse seats before taking the plunge.

Good luck everyone, the day of reckoning is nearly upon us.

Once again, thanks to "peterb" (not to be confused with petera) on the forums for this tip

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums!
Read the full post, after the jump

Best of Tubby 2008

Now that the Yankees are practically eliminated from contention the only thing that can cheer me up is photoshops of Tubby. Yes, I am obsessed with a fat man on the internet.

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/tubbydance.gif
Dancing Tubby

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/tubbs.gif
Hungry Tubby

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/wangtubby.jpg
Iceburg Tubby

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/party.jpg
Party Tubby

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/tubbana.jpg
Tubbanaaaa

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/tubbybump.jpg
Use this on a forum

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/tubbypenguin.jpg
Penguin Tubby

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubby/cansecoparty.jpg
Poolside Tubby

Tubby with sound:

http://heyfatboyy.ytmnd.com/
http://tka.ytmnd.com/

NoMaas.org gets into the act with stripper Tubby:
http://www.nomaas.org/images/abraham-springsteen-lapdance1.jpg
(credit to Nomaas.org of course) Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

If you thought the idiots yelling "Take your hat off" during "God Bless America" were bad...

I have long ridiculed the idiots who yell "take ya hat off" during "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium. It is fine to take YOUR hat off, but if I choose to keep mine on, yelling like an idiot will not accomplish anything. As I have chronicled, this has even regressed to fans yelling "take ya hood off" over the years. I don't even want to know what I am going to have to take off next.

It has been a long standing policy for fans to be held hostage during the singing of God Bless America by our old gal pal Kate Smith. Until now, I didn't realize that this often ridiculed policy was upheld even when a patron was on the verge of a bathroom emergency.

This all leads us to this story on Deadspin (wow, that is two links in a row to Deadspin, glad I'm coming up with some original content lately). A fan was actually verbally and physically accosted and ejected from the stadium by New York City Police Officers for wanting to go to the bathroom during the 7th inning stretch. The juicy stuff:
attempted to get up to use the restroom, rather urgently, during the 7th inning stretch as God Bless America was beginning. As I attempted to walk down the aisle and exit my section into the tunnel, I was stopped by a police officer. He informed me that I had to wait until the song was over. I responded that I had to use the restroom and that I did not care about God Bless America.

As soon as the latter came out of my mouth, my right arm was twisted violenty behind my back and I was informed that I was being escorted out of the stadium. A second officer then joined in and twisted my left arm, also in an excessively forceful manner, behind my back. I informed them they were violating my First Amendment rights and that I had done nothing wrong, with no response from them.

That is only the beginning. Click the link above for the full story.

I think we all realize how absurd this is. It is time for the Yankees to take note of these incidents and make some changes. Hell, I'm all for getting rid of "God Bless America" all together!

It should be noted that the "fan" involved is a Red Sox fan. I stand by the actions of these officers if:

a) The "victim" was wearing a Papelbon or Youkilis jersey
b) Has a "New England Accent"
c) Was drinking (alcohol and Red Sox fans are always a bad combination).

I wish I knew the whole story from an objective source. Who knows, maybe this guy also said something negative about the officer's favorite Golden Boy Derek Jeter and isn't admitting it?

If anyone was there and witnessed this, PLEASE leave a comment below.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The defense rests

Update (8/27 2:00 PM) - Rick Chandler over at Deadspin says it best:
New York can still win two of three in their final Red Sox homestand, but I wouldn't bet any of Tiger's money on it. New York is down 9 1/2 games to the Rays. And you come away from this getting a clearer picture of the Alex Rodriguez legacy in New York. Yeah, he often gets a raw deal, and expectations are unreasonably high. But every time he has a chance to beat down the demons, A-Rod seems to find a way to fail in spectacular fashion.
For A-Rod apologist like myself it has always been put up or shut up.

Of course, I have no bearing out the outcome, but A-Rod continues to not "put up" when it counts. Therefore, it is time for me to shut up.

Sadly, the "put up" times are the are the ones with the most people are watching. There is no denying A-Rod is a valuable player. However, it isn't worth defending him when the masses are against him and he fails in big spot after big spot, compounding the problem.

Two Jeterian double plays tonight mean that A-Rod is going to have to go on without my defense for a long time, maybe forever.

For those who know me, this is a huge moment.

I will continue to wear my #13 jersey since I am a loyal fan, but my days of frequenting the baseball-reference A-Rod page to quickly refute A-Rod bashing are over.



Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, August 25, 2008

NYYSI Saves you money: Tickets to the final Yankee games for Face Value or below

Just thought I would do the dirty work of digging through the scalpers and spam on Craigs List.

Reasonably priced tickets for upcoming games (reminder, I am NOT selling these tickets, they were found on Craigs List:

found on 8/26:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/tix/813515571.html
This is it - last chance for the Yanks. I have 4 really good tix for the Yanks/Sox game on Wed. night [8/27] - FIELD LEVEL!!! Face value - $95.
The location is pretty vague, but he says face value. Can't hurt to inquire.

found on 8/26:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brx/tix/813478478.html

Got (3) Seats for tonights game [Yankees vs. Red Sox, 8/26].. Seats are all in RF Bleachers
Section 37 (Row K)
Section 43 (2 aisle seats in rows C & H)

ONLY $50 each ticket.. Best deal you will find
Sadly, he isn't lying. That is by far the cheapest I have seen for tonight. I hate to advertise above face value tickets, but if you really want to see Yankees vs. Sox, this is your chance.

found on 8/25:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tix/812525813.html
I've got a pair of Yankees-Blue Jays tix to this Friday's game (August 29) that I can't use. Face value is $70 per seat, I'm selling the pair for $120. Meet around the East Village or Paypal for emailed tickets (preferred).

Seats are in the Tier Box MVP section, box 625, row F, seats 21 & 22.
Will add to this post and bump up when I find more!

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Were you at the July 4th, 2008 Yankee game against the Red Sox?

If you were, you will find this photo on SI.com pretty amazing. A little more about the photo:
This panoramic view of Yankee Stadium on July 4 was shot using GigaPan technology. You can zoom in on any detail Рfrom Alex Rodriguez approaching the plate in the first inning against the Red Sox to the fa̤ade of the new Yankee Stadium beyond leftfield. Taken by a robotic camera, the photo was shot over the course of 10 minutes and consists of 124 frames stitched together. Carnegie Mellon developed the GigaPan technology last year in collaboration with NASA.
Feel free to leave a comment if you find anything crazy going on in the picture.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tubby + Pavana = Tubbanaaaaa

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/tubbana.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Its all Pavano, all the time here at NYYSI

Who could forget these "Kaybli classics":



SOUND UP!

Oh yea, Carl is pitching for the Yankees on Saturday night.

You might remember him. He pitched the home opener for the Yankees in 2007.


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

YES Network "Yankee Classics" against the Royals and "Yankeeography: Yankee Stadium" - This must be a joke

Last week, the YES Network had the genius idea to air a "Yankee Classic" from June 7, 2008
when Johnny Damon went 6-6 with a walk-off hit. As a reminder, this was a game between a mediocre team and a last place team in the middle of June. Now, it has been inducted into a series with classics like the opening day "snow game" in 1996, David Wells' perfect game in 1998, and the World Series in 2001.

Now, they are set to air another "Yankee Classic", this time from July 25 when Joba shut down the Red Sox. Good game? Absolutely. Classic? Definitely not.

I would almost prefer SNY's 3 game rotation of Met classics. Isn't it taking something away from the actual classics? I know, I know, the YES Ultimate Road trip was finally canceled this year and they need to fill the air.

To top it all off, the YES network actually created a "Yankeeography: 1998 Yankees" and is premiering "Yankeeography: Yankee Stadium" this week. You can't make this stuff up.

Can a "Yankeeography: Yankeeography" be too far off? How about "Yankeeography: True Yankees" featuring Michael Kay favorites such as Homer Bush, Clay Bellinger and Andy Fox. The true headliner would be none other than Clutchy McClutch - Scotty Brosius.


Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Carla Pavana has stiff neck - could be career threatening

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/pavana2.jpg
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08192008/sports/yankees/pavano_skips_bullpen_session_125164.htm Read the full post, after the jump

NYYSI presents: Great Moments in New York Yankees History - Syrian Stray Rod caught by press

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/syrianrod.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, August 18, 2008

The days of sneaking rum and coke into Yankee Stadium may be over

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9534/subwaycokeqi9.jpg
From the Metro Blog (you know, the paper that has the homeless looking people handing it out for free when you enter the subway station in the morning) comes this disheartening speculation: the new Yankee Stadium may ban outside food and drink.

It will be a bummer if I can't bring my Subway sandwich into the game, but even worse is what I sneak in utilizing the Subway wrappers - rum and coke.

On an especially poor (or frugal) week, there is nothing like wrapping a 20 oz. bottle of coke in a Subway sandwich wrapper and sneaking it into the Stadium (just try to squeeze my sub on the way in, security guard. I dare you!) That little mixer is usually finished off before the 3rd inning, but it means only buying one $13.50 beer Fosters instead of many.

This is a travesty

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Sunday, August 17, 2008

The new Yankee Stadium continues to take shape...

Sliding Into Home has been on top of the new Yankee Stadium construction updates since day one, so it is not surprising at all to find these photos.

Without stealing Greg's scoop too much, here are some of my favorites:




That screen sure does put the screen in the current Stadium to shame.



That is some legit legroom in the upper deck seats. I'd say it is at least double the current leg room that upper deck seats offer.

Finally, this overhead shot is epic.

Just 8 months until the crowds start pouring in!

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Brett Gardner, True Yankee

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/gardner3.jpg

Gardner wins another one on a walkoff hit Read the full post, after the jump

Yankee fans - masters of misplaced blame

Another embarrassing moment for Yankee fans this afternoon.

In the bottom of the ninth, Derek Jeter (owner of an OPS+ of 100, VORP of 26.1, salary of 21 million in 2008) grounds into a double play with the winner run on 2nd and one out. Walks off the field with little fan attention.

In the bottom of the tenth, Alex Rodriguez (owner of an OPS+ of 161, VORP of 54, salary of 30 million in 2008) strikes out with no runners on and one out. Walks off the field being booed loudly and angrily.

Keep up the good work, idiots.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Some other notes from my final game at the "Old Yankee Stadium"

The tone and length of the last post didn't allow for any of this stuff to sneak its way in. Here are some of the moments from last night's game that you will only read about here:

- A drunken guy yelling at bow-tie wearing cotton candy vendor "you're a filthy liar, bow-tie". It was as absurd as it sounds
- Multiple Richie Sexson sightings. He was cut from the team, but he was not yet cut from the "Match Game NY" between-inning filler, or the "Yankee Superstar" between-inning montage. You know the Yankees have fallen when Richie Sexson is in their "superstar" montage.
- An argument that Nick and I had with a guy in front of us who took exception to our yelling and screaming at Joe Girardi for intentionally walking both Aviles AND Guillen in one inning. The guy didn't understand how horrible of a decision it was to walk Guillen to load the bases for Billy Butler, even after considering that the same exact move had backfired on Girardi moments before after walking Aviles. His argument was that you can't get a double-play without creating the force. Our argument was that Andy Pettite had strike out stuff working last night and most of his outs were fly balls. Setting up the double play was useless. It worked out the second time, but that doesn't mean it was the right decision.
- A strange bathroom experience. Nick and I are in the bathroom, doing our thing, and some guy walks in, obviously displeased with the line that had formed for the urinals. He says loudly "what are we racing turtles in here? Hurry Up!" Yep, thats right. He referred to it as "racing turtles." Can't say I have heard that one before, but it was pretty hilarious. I sped my turtle to the finish line and headed out of there.
- The continuous scape-goating of Alex Rodriguez. He was booed all night, there were grumblings of his ineptitude in the "clutch" when reached base on the swinging bunt in the bottom of the 9th, and he was ripped by some idiots in the Subway on the way home. According to these ignorant fools, the Yankees never should have resigned A-Rod, they were bidding against themselves, and he only hits homeruns when the Yankees are up 7-1. I had already embarrassed my girlfriend enough for the evening with my intentional walk argument with the guy in front of me, so I spared her to mortification of another confrontation.

Its probably better off that I'm not going to any more games this year.

By the way - I was able to snag 4 tickets in the tier box, down the right field line in section 641, row F for $100. Face value on those tickets is $40 each for season ticket holders, so I saved quite a bit of money. Craigs List was the method, so don't give up hope if you want to make one last affordable trip to the Stadium. The seats were OK, but the right field corner is out of view. Row F in the tier box is somehow the last row which I never knew. Being in the last row isn't the best experience on a rainy night. The upper deck walkway is directly behind your head and you are constantly worrying about people splashing dirty water on your clothes or the back of your head.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

A final trip to "The Cathedral" in the Bronx

By this time, it is well known that the title of this blog may not have been the most accurate during the 2008 season. When the Yankees raised ticket prices by 47% before the season, the tickets went from a financial stretch to absolutely unaffordable. The conscious decision was made to sell the tickets for face value, while holding onto ownership of the account to retain the dream of having tickets when the new Stadium opens.

That brought us to last night, August 15, 2008. Fellow contributor to this blog and younger brother Nick joined me (along with our girlfriends) to make one final trip to Yankee Stadium before it is destroyed. Between Nick heading back to college and the insane ticket prices for the final 18 games, this would most likely be the final game we ever attended together at the current Stadium, after hundreds in our life. As a documented detractor of those nostalgic for the glory years of the 1990's and a known supporter of a new Stadium being built, I felt a bit hypocritical plodding through last night pining for older times. At the same time, the Stadium was a sort of stomping ground for my brother and I from the time we were kids.

In the 1980's during my youngest years, my father took me to games on a regular basis. During the 1990's I did the same for Nick. From the age of 13 or 14, when Nick was 8 or 9, we would head up to the Stadium during the summer and fall months in time for the gates to open. We would take in batting practice, get autographs, wander around. While other kids were playing in backyards, we were exploring the depths of the most historic sports franchise on a regular basis. We saw some historic things in those days. Perfect games, ALCS clinchers, postseason heroics. The most important thing was that the Stadium was fun. The fans and employees were friendly and positive. Everything was expensive as in any other Stadium, but not completely unaffordable. It was a place that a teenager and a young boy could go to.

It is obvious that the Yankee Stadium experience changed over the years. The team won year in and year out and reclaimed the status as top dog in the sports world. As the money-making empire that George Steinbrenner had created grew, tickets became more expensive and more sought after. Even before 9/11, Stadium security had tightened and taken away some of the fun of wandering around the stadium, getting different vantage points. After those terrorist attacks, the atmosphere changed everywhere, and Yankee Stadium was not an exception. Getting into the Stadium became about as fun as going through airport security.

It wasn't just the venue that changed - the people attending the games changed as well. This is all highly subjective and is absolutely generalizing the millions of people who have attended Yankee games in the past 5-8 years. However, from 2008 - 2008 Yankees fans in general devolved from triumphant to spoiled to entitled to nostalgic and have finally settled in with a mix of all of those things topped of with a huge case of bitterness. Experiencing that process first-hand, while attending 30-40 games per year is what inspired the blog NYY Stadium Insider.

While many of the game experience posts on this blog come off sounding "holier than thou", sarcastic and sometimes annoyed, the lasting impression is that going to the ballgame is always an experience and mostly fun. Last night proved that the fun part is largely dependent on the current state of the Yankees and whether or not they win.

Many people had written the Yankees off this week. With only 41 games to play and a 7 game deficit in the standings, this was completely understandable - especially given the impressive run differentials of the teams the Yankees are chasing and the mediocre one they possess. Never giving up hope, I believed the Yankees still had one last run in them. That was until last night.

Last night signified the end of the Yankees post-season streak. Not officially, obviously, but it might as well be. When hitting with runners in scoring position failed them one final time in the bottom of the ninth inning, Yankee Stadium deflated in a way that I have only seen it deflate after a postseason loss. It reminded me of the 1997 loss to Cleveland in the ALDS and the 2007 loss to Cleveland in the ALDS. It was the culmination of never waning optimism resulting in defeat.

I had always imagined a triumphant departure for the "old Yankee Stadium". Before exiting the Stadium, I turned around to look at the familiar surroundings one final time. Sadly, the feeling I had was anything but triumph.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Friday, August 15, 2008

Melky demoted to the Minors

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/melkydemoted.jpg
Say it ain't so, Melky Read the full post, after the jump

My newest time-killer - Rootzoo.com


Last month, I told you about Centsports.com where you can bet on sports with free money. It seemed to be a relatively popular post and I know at least a few of the loyal readers of this site checked it out.

Now I'm here to tell you about another site I waste my time on these days while I should be working - Rootzoo.com.

Rootzoo is a relatively new sports site that has something for any sports fan. What sealed me as a daily user was their "pick 'em" contests. Basically, they give away everything from gift cards, to 42 inch plasma TVs to trips to the World Series for making sports picks every day.

In addition, you may have noticed a little "root it" link next to the "hype it up" link below each post on the blog. Feel free to click that link and it will add that story to the "news pulse" over at Rootzoo. There is so much more to the site, but you are better off just checking it out.

Editors note: I am not being paid by Centsports.com or Rootzoo.com to make these posts. I am a legitimate user and wanted to inform the readers of this site in case they are interested.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Thursday, August 14, 2008

No time like now to look forward to 2009 - New stadium Opening date: 4/16/09

Some juicy info from AP baseball writer Ronald Blum:
The new Yankee Stadium will open on April 16 with a game against the Cleveland Indians.

Details of next year's openers were disclosed to The Associated Press on Thursday by baseball officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the teams nor the commissioner's office have made any announcements.

Nothing like a two-week road trip to start the season.

And then there is this:
The Yankees may have one or two exhibition games at their new $1.3 billion ballpark before the official opener.
I bet the season ticket holders appreciate being "scooped" on the home opener by having an exhibition there first. Its not unprecedented though, most new Stadiums do this very thing.

Lastly, if the Yankees can come back next year and make the World Series, Captain GIDP will have a chance to defend his "Mr. November" nickname. The season is starting late next year (because of the World Baseball Classic?), so game 7 of the World Series in 2009 is tentatively scheduled for November 5th. That Cubs vs. Yankees series should be a chilly one. Better get your Under Armour ready.

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

About that Marte/Gagne comparison

Earlier on today, Kaybli blessed us with a photo of Marte conjuring up the ghost of Eric Gagne past.

That wasn't just some random comparison, Marte's stats through his first 9 games with the Yankees are eerily similar to Gagne's from one year ago:

Gagne with Red Sox in 2007:

8 IP, 16 hits, 10 ER, 4 BBs, 11 Ks, 1 HR allowed 11.25 ERA
Opp BA: .410 OBP: .465 SLG: .641 OPS: 1.106

1 blown save, 2 holds

Marte with the Yankees in 2008:

7.1 IP, 9 hits, 9 ER, 5 BBs, 11 Ks, 1 HR allowed 11.05 ERA
Opp BA: .290 OBP: .389 SLG: .548 OPS: .937

0 blown saves, 4 holds, 2 losses

So, Marte isn't AS bad as Gagne was after switching teams last year, but it sure is too close for comfort...

Brian Cashman must be thankful for Xavier Nady who has been TEARING IT UP since coming over to the Yankees. Then again, its not like the Yankees could use a guy like Jeff Karstens who has put up these numbers since being traded to the Pirates. Oh wait, Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner are still in the rotation... Yikes

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump

The dream still lives - for reasonably priced Yankee tickets in '09

Not so buried in the bevy of articles regarding the Mets top tier ticket price announcement were some more promising quotes from Lonn Trost (Yankees COO). Here is the juicy quote:

"Whatever works for them, I'm happy for them," Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost said. "We do what we think is appropriate. In order to have 47,000 affordable seats, we had to have 4,500 expensive seats."
C'mon Lonn - don't take the high road. You should pull a Hank quote about those fans paying less because they are paying for an inferior product! Anyway, the more quotes I read from Lonn saying this very thing, the more I realize that it will be very hard to back-track on their repeated promises to not raise ticket prices for the "cheap seats".

Here is some more info from that article, but this is probably old information and not based on anything Lonn said yesterday:
The Yankees have not announced prices for the seats near the outfield but say they will keep the lowest-priced reserved seats in the top deck at $20 and $25 and bleachers at $12. Trost said 25,000 seats will not have an increase and that a complete price list will be released this month.
Very reasonable.

Finally, here is some interesting info about the Mets "Upper Deck" ticket pricing for next year, and also about how they are handling season ticket sales:

Reserved seats in the upper deck at Citi Field, called the Promenade, will average $19.

Howard said the Mets have talked to about 3,000 season ticket holders about relocation and hope to speak with about 3,000 more by the end of next month. The Mets are requiring 10 percent deposits for next year.

10% seems fair. The Yankees will probably ask for it all. That would fall in line with their annual invoice that arrives two weeks before it is due. The idea is to give the people with seniority as little time as possible in order to push them out and not have to deal with their seating priorities.

So, Yankee ticket prices are due "this month". We'll see about that - they've been saying the same thing since the winter.

Go check out the AP article, it has some more interesting info about the Mets tiered ticket prices vs. The Yankees uniform pricing for weekday, weekend, premium, and other variations.


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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Ghost of Gagne continues to haunt Marte

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/ghostofgagne.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, August 11, 2008

Speaking of the Yankees' playoff chances...

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/computerguy.jpg
It used to be fun to keep a finger on the pulse of Baseball Prospectus' postseason odds report. The Yankees playoff chances were usually up in the 90% range, and around this time of year the countdown to the playoffs and the "magic number" watch would commence.

Unfortunately, everything that could have gone wrong for the Yankees this season has gone wrong. The Yankees chances of making the playoffs currently stand between 8 and 10 percent (depending on if you adjust the playoff odds report to PECOTA projections or not). Any way you look at it, the likelihood of the team making the playoffs is getting smaller every day. It obviously isn't even close to impossible, but with every 3 game sweep, the odds move from unlikely to "its going to take a miracle".

On another note, as the odds of the Yankees making the playoffs continues to shrink, the prices for the last game at the current Yankee Stadium continue to rise. Imagine how high the prices will go once the Yankees are mathematically eliminated from the playoff race? What a sickening thought.

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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Angels Sweep dampers Yanks playoff chances

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/angelssweep.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Please, Mike, no more "aggressive" talk

Look, I have no problem with complimenting the best team in baseball. I don't at all. The Angels are really damn good. But if the Yankees playing the Angels 10 times this season means I have to hear Michael Kay tell me in thousands of different ways that the Angels aggressive play "always put pressure on you" and they "force you to make plays", I'm going to puke. All over Michael Kay actually.

It's not that I disagree with Michael Kay, I just think it's a little absurd to focus on. Yeah, sure, the Angels are aggressive on the base paths. It's very easy to do those things when (their) pitching staff rates in the top five in the AL in quality starts (1st), saves (1st), WHIP (4th), ERA (5th), BAA (5th) and OPS (5th).

The margin of error is much larger when you can get thrown out going first to third and will still remain very much so in the game, without worrying that your pitcher(Ian Kennedy?) will allow more baserunners than outs

The reason it annoys me? Because this is coming from the same doofus who credits Homer Bush and Clay Bellinger with being key parts of the Yankees championships. Even the most nostalgic dynasty lovers realize you could have slotted Ross or me into their roles, and we would have walked away with championship rings.

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

2008 NY Yankees - splitting the 4-game series the hard way

The Yankees certainly aren't doing themselves any favors. They have split 4 different 4 game series' after losing the first two games of the series. Don't believe me? Check this out:

April 4-7 vs. TB:
Loss 13-4, Loss 6-3, Win 9-2, Win 6-1

April 25-28 @ CLE:
Loss 6-4, Loss 4-3, Win 1-0, Win 5-2

July 3-6 vs BOS:
Loss 7-0, Loss 6-4, Win 2-1, Win 5-4

Aug 4-7 @ TEX:
Loss 9-5, Loss 8-6, Win 5-3, Win 3-0


Note: The series from May 12-15, the Yankees dropped the first two, but then won the third and lost the last game. Also, from May 30-June 2 the Yankees won the first two at Minnesota, and lost the last two. In the beginning of June, the Yankees went win-loss, win-loss against the Royals.

So, in 50% of their 4 game series' in 2008, the Yankees have dropped the first two only to salvage the final two games. Just think where the Yankees would be in the race for a playoff spot if they woke up before they were in the 2-0 hole. I know, I know - Michael Kay would tell me something about the fallacy of the predetermined outcome. Screw you Michael Kay. By the way, I can't find the definition of that phrase anywhere, so I'm not sure it even exists.

That is doing things the hard way.
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Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Texas Pitcher Massacre

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/texas.jpg

First Hughes last year throwing a no-hitter and this year Wang in Houston and Joba in Arlington again. Read the full post, after the jump

Monday, August 4, 2008

A financial analysis of the new Stadium by Crain's NY Business (and an NYY Stadium Insider mention)

Crain's New York Business ran an interesting piece today about the financial ramifications of the new Yankee Stadium.

I found this part especially intriguing:

For example, in the prospectus for the $942 million of tax-exempt debt raised in 2006, the Yankees said, "Projected 2009 revenues at the new stadium are expected to be $253.2 million based on an assumed attendance of 3.4 million people."

Pitch is low

As rich as those estimates may sound, they are quite conservative. The projection assumes that only 42,000 people will attend each home game next year—about 20% below this year's average to date.

Its no wonder that the Yankees have little concern over their $200MM in payroll expenditures year in and year out. The new Stadium is going to be a goldmine. I guess this is fairly obvious, but the actual numbers are mind-blowing, especially considering the Yankees modest attendance expectations. I am pretty sure EVERY game next year is going to be sold out.

I would also like to point out that Aaron Elstein interviewed me for this piece and included some information about this blog and also a quote at the end of the article:

Many season ticket holders are worried about being priced out of the new stadium. Ross Sheingold, who runs the blog NYYStadium Insider.com, says the cost of his season tickets, located high in the upper deck directly behind home plate, was increased by a painful 47% this year. He sold his tickets this year at face value and may have to cancel his plan if prices rise any higher.

"I have no illusions that prices will remain the same for too long, even if they are the same next year," Mr. Sheingold says. "However, I have been dreaming of a new stadium for so long that I have to have season tickets if the opportunity presents itself."

The mainstream media and blogs working together to get more information out to the public. Buzz Bissinger would be proud.

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Sunday, August 3, 2008

Michael Kay will hate you for "tacking on"

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/michaelkay.jpg
According to Michael Kay on today's YES broadcast, Alex Rodriguez is tied for the major league lead with 9 "tack-on homeruns" in 2008. A "tack-on homerun" by definition is one when your team is up by 3 or more runs. It makes perfect sense! The opposing team can never come back from a three run deficit.

The real comedy in this is that Michael Kay became obsessed with this "stat" in a game that saw the Yankees come back from a 5-0 deficit, and the Angels come back from an 8-5 deficit.

Remember kids, if your team is up by 3 runs or more, you should just make an out. Definitely don't hit a homerun. That run will be meaningless and will NEVER help your team win a game.

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Saturday, August 2, 2008

Bad News - Yankees Old Timers' Day Likely a Washout

Update: They played one inning, and got all of the introductions in without any rain. Everyone knows my anti-nostalgia feelings, but this was a memorable Old Timers' Day.

Severe thunderstorms are in the forecast, and this radar is not promising:

http://radblast-sf.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/radar/WUNIDS_map?station=OKX&brand=wui&num=6&delay=15&type=N0R&frame=0&scale=1.000&noclutter=1&t=1217688791&lat=40.82016373&lon=-73.92166138&label=Bronx%2C+NY&showstorms=0&map.x=400&map.y=240&centerx=400&centery=240&transx=0&transy=0&showlabels=1&severe=0&rainsnow=0&lightning=0&smooth=0

It is very unfortunate when the Old Timers' events get rained out, as there is no makeup scheduled.

The worst news is that the real game will most likely get underway after the rain pushes through and we all know what that means for the Yankees against the Angels...

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Friday, August 1, 2008

After losing 5 of 6 Yanks back down in the dumps again

http://www.nyystadiuminsider.com/uploaded_images/dumps.jpg Read the full post, after the jump

The Yankees have found the answer for the 4 and 5 spots in the rotation


OK, maybe not.

However according to this press release, David Wells and Aaron Small were just added to the list of participants for Yankees Old-Timers Day 2008.

The Yankees probably won't be pulling a 1979 Billy Martin-type of announcement to introduce these two as the replacements for Rasner/Ponson in the rotation, but the argument can be made that they couldn't be worse.

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Hey Sidney - Why so Serious?

Surely some other readers have been perusing the interwebs today and came across this image of Sidney Ponson on Yankees.com:


(click for big)

So, the question has to be asked (Joker style) Sidney - why so serious?

Here are some reasons why Sidney Ponson looks like he is about to cry as he releases a pitch:
(counting down, as if this is some lame rip off of the never funny David Letterman top 10)

3) He would much rather be feeding some of those chins at the post-game spread.

2) Not too long ago, he was living the life, doing stuff like this. Now he is throwing a spherical object while wearing tight pants in the middle of the South Bronx. If that thought doesn't make a man cry, what will?

1) He realized that opponents are getting on base over 40% of the time against him, and he knows that every pitch is just another futile effort in a losing battle to stay in the big leagues.

Looking back, this post is pretty unfair. You know, since Sidney is such a good guy

Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums! Read the full post, after the jump
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