This week, the minor league affiliate sent out letters informing licensees how they could claim the free ticket to Yankee Stadium that they were promised when purchasing their plan. Below is the letter:
(click to enlarge)
The best part?
For each Staten Island Yankees ticket package you purchase, you get one free ticket for a New York Yankees game in the Bronx. This year, your seats will be located in the left field Bleachers, Section 239. Some seats have a partially obstructed view of the right field corner. To look up your general seat location, go to www.yankees.com and under the heading 'Yankee Stadium', click the '3D Seat Selector'.The extreme generosity of the New York Yankees franchise has allowed you, the loyal Staten Island Yankees season ticket holder, the opportunity to see (and we use that term loosely in this case) a New York Yankees game in the cheapest, most obstructed seats. Perhaps if you had season tickets for the AAA affiliate in Scranton, you would be entitled to unobstructed bleacher seats?
Yes, it is a bit ridiculous that the Yankees are handing out $5 obstructed seats as a "perk." However, baby bomber season ticket holders inexplicably had their presale for Yankees tickets on the same day as the partial plan holders for the major league team. We mentioned at the time how unfair it was, so perhaps this is to make up for that blunder.
Some other information that we can learn from this letter is exactly which 2009 Yankee home games are the least in demand. Obviously, the Yankees are only offering this perk to the worst games on the schedule. Here are the home games that the Yankees deem the worst:
Wed. April 22, 2009 vs. Oakland Athletics 1:05pm
Wed. May 6, 2009 vs. Tampa Bay Rays 7:05pm
Tues. May 19, 2009 vs. Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm
Thurs. May 21, 2009 vs. Baltimore Orioles 7:05pm
Tues. June 2, 2009 vs. Texas Rangers 7:05pm
Tues. June 16, 2009 vs. Washington Nationals 7:05pm
Tues. June 30, 2009 vs. Seattle Mariners 7:05pm
Tues. September 8, 2009 vs. Tampa Bay Rays 7:05pm
Wed. September 9,2009 vs. Tampa Bay Rays 7:05pm
Wed. September 16, 2009 vs. Toronto Blue Jays 7:05pm
Mon. September 28, 2009 vs. Kansas City Royals 7:05pm
Tues. September 29, 2009 vs. Kansas City Royals 7:05pm
Wed. September 30, 2009 vs. Kansas City Royals 7:05pm
We definitely see some value in the games against the Rays. Perhaps people sleeping under a rock don't realize this, but the Rays are the defending American League champions. Those games against the Rays in September have a great amount of potential to be just as exciting as the overrated home games against the Red Sox. Our advice to the Staten Island Yankee season ticket licensees is to pick the games against the Rays in September, and don't even bother going to your terribly obstructed seat. Just wander around the field level concourse and watch the game from there, but whatever you do, don't stop by the big, black curtain.
