Relocation News: We Are Back In The B Plan

We would love to believe the company line that "some cancellations were processed and the seats became available." Maybe the ticket office finally did reach our name on the waiting list. Perhaps we would even give credence to the idea that all of our emails and phone calls to the Yankees had finally paid dividends. We just sincerely hope that our repeated and public venting about the botched relocation on this blog had absolutely no affect on the call we received today, offering us a 41 game plan in section 428.

This signifies a happy ending to our long and frustrating relocation journey and hopefully many others enjoy the same fate. This weekend, we received word that fellow Yankee season ticket holder and Baseball Prospectus writer Jay Jaffe has had his relocation reconsidered and got seats more to his liking. He made sure to point out that his friend's name is on the account and there is no way the Yankees could link him to his article taking advantage of his prominent position at Baseball Prospectus . It just seems a bit suspicious that the two most public and vocal opponents to the Yankee relocation program were silenced within days of each other.

At the end of the day, we're just happy fans who finally feel like we have had a say in our relationship with the team that we dole out plenty of money to support. We can finally look forward to watching our favorite team play our favorite sport, and not have to worry about what games we don't have tickets to. One thing is for sure, getting back on our B plan will make us no less critical of the Yankees and their employees when it is warranted.

For example, today some unlucky fans with 2008 seniority received the bad news that the Yankees were changing their mind about the relocation guide and they would not be receiving partial plans in 2009. Taken directly from the relocation guide on the Yankee website, it is clear that these people were mislead:

If you licensed and maintained a Partial Season Plan for the 2008 Season, you will be assigned the same number of seats in the new Yankee Stadium as are included in your Partial Season Plan at the end of the 2008 Season. In making assignments under the Relocation Program, the Yankees will, among other things, consider your seating preferences as indicated on your Relocation Program Questionnaire. Please note, however, that your assigned seat location will not likely be comparable to your current seat location in Yankee Stadium. Further, since the Partial Season Plans being offered for the 2009 Season in the new Yankee Stadium are not identical to the current Partial Season Plans, you will be given an opportunity on the Relocation Program Questionnaire to indicate the 2009 Partial Season Plan that you believe works best for you.

The Yankees had overwhelming demand for their larger plans, especially full season, and someone had to pay the price. It is understandable that people with the least seniorty should have the last shot at tickets. What is unfathomable is printing an official relocation correspondence and not even considering the idea of lowering expectations in case things really didn't go as planned.

A little bit of warning would have gone a long way in keeping these jilted ticket holders from revolt. Most of those with 2008 seniority and small partial plans understand their place in the Yankee ticket pecking order. When the official documentation outlining the relocation was blatantly ignored, however, these people suffered an immense Yankee-induced disappointment.

Confidence in the competency of the higher-ups in the Yankee ticket office lowers with each day's blunder. Today, the ticket office sent out an official announcement about ticket pre-sale dates. Unfortunately, the dates on the correspondence were a week later than the actual dates - a blatant typo that was somehow overlooked. Of course, mass confusion among ticket holders ensued, and the Yankees quickly sent out another email acknowledging the error in the earlier email. This sort of correspondence is essentially a form letter. How could they get wrong the one detail that the document was centered on? Incompetence defined.

We even coaxed some information out of our ticket representative regarding some seats in row 14 of the Grandstand that needed to be pulled due to obstructed views. This ticket representative has just dealt with the awakward situation of having to tell a season ticket holder that their seat wasn't exactly a viable option. It obviously doesn't reflect too well on the Yankee organization when major flaws are being discovered in 1.3 billion dollar stadium just weeks before opening. They deserve credit for recognizing the row 14 flaw before the season commenced, but also deserve any criticism they receive due to the design flaw ever occuring. Apparently, there will still be 14 rows in the Grandstand, but some more construction needs to take place before the Yankees include them in season ticket plans and not as single-game obstructed view seats.

Apparently all season ticket packets should be received via FedEx (they have switched shipping providers for 2009) no later than April 10. Many of the tickets are already at the printer. As a matter of fact, the tickets for our previously invoiced 20 game plan have been at the printer since March 3, and we will have to return them to the Yankees before being refunded for the price of that plan. Even though the Yankees have not yet completed the relocation process, rest assured that your tickets are being printed. As for us, we won't truly believe this saga is over until we have the reassuring feel of rectangular slices of cardboard between our fingers.